DETROIT – Manager Bruce Bochy said switch- hitting catcher Hector Sanchez will most likely be the Giants' designated hitter in Game 3 of the World Series tonight at the Detroit Tigers' Comerica Park.

Sanchez, who hit .280 this season in 74 games, has played in three games in the postseason and has gone 1 for 7 at the plate with a couple of walks.

"I could change my mind tonight, but that's how I'm thinking right now," Bochy said. "He's had a pretty good year with the bat when he's been out there."

Sanchez did not face the Tigers' Game 3 starter Anibal Sanchez in either of the games the right-hander pitched against the Giants this season while with the Miami Marlins.

The 22-year-old rookie said he actually got "lots" of experience in the DH role last season, which he spent between Single-A San Jose and Triple-A Fresno.

As Sanchez walked through the visiting dugout Friday evening, he remarked on the cold weather. According to the National Weather Service, it was about 50 degrees at the time.

So one sensation might be new – Sanchez will have to stay loose between at-bats tonight in temperatures expected to drop into the 40s by first pitch.

Stay warm

Speaking of weather, Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong pitched his first career shutout last May 14 in miserable conditions in Chicago – so bad, in fact, that the game was called in the seventh inning.

Vogelsong pitched six scoreless in that game.

"I don't suspect that cold weather is going to be much of an issue (tonight)," Vogelsong said. "If I am thinking about how cold it is, it means I'm not thinking about what I'm doing on the mound."

Vogelsong will be making his first World Series start against a Tigers lineup that, overall, doesn't have much history against him. Detroit's Omar Infante, though, is 7 for 11 for his career against Vogelsong, with all the hits being singles.

History lessons

Recent World Series history says the Giants are in a pretty favorable spot after going up 2-0 against the Tigers.

Each of the last eight teams to take a 2-0 lead, and 14 of the last 15, have gone on to win a championship. The lone exception came when the 1996 New York Yankees rallied to beat the Atlanta Braves in six games.

Their own recent history, however, is enough to give the Giants pause. The Giants, of course, trailed the Reds 2-0 in the best-of-five division series and the Cardinals 3-1 in the championship series before winning six consecutive elimination games.

Giants relief pitcher Jeremy Affeldt said that is "100 percent" on players' minds as this series resumes in Detroit. "Doesn't matter if you go up 3-0, you have to get four wins in this series," Affeldt said. "Until that happens, I don't think you can ever get too confident in the playoffs, especially because of what we did in the last two series."

The 2010 Giants were one of the teams to win the first two games, doing so at home, so Affeldt was asked if this year is reminiscent.

"Does it feel the same being 2-0 and going on the road? Yeah, it feels the same," Affeldt said. "After the next three games, I'll tell you if it's exactly the same or not."

Et cetera

Tigers manager Jim Leyland said pitcher Doug Fister, who was struck on the head by a Gregor Blanco line drive during Game 2, was scheduled to undergo further examination on the teams' off-day Friday.

The second-inning line drive caught Fister on the top of the head and ricocheted into center field. Fister stayed in the game and flew back to Detroit with the team.

"I did talk to him on the plane last night, and he seemed fine," Leyland said. "He's a little sore, but there didn't appear to be anything that looked alarming, like loss of memory."

– Matt Kawahara

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