Every day, there seems to be a little surprise in Jim Leyland's starting line-up. Tonight there is a pretty big surprise - Ryan Raburn is playing second base. The Tigers are desperate for some offense and, while he is struggling at the plate (.229/.283/.396), Raburn has been more productive than Will Rhymes (.222/.286/.222). So, the move makes sense on that basis.
But Ryan Raburn at second base? After watching him stumble around the outfield, do we really want to see him at second base? Before you panic, remember that he was moved from third base to second in the minors because the Tigers thought he was more suited to the position. He was eventually moved to the outfield, but he is adequate at second and has played 55 games at the position in the majors. That includes 18 games last year and they were fairly uneventful - just one error. He's not a permanent solution to the second base problem, but he should be OK for the short-term. Also, Rhymes is only an average fielder, so it's not like they are losing a strong defender in the process.
If nothing else, Leyland is showing some creativity in this move. Here is the rest of the line-up:
Jackson cf
Raburn 2b
Ordonez rf
Cabrera 1b
Martinez dh
Boesch rf
Peralta ss
Avila c
Inge 3b.
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