Tigers' Tweaks Have Paid Off
The early grade for general manager Dave Dombrowski's in-season adjustments would have to range somewhere between a "B" and an "A-minus."
The addition of Wilson Betemit to give Detroit some offense at third base has been largely a positive. Betemit has had several key hits for the Tigers, although he definitely suffers defensively in comparison to the man he replaced as the starter, Brandon Inge.
Detroit lost two of three when Delmon Young switched dugouts from the Twins to the Tigers, but he's been a fixture in the lineup as the hitter in front of Miguel Cabrera, and he has driven in 12 runs in 16 games with Detroit. The Tigers have stretched their lead in the AL Central since he joined the club in mid-August.
Young's sacrifice fly in the first inning drove in the Tigers' first run Wednesday, and his single in the eighth restarted a three-run rally that produced Detroit's 5-4 victory over Kansas City.
Doug Fister is 3-1 in six starts with Detroit since coming from Seattle, and only one of his starts was a stinker. In his last outing, a no-decision in a game Detroit ended up winning in the 10th, he retired the first 18 batters he faced. The start before that, he retired the first 13 straight.
Doug Pauley has been sparsely used since coming from the Mariners with Fister.
Dombrowski is not expected to make any other roster adjustments outside of organizational call-ups, unless he's confronted with something he can't turn down.
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