The Detroit Tigers changed up their catching depth in the minor leagues a bit, acquiring former Kansas City Royals backstop Manny Pina from the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later.

Backup catcher Luis Exposito was released to make room on the roster at Detroit’s Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. Originally tweeted out by the Jackson Generals' account, the move was confirmed by changes to the transaction page and the Mud Hens’ roster page on the respective web sites.

Pina, 27, is a native of Venezuela, and started out in the Texas Rangers organization after signing as an amateur free agent in 2004. Traded to the Royals in 2009, Pina played four games with the team’s big-league club in 2011, and one in 2012.

He has three career hits — two of them doubles — in 16 at-bats at the MLB level, and has hit .249 in 615 minor-league games. Pina was hitting .279 with four doubles and two homers in 17 games at Double-A Jackson, after being demoted from Triple-A Tacoma after four games.

The MLB Network Showcase will carry two Detroit Tigers games to its broadcast schedule for the month of June. The broadcasts are available in the team's home TV market, but will still be broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit

MLB Network will broadcast the Friday, June 6 series opener between the Red Sox and Tigers from Comerica Park. Matt Vasgersian will do the play-by-play, while John Smoltz and Tom Verducci will do the color commentary.

The series opener in Texas between the Tigers and Rangers on Tuesday, June 24 will also be on the network. Vasgersian and Smoltz will be on that broadcast, along with reporter Sam Ryan.

I wrote yesterday that "Ian Kinsler should be judged for who he is, not who he isn't."

And I stand by that.

Especially considering Prince Fielder's out for the season, it's unfair for Kinsler — who had contributed far more, even when both were on the field for their respective teams — to be constantly compared to Fielder. (I'm adult enough to know it's going to happen. So is Kinsler.)

And it's obvious that many Tigers fans are still holding harsh feelings for their former first baseman.

One fan at Saturday's game, however, found a good way to continue to make use of an old Fielder shirsey, converting it to a Kinsler model, with the judicious use of what appears to be masking tape.

Below is the tweet from an elementary school principal, Michele Corbat, that brought the remodeling job to public attention.

Most creative #Tigers shirt! @tigers pic.twitter.com/58zgYXqPMs
— Michele Corbat (@MicheleCorbat) May 24, 2014

(Also, if anyone knows who the fan might be, let me know, so he can get credit for his work.)

The Tigers try to salvage a split playing the Rangers in the fourth and final game at the end of a brief homestand. Then, it's off to the West Coast again, starting with a series in Oakland.

Detroit comes into Sunday's game 1-5 in its last six games, since sweeping Boston.

Game time: 1:08 p.m.
TV: Fox Sports Detroit
Radio: 97.1-FM and 1270-AM

Here are the lineups:

DETROIT TIGERS (28-17):
Rajai Davis, LF
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Miguel Cabrera, DH
Victor Martinez, 1B
Torii Hunter RF
Austin Jackson CF
Alex Avila, C
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Andrew Romine, SS

Pitcher: Justin Verlander, RHP (5-3, 3.55 ERA)

TEXAS RANGERS (24-25):
Shin-Soo Choo, DH
Elvis Andrus, SS
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Alex Rios, RF
Leonys Martin, CF
Michael Choice, LF
Robinson Chirinos, C
Rougned Odor, 2B

Pitcher: Colby Lewis, RHP (3-3, 5.40 ERA)

While the Tigers are looking to wipe a bitter taste out of their mouths after being swept in Cleveland to end what had been a successful road trip, the Texas Rangers are wishing they could wipe the taste of this whole season out of their mouths, considering all the injuries.

Everyone expected this would be the day that Prince Fielder — traded to the Rangers in the offseason, in exchange for Ian Kinsler — would make his return to Detroit, but instead he stayed in Dallas to have his sore neck examined.

DETROIT TIGERS (27-15):
Ian Kinsler, 2B
Torii Hunter, RF
Miguel Cabrera, 1B
Victor Martinez, DH
Don Kelly, LF
Austin Jackson, CF
Alex Avila, C
Nick Castellanos, 3B
Andrew Romine, SS

Pitcher: Robbie Ray, LHP

TEXAS RANGERS (22-24):
Daniel Robertson, CF
Elvis Andrus, SS
Shin-Soo Choo, LF
Adrian Beltre, 3B
Alex Rios, RF
Mitch Moreland, 1B
Chris Giminez, C
Michael Choice, DH
Luis Sardinas, 2B

Pitcher: Yu Darvish, RHP

Kelvin De La Cruz's head may be spinning.

