World Series 2012: Tigers to stay busy by scrimmaging minor leaguers

As a believer in staying sharp over their extended break, Detroit Tigers manager Jim Leyland said in an interview Friday that his team will play against an instructional league team in the days leading up to the World Series, according to a report by Kirkland Crawford of the Detroit Free Press.

"If you remember, in 2006, we sat around a week before we played... and we were pretty bad in the World Series," Leyland said in the report. "So we actually have our instructional league team coming to Detroit and we're going to play a couple of actual games Sunday and Monday and have an actual workout as well, so we'll have our pitchers throw to hitters and have our hitters face live pitching.

"So hopefully we'll be a little more prepared this time."

Detroit dropped the 2006 World Series in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals, a possible opponent along with the San Francisco Giants in this season's upcoming Fall Classic.

The 2012 World Series begins on Wednesday, Oct. 24, as the Tigers will begin on the road against the National League Champions in Games 1 and 2.