Irregular heartbeat plaguesMartinez

DETROIT — The Tigers put DH Victor Martinez on the disabled list Friday because of an irregular heartbeat.

Martinez came out of Thursday’s victory over the Rays in the seventh inning with a racing heartbeat, dizziness and cold sweats. He was treated in the clubhouse for dehydration but was taken to a hospital when the symptoms continued.

Martinez, 38, was still Friday.

“It’s a little scary,” manager BradAusmussaid. “It’s not something that, at his age, you generwith hospitalized ally consider an issue or worry about. There’s a little bit of an unknownfactor, which is causing more anxiety than anything else.

“I didn’t find out about it until he came out of the game. He was kind of playing through it. Probably my first thought was that maybe itwas dehydration.”

The Tigers called up C/1B John Hicks for the third time this season.

Ausmus plans to use the DH slot to rest some players dealing with minor injuries. Miguel Cabrera was the designated hitter Friday against the Rays.

The two-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star has been dealing strains of his back, oblique and groin and picked up a hip-flexor problem during Thursday’s game.

“I’ve been struggling,” he said after his game-winning home run Thursday, his first homer since May 20. “But I always stay positive.”

The injuries began at the World Baseball Classic, and Cabrera spent 10 days on the DL in April. But Cabrera, batting .280 with six home runs and 31 RBIs, does not plan to take more time off to heal.

“If I’m able to go out there and do my job, I’m going to do it,” Cabrera said.