Shaky Tigers bullpen may be deciding factor vs. Orioles
BALTIMORE – The Detroit Tigers entered this year's playoffs with a trio of Cy Young Award winners in their starting rotation – and a whole lot of question marks in the bullpen.
If the script for Game 1 of the American League Division Series sounded at all familiar, it's because it mirrored the way the Tigers exited last year's playoffs: with a solid start coming undone in the late innings.
All eight runs the Baltimore Orioles scored in the bottom of the eighth inning came after starter Max Scherzer was out of the game. That turned a 4-3 nail-biter into a 12-3 hammering.
"Whether you lose by 100 or you lose by one, you still lose," said reliever Joba Chamberlain, the first of three relievers the Tigers ended up using in the inning to get the final two outs.
"It's one of those things," he said. "That's the life of a reliever. The greatest thing about it is that you get an opportunity to pitch tomorrow."
But there may not be too many more tomorrows if the Tigers bullpen can't keep opponents in check.
Their relievers' collective 4.29 ERA ranked 27th in the majors this season. And opposing hitters had an on-base plus slugging percentage of .752 against them. Only the Colorado Rockies were worse.
Joakim Soria, whom the Tigers acquired from the Texas Rangers to bolster their bullpen down the stretch, gave up two singles, a double and an intentional walk to the five batters he faced in Game 1.
But even manager Brad Ausmus knows there's no turning back now.
"Soria's one of our back-end relievers. That doesn't change," Ausmus said. "It wasn't what we had hoped, but it's also over.
"We have a quick turnaround for Game 2 so trust me, this will be in the rear view mirror by tomorrow morning."
The Tigers won't have much time to think about the loss – with Game 2 starting at noon ET.
"We know how good we are down there," Chamberlain said. "We believe in each other. We'll have a chance to get the ball tomorrow and do what we've done all year."
However, what they've done all year may not be exactly what gets them to the next round of the playoffs.
The pressure will be squarely on the shoulders of starter Justin Verlander to pitch deep into the game so that the bullpen doesn't have to play a major role in the outcome.
PHOTOS: Orioles vs. Tigers in ALDS