Magglio Ordonez's Woes Coincide with Tigers Fall

The soft underbelly of the Tigers batting order has been exposed with the decline of its lynchpin, Magglio Ordonez. Ordonez, who had 17 homers in the first two thirds of the season, hit just one in August. At the same time his batting average has fallen into the .280s as he complains of discomfort in his surgically repaired knee, which may be affecting his ability to turn on a pitch. Meanwhile, Detroit's division lead, once 11 games strong, has narrowed to just five games as the club dropped 13 of its last 19 contests.