if he might be ready to play Friday against the Golden State Warriors,

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. Russell Westbrook Rockets Jersey .com) - The game was all punts and field goals before Kodi Whitfields catch. Charles Barkley Rockets Jersey . 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WALTHAM, Mass. -- Boston Celtics big man Al Horford is still dealing with the lingering effects of a concussion and is uncertain when hell play again.Horford, who was concussed when he was inadvertently struck by a teammate at practice on Oct. 31, went on Bostons recent two-game road trip with hopes of returning to action but said he is simply not ready to play.Im just not where I want to be right now, but trying to work through it, Horford said after going through a light workout with his teammates Tuesday. This is something very new to me, so its just trying to get used to this.Pressed on whats holding him back, Horford declined to elaborate on his progression through the NBAs concussion protocol.Im not at liberty to discuss a lot of those things yet, Horford said. On-the-court-wise, the times that Ive been on, I felt good with my workouts. Its just to play, Im just not there yet.Asked if he might be ready to play Friday against the Golden State Warriors, Horford said simply that hes antsy to play again.Ive been very motivated to come back. This is just something very different, Horford said. Like Ive said, I havent dealt with anything like this before. So were really taking it day by day. Thats just all I can do right now.Horford laater added that he is a competitor.ddddddddddddI want to be out helping my team, and us growing together, he said. But the last thing I want to do is have a setback, come in when Im not supposed to, and set myself back for a longer period of time.Were trying to be as smart as we can about this. I just want to make sure that when Im ready to go, Im good to go.Horford signed a four-year, $113 million contract with the Celtics this summer. As the Celtics battle injuries at the start of the season, teammates are hopeful Horford will feel good enough to return soon.We want him back and hopefully hell be back sooner rather than later, Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas said. You cant mess with the brain. You cant mess with the head. If hes not feeling like himself, then he has to wait until he is.The Celtics have gone 3-4 in the seven games that Horford has missed. Boston also has been without Jae Crowder (ankle) for much of the same stretch, and the teams defense has suffered without the pair.Crowder will not play Wednesday against the Dallas Mavericks, his former team, but he engaged in shooting drills after practice. ' ' '