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 he strained his right quadricep.
Already, the Tigers were down two players — Nick Castellanos (toe) and Niko Goodrum (ill) — so when Gordon Beckham replaced Mercer, Gardenhire’s bench was devoid of healthy reserves.
"It stinks," Mercer said after the Tigers were beaten by the Twins, 4-3.