(Photo: Stacy Bengs, AP)
Minneapolis — Ron Gardenhire’s waking nightmare happened in the top of the fifth inning Saturday.
Shortstop Jordy Mercer lined a double off the wall in left field, but as he rounded first, something tightened in his right leg and he hobbled into second base. The Tigers later announced it was a spasm in his right quadricep.
Already, the Tigers were down two players — Nick Castellanos (toe) and Niko Goodrum (ill) — so when Gordon Beckham replaced Mercer — who had extended his hitting streak to six games with a single and double — Gardenhire’s bench was devoid of healthy reserves.