Leyland Stays Old-School When It Comes To Matchups

Jim Leyland is not a techno-whiz.

Until recently, he couldn't have found the 'on' button on a computer without a diagram.

He uses a computer now, but only minimally and only for things related to the Tigers.

Leyland uses numbers as an aid, not a mandate, to forming each game's lineup. Miguel Cabrera will be hitting cleanup even if he's 0-for-his-career against a certain pitcher.

Using a legal pad is Leyland's preferred method of puzzling out his baseball problems.

Leyland will routinely put a schedule on the table, get out his pad and a pencil and extrapolate his rotation as far as he wants into the remainder of the season.

At this point in the season, Leyland is looking to see how he manipulate his rotation to give him optimum matchups.

It's why Justin Verlander is pitching Friday, against the second-place White Sox, and not Thursday against the Royals on his normal fifth day. Leyland is inserting rookie Jacob Turner on Thursday to give Verlander that extra day off and have him face Chicago.

Detroit has a couple of days off remaining this month, and Leyland will watch the standings and the schedule to see when Verlander best fits. Leyland could work it so Verlander pitches against Cleveland in the final series of the season, or pitches just before that -- so he can start the first game of the playoffs.

The newest member of the Tigers rotation, trade-deadline acquisition Doug Fister, was sharp Tuesday, taking a perfect game into the seventh inning. Detroit ultimately beat Kansas City 2-1 in 10 innings, maintaining a five-game lead over Chicago and a 5 1/2-game lead over Cleveland in the AL Central.

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