Detroit Tigers Notes And Quotes 9-26-11
--1B Miguel Cabrera precipitated a couple of skipped heartbeats when he experienced a few moments of dizziness while batting in the seventh inning. Cabrera, who hit his 29th home run of the season with a man on in the first, got a visit from manager Jim Leyland and head trainer Kevin Rand after taking three straight balls. He remained in the game and lined out to left on a 3-2 pitch. Leyland took him out of the game as a precaution. "He got dizzy," Leyland said. "How many guys get dizzy and hit a line drive? He's fine." Cabrera went 2-for-3 in the game and is challenging for the batting title with a .341 average.
--DH Victor Martinez joined 1B Miguel Cabrera with 100 RBI when he hit a three-run home run in the fifth inning. It gave him 101 RBI and he and Cabrera made it nine times since 1961 that Tiger teammates have breached 100 RBI. Cabrera has 103. "He hit it with two strikes," manager Jim Leyland said. "The other time he hit the first pitch and grounded into a double play. I don't think I've ever had anybody like him before." Martinez had grounded into a double play with the bases loaded and one out in the third when he hit the first pitch.
--RF/1B Don Kelly gave Detroit some breathing room with a three-run home run in the sixth. "The Hit Man? He's doing all right," manager Jim Leyland quipped. Kelly came in to play right for RF Magglio Ordonez in the top of the sixth, shifting to first in the seventh when 1B Miguel Cabrera was removed after going through a spell of dizziness at bat. Kelly has seven home runs this season, three this month.
--RHP Brad Penny is struggling to make a case to be included in Detroit's postseason rotation, if not the roster. Penny wiped runners off the bases in the first two innings with double plays, but in the fifth gave up an RBI double plus an RBI single to the eighth and ninth hitters in Baltimore's batting order, tying the score at 3. He was removed after giving up a one-out double in the sixth. Penny has not allowed less than three earned runs in consecutive starts since June 26-July 1.
--RHP Al Alburquerque showed manager Jim Leyland what he wanted to see, effective pitching in back-to-back games, to confirm his spot on Detroit's postseason roster providing he reports no unusual effects on Monday. Alburquerque, who worked a scoreless eighth Saturday, was brought in after RHP Brad Penny gave up a one-out double in the sixth. He got a groundout on a 3-2 pitch and a strikeout on a 2-2 slider. He had been battling a hip problem until pitching Thursday night.
--SS Jhonny Peralta hit his 20th home run of the season, a solo shot leading off the eighth. His two hits put him at .301 after he had recently dipped under that mark for one of the few periods this season. He now has 84 and is at the high side of the figures Detroit was hoping to get when it signed him to a two-year deal with an option during the winter.
--3B Wilson Betemit, out of action since Sept. 16 with a left knee sprain, will return to action Monday night against Cleveland. "Hopefully," manager Jim Leyland added, "he'll play three straight games." Betemit had essentially been a platoon partner with 3B Brandon Inge before getting hurt sliding into home plate. He's started against right-handed pitchers.
--2B Carlos Guillen is looking less and less likely to be on manager Jim Leyland's roster for the divisional round of the AL playoffs. "He's not ready to play," Leyland said. Leyland has said Guillen, who hurt his right calf Sept. 18, needed to be able to get back on the field to make Detroit's postseason roster. He could be added between rounds if the Tigers advance. "I've always believed you can do all the stuff with all the modern medicine, and speed it up and all that," Leyland said, "but the fact of the matter is, normally, in most circumstances, the only thing that takes care of that kind of stuff is time."
BY THE NUMBERS
9 -- Seasons since 1961 in which at least two Detroit players have driven in 100 runs or more. DH Victor Martinez joined teammate 1B Miguel Cabrera with a three-run home run Sunday that gave him 101 this year. Cabrera hit a two-run home run in the same game that gave him 103.
QUOTE TO NOTE
"If we don't get home-field advantage, it won't be the end of the world. We didn't have it in 2006 and we had to go to New York (to start the playoffs). We did all right that year." -- Manager Jim Leyland, who would like his team to have the possible extra home game if needed, noting Detroit reached the World Series as a wild-card team and started two series on the road.
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