Detroit Rocked City

Maybe someone forgot to tell the Detroit Tigers but this past Monday marked opening day for nearly every team in baseball for the 2008 season.  Since acquiring Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera during this years Baseball Winter Meetings, the Tigers have failed to show up for the first week of the season.

The pitching was a concern entering the year for the Tigers, also was the bullpen.  The latter can be blammed for at least two of the Tigers five losses to start the year.  Who is to blame for the other three losses and why the Tigers are winless?

Curtis Granderson being away with a broken finger to start the year is what hurts the Tigers the most.  Without the help atop the order you see many teams throughout the year struggle to put up the amount of runs that are expected.  Just because the Tigers have potential all-stars at every other position does not mean everyone else will pick up the slack.

In order for anyone in the Tigers lineup to be able to put up bigtime numbers they are expecting to be seeing men on base while in the batters box.  Does this mean that is the only way they can be successful is if the Tigers leadoff man in Granderson is back?  No but the odds of the Tigers run production going up, goes up greatly with Granderson in the lineup.

The bullpen has questions as well but if I am a Tigers fan I do not see a need to panic just yet.  Pitching is almost always ahead of the bats at this time of the year, something the Tigers can be happy to hear. 

At the end of the day this 5 game losing stretch to start the season does not leave a good taste in Tigers fans mouths.  However it is not the be-all, end-all of what is to come still for Detroit.  Leyland will rally the troops, get the team their first win of the season and headed in the right direction on Sunday.  After that things won't be a breeze, but they will be better for a team that still could very well end up playing deep into October.