Leyland had a hunch

It was a good day for Jim Leyland’s intuition today. When Pudge went up to him Wednesday and said he wanted to play five innings Thursday, Leyland figured he’d be ready for a strong game — though maybe not 3-for-3, right-center field homer, four RBIs strong. And when the Tigers had built a 5-1 lead, Leyland said he got a feeling that they’d lose if they didn’t add on runs late. That could just be a manager thinking worst-case scenario, or it could be someone who figured the Reds would score runs once they got into the Tigers relievers. More likely, it’s the thought process of a manager who has been through plenty of games like this, spring training and regular season.

Rodriguez was clearly the highlight of the day, but Omar Infante provided the spark late with a single in the sixth and a two-run double in the seventh. It should be noted that both three-run rallies for the Tigers came after the first two hitters in the inning were retired, though a couple of wild pitchers certainly helped. Inge was hit by a pitch and Thames walked to set up Granderson and Rodriguez for RBIs in the second, and Reggie Taylor’s solo homer in the seventh seemed to rattle Ryan Wagner. He had two walks and a hit batter after that to set up Infante.