I was in attendance at the CoPa on Sunday (my wife and I took our just-turned-four-year-old to his first game. He wasn’t at all into it. I guess we’ll try again in a few years) and a few things stood out to me. For starters, the season ticket holders in section 104, rows K-L, are some very knowledgeable folks and made an otherwise difficult game much more interesting to watch.

At one point in that afternoon game it dawned on me that of the nine players on the field, no fewer than six of them had been playing for Toledo at some point this year. Galarraga was pitching, Larish, Worth, Sizemore, Raburn, and Boesch all have been Mudhens this year. UGH. (more after the jump)

Point number two: I get it that Johnny Damon was sick, too sick to play in game one. Yet he was used to pinch hit in the ninth? As soon as he was announced, the crowd (and I) began wondering aloud where the hell he was when Sizemore came up with the sacks drunk and one out in the eighth. Too sick then but feeling better in the ninth? By that time the game was over. Damon’s professional at bats would have come in handy over Sizemore’s flailings when the game was tied.

The kids fought hard and Miguel Cabrera is certainly showing that he is an MVP, but this team just doesn’t have enough major league talent to withstand the rigors of a month or more without Magglio Ordonez and Brandon Inge, let alone two weeks without those two or Carlos Guillen.

That’s not to say that the next several weeks won’t be interesting, I’m sure they will, but I think the smart way to watch them is without concentrating on the team’s record, ‘cuz it likely won’t be pretty.

Dave Dombrowski says he’s not looking for “rental players”, and he shouldn’t be. Guys like Mike Lowell and Adam Dunn could help keep you afloat until the big guns get back for Detroit, but then what? Even if the Tigers traded for both players, what happens when Maggs and Inge come back? Dunn can only play 1B and OF and those spots are full with Cabrera, Damon, AJax, and Boesch, plus Maggs. Lowell plays 1B and 3B, again fine in the very short term, but when Inge is back, Lowell becomes a pinch-hitter only.

That means you just traded away several prospects and added to the payroll to cover six weeks of games in the middle of the season. It’s just not worth the price.

So instead of being major players at the deadline, Detroit fans will likely see next Saturday pass without much (if any) movement by the Tigers, there’s no sense in adding at this point. Adding a piece or two simply to patch a hole that can be patched from within isn’t the prudent thing to do. This team will have to fight on without most of the heart of their order, that’s just the way these things happen sometimes.

That being said, I’d still like them to make a run at adding a shortstop. Stephen Drew would be a long-term solution there. The position will be high on the offseason shopping list, no reason not to start early if they can get him now. I would also be in favor of any trade that added long-term value to the club, but don’t trade for a guy to plug a hole when the rest of the ship has so many leaks this year. If a hole is to be plugged, lets make sure that player will be around to fill the same hole next season as well.

The silver lining in the injury situations is that some young guys are going to get a chance to show what they can do while playing in a pennant race, at least for a few weeks until the Tigers fall out of contention. The schedule upcoming is brutal and the Tigers have a roster full of inexperienced talent. But there is talent. The next few weeks will shed some light on just how much.

Detroit will recall RHP Casey Fien from AAA Toledo in time for tonight’s game against Texas, so says Paul Wezner of TigsTown.com (via twitter). Fien was recalled earlier in the season and pitched in one game for the Tigers, allowing one hit over two innings of work. In 31 games with the MudHens this year, Fien has a 1-1 record and 2.33 ERA, allowing just 36 hits and eight walks (0.950 WHIP) in 46.1 innings of work.

The move is a temporary one, and Fien or a different pitcher (Enrique Gonzalez) will likely be returned to Toledo in order to add a position player to take Inge’s roster spot at some point tomorrow.

The smart money is on Scott Sizemore being the man to come up at that point. Sizemore would presumably take over at second base, shifting Carlos Guillen to third during Inge’s absence. Don Kelly will likely start at third base tonight.

UPDATE: According to Jason Beck, Jim Leyland says no shot at Guillen shifting to third base. Scott Sizemore will play third for Toledo tonight and the Tigers will gauge whether or not they think he can handle the position in the Show.

Batting in the third inning of last night’s 14-inning defeat at the hands of the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge was hit by a Scott Feldman pitch and suffered a broken bone in his left hand.

Inge is batting .263 on the year, adding six homers and 40 RBI. The injury will cost him 4-6 weeks of action and puts the Tigers Division hopes in limbo.

Adding a new hole in the Tigers lineup is not something this team can likely survive and still hope to stay close in a three-team race. Detroit was already shopping for help in the starting rotation and the bullpen before this injury and they have an obvious need at shortstop as well. Third base was probably the one position that they could not afford an injury. Now they have one.

The minor league system is largely devoid of talent when it comes to third. Even with Inge’s often mediocre offensive performances, his glove saves countless hits and runs that are every bit as valuable as the hits and runs he produces with his bat.

Let’s discuss how the Tigers will cover for the injury (after the jump).

In the short term, you might expect utilitymen Don Kelly and Ryan Raburn to man the hot corner, with Kelly getting the bulk of the duty thanks to his left handed bat and his slick glove. Of the two, Kelly is by far the more accomplished defender.

Another option, though this seems less likely, is to shift Carlos Guillen back to third base, whee he played in 2008, and recall second baseman Scott Sizemore to fill in for Guillen at second. Sizemore began the year as the regular second sacker for the Tigers, but was sent back to Toledo after 30 lackluster games.

Regardless of what lineups Jim Leyland decides to run out there, the Tigers season is very much at a crossroads without Inge. If Dave Dombrowski had planned on being aggressive in trade talks to improve his flawed club, he’ll need to re-assess his priorities and factor in Inge’s injury. Suddenly the targeted players now must include someone who can fill-in for Inge as well as adding depth to the lineup.

Should the Tigers look for a stopgap solution, Boston’s Mike Lowell comes to mind as a possible replacement. Lowell, currently on the disabled list, is set to begin a rehab assignment this week and could be activated by Monday. Another possible solution is Florida’s Jorge Cantu or Baltimore’s Ty Wigginton. Either player could fill-in at third, and both have experience also playing second and first, with Wigginton also capable of playing the outfield.

To be honest, none of those three names excites me much.

The Tigers have lost six straight games, and while they sit just 2.5 games out of first, they’ll need to right their ship and fast. If they still plan to add rather than subtract at the trade deadline (or hopefully before), Inge’s loss simply must factor into the plans.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark thinks the Tigers have a real shot at landing Cubs starter Ted Lilly, who would come cheaper than Dan Haren or Ben Sheets, but now the need for another bat has to move higher on the list as well.

Any combination of Kelly, Raburn, and Sizemore can fill out the lineup defensively, but the Tigers, already with too many holes in the order, can ill afford to carry another dead spot in the order. Detroit already gets very little punch from their shortstops and virtually no production from their catchers, there simply cannot be similar results at third base. If Detroit could add a solid bat at short, however, they could ride out the next several weeks without Inge in no worse shape than they had been, and in better shape once Inge returns healthy.

I still believe the Tigers are better suited to sell at this trade deadline, but if they disagree, and it appears that they do, Dombrowski will have his work cut out for him in adding enough pieces to not only keep his club afloat while Inge is hurt, but to catch the division leaders once Inge is healthy. If the shopping list included a couple of arms before, it had better now also include a bat that can play short.