The first game, after Guillen tied it up with a towering shot, Renteria (the veteran) had a guy on third with one out and the W on his bat.

But he struck out.

And I think what’s happened since has just been an extension of that.

Jesus, and we have to go against Matsuzaka tomorrow. Whatever.

While I obviously would like a better bullpen, but making moves for the sole purpose of just making moves doesn’t sound like quite the plan a team should take. Dotel in 07 ended the year hurt if I remember correctly and his mechanics lend themselves to more injuries. Gagne looks shot. Aside from the Brewers (acquiring Gagne) and the Reds (overpaying for Franky Cordero), there really wasn’t much on the market. So you’re left picking the barrel for guys who’re journeyman arms with no guarantees to be good or bad. To me, the bullpen is the most volatile part of a team and outside of the Mariners (when they’re healthy) or the Red Sox, every single bullpen (save a couple that might be slipping my mind) have plenty of question marks. Also, when starters are going 5 or barely into the 6th and our mediocre arms have to come in to put out the fire of 1st and 3rd’s with 0 out, it’s a lot to ask even of elite arms — let alone guys like Jason Grilli/Denny Bautista/etc.

I can’t really disagree that much with you though. The bullpen is depressing to watch but I’m still not OVERLY worried but I’m getting there.

Enjoy the basketball game tonight, I plan to root for Kansas since they are Curtis’s favorite team!

So far, the Tigers in 2008….. well, we all know how that’s turned out so far.

Were we supposed to go get Eric Gagne who’s appearing more and more shot by the outing? Obviously part of the problem are the injuries and Rodney probably being done for a long, long time (possibly for his career) and Zumaya’s injury, but I still think Jim Leyland (and this has been my on-going complaint with him even though for the most part I think the effect of managers are overrated by the mainstream media) completely mishandles the entire bullpen. The way Zach Miner is used/not used, bringing Seay for one hitter when it’s not a crucial situation for the matchup, not taking out Denny Bautista against the Royals until an inning too late, etc etc.

Not to mention, I don’t think he did a good job of getting the starters arms stretched out in spring training? Didn’t Kenny Rogers go 4+ innings and throw something like 54 pitches in his final ST start? Isn’t that the time for him to go 6 and throw 85 pitches?

That said, there’s 156 games left, Miguel Cabrera’s quad will heal (so long as he’s not playing 3B in a night game in Detroit in 40 degree weather … another solid decision, Jimmy) and he will go off. The tigers won’t hit into 394 double plays in 6 games, and Verlander/Bonderman shouldn’t be hitting a proverbial wall in the 5th-6th innings as they get more stretched out.

I agree.

I think it’s a whole lotta bad play but it also is bad luck in the fact that this team got the Mark Buehrle at his best while the Indians got Mark Buehrle at his worst last week. Sometimes pitchers can have their best days and I happen to think the Tigers got a succession of opposing pitchers all being at their best. The Tigers are playing like the worst baseball team in the league but even the worst teams can lightup mediocre pitching when they see it. Who of the line of opposing pitchers, relief or starters, have we seen to really struggle this last week? Nobody. I think that may be a bit of a fluke.

That said, the Tiger hitters have done nothing to give themselves an opportunity to make pitchers struggle or make the opposing managers put out relievers who would struggle. This is because of the way the Tigers have not worked up the pitching counts and have done a lot of piss-poor first/second pitch swinging. As a result, these starers are going six-seven innings on 90 pitches, fairly unscathed. This lack of plate discipline should be the focus of the discussion right now.