A few Tigers have been dealing with some injuries over the last week or so, including Austin Jackson, Gerald Laird and Miguel Cabrera.
Austin Jackson left last Sunday's game after the top of the first with back spasms. He hasn't played since then, and if he doesn't get back in the lineup today, chances are we won't see him until the Tigers go to New York next week for the Mets series.
"I’m going to do some swinging today and see how it feels," Jackson said Friday. "It feels a lot better today -- a lot better than it has in the past. There’s not a reason to rush it, though. If it’s not 100 percent, it needs time to heal."
Since Jackson wasn't in the lineup again, I think it's safe to say he's not 100%. The same goes for Gerald Laird, who was scratched last night with a stiff neck.
Leyland said Laird's neck had been sore for several days, but never so sore that he couldn't play. Actually, Leyland thinks it might have helped from the plate.
"It worked out pretty good the other night, because he didn't pull off the ball," Leyland said. "He got three hits. The other day it was playable, and he was able to stay on the ball real good, because he wasn't able to move his neck. That sounds corny, but I'm dead serious. I think it helped him a little bit. But tonight it got so bad he couldn't hardly move."
The other noteworthy injury is probably the one that concerns Tigers fans most. Miguel Cabrera left last night's game with dizziness after a grounder took a bad hop and hit him where the sun don't shine. Jim Leyland took him out of the game just to be safe, but luckily Cabrera is expected back tonight when the Tigers go for their eighth straight win.