Same Shit, New Night

Nothing to bring us Tiger fans back down to earth quicker than another bullpen bust. One night a no-hitter, the next one a no-doubter puts the Brewers ahead of the Tigs for good when Fernando Rodney gave up and coming pitchers a perfect example of what happens when you miss your spot.

Seriously, it seems like this bullpen is required to blow a game at least once a week. Either it takes 10 runs or a no-hitter to get my heartbeat calmed in the late innings. Granted, Fernando probably should have gotten the called third strike on Bill Hall at least twice prior to Hall taking him really deep to left field for the go-ahead two run homer, but still Pudge called for an outside fastball. That was NOT an outside fastball. A guy on my high school baseball team used to throw that type of pitch, we called it a hanging fastball. That's right, Fernando Rodney lost the game on what I consider a hanging fastball. Fantastic.

The one thing that really worries me is that Rodney has the stuff to be a shut down set up guy. However, he just doesn't have the mental make up right now. The one guy who had the stuff and the mental make up, Joel Zumaya, isn't coming back for at least another six weeks. Other than Zoom Zoom, who in the bullpen has the complete confidence of Tiger fans for shutting down the opposition? No one.

These are the types of games that this team would win last year. As good as the starting pitching has been, as great as the offense has been, this team won't win jack shit without a bullpen that can hold leads in crunch time. That's not an overreaction, that's a fact. It's the chink in the armor, it's Cindy Crawford's mole, it's the Neifi Perez in the batting order (after his double play last night and the bare handed ground ball tonight, he has earned the right to not have "Fucking" in the middle of his name. For now.).

The way it looks right now, the Tigs are going to fall one full game back of the Indians. See you at the ball park tomorrow afternoon.