What's wrong with the Tigers?

Let's take a look at every game in which Tigers starters have provided quality starts (QS). A QS is when the starter goes at least 6 innings and gives up no more than 3 earned runs.

Date - Pitcher - Result
4/2 Bonderman Loss, 5-3 Toronto (10 innings)
4/8 Bonderman, Win, 3-2 Kansas City
4/13 Bonderman, Loss, 2-1 Toronto (10 innings)
4/18 Bonderman, Loss, 4-3 Kansas City (10 innings)
4/10 Robertson, Win, 3-1 Baltimore
4/15 Robertson, Loss, 2-1 Toronto
4/21 Robertson, Loss, 7-5 Chicago (10 innings)
4/27 Robertson, Loss, 5-3 Minnesota
4/6 Verlander, Loss, 3-1 Kansas City
4/11 Verlander, Win, 4-1 Baltimore
4/16 Verlander, Win, 12-5 Kansas City
4/22 Verlander, Win, 6-5 Chicago (12 innings)
4/12 Maroth, Win, 5-4 Toronto
4/25 Durbin, Win, 6-2 Chicago

So, when the starters are performing very well (which, fortunately, is a frequent occurrence), the Tigers are playing .500 ball. They're 7-7 exactly. (I'd be interested to see the all-time statistic about how likely a team is to win a ballgame when their starter has turned in a QS. I bet it's better than 50%.)

Let's look at the losses. In those seven games, the starter has only been the losing pitcher once. The rest of the time, we've had:

• Fernando Rodney lose three games that Jeremy Bonderman started, and one that Nate Robertson started
• Todd Jones blow a save
• Joel Zumaya blow two saves and take a loss
• Jose Mesa provide strong evidence for his being shipped off to the glue factory

The bullpen is a big problem. Tiger relievers have pitched 68.1 innings thus far and have given up 37 earned runs, amounting to an ERA of 4.87. But over the seven losses listed above the Tigers only managed to plate 17 runs, scoring more than three just once. That's an average of just over 2.4 runs per game.

So there are two things going on: in games where opponents don't get many runs in the early going, the batters don't get anything going, and when it comes time for the relievers to step in, they're as likely to throw the game away as to shut the door.

Fun with pitching stats

Losses
Fernando Rodney - 4
Rest of team - 4

Starters
Jeremy Bonderman: 4 starts, 28 innings pitched, 0-0 record, 2 home runs allowed, 2.25 ERA
Nate Robertson: 4 starts, 26.1 innings pitched, 2-1 record, 1 home run allowed, 2.39 ERA
Justin Verlander: 4 starts, 26 innings pitched, 1-0 record, 1 home run allowed, 2.08 ERA
Mike Maroth: 3 starts, 16.2 innings pitched, 2-0 record, 2 home runs allowed, 5.40 ERA
Chad Durbin: 3 starts, 13.2 innings pitched, 0-1 record, 5 home runs allowed, 10.54 ERA

Put another way:
Chad Durbin: 3 starts, 13.2 innings pitched, 0-1 record, 5 home runs allowed, 10.54 ERA
All other starters: 15 starts, 97 innings pitched, 4-1 record, 6 home runs allowed, 2.51 ERA

Sometimes pitching problems are tough to diagnose. But not this year:

1. Fernando Rodney needs to stay out of games whose outcomes are still in question until he regains control of his pitches and stops making a mess of every situation he puts in.
2. This is the wrong time and place for Chad Durbin, period. A career 6.31 pitcher should not be in the starting rotation of any team that's in a division that has four realistic contenders and isn't at all guaranteed to produce the Wild Card team, let alone the defending American League champions.

Sunday, April 22: Tigers 6, White Sox 5 (12 innings)

Remember those "Choose Your Own Adventure" books? You were given a little bit of introduction, and at a pivotal moment in the plotline, the book instructed you to flip elsewhere in the book. ("As you open the carton of milk, you think you notice the faintest hint of Drano. What do you do? If you drink the milk, turn to page 37; if you simply pour the milk on your little sister's Cheerios, flip to page 49.")

