Cabrera plays Wednesday, to sit out finale

TORONTO -- The scare Miguel Cabrera gave the Tigers with his back Tuesday night became a sigh of relief by Wednesday afternoon. He said he'd be ready to play in his usual spot at third base, and he was.

Cabrera went 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts in the Tigers' 6-2 win, but he will sit out Thursday's finale.

Manager Jim Leyland was cautious about playing Cabrera on Wednesday, tentatively plugging hm into the lineup but waiting until he took the field for batting practice before finalizing his decision. His work on the field did nothing to change Leyland's mind.

Wednesday was the Tigers' sixth consecutive game on artificial turf, with one more coming up Thursday before the team leaves town. Though Cabrera wasn't sure how much of an impact the surface has had on his back, the Tigers are likely playing it safe by sitting the slugger for the finale.

Leyland said when this road trip began at Tampa Bay that he'd try to get most of his players at least one game off on the trip.