Harrison hopes hamstring strain isn't serious

ATLANTA -- Josh Harrison had a locker waiting for him in the visiting clubhouse at SunTrust Park, complete with gear. But he does not have an idea when he’ll be able to suit up and get on the field again.

It won’t be here, and it won’t be when the Tigers get back to Detroit. The results that emerge from his upcoming visit to Dallas Cowboys team physician and specialist Dr. Daniel Cooper should let him know how long his left hamstring will keep him out.

“I really don't know what to expect,” Harrison said Saturday. “I just know I'm able to walk. I don't feel any extreme pain, but I feel soreness, everything's that expected with some type of strain. I just know that this one feels a little worse than last year. I don't think it's anything too serious. In my mind, I'll be back as soon as I can. I don't see it as anything close to being season-ending.”

The initial diagnosis was a Grade 2 strain, which by definition includes a partial tear. That will require more than a minimal 10-day injured list stay to heal. A typical recovery is four to six weeks.

Harrison strained the same hamstring late last summer with the Pirates, but avoided the injured list thanks to expanded September rosters. He played through it, albeit sparingly, starting just six games in September. He spent the offseason rehabbing at the University of Cincinnati up until signing with the Tigers and heading into Spring Training.

“I think from looking at the MRI, it's pretty much recurrent from last year,” Harrison said. “So for me, I knew I did everything I was supposed to [in order] to come back from it healthy. I wouldn't say it really affected me running or anything, but there were small instances where I could feel my hamstring pull from the side of my leg just due to scar tissue. It wasn't like it hurt; it was just my body didn't fire the right way. The more that you play this game, you start to feel things in your body, and you know when something's off. I wasn't in any discomfort, but I could feel that part of my hamstring was just restricted and scar tissue was in there.

“I guess it's peace of mind knowing there wasn't anything I could've done to prevent it. We put so much into this game and freak things happen.”

Turnbull for the better
Spencer Turnbull struck out just two batters in Friday's 8-2 win, tying his low for a Major League start, and he induced only seven swinging strikes. Yet his six-plus innings with one earned run allowed (two runs total) on five hits marked his best start since May 5, and he avoided the big hit that had plagued him his previous couple outings.

The difference was a more effective slider. It wasn't a swing-and-miss pitch for him like it was in other outings, but it forced hitters to stop sitting on his fastball like teams had in previous starts this month. It also induced soft contact and groundouts.

Turnbull threw 30 sliders out of 91 pitches Friday, inducing just two swings and misses and five called strikes, according to Statcast. But the average exit velocity on the seven sliders that Braves hitters put in play was a relatively low 86.7 mph, topping out at 96.1.

So far this season, opponents are just 6-for-67 when putting Turnbull’s slider in play.

Cabrera sits Saturday
The Tigers spent Saturday afternoon waiting on the initial MRI results on Miguel Cabrera's sore right knee, but his chances of playing in the rest of this Interleague series appear unlikely. Cabrera was out of the lineup in Saturday’s 10-5 loss, as expected with no DH slot available.

The club is sending MRI results to a second doctor before determining a course of action.

“They're just having another guy look at it who's a little deeper into these kind of things," manager Ron Gardenhire said. "Then they'll say which way we go."

The Tigers return home to American League rules next week, which will allow him to play at DH. He prefers playing first base, but his health might not allow it as much as he’d like.

“Obviously, over the last few days he’s gotten a little sore,” Gardenhire said, “trying to run balls out and all those things. He’s been trying to play through and get his treatment. Now, let’s just get it checked out and see why.”

The difference became noticeable in his swing, where he was relying more on his arms to produce power and less on his legs. That has been an issue on and off for much of the season; Cabrera said earlier this month he was trying to get his legs under him in his swing again.