DETROIT -- That sweet swing is still there. No matter how banged up Miguel Cabrera has been, he's always a threat to hit the ball where nobody can catch it.

It's the rest of his duties that have looked more and more painful. Those jogs out of the batter's box became progressively slower -- and although Cabrera helped the Detroit Tigers win the AL Central for a third straight year, even they can't be sure what to expect from their best hitter in the postseason.

"He's not 100 percent," manager Jim Leyland said. "He's been playing in a lot of pain. He's a real tough guy. I think if anybody knew the pain he's playing in, they probably wouldn't 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 League's best offensive seasons of the past 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.