The minor league left-hander has just joined his third organization in five weeks, as the Tigers claimed him off waivers from the Indians on Friday. Detroit optioned the contract of the 23-year-old to Double-A Erie.

De La Cruz was designated for assignment on Feb. 14 by the Indians to make room for Casey Kotchman, then traded to the Texas Rangers on Feb. 21, for cash. The Rangers organization sent De La Cruz back to the Indians on March 15, and then designated him for assignment again.

Originally a non-drafted free agent signing by the Indians in 2004, De La Cruz has 35-31 record with a 4.02 ERA and 487 strikeouts 508-plus minor league innings (118 appearances/105 starts).

DETROIT TIGERS at TEXAS RANGERS
Game 5 of the American League Championship Series
When: 8:05 p.m. Saturday
Series: Texas leads, 3-2
Where: Rangers Ballpark at Arlington
TV: FOX (Joe Buck, play-by-play; Tim McCarver, color)
Radio: WYXT-FM (97.1) and AM (1270)
(Dan Dickerson, play-by-play; Jim Price, color)

DETROIT TIGERS
(career numbers vs. Holland in parentheses)
Austin Jackson, CF (.000, 0-for-3)
Ryan Raburn, RF (.500, 1-for-2, HR)
Miguel Cabrera, 1B (.200, 1-for-5, 2B)
Victor Martinez, DH (.250, 1-for-4, HR)
Delmon Young, LF (n/a)
Jhonny Peralta, SS (.333, 1-for-3, 2B)
Alex Avila, C (.000, 0-for-2)
Brandon Inge, 3B (.000, 0-for-1)
Ramon Santiago, 2B (.333, 1-for-3)

Starting pitcher:
Max Scherzer, RHP
2011 regular season: 15-9, 4.43 ERA, 33 GS, 195.0 IP, 174K/56BB, 1.349 WHIP
2011 postseason: 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 2 GS, 13.1 IP, 13K/5BB, 1.125 WHIP
Game 2 vs. Texas: ND, 6.0 IP, 3 ER, 1 HR, 6K/1BB
Career vs. Texas: 3-0, 6 GS, 3.41 ERA, 37.0 IP, 37 H, 14 ER, 31K/10BB

TEXAS RANGERS
(Career vs. Scherzer in parentheses)
Ian Kinsler, 2B (.250, 4-for-16)
Elvis Andrus, SS (.176, 3-for-17)
Josh Hamilton, CF (.267, 4-for-15)
Michael Young, 1B (.211, 4-for-19, 2-3B)
Adrian Beltre, 3B (.357, 5-for-14)
Mike Napoli, C (.111, 1-for-9)
Nelson Cruz, RF (.333, 6-for-18, 2HR)
David Murphy, DH (.250, 4-for-16)
Endy Chavez, LF (.000, 0-for-2)

Starting pitcher:
Derek Holland, LHP
2011 regular season: 16-5, .395 ERA, 32 GS, 198.0 IP, 162K/67BB, 1.354 WHIP
2011 postseason: 1-0, 2 GS, 6.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 2K/6BB, 1.889 WHIP
Career vs. Detroit:
Game 2 vs. Detroit: ND, 10.13 ERA, 2.2 IP, 4H, 3ER, 0K/4BB

TEXAS RANGERS at DETROIT TIGERS
Game 5 of the American League Championship Series
When: 4:19 p.m. Thursday
Series: Texas leads, 3-1
Where: Comerica Park
TV: FOX (Joe Buck, play-by-play; Tim McCarver, color)
Radio: WYXT-FM (97.1) and AM (1270)
(Dan Dickerson, play-by-play; Jim Price, color)

DETROIT TIGERS
(postseason numbers in parentheses)
Austin Jackson, CF (.182, 6-for-33, 2-2B, 5R, 2RBI, 7BB, 14K)
Ryan Raburn, RF (.300, 6-for-20, 1-2B, 1 HR, 2R, 4RBI, 4BB, 7K)
Miguel Cabrera, 1B (.276, 8-for-29, 3-2B, 2 HR, 4R, 7RBI, 10BB, 5IBB, 9K)
Victor Martinez, DH (.188, 6-for-32, 2 HR, 3R, 4RBI, 5BB, 6K)
Delmon Young, LF (.222, 6-for-27, 3 HR, 4R, 3RBI, 2BB, 4K)
Jhonny Peralta, SS (.242, 8-for-33, 3-2B, 2RBI, 2BB, 6K)
Brandon Inge, 3B (.333, 5-for-15, 1-2B, 1HR, 5R, 1RBI, 2BB, 2K)
Alex Avila, C (.061, 2-for-33, 1RBI, 2BB, 14K)
Ramon Santiago, 2B (.250, 8-for-32, 2-2B, 1R, 2RBI, 7K)

