Same Inge, better numbers in Toledo

TOLEDO -- No matter where Brandon Inge is playing, he's still going to be the same guy. A mom and dad and their two young sons paused, seeing Inge chatting with reporters outside the Toledo Mud Hens clubhouse. Inge immediately broke away from the media and said hello to the kids. "He's a third baseman, too," Dad said. "I'm your fan," the boy said as his brother hid behind their mom. "Thank you," Inge said as he signed the boy's baseball. "You guys have fun tonight." Fun is exactly what Inge says he's been having since he got to Toledo. "I still love the game of baseball and this is still baseball," Inge said. "Triple-A, Double-A, Single-A, big leagues, it's all baseball. "So thankfully I still get a chance to play. I'll prove myself." Inge admittedly struggled when he was with the Tigers, batting just .177 with one home run and 17 RBIs in 70 games. But in accepting the assignment to Toledo, Inge showed he wanted to straighten himself out and get back to Detroit. The straightening out process seems to be in full swing. In his first game with the Mud Hens, Inge went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and four RBIs. Inge has reached base in 13 straight games. Against the Indianapolis Indians Tuesday night, he tied the game at 2-all in the second inning with his fifth home run. He also added a single to lift his batting average to .308. "What I see with him lately, it's more of a reaction for him now than kind of having to cheat to get there," Mud Hens manager Phil Nevin said. "He can still get to a good fastball. He got the barrel to it with a nice, short swing, the best swing I've seen him take since he's been here." Inge agreed that his home run was a sign that he's been able to clear his head and let his athletic ability take over since he's been in Toledo. "That one tonight was, I guess, an example of how my head can get in the way, like earlier in the year," Inge said. "I was able to clear it out because I took a bad swing on the slider. Then I was able to realize how bad of a swing it was and step back and laugh at it. "Earlier, it probably would have put me in a hole and I would have harped on it. So I could make an adjustment and put a better swing on the next pitch and realize it only takes one to matter." Inge said it didn't take very long for him at Toledo to feel like he was in a good place. "I was actually right where I needed to be, right where I wanted to be within the first couple days down here," Inge said. "It wasn't like I was battling an injury. I didn't have any other excuses except clearing my head and getting back to basics and realizing that this game is not as complicated as a lot of people want to make it out to be. "Just go out and play like you were 10 years old, 12 years old, when you were playing Little League. Play it that way instead of over analyzing everything. We make this game a whole lot harder than it has to be. It's baseball." Inge said playing for Nevin has also helped make the game fun. He said Nevin won't put up with not playing the game the right way but is otherwise very laid-back. "He never gets on anyone for striking out," Inge said. "He never gets on anyone for not coming through, not getting a base hit. "All he wants you to do is relax, put a good swing on and play the game the way it's supposed to be played. He understands that you're not going to win every game and there's absolutely no panic from him whatsoever." Nevin is equally complimentary about Inge and the effect he's had on his Mud Hens teammates. "He's been incredible," Nevin said. "He's added a whole different personality and identity to this team. "He's a leader up there and he's a leader here. I think anytime a guy with major league experience comes down, if they're on rehab or if they're sent down here, a lot of players that haven't been to the big leagues, they're aspiring to be where he was and it's natural, you watch every move they make, how they put their shoes on, what time they go out on the field, how they respond to adversity. "He's a professional in every way, shape or form. He's been great with these guys." Yet Nevin knows that Inge is not just in Toledo to help the young Mud Hens reach the majors. He wants to get back there himself. "Just the whole fact that he's even here, that he accepted this assignment when he didn't have to, says a lot about the person that he is, the man that he is," Nevin said. "Without him saying it, I think he feels like he's got some unfinished business. "He made a commitment to somebody, and that's the Tigers and fans, and signed a contract. He believes that he's going to get back right and honor that contract. That's why he's here." Although Inge has been assured that he will return to the Tigers when rosters expand Sept.1, he's hoping to be a major contributor and not just a part-time player. "Basically, they shouldn't count on me being done because I'm not even close," Inge said. "This is actually probably a turning point in my career right here. "I feel as good as I've felt in a long time."