Iglesias earning more playing time

DETROIT -- The original plan heading into this weekend was that Will Middlebrooks would start the first two games of the series at third base, but things can change.

In Friday's game, Middlebrooks was on the bench while Jose Iglesias made the start at third. Both players started on Thursday, and shortstop Stephen Drew was the odd man out.

With three players vying for two spots in the lineup, the hottest hitter -- who in this case is Iglesias -- is hard to ignore.

"Yeah, and I spoke with Will after the game last night," said manager John Farrell. "Just felt like, through competition, Iggy's playing well and I'm not saying [Will isn't]. Last night, Will drives a ball to center field with a good swing. In talking with him, I think he feels like he's starting to see the ball better. And yet we've got that internal competition that we're responding to."

Would there be a point when Iglesias simply becomes a starter and Middlebrooks either becomes a utility player or goes back to the Minors to play more regularly?

"I don't know that we have a date marked on the calendar, that if certain things happen that we got to make a change with that," Farrell said. "We haven't even approached that."