Jim Leyland has been in the position to choose his own adventure this weekend. The story's the same; the Tigers get out to a respectable lead, the White Sox close the gap, and the game goes to extra innings. Saturday, Jim flipped to page 142, where the story ended with yet another Fernando Rodney meltdown. Sunday, Jim did the right thing and let Wilfredo Ledezma get 3 innings of work. The result? A crucial win over a division opponent.

Hats off to Marcus Thames for hitting a clutch homer in the bottom of the ninth to allow the Tigers to get back into the game and to Placido Polanco for (let's face t) just being who he is. And of course, it's great to see Justin Verlander fending off that sophomore slump. A 2.08 ERA after four starts, none of which was shorter than six innings pitched? I think we'll take that.

Saturday April 21: White Sox 7, Tigers 5 (10 innings)

FERNANDO RODNEY WILL KEEP THIS TEAM OUT OF THE POSTSEASON. PERIOD. HE NEEDS TO BE GONE.

AND SHEFFIELD COULD USE A DAY ON THE BENCH AS WELL.

Wednesday April 18: Kansas City Royals 4, Detroit Tigers 3

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO!!!!! Bonderman goes 7, gives up 1 run, Zumaya does his job, and then in the ninth Todd Jones gives up TWO RUNS!!! TWO! TO THE ROYALS! WHO HAVE WON ALL OF THREE GAMES BEFORE THIS ONE!! TWO RUNS!!!!

Then we go to the tenth (EXTRA INNINGS AGAINST THE ROYALS?!!?!?) and Fernando Rodney throws two balls before giving up the game winning home run.

Memo to Jim Leyland - when a late reliever is 1-3 fifteen games into the season, HE IS THE PROBLEM! Send him to Toledo ... and MAKE HIM WALK THERE!!!!!

The season up to now!

Monday 4/2: Toronto Blue Jays 5, Detroit Tigers 3 - off to a bad start

Wednesday 4/4: Detroit Tigers 10, Toronto Blue Jays 9 - bats come alive!

Thursday 4/5: BAD WEATHER! NO GAME!

Friday 4/6: Kansas City Royals 3, Detroit Tigers 1 - back under .500 because of THE ROYALS!?!?

Saturday 4/7: Detroit Tigers 6, Kansas City Royals 5 - MAROTHMANIA IS BACK!

Sunday 4/8: Detroit Tigers 3, Kansas City Royals 2 - third one-run win of the year

Monday 4/9: Baltimore Orioles 6, Detroit Tigers 2 - Cal Ripken sucks, I wish people thought I was awesome for just showing up every day

Tuesday 4/10: Detroit Tigers 3, Baltimore Orioles 1 - Nate Robertson is awesome

Wednesday 4/11: Detroit Tigers 4, Baltimore Orioles 1 - We win every series against non-Canadians

Thursday 4/12: Detroit Tigers 5, Toronto Blue Jays 4 - Good win eh!

Friday 4/13: Toronto Blue Jays 2, Detroit Tigers 1 - HALLADAY PITCHED THE TENTH, LET BONDERMAN GO TEN TOO!!! HE ONLY THREW 96 PITCHES!!! NEVER GIVE THE BALL TO FERNANDO RODNEY!!! NEVER!!!!

Saturday 4/14: Detroit Tigers 10, Toronto Blue Jays 7 - Will Ledezma is my hero

Sunday 4/15: Toronto Blue Jays 2, Detroit Tigers 1 - We still love you, Nate

Monday 4/16: Detroit Tigers 12, Kansas City Royals 5 - Pudge for President! Verlander for Secretary of the Treasury!

Tuesday 4/17: Detroit Tigers 7, Kansas City Royals 6 - Champions win games like this