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DETROIT -- That sweet swing is still there. Pittsburgh Pirates Shirts . No matter how banged up Miguel Cabrera has been, hes always a threat to hit the ball where nobody can catch it. Its the rest of his duties that have looked more and more painful. Those jogs out of the batters box became progressively slower -- and although Cabrera helped the Detroit Tigers win the AL Central for a third straight year, even they cant be sure what to expect from their best hitter in the post-season. "Hes not 100 per cent," manager Jim Leyland said. "Hes been playing in a lot of pain. Hes a real tough guy. I think if anybody knew the pain hes playing in, they probably wouldnt believe it." After winning the Triple Crown in 2012, Cabrera was even better for much of this season. By the end of August, he looked well on his way to one of the American Leagues best offensive seasons of the last 50 years. His final numbers were still terrific -- a .348 average with 44 homers and 137 RBIs -- but toward the end, a number of nagging problems began to add up. "It doesnt matter right now," Cabrera said. "Youve got to be ready to play. Go out there and play hard." Cabrera missed a game in early July with a bad back, and on July 22 against the Chicago White Sox, he exited early with what the team said was a sore left hip flexor. After missing four games, the star third baseman homered in his first at-bat July 27 against Philadelphia. That began a remarkable pattern in which Cabrera would miss time because of one injury or another -- but still put up staggering numbers when he did play. He was bothered by a strained lower abdomen, but after missing a few days in early August, he came back to help Detroit sweep a key four-game series at Cleveland. Then he homered in all three games of a road series against the New York Yankees, twice off Mariano Rivera. The first homer off Rivera was the most memorable -- a tying two-run shot in the ninth inning that came while Cabrera was still hobbling after fouling two balls off his left shin in the at-bat. The Tigers ended up losing, but it was still one of the highlights of the season. Then on Aug. 20, Cabrera aggravated a strain in his groin, abdominal and hip area. He kept playing, never going on the disabled list, but his numbers finally dipped a bit. At the end of an Aug. 26 game against Oakland, Cabrera was hitting .359 with 43 homers and 130 RBIs. Since then, hes hit .284 with only two extra-base hits in 25 games. Now the Tigers enter the AL division series against the Athletics hoping their slugger has had enough time to work through his various ailments. "Every day we can give Miggy off and let him rest his groin is a good thing," said right-hander Max Scherzer, who will start Game 1 on Friday. The abdominal and groin issues have probably been most apparent when Cabrera has been running the bases. Getting from home to second even on a hard-hit ball has looked like more of a challenge for him lately. Of course, it should be noted that the Tigers were in control in the Central throughout September, clinching the division title in the fourth-to-last game of the season. Detroit didnt need Cabrera at full speed. "The injury is still there," Leyland said. "I think some days its worse than others." After the Tigers clinched, Cabrera had four hits in a two-game span at Miami. "This time of year it gets late real fast, but I really like the way hes swinging the bat right now," Leyland said. "I think his timing is back pretty darn good." Cabrera hopes so. He may end up winning a second straight MVP award despite his slow September, but what matters now is whether he is healthy enough to help Detroit return to the World Series after the Tigers made it there and lost in 2012. "Im feeling good. Im feeling ready to go," he said. "No time to think what happened in the past. We need to keep positive and try to be ready to play." Pirates Jerseys 2019 . The 30-year-old Texas native was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 20th round of the 2001 amateur draft. Duke spent six years in Pittsburgh and also had stints with Arizona, Washington and Cincinnati. Pittsburgh Pirates Gear . But when it was all over they had wasted another lead, seen another pitcher flame out on the mound and lost their fourth straight at home. https://www.cheappiratesjerseys.us/ . Bjoerndalen broke the record he shared with cross-country skiing great Bjoern Daehlie, also matching his fellow Norwegians record of eight gold medals. Bjoerndalen earlier won gold in Sochi in the mens sprint biathlon. Top prospect Joel Embiid had surgery on the stress fracture in his right foot Friday, and now he waits. He waits to see how far he falls in the NBA draft Thursday night. He waits to see how long it will be before he can hit the court again. He waits to see how he responds to an injury that has a history of giving NBA big men problems. The Kansas centre, who was in the running to be taken No. 1 overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, had two screws inserted into the navicular bone in his right foot at Southern California Orthopedic Institute, according to a release distributed by agent Arn Tellem. "The surgery went very well and Im confident that after appropriate healing he will be able to return to NBA basketball," said Dr. Richard Ferkel, who performed the surgery, said in the release. "Joel tolerated the surgery without difficulty and will begin his rehabilitation in the near future." While it is the same injury that Houston Rockets centre Yao Ming suffered twice and ultimately retired because of, its impossible to say how Embiid will recover this early in the process. Bill Walton also was slowed by the injury, but that was more than 30 years ago while Zydrunas Ilgauskas was able to make a full recovery from his broken navicular bone and resume a long and productive career. It is not immediately clear how long Embiid will be out, with estimations ranging from nine months to a full season depending on how the rehabilitation process goes. The lack of clarity has turned the top of the draft into a crapshoot. Kansas guard Andrew Wiggins and Duke fforward Jabari Parker were the two names mentioned most often with Embiid at the top of the draft, with Australian point guard Dante Exum an intriguing, but largely unknown, long-shot possibility. Cheap Pirates Jerseys. A lithe and super-athletic 7-footer with nimble footwork and a soft shooting touch, Embiid has drawn comparisons to Hakeem Olajuwon and, after an impressive workout in front of NBA teams in California this month, seemed to be distancing himself from Wiggins and Parker in the eyes of many talent evaluators. But the Cavaliers passed on injured Kentucky big man Nerlens Noel with the No. 1 pick last year and are eager to get back into the playoffs after a four-year absence. So taking a chance on an injured Embiid may not be in their plans Thursday night and the Milwaukee Bucks, sitting at No. 2, could also use immediate help as they begin their first season under new ownership. That could drop Embiid to the Philadelphia 76ers, who are preaching patience in the second year of a massive tear-down and rebuild under GM Sam Hinkie. The Sixers acquired Noel, who was recovering from a torn ACL, on draft night last year and sat him out for the entire season. Could they take the same approach for a second straight season? Assuming a full recovery, an Embiid-Noel frontcourt with Michael Carter-Williams running the point could be a dynamic core to get the 76ers back to relevance in the wide open Eastern Conference. After the Sixers at No. 3, the Orlando Magic, Utah Jazz, Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers all wait in the wings. And so does Embiid. ' ' '