Lugo having September to remember

OAKLAND -- The season ends for the Detroit Tigers in three weeks, but you’ll have to forgive infielder Dawel Lugo if he’s up for extending it indefinitely.

Lugo, who has been the Tigers’ regular third baseman for the last month or so, came into Saturday with seven hits in his last 15 at-bats. In the last month, he’s elevated his average from .218 to .250. And in the last four days alone, he’s added 14 points to his average.

The infielder has spent this season looking just for a streak like this. He hit .333 with Triple-A Toledo but hadn’t been able to translate that to the big leagues until recently. Technically, he’s hitting .273 since his recall on Aug. 6, although he had a ninth-inning double in Friday’s makeup of a suspended game, and the stats for that one count as if it took place on May 19, when the game began. Add the double and Lugo is at .276 since Aug. 6.

“I’m feeling very good up there,” he said through translator Carlos Guillen. “I’ve been able to work in batting practice and take that work to the plate with me. I’m swinging at the right pitches.”

Manager Ron Gardenhire said the Tigers have been looking for this kind of offensive surge from Lugo, a 24-year-old from the Dominican Republic.

“[Hitting coach Lloyd McClendon] and Lugo have talked a bit about his swing,” Gardenhire said. “They’re working through the adjustments Lugo needs to make. His defense has been good, and now he’s coming around to being the type of hitter we thought he would be.

“If you watch him in batting practice, the ball makes a really loud sound off his bat. He’s a strong young man. He’s got good hands. He’s improving his game all the way around. This is what we’re looking for, a guy who can turn the corner and be a part of this thing. And he’s definitely making a good statement.”

Worth noting

• According to some of those who took part, the bus ride from the Coliseum to the team hotel in San Francisco after Friday’s 11-inning, 5-4 victory over the A’s was one of the liveliest of the season for the Tigers. The day had started with a 7-3 loss in the completion of a suspended game from May 19.

“It’s a long day when you start out and you’re the home team and then you become the visitors in the night game,” Gardenhire said. “But it was fun. The guys were into it in the dugout. We got some big hits, we executed a little bit, so it was a fun ballgame for us.”

• Shortstop Jordy Mercer has missed the last two games after being hit on the right wrist by a bad-hop grounder on Thursday. He wasn’t in the lineup Saturday and isn’t likely to play Sunday.

An X-ray showed that the wrist isn’t broken, but Mercer is having trouble swinging a bat.

“He’s been beat up this year, and right now it’s his wrist; he really can’t swing much,” Gardenhire said. “He said he wants to play, but he’s pretty sore.”