DETROIT (AP) - Detroit Tigers superstar Miguel Cabrera left Thursday’s game against the Oakland Athletics after hurting his abdomen while making an awkward slide trying to stretch a single into a double.
Cabrera, though, insisted he’ll be back in the lineup Friday night when the AL Central-leading Tigers begin a series against the second-place Cleveland Indians.
“I’m OK,” he said after teammate Torii Hunter hit a three-run homer with two outs to lift Detroit to a 7-6 win over Oakland. “I’ll play (Friday) _ don’t worry.”
The reigning Triple Crown winner limped off the field in the fifth inning against Oakland. He was listed by the team as day to day with discomfort.
Cabrera has been hobbled this month with a strain in his groin, abdominal and hip area. He previously was playing with a banged-up left leg.
He got two hits before being injured, increasing his major league-leading batting average to .359. He leads baseball with 130 RBIs, and his 43 homers trail only Baltimore’s Chris Davis.
After the bruising slide, Cabrera talked briefly to the team’s athletic trainer and manager Jim Leyland and left the field. The third baseman was replaced by Don Kelly.
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