Starting pitcher:
Justin Verlander, RHP
2011 regular season: 24-5, 2.40 ERA, 34GS, 251.0 IP, 250K/57BB, 0.920 WHIP
2011 postseason: 1-1, 5.54 ERA, 3GS, 13.0 IP, 11H, 8ER, 17K/7BB
2011 vs. Rangers at home: 0-1, 2.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 6H, 2ER, 4K/1BB

TEXAS RANGERS
(postseason numbers in parentheses)
Ian Kinsler, 2B (.258, 8-for-31, 3-2B, 4R, 6RBI, 5BB/4K)
Elvis Andrus, SS (.172, 5-for-29, 3R, 1RBI, 5BB/5K)
Josh Hamilton, CF (.273, 9-for-33, 4-2B, 3R, 4RBI, 1BB/3K)
Michael Young, DH (.125, 4-for-32, 2R, 1RBI, 2BB/6K)
Adrian Beltre, 3B (.250, 8-for-32, 2-2B, 3HR, 7R, 5RBI, 1BB/7K)
Mike Napoli, C (.300, 9-for-30, 1 HR, 6R, 5RBI, 2BB/9K)
Nelson Cruz, RF (.207, 6-for-29, 1-2B, 4 HR, 5R, 9RBI, 1BB/7K)
David Murphy, LF (.353, 6-for-17, 1-2B, 1-3B, 2R, 1RBI, 1BB/5K)
Mike Moreland, 1B (.118, 2-for-17, 1HR, 1R, 2RBI, 1BB/4K)

Starting pitcher:
C.J. Wilson, LHP
2011 regular season: 16-7, 34 GS, 223.1 IP, 206K/74BB, 1.187 WHIP
2011 postseason: 0-1, 7.45 ERA, 2GS, 9.2 IP, 10R, 8ER, 13H, 12K/6BB
Career at Comerica: 0-0, 1 GS, 5.40 ERA, 6.2 IP, 7H, 4ER, 3BB/4K, 1.500 WHIP

Tigers manager Jim Leyland on Austin Jackson getting caught stealing in the 10th
"Absolutely (he was going on his own). I agreed with it, 100 percent."

Leyland on atmosphere of Game 4
"It's one of the best baseball games I've ever been involved in. Great plays by both teams. We made some great plays. (Ramon) Santiago, (Brandon) Inge, Delmon Young made a great play. (Nelson) Cruz made a great play. One of the best games I've ever been involved with. Just didn't come out the right way."

Rangers catcher Mike Napoli on exciting ALCS
"It's been a great series. If you don't like baseball, you probably don't like it now, watching these games. We expected a tough series, and we've been able to come out on top. And it's been fun."

Leyland on Brandon Inge's game-tying home run in the 7th inning
"It was a dramatic home run, obviously, to tie the game up like it did. Like I said, this was a great baseball game. I'm certainly sorry we didn't win it, but they did a little better than we did."

Leyland on Tigers' prospects, down 3-1 in ALCS
"Well, you know, hopefully we got (Justin) Verlander, (Max) Scherzer and (Doug) Fister. So obviously, we got to win tomorrow. We're sending the guy out there that is obviously pretty good. You win tomorrow, and all of a sudden, it's 3-2. We can count — I know what the situation is. You wouldn't rather have anybody out there other than Justin Verlander. If you win that game, all of a sudden, it gets a little hair again, with Scherzer and Fister ready to go. So that's the way it is. Playoff baseball."

Tigers closer Jose Valverde on Tigers' 3-1 series deficit
"It’s no over yet, you know what I mean? Tomorrow’s a new day. You have to fight, and play. When Texas wins the next game, it’s over, but right now, it’s no over yet."

Tigers designated hitter Victor Martinez on Tigers' 3-1 series deficit
"There’s nothing impossible. I remember in ’07, we’ve (the Indians) got Boston, 3-1, they came back to beat us. So why we can’t do it, you know?"

Tigers OF Ryan Raburn on ALCS deficit
"We’re frustrated and disappointed. We’d rather this series be a little bit different, but we can’t change what’s happened in the past. We’ve just got to come out, play our hearts out, and get a win. ... This team’s playing their hearts out right now. We just haven’t been able to pull them out. But there’s nobody playing harder than we are."

Tigers 3B Brandon Inge on the Tigers being pushed to the brink of elimination
"There's no other page to do at this point, we have to go out there and win 'em all at this point. It's unfortunate, obviously, but we're still in it, we're still in it. There's still hope as long as you're able to show up to the ballpark another day in the postseason. So we just have to keep battling."

