Detroit Tigers lose to Philadelphia Phillies 3-4 – MLB Spring Training
Detroit Tigers suffered only their second defeat this spring as they lost to Philadelphia Phillies 3-4 in a thrilling contest at the Bright House Networks in Clearwater, Florida on March 19 in a Grapefruit League game of the 2012 Major League Baseball Spring
Training Session.
Cabrera is playing third base this season to accommodate Prince Fielder at first base. On Monday, Cabrera left the field in extreme pain after he was hit hard by Hunter Pence’s grounder. The hard hitting striker was taken to the nearest hospital for medical
treatment. It seems Cabrera has failed his first real test at 3B but the ball that came to him would have caught even a Gold Glove third baseman.
"You're going to pick up the paper tomorrow and read that Cabrera can't play third base," Francona said. "But that ball hits every third baseman in the majors in the face."
"He's doing real good. He's doing fine," Leyland said. "Watch him play, write what you want, give your opinion what you think. He's doing great at third base. Is he going to make plays like Brooks Robinson? For the 100th time this spring? No. Is he going
to catch the routine plays, is he going to throw it accurately with one of the better arms in the league?"
The Tigers have looked in outstanding form since the start of 2012 Spring Training. With 12 wins and three ties, they have emerged as one of the strongest teams in American League. The Tigers made the most of available opportunities last season to win the
American League Central Division title.
However, they were unable to handle the pressure during the playoffs. The Tigers strengthened their hitting line up this offseason by acquiring Prince Fielder on a nine year $214 million contract. It will be interesting to see if Jim Leyland and his men
can live up to the expectations by securing their first World Series title since 1984.
The Phillies, on the other hand, will be very pleased with the way they handled pressure during critical stages of the contest. Showing great determination, fighting spirit and mental toughness, the Phillies secured a narrow win to improve their win-loss
record to 8-9 this spring.
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