Notes: Infante injury and free agents
DETROIT — By the end of the night Detroit Tigers catcher Alex Avila — who was originally in the Game 4 lineup but was scratched due to a lingering forearm injury — had company in the trainer's room.
In the ninth inning, second baseman Omar Infante was hit on his left hand by Giants reliever Santiago Casilla.
Infante immediately headed toward the dugout, clutching his hand in obvious pain.
"It's the third time it's happened to me," Infante said. "They throw hard, 95. Different spot. It's broken a little bit. Maybe tomorrow see a hand specialist and he make a decision what happens."
X-rays revealed a non-displaced fracture of the fifth metacarpal. The injury won't require surgery and Infante said he was told he would likely be in a cast for a month.
Dotel wants to return, wishes Tigers were more fiery
Reliever Octavio Dotel made news late in the season when he mentioned that the Tigers didn't seem to be as fired up as the St. Louis Cardinals were the year before when they made their run to the World Series.
Dotel still feels that way.
"I'm not going to lie to you. I don't see that energy in everybody, I just don't see it," Dotel said. "I think we don't have it. I'm an honest person, if I don't see something I just (say it).
"I want to see more pumped up players. That's all I can say. I don't want to tell people what they have to do, how you got to pitch, how you got to hit, it's not what I'm saying, I just want to see more excitement, more pumped up.''
Dotel said he saw some of it and then it went away. Although he'd prefer that it came from team leaders like Miguel Cabrera, Prince Fielder and Justin Verlander, he understands that you can't change people's personalities.
"I think our leaders are very shy, very conservative and I respect that," Dotel said. "That's their way, that's how they are. You gotta respect that. I hear about Victor Martinez. I haven't played with him, but I hear good things about Victor.
"We got Prince and Verlander and Miggy, they're very conservative, they're about what they need to do and what they need to play. I would love to see them more, 'Hey, guys, let's go.' But it is what it is. Everybody's different."
Although Dotel was shocked and disappointed that the Tigers were swept, he would still like to return next season.
"I'm very excited and I hope they pick my option," Dotel said. "I hope I can come back here. Hey, if you see it, we got an unbelievable starting rotation right now. Hopefully they sign (Anibal) Sanchez because it's going to be really good.
"This is the team I want to be with in 2013."
Dotel pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings in Game 4 and did not allow a hit in five innings in the postseason. In 26 career postseason games, Dotel is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA.
Free-agent Young
Delmon Young, who homered in the sixth inning of Game 4 to tie it at 3-3, is now a free agent.
"I'd like to see how the process plays out," Young said. "It's my first year on the free agency market so I'm just going to see how it goes."
The home run was Young's third of the postseason and his eighth career postseason home run with the Tigers, extending his own team record. Cabrera is second with six.
Although Young is unlikely to return considering Victor Martinez is expected to recover from knee surgery and be the Tigers' designated hitter last year, Young was asked if he would want to return.
"It'd be cool but I'd like to see what's out there," Young said. "I'm not going to marry my first girlfriend."
Running the numbers
The Tigers have lost seven straight World Series games dating back to Game 3 of the 2006 World Series against the Cardinals.
The seven-game losing streak is the worst in team history, beating a six-game losing streak from Game 2 of the 1907 World Series through Game 2 of the 1908 World Series.
The longest losing streak in the World Series is eight games, done by the Philadelphia Phillies from Game 2 in 1915 through Game 4 in 1950, and by the Atlanta Braves from Game 3 in 1996 through Game 4 in 1999.
The Tigers are the third team in history to sweep their opponents in the League Championship Series and then get swept in the World Series.
The 1990 Oakland Athletics and 2007 Colorado Rockies also swept and were swept.
Cabrera and Fielder were a combined 4-for-27 in the World Series. Cabrera was 3-for-13 and Fielder was 1-for-14.