I imagine most Tiger fans were dreading this series with the Twins, and thus far the games have truly delivered the dread.
Last night, after Peralta hit the clutch game-tying hit in the 8th, Mrs. Nofrownmotown asked me, "When do you think they'll blow it?" My response, "As soon as Scherzer sits." Scherzer did last nine full innings and left with the score tied at 1. Ryan Perry entered in the 10th and lasted one out before serving up the game winning hit. I mention this not because I see myself as some sage prognosticator. Predicting when the Tigers would blow the game took about as much skill as predicting the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade would occur on Thanksgiving Day.
Strangely, the Twins barely celebrated. In fact, it was the most tepid celebration I've ever seen after a walk-off win. I suppose the Twins are human like the rest of us. They must know that every game against the Tigers is a guaranteed win. The Tigers will find some way to lose (such as the previous night with Coke plunking the bases loaded and then Perry walking in the tying run - truly original).
The Twins domination over the Tigers is obviously one of my baseball fascinations, but today I'm more interested in the demise of the Tiger bullpen. A few days ago, I detailed Valverde's post-All-star break decline. But Valverde is just one member. For the bullpen to go from tops in the league to 17th less than two months later takes a full team effort. The turning point, I decided, was not the All-star break. It was the Zumaya injury.
Bullpen regulars Phil Coke and Ryan Perry have soldiered steadily through this season. Neither seemed terribly affected by either the Zumaya injury or the All-star break. They have great nights and horrible nights. While both seem to have hit the wall recently, I'll chalk that up to overused arms. Without Zumaya's overpowering fastball to eat up innings, Leyland was forced to use those other two guys as the primary set-up men. So, if Coke/Perry took up Zumaya's innings, who did Leyland use for Coke/Perry's regular innings? That's the trouble spot.
Since Zumaya's injury, Leyland paraded out an army of young arms, and not a one fared well. Robbie Weinhardt led the disappointment express with an angry 9.68 ERA. Triple-A fireballer Daniel Schlereth received the call-up right after Zumaya went down and responded with a 6.75 ERA. Recent call-up Alfredo Figaro fared no better with a 6.00 ERA, and Enrique Gonzalez, with his 5.17 ERA, was already sent back down. Those are some dreadful numbers for relievers.
I can beat up Perry and Coke for their recent failings against the Twins, but both are significantly stronger than their replacements. The drop-off is stark and scary. In spring training, Coke said this bullpen could be the best in the league. I laughed that comment off at the time. But, at the time of Zumaya's injury, the bullpen truly was best in the league. It's just a shame that one injury derailed the entire train.
By the way, I should also mention that Max Scherzer's ERA - since May 30th - stands at a sublime 2.21. What a revelation he's been in the second half. He's experiencing a Boesch-like run of success. Let's hope it's not a Boesch-like fluke!
