Clearwater, Fla. — Among the smorgasbord of takeaways from the Tigers' 6-4 spring loss to the Phillies Wednesday is, skipper AJ Hinch is never going to flinch when it comes to using defensive shifts.
And why would he? They helped him to five straight winning seasons, two trips to the World Series and one ring with the Astros.
Phillies shortstop Didi Gregorius tested it leading off the second inning. With lefty Matthew Boyd on the mound, the Tigers overloaded the right side of the infield. With the left side wide open, the left-handed hitting Gregorius made up his mind to steal an easy hit by pushing a bunt toward third base.