	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

AL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES: TIGERS v RANGERS

October 13, 2011

Jim Leyland

DETROIT, MICHIGAN: Game Five

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Jim Leyland.

Q. Could you give us the lineup, please, and any tough calls you had?
JIM LEYLAND: We got Jackson, Raburn, Cabrera, Martinez and Young, Peralta, Inge, Avila and Santiago.

Q. Jim, with the bullpen, Jim, I know Valverde has pitched quite a few innings the last few days. Is he a go just as he always would be?
JIM LEYLAND: He will not pitch today.

Q. And Benoit?
JIM LEYLAND: He will not pitch today.

Q. Everybody else is available?
JIM LEYLAND: I hope so.

Q. I don't know if you can answer this or not, since those two guys won't pitch, who you might use in a closing situation? Would it be Coke?
JIM LEYLAND: Truthfully I want to try to get through this game today with Verlander and Coke.

Q. I don't know if it will get rained out again or delayed again, but what do you guys do to pass the time when you're sitting there waiting for a big game like this?
JIM LEYLAND: Well, if there's another game on normally during the regular season, we're watching that. MLB has all those games on. We watch that.
If not, we usually sit in my office and BS a little bit. You know, the players do whatever they do. Sit in the lunchroom and chat or whatever. There's not much you can do. What do you guys do?

Q. Jim, who came out of the game feeling better, Victor or Delmon?
JIM LEYLAND: I don't know the answer to that yet. They're both going to play today, unless something freaky happens right at the end. I expect them both in the lineup today.
You know, both teams got some guys hurting. I just don't want to make a big deal about that. I don't think that looks good. Do we have some guys -- yeah, I think truth be known, Alex Avila might be hurting as much as any of them. We don't really talk about that as much. Both teams have that issue at this point. We have no excuses. We've had these games have been great games, and so far they've done enough to win three of them and we've only done enough to win one of them. That pretty much sums it up.
It's too bad, I think, in two of the games the home run late made the game look a little bit different than it actually was, because these have been great baseball games. They've gotten a big hit and three of the games we didn't get the big hit.

Q. Jim, what's the mood in your clubhouse right now?
JIM LEYLAND: Well, I can only tell you the mood in my office, because I haven't really walked out of my clubhouse. I think our mood is absolutely fine. We're tough, like I said all along, we're tough, we're playing our hearts out.
No manager could complain. I certainly know Ron wouldn't complain. I can't complain about one thing. With the travel we've been through and the stress and the strain and everything and the way these guys are battling, I expect us to win this game today.
If we don't, we go home. You could not ask for anything more than this club has given us and given the fans. And you couldn't ask for anything more than what the fans have given to us.
This is not over yet. Trust me. Obviously, we have to win this game today. We have the right guy going. If we win it, we got Scherzer and Fister for them. Does it look good right now? No, it doesn't look as good for us obviously as it does Texas.
But I couldn't be prouder of a team. They're playing hurt, and it's amazing. I thought last night was one of the greatest games I've ever been involved in. The plays that were made last night, Santiago, Peralta, Porcello's double play ball and credit Texas the same. It was an unbelievable game. We just came out the wrong end of it.

Q. With Delmon returning, what's the thought on keeping Cabrera in the third spot, please?
JIM LEYLAND: Well, to be honest with you, I thought about that yesterday. If you look the night before Cabrera, Martinez, you know you're kind of funny as a manager. The night before Cabrera, Martinez both hit home runs out of the three and four hole.
So I said you know what I'm going to leave them in there. That's why I did it. We tried to get some match-ups. I know everybody talks about the different lineups and everything.
Raburn hit second yesterday for a reason. He's done okay against Wilson. He was very good against Harrison. That's why he hit second. That's what you do. You try to find some pieces to fit in. It looks like you might get some rallies.
In fact, yesterday Raburn was a big part of that rally when we got our first two runs because he got that two-out hit to keep that inning going to get Cabrera up there. He's had good luck with Harrison. That's what we're trying to do. We have a couple of guys obviously not swinging very well.

Q. I know the thought on Ramon Santiago has always been try to play him in stretches but don't play him too long of a stretch because you worry that he wears down. You've had to play him an awful lot this postseason and really ever since July or August. What have you seen from him? And how much has he meant to this club?
JIM LEYLAND: He's done a great job. He had a great at-bat yesterday against Oliver. He's done a great job. Probably not playing all that much during the season to start with, probably saves him some energy. He's played tremendous in the postseason. He's done an unbelievable job.
So he's playing today. He'll be playing in Texas if we go there. He's done a great job.

Q. Jim, I've been so impressed this season by Alex Avila's attitude. And what's happening to him here in the postseason has to be killing him. Your thoughts on his postseason.
JIM LEYLAND: He's working pretty good, to be honest with you. To be honest with you, this is probably some of the wear and tear that I played him a little bit too much during the season, probably. And we ran into that one stretch where Victor could not catch.
So we really beat him up a little bit more than I would have liked to. But he's as tough as they come. There's nobody tougher on our team than him. Victor Martinez. Believe me, I know what these guys are going through. I've been in the trainer's room. You guys don't have that same availability.
But I know what these guys are going through. It's unbelievable.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much.
JIM LEYLAND: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297