Leavitt also spent four seasons with the San Franciscco 49ers under coach

DETROIT -- Injuries have forced Detroit Tigers manager Brad Ausmus to use a makeshift lineup in recent weeks. Ausmus took solace that his franchise players ailment turned out to be minor.First baseman Miguel Cabrera did not play Tuesday after he left Mondays game against Kansas City with a left biceps strain. Cabrera could return as early as Wednesday in the series finale.Cabrera initially injured his arm a few weeks earlier, and he aggravated it while reaching for an errant throw. Cabrera felt good enough to play on Tuesday but his boss nixed the idea.Were going to be a little cautious, Ausmus said. Were going to need him the next month and a half. Im certainly not concerned long-term about Miggy.Following the Tigers 6-1 loss to the Royals on Tuesday, Cabrera pronounced himself ready to play.Im good. I always want to play, he said. Sometimes, youve got to step back and get a day off and go tomorrow.Cabrera has dealt with assorted injuries in recent seasons but missed just his second game this season. Hes not putting up the monster numbers he had during his prime but hes not that far off. He ranks among the American Leagues Top 10 in batting average (.310), home runs (27) and RBI (77).With third baseman Nick Castellanos, shortstop Jose Iglesias and center fielder Cameron Maybin on the 15-day disabled list, the Tigers cant afford to lose Cabreras bat in the heart of the lineup.If this was the last week of the season, I promise you Miggy would be playing and hed want to be in there, Ausmus said. Hes proven that in the past.If starting pitchers Jordan Zimmermann and Mike Pelfrey were not also on the DL, right-hander Anibal Sanchez (6-12) would probably be in the bullpen.Sanchez lost his rotation spot due to ineffectiveness, then regained it when those injuries struck. He appeared to turn the corner with back-to-back quality starts earlier this month but got hammered in his last outing, allowing eight runs on eight hits in four innings to Texas.Sanchez has a good track record against the Royals, going 6-4 with a 2.79 ERA. Among active starting pitchers with at least 10 starts against Kansas City, Sanchez has the third-lowest ERA.The Tigers brought in some reinforcements on Tuesday, acquiring shortstop Erick Aybar from the Atlanta Braves and recalling outfielder Steven Moya from Triple-A Toledo. Aybar is expected to join the Tigers in time for Wednesdays game.Sanchezs counterpart, right-hander Yordano Ventura, has enjoyed great success against the Tigers. He is 6-0 with a 3.18 ERA in nine career outings against Detroit, including two victories this season.Ventura (8-9) has found a level of consistency in his last seven starts, never allowing more than three runs.Hes staying within himself better, Kansas City manager Ned Yost said. At times, hes got such good stuff, he tends to overthrow. When he overthrows, he loses location.When he stays within himself, his stuff is actually better. The velocity on his fastball is better. The action on his curveball and changeups are better. When he overthrows, he flies open and leaves everything flat, so hes been doing a really good job the last six weeks of trying to stay within himself and execute pitches.Ventura earned a road victory at Minnesota on Friday and will try to win consecutive road starts for the first time this season. He has a 3.68 ERA in his last six road outings.Its experience more than anything else, Yost said. You figure out that if youre going to get your head beat in doing it the other way, its not fun. So youre going to have to make adjustments. Hes working really hard on doing that. Cheap Flames Jerseys . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. Clarksons actions one night earlier, leaping off the bench in defence of Kessel during a pre-season game against the Buffalo Sabres, will cost him the first 10 games of the regular season. Calgary Flames Pro Shop . -- Derrick Rose shook off poor shooting early to hit clutch shots late and Carlos Boozer had 20 points and 13 rebounds to lead the Chicago Bulls to a 104-95 preseason victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. https://www.cheapflames.com/ . Marincin has played in two NHL games so far this season with two penalty minutes. The 21-year-old has three goals, four assists and a plus-5 rating in 24 games with the American Hockey Leagues Oklahoma City Barons this season. Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Calgary Flames Shirts .ca! Hi Kerry, Heres an interesting one. I know its common knowledge that all players are responsible for their sticks. We witnessed that when Zack Kassian hit Edmontons Sam Gagner in the face after a missed check. Colorado defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt is joining new head coach Willie Taggarts staff at Oregon, Buffaloes head coach Mike MacIntyre confirmed Thursday.FoxSports.com first reported Wednesday that Leavitt, a former head coach at South Florida like Taggart, would be the Ducks defensive coordinator. Oregon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Thursday.Jim and our defensive staff did an excellent job with our defense the last two years. Jim brought a lot of expertise and energy to our defense, MacIntyre said in a statement. I wish him the best in his move to the University of Oregon and thank him for all the hard work, time and energy he gave to the Colorado Buffaloes,Leavitt has spent the past two seasons with the Buffaloes. This season, Colorado is ranked 17th nationally for total defense, allowing an average of 328.3 yards per game, and 18th for scoring defense, allowing 20.5 points per game.The No. 11 Buffaloes (10-3) will play Oklahoma State in the Alamo Bowl on Dec. 29. It is Colorados first bowl game since 2007.Leavitt tweeted on Wednesday evening: I love CU, players, Boulder and all alum! Been great to me! Couldnt pass up opportunity for family! South Champs! Been a great ride!!Leavitt also spent four seasons with the San Franciscco 49ers under coach Jim Harbaugh.dddddddddddd Leavitt was the first head coach at South Florida, from 1997-2009.Taggart, who spent the past four seasons at South Florida, was hired last week to take over the Ducks following a disappointing 4-8 season and the dismissal of coach Mark Helfrich.Taggart and Leavitt share a connection in Harbaugh. As a player, Taggart was recruited to Western Kentucky by Harbaugh, whose father Jack was coach of the Hilltoppers. Taggart was later an assistant under Harbaugh at Stanford.Leavitt will have his work cut out for him at Oregon. Former Michigan coach Brady Hoke attempted to install a new 4-3 defensive scheme and the Ducks finished the season ranked 126th out of the 128 FBS-level teams for total defense, allowing opponents an average of 528.4 yards per game. Oregon allowed an average of 41.4 points per game, ranked 125th nationally.When Oregon President Michael Schill introduced Taggart at a news conference last Thursday, he said his only advice to the new coach was to go find a great defensive coordinator.---More AP college football: www.collegefootball.ap.org and https://twitter.com/AP-Top25 ' ' '