Wednesday: Thomas starts over Magglio

If Jim Leyland was going to give Magglio Ordonez a day off against a right-hander down the stretch, he figured Wednesday was a good day to it. Justin Masterson has a sinker that presents a tough matchup, and his lefty-righty splits are especially vast, giving Leyland a reason to give Clete Thomas a start. He thought about giving Alex Avila a start to get another lefty bat in there, but wanted Gerald Laird catching Porcello again, as he has throughout this recent roll.

TIGERS

1. Granderson, CF
2. Polanco, 2B
3. Thomas, RF
4. Cabrera, 1B
5. Huff, DH
6. Guillen, LF
7. Inge, 3B
8. Laird, C
9. Santiago, SS

P: Rick Porcello