Detroit Tigers: Cabrera Ejected, Kinsler Hard Work, Alburquerque MRI

A night after breaking a four-game losing streak, it turned ugly once again for the Detroit Tigers. Not only did the Kansas City Royals smack the Tigers, 12-1, but first baseman Miguel Cabrera got himself ejected in the fourth inning after arguing balls and strikes.

Cabrera going for his fourth career batting title has been one of the bright spots for the Tigers this season, but in the second half, so has second baseman Ian Kinsler. After hitting just .257 with a .675 OPS through June 25, Kinsler made some adjustments to break out of his slump.

And did he ever break out of it. Since July 2, he is hitting .372 with 81 hits, which leads all of baseball. In the last 29 games, Kinsler is batting .392 with five home runs, 26 runs and 20 RBI. For the season, the second baseman is now hitting .306 with a .809 OPS.

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Although 2015 is a lost season, the last thing the Tigers wanted was to lose another pitcher to injury. That might very well happen with Al Alburquerque. The relief pitcher said his right hip is bothering him, and he underwent an MRI on Wednesday. Detroit is still awaiting the results of the test.

Miguel Cabrera ejected from game after arguing called third strike in fourth inning – Chris Iott, MLive.com

Cabrera took a 99-mph 3-2 fastball from Kansas City pitcher Yordano Ventura with one out and nobody on in the fourth inning and was rung up by Wolcott. Cabrera then argued the call at length and was extremely demonstrative in the process. He eventually made his way toward the dugout before the two reengaged in conversation.At that point, J.D. Martinez and Victor Martinez, the next two batters due up, as well as manager Brad Ausmus made their way onto the field to help usher Cabrera toward the dugout.Cabrera took a detour and motioned toward home plate while saying something to Cederstrom, who threw him out of the game. Cabrera and Cederstrom then had what appeared to be a calm discussion before Cabrera headed to the dugout.

Hard work pulled Kinsler out of slump – Chris McCosky, The Detroit News

“You fight through it, you find it and you hope to keep it for as long as you can,” he said. “You are guaranteed to lose it again and you are guaranteed to find it again if you keep working.”You trust the work you put in, you trust your process, you trust your talent and you keep kicking at the door until you break it open.That’s essentially what Tigers second baseman Ian Kinsler has done this year.

Hip problem sidelines Tigers’ Alburquerque, who gets MRI – Anthony Fenech, Detroit Free Press

“He was pretty much unavailable, and then on Sunday in Toronto, I wanted to stay away from him because we had the off-day following it, but he still felt it in his hip yesterday,” Ausmus said.Alburquerque hasn’t pitched since Aug. 24 against the Reds, when he failed to retire a batter in the sixth inning of a 12-5 loss. In the inning, Alburquerque allowed three earned runs, two hits and a walk. The Tigers allowed 10 runs in the inning.

Next: The Castellanos turnaround