"That's baseball, though. It's amazing how a matter of an inch makes a difference in two or three runs and those two or three runs make a difference in 3-1 and being up three. That's why we love the game. Knowing that, we can still pull it out. It just takes a couple breaks going our way."

"It's hard, it's very hard. But a lot of us have been in that situation before so we should know how to handle it. It just takes a lot of guys on the team picking up the other guy, telling him to relax, go play, have fun. You can't be stressed out about this game. You have to go play and have fun."

"You can be frustrated all you want. But tomorrow the difference is, you can't carry that frustration into tomorrow. Tomorrow's a new day. You win tomorrow, you stay alive, you keep going. Maybe flip some momentum on them tomorrow. You just gotta keep pressing."

You could make an argument for several players as the most valuable player for the Detroit Tigers during the regular season.

In the postseason, there’s no doubt of who’s been the most valuable employee of the organization: trainer Kevin Rand.

With starters for the Tigers dropping like flies, it’s fallen to Rand to keep the squad wired together with duct tape, ace bandages and tongue depressors.

The latest two to get dinged up are Delmon Young and Victor Martinez, both of whom have strained muscles in their sides. Young strained an oblique muscle in Game 5 of the ALDS last Thursday, and has played just once.

Martinez strained an intercostal muscle in his side after his home-run swing in Tuesday’s Game 3 win. He joked after the game, “The only way I don’t play tomorrow is if I wake up, and I’m dead.”

Sure enough, both were back in the lineup for Wednesday’s Game 4, hitting fourth (Martinez) and fifth (Young).

“Victor Martinez is one of the toughest guys I’ve ever been around. I’m talking about tough. I take my hat off – and Delmon Young the same. I don’t mean to downplay that,” Leyland said. “And Adrian Beltre, the same way. Players on both teams are tough, and I think they’re showing that. And I think they’re showing why they’re who they are. Big-time players expect to be in a lineup. They know the fans want to see them in the lineup. They know it helps their team.

“Actually, for a manager, it’s a little bit different, because you really hae to sit down and think about if the guy wants to play. I appreciate that, but if his effectiveness is not good because of this, just to put him in there, maybe you’re not always doing the right thing.”

While the major injuries are easily quantified — add the season-ending injuries to Magglio Ordonez and Brennan Boesch to those, along with the off-and-on injury status of Carlos Guillen — there are always nicks and bumps and bruises for those who’ve toughed out a full season.
Count catcher Alex Avila among those. Aside from the constant wear and tear of foul tips and blocking balls in the dirt, Avila’s also dealing with a strained knee.

“Pretty well banged up. You know, we’ve had our share of all that stuff, obviously with Magglio and Boesch and you can go on and on. And Alex is banged up pretty good,” Leyland said.
“You talk about tough, what you’re seeing earlier is what these guys are all about. It’s hard for the average person to understand what these guys are going through. His knee was swelling up pretty good not to long ago. The trainers are doing the best they can to take care of that.

“Everybody is banged up.”

But nobody is going to use it as an excuse.

“Not this team. Everybody’s battled all year,” utility man Don Kelly said. “And we’re not going to stop playing hard.”

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
Who: Texas Rangers at Detroit Tigers
When: 4:19 p.m. Wednesday
Series: Texas leads, 2-1
Where: Comerica Park
TV: FOX (Joe Buck, play-by-play; Tim McCarver, color)
Radio: WYXT-FM (97.1) and AM (1270)
(Dan Dickerson, play-by-play; Jim Price, color)

DETROIT TIGERS
(averages vs. Harrison in parentheses)
Austin Jackson, CF (.500, 5-for-10)
Ryan Raburn (.667, 8-for-12, 2HR)
Miguel Cabrera, 1B (.400, 6-for-15)
Victor Martinez, DH (.250, 1-for-4)
Delmon Young, LF (n/a)
Alex Avila, C (1.000, 4-for-4, HR)
Jhonny Peralta, SS (.286, 2-for-7)
Ramon Santiago (.000, 0-for-4)
Brandon Inge, 3B (.429, 3-for-7, 2HR)

STARTING PITCHER:
Rick Porcello, RHP
2011 regular season: 14-9, 31 GS, 182.0 IP, 4.75 ERA, 104K/46BB, 1.407 WHIP
2011 postseason: 0-1, 2 G, 1 GS, 8.0 IP, 5H, 4ER, 5K, 1BB, 1.000 WHIP
2011 vs. Rangers: 1-0, 1 GS, 1.50 ERA, 6.0 IP, 6H, 1ER, 2K/1BB, 1.167 WHIP
2011 at home: 5-5, 14 GS, 5.64 ERA, 83.0 IP, 47K/21BB, 10 HR, 1.482 WHIP

