Thursday's game at Comerica Park illustrated how important the Tigers minor league system has been to the team's success this season.  On a day in which a struggling Curtis Granderson took a much needed day off, Jim Leyland inserted Clete Thomas in centerfield as his replacement.  No problem.  Clete was on base four times and delivered the game winning, walk-off hit with two outs in the ninth.  Thomas also delivered a walk-off home run with two outs in the ninth inning on August 3rd against Baltimore.

Ryan Raburn added two hits including a home run in the 4th inning to put the Tigers on the board.  Raburn's contributions this year have also included a pinch-hit home run against the Cubs in the ninth inning of a walk-off win.

Alex Avila continues to impress as well.  His two-run pinch hit single for a struggling Gerald Laird in the 6th inning after a 58 minute rain delay sparked the Tigers comeback.

While the young guys have had their ups and downs, and as fans we may get frustrated at the inconsistencies, their contributions in key spots cannot be discounted.  Leyland said as much after yesterday's game.  These guys are important.  There is no doubt the veterans will still have to do most of the heavy lifting in September, but the kids have done a nice job of spotting.

As a side note, a lot of folks are clamoring about Avila and increasing his playing time.  He has surely impressed and may get some more reps.  Keep two things in mind though.  Maybe his success is tied to the fact that he is allowed to get his feet wet with limited playing time at this point, and the Tigers have had some of the best pitching in the league all season in large part to the job Laird has done.  Let's not abandon Gerald.