Between the three hitters in the middle of the Tigers' lineup for Game 4, there are two functional torsos. Should be good enough, right?
Tigers Lineup For Game 4
Austin Jackson - CF
Ryan Raburn - RF
Miguel Cabrera - 1B
Victor Martinez# - DH
Delmon Young - LF
Alex Avila* - C
Jhonny Peralta - SS
Ramon Santiago# - 2B
Brandon Inge - 3B
This is the left-mashing lineup, which is pretty much the regular Tigers lineup these days without Don Kelly. The Rangers' starting pitcher, Matt Harrison, actually had reverse platoon splits this year, handling right-handed batters easier than lefties, but that could just be a flukish single-season thing. Raburn has always hit lefties better than righties (.268/.311/.420 vs. RHP, .270/.340/.507 vs. LHP), and Delmon Young even has an OBP of .343 (!) against lefties for his career.
Those two aren't the only ones with extreme platoon splits in the lineup. Brandon Inge is basically Yuniesky Betancourt against righties, but something more like Scott Rolen against lefties, and Jhonny Peralta has a slight power advantage against southpaws for his career. If everyone is okay to swing a bat, the Tigers match up fairly well with lefties, even without Magglio Ordoñez.
It’s not a fully healthy Delmon, though, and Victor Martinez is struggling with a similar issue with his side. Everyone will be watching the first swings they take in the game, studying their faces and looking for a telltale grimace or two.
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