TEXAS RANGERS
(averages vs. Porcello in parentheses)
Ian Kinsler, 2B (.667, 2-for-3)
Elvis Andrus, SS (.000, 0-for-3)
Josh Hamilton, CF (.000, 0-for-4)
Michael Young, 1B (.500, 3-for-6)
Adrian Beltre, 3B (.143, 1-for-7)
Mike Napoli, C (.167, 1-for-6)
Nelson Cruz, RF (.143, 1-for-7)
David Murphy, LF (4-for-6, 1 HR)
Yorvit Torrealba, DH (n/a)

STARTING PITCHER:
Matt Harrison, LHP
2011 regular season: 14-9, 30 GS, 185.2 IP, 3.39 ERA, 126K/57BB, 1.276 WHIP
2011 postseason: 1-0, 1 GS, 4.76 ERA, 5.2 IP, 6H, 3ER, 9K/3BB, 1.588 WHIP
2011 vs. Tigers: 0-2, 6 GS, 10.0 IP, 6.30 ERA, 17H, 7ER, 8K/5BB, 2.200 WHIP
2011 on the road: 6-4, 15 GS, 93.1 IP, 2.99 ERA, 62K/34BB, 1.221 WHIP

So you're saying there's a chance ...

Yes, there's still a chance that the Tigers move on to the World Series, despite falling behind the Texas Rangers, 2-0, in the American League Championship series.

"I don't feel as good as Texas does right now, obviously. But we're playing. They've got to win two more. We have to win four. It's that simple," Jim Leyland said after Monday's 11-inning, 7-3 loss in Game 2. "That's pretty simple math."

But the math is starting to turn sour for the Tigers.

After the Game 1 loss, the chances were just south of 50 percent, given ALCS history. In the 41 years of the series' history, the G1 winner moved on 24 times (58 percent). Since it became a seven-game series, the G1 winner has moved on 13 of 25 times, although the G1 loser has won the ALCS seven of the last 11 years.

The numbers just got worse after Monday's extra-inning loss.

Since the League Championship Series went to a seven-game format in 1985, 18 of 21 teams to jump out to a 2-0 lead in the series managed to move on. Both the 1985 ALCS (Blue Jays) and 1985 NLCS (Dodgers) saw teams blow a 2-0 lead, but it's happened just once since then (2004 Yankees).

The upside, I suppose, is that the Rangers won just once at Comerica in six tries during the regular season. The next three games — starting with Game 3 Tuesday night at 8 — are at Comerica Park.

"We’re going home, and like we’ve been doing all season, turn the page, come back (Tuesday), a whole new ballgame, and keep playing hard," said Victor Martinez, dismissing the thought that Monday's loss meant any more or less because of its heartbreaking nature. "Like we’ve been doing the whole year, if we lose 2-1, 3-2 — or 10-1, 10-2 — we’re still losing the game, so we just turn the page. Come back (Tuesday), and it’ll be good. We’re going home."

Monday's starter, Max Scherzer, agreed.

"We’ve gotta take care of business at home. ... These have been very tight ballgames, so there’s no reason we can’t win them," he said.

The Texas Rangers are not going to let the American League batting champion, Miguel Cabrera, beat them in the American League Championship Series.

They're pitching very carefully around the big man, and it's part of the reason the Tigers — the lowest-scoring team in the Divisional Series round — are averaging just north of three runs (3.14) runs per game in the postseason, scoring no more than that in either game this series.

It didn't help that the Tigers as a team were 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Before Ryan Raburn's three-run, third-inning home run, the Tigers had been 2-for-29 with runners in scoring position. For comparison, Cabrera hit .388 with men in scoring position in the regular season, while Victor Martinez hit .394.

With a base open in the ninth inning, Rangers manager Ron Washington chose to walk Cabrera in to load the bases for Martinez. Closer Neftali Feliz — who can be wild at times — got Martinez to pop out to short to end the threat. The against-the-book decision paid off, it seems.

"No, it didn't go against my book when you had to pick your poison there. You had to decide if you wanted to give Cabrera a chance to beat you, or you had to go with Martinez who can also beat you," Washington said.

"When this series started, we said we were not going to give Cabrera a chance to swing the bat and beat us, so Martinez had to do it. Neffy come in and get all kinds of hitters out. Lefties, righties and if there's any other different kind. It was just one of those things where you had to pick your poison. And we decided to go with Martinez and he got him."

