The Tigers are in Cleveland toting a five-game winning streak. Six times in the past seven games they’ve won. The hitters are hitting. And most of their pitchers can be trusted, including in the bullpen, which is quite the historical event in Detroit.
But because this is baseball, and baseball even for good teams is an accident waiting to happen, the Tigers are dealing with a particularly messy problem on May 2.
Mike Pelfrey.
He has made five starts, almost all of them rough, and has yet to win. His ERA is an unsightly 5.68. The wonder is that it’s not dramatically worse given that his WHIP – a far more accurate measure of a pitcher’s antics – is a hideous 2.