Last week at Comerica Park, The Tigers were facing the White Sox and the offense was sputtering.  Jim Leyland decided he needed to try something different.  He turned to Gene Lamont and told him that he was going to make a change in his lineup the next day. 

That change so far has paid some rather large dividends.  Andy Dirks replaced Brennan Boesch  in the two hole and the change has given the Tigers offense a jolt.  Dirks is hitting .500 in May and has an on-base percentage of .533.

Leyland felt that Dirks gave the team a better chance of putting the ball in play more consistently and creating scoring opportunities at the top of the lineup.  He was right.  If you're going to hold the skipper responsible for the struggles, you have to acknowledge when he pushes the right buttons.  His faith in Dirks has been rewarded.

Thursday night Dirks contributed a four-hit game and helped spark the offense with a first inning home run.  He has five straight multiple hit games.  Yet, he is not the only hitter at the top of the order that is hot.  Lead off man Austin Jackson has caught fire as well.  Jackson is hitting .405 this month and has an on base percentage of .425.

For the time being the Jackson/Dirks combo has been fun to watch.   When they get on base, the big boys eat.  If they keep performing like this, they may be hard to separate.