Sanchez set for Game 3; ratings lousy

AP - The third game of the World Series will be played Saturday night in chilly Detroit and the American League Champion Tigers need a win, badly. They dropped the first two games to the Giants in San Francisco, losing 8-3 and 2-0.

Game 3 starters will be midseason acquisition Anibal Sanchez for the Tigers and 14-game winner Ryan Vogelsong for San Francisco. The temperature in the Motor City is expected to be in the low-to-mid 40s.

Sanchez says the Tigers "need to start over" and forget those first two losses in the City by the Bay. Added Sanchez: "I know we've got the talent. That's why we're here."

For his part, Vogelsong says he likes to pitch "with a little chip on my shoulder" so he constantly improves. Added Vogelsong: "I still have a lot to prove in this game.

San Francisco is getting tremendous postseason pitching. Giants starters have allowed two runs in 33 innings over the last five games, a 0.55 ERA, with 30 strikeouts and six walks.

Of the 52 teams to take a 2-0 lead in the World Series, 41 have gone on to win the title. That includes 14 of the last 15 teams with that advantage.

Record-low ratings for first two games

The Giants' 2-0 shutout of the Detroit Tigers drew a record-low television rating for Game 2 of the World Series. That comes on top of record-low TV ratings for the World Series opener as well.

San Francisco's 2-0 win Thursday night on Fox earned a 7.8 fast national rating and 12 share, down 12 percent from last year's St. Louis Cardinals-Texas Rangers matchup. The previous low was an 8.1 for the 2008 Philadelphia Phillies-Tampa Bay Rays series.

Venezuelan president offers to host next World Series

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez joked that so many Venezuelan players are in the World Series that next year it should be played in the South American country.

This year a record nine Venezuelans are on the rosters for the San Francisco Giants and the Detroit Tigers. Chavez remarked during a televised Cabinet meeting Friday night that if the team's starting lineups are taken together, Venezuelans account for a third of the players.

He referred to President Barack Obama as he joked: "I think the next World Series, Obama, you're going to have to play it here in Venezuela, because it's Venezuelans all over the place."

This date in baseball history

1958 -- Construction began on the new ballpark for the Giants in San Francisco. The rocks in the area resembled candlesticks.

1989 -- The Oakland Athletics swept the San Francisco Giants in the World Series with a 9-6 win over San Francisco.