The Tigers have a plan with Victor Martinez and his left knee. It did not include pinch-running for Martinez in the seventh inning of a close game, even though he represented the go-ahead run.
“I don’t want that bat out of the lineup in the seventh,” manager Brad Ausmus said afterward. “As a matter of fact, when the seventh was over, I think if he went 1-2-3 (the next inning), then in the ninth we would’ve had Victor on deck (if somebody got on base). That’s a huge difference when Miguel Cabrera’s hitting.”
Nor, however, did the plan involve leaving Martinez as an easy out at the plate if Yoenis Cespedes could follow J.