Each of Detroit's starters has turned in a solid effort in his last time out, one more reason why manager Jim Leyland continues to tinker with his lineup in hopes of generating more runs.
It has taken six weeks of baseball for Detroit's rotation to go one turn each without getting pounded. Solid outings were the rule, not the exception, when the club was on track for the World Series in 2006. Armando Galarraga pitched eight shutout innings Wednesday night, ending up allowing four hits and two runs in 8 1/3 innings. Before that, Jeremy Bonderman gave up just two runs on six hits in 7 1/3 innings.
Kenny Rogers worked seven innings in his last start, allowing no runs and only five hits, while Justin Verlander gave up one run and five hits in seven innings in his most recent effort.
Nate Robertson will open the Seattle series Friday night, and his was the worst of the last five starts. He gave up three runs and seven hits in 6 1/3 innings.
Until then, the pitching coach, Chuck Hernandez, was getting flak. The hitting coach, Lloyd McClendon, has taken hits. The manager is jumping up and down saying, "Blame me, blame me."
But as Leyland notes, it's the core lineup that will have to pick it up if the Tigers are to salvage anything from the miserable start the club has gotten off to.
Perhaps it will settle things down if the starters continue to pitch well.
