Miguel Cabrera just wanted to concentrate on the final scheduled game of the season. A bruise and cut on his left cheek made that difficult.
"I'm focused on one thing _ the game," Cabrera said, when asked about the facial injuries Sunday morning, before his Detroit Tigeres hosted the Chicago White Sox needing a win to at least force an AL Central tiebreaker with the Minnesota Twins.
Between playing Friday and Saturday nights against Chicago, Cabrera's face took the brunt of something.
"I have had a conversation with Miguel," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski wrote in an e-mail. "It is a personal situation and I am not at liberty to discuss it further."
Tigers manager Jim Leyland didn't want to talk about it and refused to acknowledge the situation was unfortunate.
"Do you want to talk about today's game?" Leyland asked tersely. "I manage the team on the field. That's my job _ to get this team ready to play today.
"If you want to talk about the game, we'll talk about the game. If you don't want to, you can excuse yourself."
Detroit started Sunday in a first-place tie with the Twins in the AL Central. If they finished the day tied, Minnesota would host a tiebreaker for the division title on Tuesday.
The Tigers had a seven-game lead less than a month ago and have been in first place since May 10.
Cabrera ranks among AL leaders in several offensive categories, but entered the series finale against the White Sox hitting 5 for 23 during the final homestand. He was hitless in four-at bats _ with a total of six runners on base each _ in Saturday's loss 5-1 loss to Chicago that dropped the Tigers into a tie.
Cabrera is in the second season of an eight-year, $152.3 million contract he signed after Detroit acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Florida Marlins during the 2007 winter meetings.
Tigers' Cabrera Declines Comment About Cut On Face
/ AP
Miguel Cabrera just wanted to concentrate on the final scheduled game of the season. A bruise and cut on his left cheek made that difficult.
"I'm focused on one thing _ the game," Cabrera said, when asked about the facial injuries Sunday morning, before his Detroit Tigeres hosted the Chicago White Sox needing a win to at least force an AL Central tiebreaker with the Minnesota Twins.
Between playing Friday and Saturday nights against Chicago, Cabrera's face took the brunt of something.
"I have had a conversation with Miguel," Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski wrote in an e-mail. "It is a personal situation and I am not at liberty to discuss it further."
Tigers manager Jim Leyland didn't want to talk about it and refused to acknowledge the situation was unfortunate.
"Do you want to talk about today's game?" Leyland asked tersely. "I manage the team on the field. That's my job _ to get this team ready to play today.
"If you want to talk about the game, we'll talk about the game. If you don't want to, you can excuse yourself."
Detroit started Sunday in a first-place tie with the Twins in the AL Central. If they finished the day tied, Minnesota would host a tiebreaker for the division title on Tuesday.
The Tigers had a seven-game lead less than a month ago and have been in first place since May 10.
Cabrera ranks among AL leaders in several offensive categories, but entered the series finale against the White Sox hitting 5 for 23 during the final homestand. He was hitless in four-at bats _ with a total of six runners on base each _ in Saturday's loss 5-1 loss to Chicago that dropped the Tigers into a tie.
Cabrera is in the second season of an eight-year, $152.3 million contract he signed after Detroit acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Florida Marlins during the 2007 winter meetings.
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