Sam on Danny

"He's got a real good note to go home and he should be a good pitcher for us," Perlozzo said Friday. "We keep saying that, but I think he's getting closer and closer and, hopefully, next year's the year."

"I think it was perfect timing," Perlozzo said before Friday night's game against the Boston Red Sox. "He's had an up-and-down year and we've been trying to get him all the way around the corner and we still don't feel like he's all the way around.

"The fact that he can go into the winter with a game like he pitched, that's certainly something that's a real positive. You'd hate to see a guy go out there trying to get around the corner and then fall on his face and have to sleep on that all winter."

Perlozzo is in the process of meeting individually with all his players before the season ends Sunday in Boston. One of those he spoke with Friday was Cabrera.

"He's got a pretty good head on his shoulders," Perlozzo said. "One thing you don't have to worry about Daniel (is) he's willing to put the work in."