Joel Zumaya

;           3.86          1.23

Joel Zumaya              30            1.94           1.18              7                4.28          1.19

Continue reading "Heilman Heads Up Another Bullpen Meltdown"

e upgrades their bullpen, which has been extremely beleaguered by injuries and poor pitching.  Joel Zumaya is always banged up, Fernando Rodney has been awful this year, and Todd Jones is a blown save waiting to happen.  Pudge is a significant loss, but Brandon Inge is a decent fielder who has been starved for playing time this year since Detroit acquired Miguel Cabrera to play third base.  Jim Leyland will hope that the increased playing time will jumpstart Inge's bat.  Overall, the offensive downgrade is worth the upgrade in the bullpen for the Tigers, who already have a very deep lineup.

Continue reading "Heilman Holds Perez's Lead, Delgado Puts it Away"

heir pitching, whose staff ERA ranks 11th in the AL at 4.41, will have to be more consistent.  Joel Zumaya is finally healthy, and will add a major boost to their bullpen, but the rotation has been spotty at times.  Justin Verlander has rebounded after a slow start and rookie Armando Galarraga has been excellent, but the other three spots have been questionable at best.  Kenny Rogers will take the mound tonight in Baltimore, looking for his seventh win of the year.  His age and injury history have contributed to his inconsistency and mediocrity over the last two years, and the Tigers will need him to step up in the second half.  Dontrelle Willis is in the process of altering his mechanics in the minor leagues and is not expected back until September.  His unique, deceptive pitching motion used to be a major element of his success, but he seemed to gain weight two years ago, and has subsequently been injured due to added stress on his knee, so it will be interesting to see if he slims back down and returns to the impressive pitcher he was from 2003-2006.

Continue reading "Johan Looks to Start Second Half Strong Tonight"

tarting rotations in the league.

The bullpen is where things really get dicey, especially without Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney. These two have absolutely electric stuff but it is uncertain when they will return from injuries and how effective they will be once they do. Also there is no depth in the rotation after the first five and should anyone go down, Detroit will be in trouble. No of this should matter in the regular season as the Yankees have consistently shown us you can win 90 plus games on offense alone with some mediocre pitching mixed in. Look for the offense to carry the load but the Tigers must make some pitching acquisitions during the season if they are to succeed in the playoffs.

Continue reading "MLB 2008 Season Preview: AL Central"