By MICHAEL J. HAPPY
FOXSportsDetroit.com
It's been a fairly common occurrence this season: Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera pulling up lame after an awkward swing, step or slide and getting pulled out of a game early.
It happened again during Thursday's 7-6 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Cabrera exited following the fifth inning, after gracelessly sliding into second base and aggravating an abdominal injury -- one of several nagging injuries that have hampered him in 2013.
If Cabrera were a racehorse, he probably would've been taken out behind the barn and shot by now.
Instead, he's the best hitter in baseball -- on one leg ... with abdominal issues ... with a bloody knee ... maybe even with one arm tied behind his back.
That's why Cabrera was back in the starting lineup for Friday night's game against the Cleveland Indians.
"I'm OK," Cabrera repeated several times after Thursday's game. "I'll play tomorrow. Just the same thing as before. It's OK."
Despite his injury woes, the defending AL MVP is on pace to win the award again and easily leads in two of the three Triple Crown categories, batting average (.359) and RBIs (130).
Heading in the weekend, Cabrera trailed Baltimore's Chris Davis by just four homers for the lead in the third Triple Crown statistic.
If he were to eclipse Davis in the home-run race, Cabrera would very likely be the first to win the Triple Crown in consecutive seasons.
But here's the thing: Does winning another MVP and Triple Crown matter enough to keep putting Cabrera out there and go into the postseason with him well under 100 percent physically?
I don't think so, and what happens at Comerica Park this weekend could give the Tigers a perfect opportunity to give Cabrera some time to heal.
With just 28 games remaining, the Tigers lead the second-place Indians by 6 1/2 games and the third-place Kansas City Royals by 8 1/2. If the Tigers were to sweep the Indians or even win two of the three games in the series, they would have a nice cushion entering the season's final month.
The Tigers should then sit Cabrera on that comfy cushion for a while and rest him for the playoffs.
Triple Crowns and MVPs are nice, but it's been a long, long time since the Tigers won a World Series.
DIVISION RACE: The Tigers are 13-3 against the Indians this season, including a four-game sweep in Cleveland earlier this month. The Royals hold a 7-6 edge on the Tigers.
Although this is the last time the Tigers face the Indians during the regular season, Detroit has three games remaining in Kansas, Sept. 6-8, and will play host to the Royals Sept. 13-15.
V-MART ON A TEAR: After missing all of last season with a left knee injury, Victor Martinez's return to the Tigers' lineup was as chilly as a Michigan spring.
For much of the early part of the season, he seemed to struggle with his timing as his average hovered around .200. Even as late as June 28, he was hitting just .225.
Now, he's as hot as South Florida in August.
Since the All-Star break, Martinez leads the American League with 60 hits and a .385 batting average, and his season average is up to .297.
“He is an outstanding hitter, and he is dialed in right now,” Tigers manager Jim Leyland said.
RICK TICKING: Friday's starter, Rick Porcello, is 6-1 with a 3.38 ERA in his last nine starts. He's allowed three runs or fewer in all but one of those outings -- a 6-3 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Aug. 20.
In three starts against Indians this season, Porcello is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA. He held them to five hits over seven innings in a 7-0 victory on July 5.
INDIANS ADD KUBEL: After getting swept and scoring just three runs in Atlanta, the Indians went after some help for the stretch run, acquiring outfielder Jason Kubel from Arizona. Kubel hit 30 homers last season but has struggled in 2013.
After hitting just .220 with five homers and 32 RBIs in 89 games for the Diamondbacks this season, the 31-year-old lefty was designated for assignment earlier this week.