Cabrera is now hitting .217 in the postseason. Outside of his 3-for-4 day in Game 2 of the ALDS, he's had just two hits, including Monday's double.

Is there something not going right? A different approach that's not working?

"He's been — I've seen him locked in for the last two months unbelievable. He looked like a man on a mission to win the batting title. I think he's still on that mission," Leyland said. "So that might be a better question for him. I don't see anything. Every once in a while he strays, swings at a bat pitch. But that happens to everybody.
"So I don't really see any difference. I think he's been on a mission for a couple of months. I think he made up his mind he was going to win the batting title, and he won it."

The way Tigers manager Jim Leyland came sprinting out of the dugout at Rangers Ballpark at Arlington during Monday evening's Game 2 of the ALCS, you knew he was figuring the call the umpiring crew had just made was going to cost the Tigers.

He argued vociferously with Tim Welke and his crew for several minutes before heading back off the field.

Here was the situation. With the Tigers already trailing, 2-0, Miguel Cabrera hit a one-out double. One batter later, Victor Martinez appeared to either be hit on the back foot by a wild pitch, or swing at it. He took off jogging for first. Cabrera, seeing the ball skip past Rangers catcher Mike Napoli and nobody moving, took off from second and came all the way home to score.

After an initial discussion, the umpires sent Cabrera back to second, and put VMart on first, saying he'd been hit by the pitch, making it a dead ball, instead of a wild pitch.

Leyland's explanation:
"I'm going to explain the only reason I was upset. I knew the ball hit him, OK? But it wasn't called, OK? He checked the ball for (shoe) polish, and it wasn't called," the manager said. "The reason I was upset is myself — and I believe every manager in the league that goes out on a call like that, and asks an umpire to get help, they tell you they can't get help on that. If somebody would have seen it, they come in right away to say they saw it, and they call it. Nobody moved. Nobody came in.

"So my question to them was, 'Who saw it?' And if somebody saw it, why didn't they come in right away and call it? I wasn't questioning at all whether or not he got hit. I was questioning the process by which I've been told all year ... that's normally one where they say they can't get help on that one.

"If somebody would have seen that, they would've come right in and call it right away. Yes, definitely it hit him. I saw it. And nobody moved. That's the only reason I was upset about it. Nobody moved."

The kicker of the whole thing? Ryan Raburn homered five pitches later, making it all a moot point, anyway.

DETROIT TIGERS at TEXAS RANGERS
When: Monday, Oct. 11
Time: 4:19 p.m. (ET)
Where: Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, Texas
Series: Rangers lead, 1-0

The Tigers got their first good news of the playoffs, apparently, having Delmon Young ready to go just four days after straining his oblique in Game 5 of the ALDS. He'll be in the lineup for the Tigers in Monday's Game 2 of the ALCS, batting third.

DETROIT TIGERS
(Career against Holland in parentheses)
Austin Jackson, CF (.000, 0-for-3)
Ramon Santiago, 2B (.000, 0-for-1)
Delmon Young, LF (.500, 6-for-12, 2HR)
Miguel Cabrera, 1B (.000, 0-for-3)
Victor Martinez, DH (.333, 1-for-3, HR)
Ryan Raburn, RF (.000, 0-for-1)
Jhonny Peralta, SS (.000, 0-for-1)
Alex Avila, C (n/a)
Brandon Inge, 3B (.000, 0-for-1)

Starting pitcher:
Max Scherzer, RHP
2011 regular season: 15-9, 4.43 ERA, 33 GS, 195.0 IP, 174K/56BB, 1.349 WHIP
2011 postseason: 1-0, 1.23 ERA, 2G, 1GS, 7.1 IP, 4H, 1ER, 7K/4BB
2011 vs. Texas: 1-0, 4.76 ERA, 3GS, 17.0 IP, 21H, 9ER, 12K/4BB, 1.471 WHIP

TEXAS RANGERS
(Career vs. Scherzer in parentheses)
Ian Kinsler, 2B (.308, 4-for-13)
Elvis Andrus, SS (.133, 2-for-15)
Josh Hamilton, CF (.167, 2-for-12)
Michael Young, DH (.250, 4-for-16)
Adrian Beltre, 3B (.364, 4-for-11)
Mike Napoli, C (.167, 1-for-6)
Nelson Cruz, RF (.267, 4-for-15)
David Murphy, LF (.286, 4-for-15)
Mitch Moreland, 1B (.250, 2-for-8)

Starting pitcher:
Derek Holland, LHP
2011 regular season: 16-5, 3.95 ERA, 32 GS, 198 IP, 4 CG, 4 SHO, 22 HR, 1.354 WHIP
2011 postseason: 1-0, 1.42 ERA, 1 GS, 6.1 IP, 7H, 3R, 1ER, 2K/2BB, 1.421 WHIP
2011 vs. Tigers: (did not pitch vs. Tigers in 2011)
2011 home splits: 8-2, 4.69 ERA, 16 GS, 86.1 IP, 9 HR, 71K/34BB

Plenty of folks have questioned the strategies of the Detroit Tigers throughout this season, on and off the field.

