Miggy's blast has Tigers, opponents a-buzz

NEW YORK -- Miguel Cabrera was earning comparisons to Rocky for his at-bat against Mariano Rivera on Friday night.

"I kiddingly said to [bench coach] Gene Lamont: 'If he hits one here, he's the greatest of all time,'" manager Jim Leyland said. "I just shook my head. I couldn't believe it."

A day later and back in the Tigers lineup, Cabrera was earning comparisons to something more like the Terminator.

"That guy, he's amazing," Alex Rodriguez said Saturday morning. "That was a joke. Everyone thought he was dead. It was like the movies, you've got to shoot him to make sure he's dead. I knew he wasn't coming out of the game. I said, 'Don't fall for that bait of limping around.' He's a dangerous guy."

Though Leyland waited until he could check on Cabrera before putting out a lineup, few were falling for the possibility that he would sit Saturday morning, either.

Cabrera had a large bandage on his left shin, where he fouled off one of those Rivera pitches in the ninth, but his knee wasn't wrapped. His knee, which he was clutching Friday night, wasn't wrapped, and he was moving around without any obvious trouble.

Meanwhile, Cabrera continues to play through the abdominal strain that has limited his mobility for more than a month.

"He's been banged up a little bit anyway, so he hasn't been moving really good," Leyland said.

Other than Prince Fielder and Victor Martinez switching spots, a move that was already planned a few days ago, the only changes in the Tigers' lineup came in the supporting cast. Don Kelly started in left field over Andy Dirks, and Alex Avila returned to catch after leaving Thursday's game with concussion-like symptoms.