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V-Mart a good source of protection for Miggy

SEATTLE -- Miguel Cabrera's intentional walk Friday night was just his third of the season, and just the second with Victor Martinez hitting behind him. Cabrera had more intentional passes at the same point the last two seasons with Prince Fielder batting behind him.

That says a lot about opponents' opinions about Martinez. Cabrera, for his part, says many of the same things.

"That's a typical Victor at-bat," Cabrera said of Martinez's ensuing three-run home run. "He always goes deep into the count, fouling balls off. And if you make a mistake around the zone, he always makes sure to hit the ball. That's what he does. 

"When you go deep into the count, work the count, you let the pitcher make mistakes. When you fight in an at-bat, when you don't give away at-bats, something good is going to happen."

Martinez is 1-for-2 after Cabrera's intentional walks. The other intentional walk happened during an Interleague series in San Diego on April 12, when Austin Jackson was hitting behind Cabrera. Jackson followed with a two-run double.

Jason Beck is a reporter for MLB.com. Read Beck's Blog and follow him on Twitter @beckjason.
Read More: Detroit Tigers, Victor Martinez, Miguel Cabrera