Count infielder Will Rhymes, who is not on the playoff roster, among those questioning the moves after Saturday's Game 1 of the American League Championship Series.

He posted the following on Twitter:

"I turned the game off when danny ran for santi, they are the same speed at best. Very confused. Ill check the box tomorrow"

Here's the situation he was talking about: Ramon ("Santi") Santiago, the starter at second base, got on in the ninth inning with a bunt single. As he represented the tying run, the Tigers had Danny Worth pinch run for him at first one out later. Worth, another infielder, was added to the roster when Delmon Young had to be left off for this round, because of an oblique injury.

The validity of the strategy became moot when Rangers reliever Neftali Feliz struck out the side — getting pinch hitter Wilson Betemit, followed by Austin Jackson and Ryan Raburn.

UPDATE: Rhymes sent out a clarifying tweet shortly after noon on Sunday.

"Some of you guys need to lighten up. It is so stressful for me watching these games, sometimes I just have to turn them off."

GAME 1 AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES
DETROIT TIGERS at TEXAS RANGERS
Where: Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, Arlington, Texas
When: 8:05 p.m. Saturday
TV: FOX
Radio: WXYT-FM (97.1) and AM (1270)
(Dan Dickerson, play-by-play; Jim Price, color commentary)

DETROIT TIGERS:
(Career vs. Wilson in parentheses)
Austin Jackson, CF (.333, 1-for-3, 3B)
Ryan Raburn, LF (.667, 2-for-3, 2B)
Miguel Cabrera, 1B (.250, 1-for-4, 2B)
Victor Martinez, DH (.176, 3-for-17, 2B)
Magglio Ordonez, RF (.000, 0-for-2)
Alex Avila, C (n/a)
Jhonny Peralta, SS (.071, 1-for-14, 2B)
Ramon Santiago, 2B (.200, 1-for-5)
Brandon Inge, 3B (.200, 1-for-5)

Starting pitcher:
Justin Verlander, RHP
2011 regular season: 24-5, 2.40 ERA, 34 GS, 251.0 IP, 250K/57BB, 0.920 WHIP
2011 postseason: 1-0, 5.00 ERA, 2 GS, 9.0 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 12K/5BB, 1.222 WHIP
Career postseason: 2-2, 5.85 ERA, 6 GS, 30.2 IP, 32 H, 19 ER, 35K/15BB, 1.533 WHIP
2011 vs. Rangers: 0-1, 2.00 ERA, 1 GS, 1 CG, 9.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 4K/1BB, 0.778 WHIP
Career vs. Rangers: 6-2, 2.31 ERA, 9 GS, 58.1 IP, 47 H, 15 ER, 58K/15BB, 1.063 WHIP
Career in Arlington: 3-0, 1.29 ERA, 3 GS, 21.0 IP, 13 H, 3 ER, 1 HR, 26K/4BB, 0.810 WHIP

TEXAS RANGERS:
(career vs. Verlander in parentheses)
Ian Kinsler, 2B (.167, 3-for-18)
Elvis Andrus, SS (.091, 1-for-11)
Josh Hamilton, CF (.364, 4-for-11)
Michael Young, DH (.231, 6-for-26)
Adrian Beltre, 3B (.281, 9-for-23, HR)
Mike Napoli, C (.200, 3-for-15, HR)
Nelson Cruz, RF (.111, 1-for-9)
David Murphy, LF (.231, 1-for-11)
Mitch Moreland, 1B (.333, 1-for-3)

Starting pitcher:
C.J. Wilson, LHP
2011 regular season: 16-7, 2.94 ERA, 34 GS, 3 CG, 223.1 IP, 206K/74BB; 1.187 WHIP
2011 postseason: 0-1, 10.80 ERA, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 HR, 6K/1BB, 1.600 WHIP
Career postseason: 1-3, 4.91 ERA, 5 GS, 29.1 IP, 24 H, 16 ER, 7 HR, 23K/11BB, 1.193 WHIP
2011 vs. Tigers: 0-0, 5.40 ERA, 1 GS, 6.2 IP, 7 H, 4 ER, 4K/3BB, 1.500 WHIP
Career vs. Tigers: 0-1, 5.56 ERA, 7G/1GS, 11.1 IP, 12 H, 7 ER, 11K/6BB, 1.588 WHIP
Career in Arlington: 27-14, 3.89 ERA, 38 GS, 379.1 IP, 29 HR, 1.279 WHIP

The Tigers knew they were going to need all the right-handed hitters they could put together for the American League Championship Series, where they'll be facing the lefty-heavy rotation of the Texas Rangers.

