Spring Break
Tigers drop game to Orioles, lose second baseman
Issue date: 9/18/06 Section: Sports
DETROIT (AP) - It might have just gotten tougher for the Detroit Tigers to hold off the surging Minnesota Twins in the AL Central.
After Baltimore beat the Tigers 12-8 on Sunday in 10 innings, cutting their division lead to a game over Minnesota, second baseman Placido Polanco said his season is over.
"I'm out for the year," Polanco said.
Polanco was put on the disabled list on Aug. 16 with a separated left shoulder after making a tumbling catch at Boston. He was expected to be out four to six weeks.
Polanco recently started to hit and was sore after batting practice Saturday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. Polanco did not hit before Sunday's game.
If Polanco is out for the season and not just reacting emotionally to a possible setback, it would be a blow to the slumping Tigers. Team trainer Kevin Rand said Polanco still has day-to-day status, according to team spokesman Rick Thompson.
Since leading the AL Central by 10 games after play on Aug. 7, Detroit has lost 24 of 37 games and seen its lead almost vanish.
"That our lead was 10 games in August is irrelevant now," said Sean Casey, whose two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning made it 8-all. "We can't do anything about that now."
The Tigers, who haven't been to the playoffs since 1987, can do something about their postseason positioning this week.
Detroit opens a three-game series Monday on the road against the third-place White Sox, who might end up competing with the Tigers for the AL's wild card if they can't stop their slump. The White Sox are five games behind.
"Things are tight for us, but they're tight for Minnesota and Chicago, too," Casey said. "It's fun.
"This is what you play for, to go to Chicago in September with games that mean something."
It was difficult to tell the Orioles, who had lost 14 of 18 to fall a season-high 22 games under .500, had only pride on the line in the series finale at Detroit.
Miguel Tejada hit a tiebreaking single to spark a four-run 10th inning for the Orioles, who lost a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
After Baltimore beat the Tigers 12-8 on Sunday in 10 innings, cutting their division lead to a game over Minnesota, second baseman Placido Polanco said his season is over.
"I'm out for the year," Polanco said.
Polanco was put on the disabled list on Aug. 16 with a separated left shoulder after making a tumbling catch at Boston. He was expected to be out four to six weeks.
Polanco recently started to hit and was sore after batting practice Saturday, Tigers manager Jim Leyland said. Polanco did not hit before Sunday's game.
If Polanco is out for the season and not just reacting emotionally to a possible setback, it would be a blow to the slumping Tigers. Team trainer Kevin Rand said Polanco still has day-to-day status, according to team spokesman Rick Thompson.
Since leading the AL Central by 10 games after play on Aug. 7, Detroit has lost 24 of 37 games and seen its lead almost vanish.
"That our lead was 10 games in August is irrelevant now," said Sean Casey, whose two-out, two-run homer in the eighth inning made it 8-all. "We can't do anything about that now."
The Tigers, who haven't been to the playoffs since 1987, can do something about their postseason positioning this week.
Detroit opens a three-game series Monday on the road against the third-place White Sox, who might end up competing with the Tigers for the AL's wild card if they can't stop their slump. The White Sox are five games behind.
"Things are tight for us, but they're tight for Minnesota and Chicago, too," Casey said. "It's fun.
"This is what you play for, to go to Chicago in September with games that mean something."
It was difficult to tell the Orioles, who had lost 14 of 18 to fall a season-high 22 games under .500, had only pride on the line in the series finale at Detroit.
Miguel Tejada hit a tiebreaking single to spark a four-run 10th inning for the Orioles, who lost a 4-1 lead in the fourth.
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