And here we go again – The Detroit Tigers may have a bigger problem on their hands than they had anticipated when finalizing their Opening Day roster and sending down closer prospect Bruce Rondon. They had hoped to go with a bullpen by committee, and while it is only the first blown save of the year, their victory Monday almost was a loss as well.
Wednesday afternoon, after having held the lead since the third-inning, saw the Tigers bullpen implode in the latter part of the game, having their two backend aces Joaquin Benoit and Phil Coke combine for 1.1 innings pitched, allowing four base runners and 2 earned runs.
This undoubtedly will cause some stir amongst Tigers fans and will once again become a main topic on Sports Talk Radio in Detroit. Do they have the arsenal to be big players for the World Series run, or will they be happy enough to hang around until the trade deadline and make a move then if no one takes hold of the closers role? This will be an interesting scenario to watch unfold for sure.
Reed claimed from Miami – Evan Reed, the former Miami Marlins farm hand who dominated AA hitters but struggled against AAA last season, has been claimed by Detroit and will be assigned to their AAA Toledo Mud Hens affiliation.
Reed, who has both starter and reliever experience, will find his role coming out of the bullpen. Not trying to bring an oh-oh reaction to you, but do you really believe the Tigers would had used a spot on the 40-man roster if they weren’t concerned about their bullpen? Think about it.
