You can't win without a 'pen.

The Detroit Tigers won't catch Cleveland without a bullpen.

As I sit here in disbelief, a feeling that is slowly softening, I'm reminded once again that the Detroit Tigers have no one to hold a game after the starter takes a bow. Can we really expect Verlander to pitch 9 innings every night?

It was a foggy, wet, and cold night in Boston. Coke was having the best game of the season when the grounds crew came out to cover the field. It was the 8th inning. The score was 0-0. What happened after the rain delay ended was what happens most every time the Tigers lose. The bullpen blew it.

To be fair, Schlereth has improved. He's a much better pitcher this year. But that doesn't excuse the fact that he gave up the winning run, and rendered the 8 great innings Coke pitched useless.

So what next?

The Tigers must pursue a setup man. They have a nice set of young pitchers in the minors, but they're hardly ready for this job. Benoit might be ok, but he's going to need a month of rest and work to figure out his arm.

If there's any saving this season, Dombrowski must turn his attention to finding most arms for the bullpen.