But they won't have Delmon Young, who clubbed three home runs in the AL Division Series against the Yankees. Young left the deciding Game 5 against the Yankees with a strained oblique injury in his side on Thursday. He was checked out by doctors on Friday, but later told reporters that he was having trouble throwing.

The Tigers left Young off the ALCS roster to start, replacing him with Danny Worth, apparently the best option "plan(s) B" that manager Jim Leyland and staff discussed in a Friday meeting.

Should rest improve Young's injury situation, the Tigers could add him to the roster later as an injury replacement. The conundrum the Tigers were in, however, was that if they carried him on the ALCS roster, and needed to replace him midway through, he'd be ineligible to play the rest of the way through the playoffs. By leaving him off, they can add him to the roster again later, should they advance to the World Series.

My mother taught me to recycle. Therefore, I won't change my prediction too much from what I went with to start out the postseason (you can check my work HERE).

Season series — 6-3 Tigers. Detroit may have started to turn around its early fortunes with a pair of walk-off wins against the defending AL champs in mid-April, then taking two of three in Arlington, Texas, in early June put the Tigers on the brink of taking the AL Central lead for the first time.
But the two teams are quite a bit different from most of those matchups. The Tigers, for instance, did not have Delmon Young yet (and won't again, now that he's been ruled out with an oblique injury), but did have Brennan Boesch, who bashed in Arlington. Rangers sluggers Josh Hamilton and Adrian Beltre both missed significant parts of the regular-season series with the Tigers.
Why this matchup should scare the Tigers: The Yankees may have been the best power-hitting team, but the Rangers are the best hitting team, period. Led by Michael Young and last year’s MVP, Hamilton, and Beltre, the Rangers are hitting at a .282 clip as a team, and their pitching is good enough, especially after dealing for bullpen arms at the deadline. Mike Napoli has had some of the biggest home runs of the season for the Rangers in the past two weeks, helping the Rangers clinch home-field advantage on the last night of the regular season, then get past the Rays in four games. Beltre has 15 home runs in his last 20 games.
C.J. Wilson on facing Detroit ace Verlander in Game 1: "No one is going to dispute how good he is, how good of a season he had. But at the same time, we beat him earlier this year. So I feel like we have a team that can hit anybody."
Why it shouldn’t scare the Tigers: Detroit can slug with any team, and has proven that it can outslug even the Rangers. Outside of the powerful Ogando, Texas’ lefty-heavy rotation doesn’t present all that much of a scare for the Tigers’ righty-heavy lineup. The Tigers had a losing or .500 record against everybody in the AL West but the best team.
Alexi Ogando has all three of the wins against the Tigers — nearly unheard of for a non-divisional opponent these days — but the former reliever hasn’t been as good as his All-Star start of late, his pumped-up workload probably a big part of the reason he ran out of gas down the stretch, and will be in the bullpen for the ALCS.
Outside of Ogando, the other three starters in the Rangers rotation who faced the Tigers (they missed Derek Holland), compiled an 0-3 record in five starts, with a 10.00 ERA and a WHIP of 2.333 (44 hits, 12 walks).
While Verlander is lined up for Games 1 and 5, the Tigers will also get two outings from Max Scherzer (G2/6) and Doug Fister (G3/7), who both got wins in the ALDS.
Prediction: Tigers in six, with a lot of 6-5, 8-6 scores.

Join us for a live chat for today's game between the American League Central leading Detroit Tigers (59-51) and the AL West leading Texas Rangers (61-50). Brad Penny (7-8, 4.89 ERA) will be pitching in his 15th day game of the season, facing Alexi Ogando (10-5, 2.88 ERA), who's already beaten the Tigers twice this season.

Tigers lineup: Andy Dirks CF, Don Kelly 1B, Brennan Boesch LF, Miguel Cabrera DH, Victor Martinez C, Carlos Guillen 2B, Wilson Betemit 3B, Ryan Raburn RF, Ramon Santiago SS.