Hindsight is always 20-20 after a loss. That much is understood. But in the aftermath of the Tigers' 1-0 defeat to the Red Sox in soupy Boston Wednesday night, there were a couple items that left manager Jim Leyland open to second-guessing.
- Why wasn't Andy Dirks in the lineup? He is a left-handed hitter. Clay Buchholz, who dominated the Tigers, is a right-hander. And why not use Dirks as a pinch hitter late in the game rather than just running him? While it's true Buchholz has been slightly better against left-handed hitters than right-handed hitters this season, that hasn't be the case throughout his career. Right-handed hitting Ryan Raburn was completely overmatched by Buchholz and Jonathan Papelbon, the right-handed closer for Boston. Raburn was 0-for-3 with runners in scoring position. And I'm sure Raburn isn't in the lineup for his superior glove work in left field.
- OK, Leyland didn't bring back Phil Coke, who hadn't thrown that many pitches, after the rain delay. But why pull Ryan Perry after just two hitters in a tie game? He got those hitters out easily. Daniel Schlereth, who replaced Perry, was a disaster.