Magglio Ordonez’s injury likely to hamper Detroit Tigers’ Pennant chances – MLB Update
With Magglio Ordonez out for this season at least, the Detroit Tigers will be punching their luck. This is their first chance since 2006 to win the pennant and it has been gloomed by injuries.
Ordonez has re-fractured his right ankle and given the seriousness of this injury coupled with his contract situation, his tenure as a Tiger might already be over.
However, manager Jim Leyland did not let this injury be a distraction and urged his team to carry on even strongly in the pennant race. He articulated that although it is a setback, it should not be used as an excuse for a loss against a strong side.
Showing confidence in the ability of his players, Leyland said, "This is a great opportunity for us to show how tough we are. And we're tough."
The Tigers are two games down in the seven-game series and have a chance to bounce back in the pennant race. Historical precedent is also available in this context. Three teams have recovered from a 0-2 deficit in the ALCS and have gone all the way through
to the World Series. A more recent example is Boston Red Sox, who recovered from 0-3 down in the ALCS and subsequently won the World Series in 2004.
Texas Rangers’ manager Ron Washington voiced that the Tigers have enough strength in their roster and a few injuries should not haunt them at this stage. He added that Detroit has been tough team to beat throughout the regular season and it will surely find
a solution to this problem as well.
Agreeing with Washington, Leyland said, "We're a tough team. We'll figure something out. We're like every other team in baseball that has this type of situation pop up. Nobody is going to feel sorry for us — and we're not going to sit around and feel sorry
for ourselves. I can guarantee you that."
The team is vying to be as positive as possible and with the Rangers in contention for the pennant; the competition is surely going to get intense.
Delmon Young was ruled out of the series citing an oblique injury, but came out in four at-bats in Game 2 of the ALCS. Detroit will want to ensure that Young finds his hitting groove similar to the one he had in the Division Series.
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