Detroit Tigers designated hitter Miguel Cabrera is one hit away from one other historic milestone.

The 39-year-old tallied three singles within the Tigers’ 5-3 loss in opposition to the New York Yankees on Wednesday at Comerica Park, leaving him at 2,999 profession hits coming into Thursday’s sequence finale.

“I did not hit the ball onerous in the present day, and I obtained three hits,” Cabrera stated. “Baseball is absolutely onerous. I used to be actually fortunate in the present day. However we misplaced the sport, so (expletive) it. … If you lose, you lose. It does not matter.”

JEFF SEIDEL:Miguel Cabrera’s teammates share what makes him so particular as he chases 3,000

Supervisor A.J. Hinch stated Cabrera will play Thursday and would possibly bat within the first inning.

“I hope we win tomorrow,” Cabrera stated.

The Tigers (4-7) then play three house video games in opposition to the Colorado Rockies from Friday by means of Sunday. With yet one more hit, Cabrera will grow to be the thirty third participant in MLB historical past to succeed in 3,000 hits.

Doing so will make the 20-year MLB veteran the seventh participant in historical past with 500 house runs and three,000 hits. And Cabrera, boasting 599 doubles, might quickly be one among three gamers with 500 homers, 3,000 hits and 600 doubles.

“He is been in a superb place,” Hinch stated. “He is dealt with all of this, even courting again to 500 final yr, with a ton of sophistication and dignity and humor and fervour and appreciation. You identify the phrase, he is carried out it. And we love that. … Miggy is as genuine as they arrive.”

The hits from Cabrera weren’t fully wasted Wednesday night time, however the Tigers managed solely three runs on 11 hits and three walks. The workforce had eight strikeouts. Cabrera completed 3-for-4 with one strikeout, the 193rd three-hit recreation of his profession.

Going through Yankees right-handed reliever Chad Inexperienced, Cabrera adopted Jeimer Candelario’s sixth-inning leadoff single with a broken-bat single — No. 2,999 — on a grounder that snuck by means of the infield gap and into left area.

After consecutive outs, Harold Castro plated Candelario and Cabrera with a double to the left-center hole. He hammered a first-pitch fastball from Inexperienced, and his two RBIs tied the sport at 3-all.

Tigers righty reliever Drew Hutchison allowed one unearned run within the seventh, and fellow right-hander Joe Jimenez gave up an earned run within the eighth inning. Righty Michael Fulmer, who took over for Hutchison, logged the ultimate two outs within the seventh.

Righty Jason Foley pitched a scoreless high of the ninth on 11 pitches. For the second straight night time, Aroldis Chapman slammed the door on the Tigers’ offense within the backside of the ninth.

[ Jeimer Candelario puts slow start into perspective: ‘152 more games’ ]

Three’s a crowd

Cabrera additionally recorded singles within the second and fourth innings off Yankees right-handed starter Luis Severino.

His first hit, an infield single to 3rd base, occurred on Severino’s sixth-pitch changeup in a 2-2 depend. His second hit, a single up the center, got here on an eight-pitch fastball in a 3-2 depend.

“He is swinging the bat rather well,” Hinch stated. “He is pitching good pitches. The final at-bat, the place he is proper on the road — at 2,999 — it is a cool ambiance. We’re all rooting for him. It will be an enormous second when it comes.”

Within the second, Victor Reyes pushed an RBI single to proper area for a 1-0 lead. Cabrera, although, was thrown out — for the primary out — making an attempt to go from first to 3rd on the play. 

Cabrera’s fourth-inning hit, with the Tigers trailing 2-1, sparked a bases-loaded scenario, as Reyes (single) and Spencer Torkelson (stroll) adopted the previous two-time MVP by reaching safely with one out. However Castro lined out and Tucker Barnhart struck out swinging, stranding the bases juiced.

“I used to be very inspired by our at-bats,” Hinch stated. “I believed the at-bats obtained higher and higher. We pieced collectively a number of hits, and we’re one Harold Castro line drive from extending it even additional with the bases loaded.

“There’s clearly areas for us to get higher offensively, however I used to be very inspired by what I noticed placing some good at-bats collectively one after one other. Hopefully, that is us waking up a little bit bit offensively. The runs will observe the nice at-bats.”

A possibility for No. 3,000 appeared within the eighth, as Cabrera stepped into the batter’s field because the inning’s leadoff hitter in opposition to New York right-handed reliever Clay Holmes.

Cabrera struck out swinging on a fourth-pitch 96.8 mph sinker.

“I do know that is a particular second,” Cabrera stated. “However on the similar time, I obtained to do my job and get on base in that scenario. I used to be the leadoff man that inning, and I struck out. It is no matter.”

E-Rod rock strong

Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez labored by means of the primary three innings, however he retired 11 of his last 12 opponents to conclude his outing. The 29-year-old allowed a one-out solo house run to Anthony Rizzo within the sixth inning however picked up the ultimate two outs.

Rodriguez, in his third begin this season, allowed three runs on 4 hits and one stroll with 5 strikeouts in six innings.

“He did a very good job,” Cabrera stated. “He stopped a very huge offense just like the Yankees. Hopefully, we are able to do the identical tomorrow and rating extra runs.”

The Yankees scored two runs off him within the third on an RBI double from Aaron Decide and RBI groundout from Rizzo, taking a 2-1 lead with a runner on third base. Rodriguez escaped additional harm by hanging out Giancarlo Stanton trying on a fastball that painted the within edge.

“I believed he threw the ball nice,” Hinch stated. “The 0-2 hit, the double (to Isiah Kiner-Falefa), began a little bit little bit of a spiral (within the third inning), and he was capable of management the inning. He gave up a few runs. … I believed he saved it collectively fairly nicely and threw the ball in addition to he has in any of his strarts.”

[ Why Miguel Cabrera’s march to 3,000 hits is special for Eduardo Rodriguez ]

Within the fourth, Rodriguez relied on his changeup.

He pitched an ideal inning.

Rodriguez retired 9 batters in a row till Rizzo’s one-out house run within the sixth. Rizzo drilled Rodriguez’s third-pitch changeup. His changeup was efficient for many of his begin.

“After that third inning, I knew I needed to go as deep as I might within the recreation,” Rodriguez stated, referencing that the Tigers used seven relievers in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss. “I attempted my greatest to get to that inning, and at the least I used to be capable of go six. … After that third inning, I really feel like I actually discovered my changeup.”

For his 98 pitches (58 strikes), Rodriguez used 39 four-seam fastballs, 24 cutters, 21 changeups, 11 sinkers and three sliders. He racked up seven swings and misses — together with 4 together with his changeup — and 17 known as strikes.

His fastball averaged 91.7 mph.

Contact Evan Petzold at epetzold@freepress.com or observe him on Twitter @EvanPetzold. Learn extra on the Detroit Tigers and join our Tigers e-newsletter.