TAMPA BAY, Fla. – The Detroit Tigers have had a pretty outstanding start to the 2017 season.
At 8-6, the Tigers are in first place in the American League Central Division and one of only five teams in the AL with a winning records. They've already won series against the defending AL champion Indians, the AL East favorite Boston Red Sox and the surprise Minnesota Twins.
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Yet still, the vibe around Detroit isn't one of optimism. Fans are skeptical. Many are waiting for (or even expecting) the team to fail and be a seller at the July trade deadline.
Then Wednesday happened, and the Tigers seemingly handed a game away to the Tampa Bay Rays. It was only one game out of 162, but in a way, it embodied all the concerns Tigers fans have about this team.
K-Rod
What's the concern?
It's hard to write a Tigers concern piece without starting at the back of the bullpen, and those troubles were on full display Wednesday.
When Tigers closer Francisco Rodriguez came in to start the bottom of the ninth inning, he held a 7-6 lead with the heart of the Rays order due up.
There was one thing he absolutely couldn't do: Walk the speedy Kevin Kiermaier to lead off the inning. What did he do? Walk the speedy Kevin Kiermaier to lead off the inning.
The free pass put the tying run on first base with no outs before fans could even get back to the couch after the commercial break. Moments later, an Evan Longoria double put the tying run at third and the winning run at second.
At that point, the Rays' walkoff win was a mere formality, though it did happen in outstanding fashion with the Tigers turning a fairly routine double play into an error.
Should you be concerned?
On one hand, Rodriguez converted 44 of 49 save chances for the Tigers last season, is fourth all time with 435 saves and averages more than a strikeout per inning in his career.
On the other hand, he's now 35 years old, topping out in the high 80s with his fastball and surrendering base runners at an alarming rate.
Rodriguez struggled in April last season and ended up having a decent season, so there's a chance everything will be OK in the ninth. But early indications haven't been promising, so fans should definitely have some concerns.
Outfield defense
What's the concern?
The Tigers' outfield defense was among the worst in the league last season, and Wednesday's loss brought back painful memories of those days.
Strange things seem to happen when Tyler Collins is manning a corner outfield spot. He's already misplayed a pair of fly balls this season in right field, but on Wednesday, he and center fielder JaCoby Jones let a ball drop between them in the first inning, allowing the Rays to build an early 2-0 lead.
Later in the game, Ian Kinsler was drifting back to catch a shallow fly when he backed off as if he had been called off. The ball dropped into the outfield for a hit. What happened? Another miscommunication.
Should you be concerned?
The Tigers' outfield defense isn't likely to be a strength, but it has gotten much better with Jones in center field. Before Wednesday's debacle, the Tigers actually ranked second in the league in terms of defensive runs saved from outfielders.
One game at Tropicana Field -- with its white roof, beams and walkways above the outfield -- doesn't represent a normal game in the outfield, especially for a team that only plays there for one series. Jones has been extremely impressive manning center field, so the team defense will be better this season even when J.D. Martinez returns.
Bunting
What's the concern?
I'm not sure what it's going to take, but someone needs to get through to MLB managers that bunting simply isn't a good idea.
The Tigers provided a prime example Wednesday when they threw away a chance at a huge rally by trying to move two runners up with no outs.
Jumbo Diaz came in for the Rays, issued a leadoff walk and then hit Andrew Romine on a 1-0 pitch. So six pitches into his outing, Diaz had thrown six balls and allowed two base runners.
It had the makings of a huge inning, until the Tigers decided to help a pitcher who couldn't even throw a strike. JaCoby Jones was asked to bunt, so he came to the plate, squared and popped the ball into the air. Not only did he let Diaz off the hook on another pitch outside the zone, he also sacrificed the first out in a potentially huge inning.
Fittingly, Jones didn't run, Longoria let the ball drop and the Rays turned a 5-4-3 double play. It took two more walks and a misplay by Kiermaier in center field for the Tigers to get any runs out of the inning.
To recap, the Tigers were given three walks, a hit by pitch and a misplay in the outfield that resulted in a triple, and only came away with three runs because they gave the Rays two free outs.
Should you be concerned?
If the Tigers continue to bunt, fans should absolutely be concerned. Bunting is proven to decrease teams' odds of scoring, and with a power-driven offense like the Tigers', they shouldn't be wasting outs.
The larger concern might be the team's game management in general, though so far there haven't been many glaring mistakes outside of Wednesday.
Justin Wilson's role
What's the concern?
Despite all the horrors that have come out of the Tigers' bullpen this season, there has been one ray of light, and that's Justin Wilson.
The power lefty has been dominant this season, striking out 11 batters in 7.1 innings and allowing no hits and three walks. He overpowered the Rays on Wednesday, striking out the side in order in the eighth inning.
Unfortunately, it wasn't the eighth inning that mattered. The Rays were at the bottom of their lineup when Wilson took the mound, so he was tasked with getting through the likes of Rickie Weeks Jr., Tim Beckham and Corey Dickerson -- not exactly murderer's row.
When Rodriguez took over, he was tasked with facing the Rays' three best hitters. So why not save the best reliever for the most important situations? Because of the arbitrary title of "closer" has been given to Rodriguez.
The Tigers are by no means the only team that subscribes to this strategy, tabbing one reliever as the ninth-inning guy and sticking with him through thick and thin. But with a bullpen that has so few reliable options -- Alex Wilson and Justin Wilson -- the Tigers would benefit from saving Justin Wilson for the biggest spots, no matter the inning.
Should you be concerned?
The bullpen roles probably aren't going to change in Detroit, because the Tigers aren't known for being trailblazers for analytics-based moves like this.
Justin Wilson is a breath of fresh air for a team with very few bullpen options, but if he's used in the lowest-leverage situations, as in Wednesday's game, the other innings will be much more of a problem.
Jordan Zimmermann
What's the concern?
Errors, weird plays and offensive outbursts overshadowed starting pitching Wednesday night, but it was another difficult outing for Jordan Zimmermann.
The second-year Tiger is coming off the worst season of his career -- pitching just 105.1 innings, striking out fewer than six batters per nine innings and grading out as essentially a replacement level player.
The start of this season hasn't assuaged those concerns. Zimmermann isn't striking out more batters, he's giving up just as many hits, and his ERA is approaching 6.00.
Zimmermann gave up 10 hits and five runs in six innings Wednesday and was hit hard in the middle innings. He's now given up five runs in back-to-back starts and hasn't lasted more than six innings in any start this season.
Should you be concerned?
All signs are pointing to another average season for Zimmermann, who was given a huge contract to be the team's No. 2 starting pitcher. He's being paid $18 million this season, $24 next season and $25 million in 2019 and 2020.
The Tigers need him to produce. With Michael Fulmer, Daniel Norris and Matthew Boyd in the rotation, 60 percent of the team's starters are in their early and mid-20s. The inconsistency that comes with the Tigers' young starters should be offset by veterans like Zimmermann and Justin Verlander, but Zimmermann isn't doing his part.
State of the Tigers
It's not even May yet -- heck, it's hardly late April -- so anybody who's already panicking about the Tigers is in for a long, stressful summer.
Every team loses series throughout the season. Even the AL Central favorite Indians got swept in their first road series against the Diamondbacks.
The Tigers are built to be in the playoff race even with their weaknesses, so imagine if they improve on these areas throughout the season.
Wednesday's loss brought out all of Tigers fans' fears, but it's not time to panic yet.