April 9th, 2008
The Tigers have not started the season the way all the experts predicted. They are now 0-7 and the only team in the major leagues to not win a game. Before all Tiger fans take the leap off the Ambassador Bridge, remember, it is a long season. There are still 155 games to play and almost all teams go through a losing streak during the season.
I am not at all concerned about the lack of hitting. Players like Miguel Cabrera and Ivan Rodriguez are not going to continue to hit below .200. The entire lineup will not continue to score the least runs in the majors. This is just a slump that happened at the start of the season. The same thing happened to the NY Yankees last season at the start of the season, and they wound up making the playoffs.
The bigger obstacle this season is the pitching. The middle relief cannot get anyone out. Opening day may be a precursor to the whole season. Justin Verlander had a 3-0 lead and the bullpen gave it up in a hurry. Pitchers like Lopez, Miner, and Grilli have the potential to ruin a very promising season. The beginning of the season is the time when starters will only go 100 pitches. It is imperative to consistently keep the lead in the 7th and 8th innings.
The starting pitching is also suspect. Dontrelle Willis had a no hitter going with only one problem: he walked seven. Nate Robertson had a terrible start and got knocked out early, never getting the Tigers in the game. Justin Verlander got beat up on Sunday Night Baseball, giving up nine runs and hardly looking like a Cy Young candidate.
What to do? Nothing. It is very early in the season. Let the cream rise to the top and the runs will come. Trust the talent in the line up and the averages will rise; and pray Rodney and Zimaya come back to bail out the bullpen.
While the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint, Jim Leyland needs to get things going this week. The scariest statistic for the Tigers is that no team starting 0-7 has ever made the playoffs.
