FanHouse JasonGrilli

Before the Detroit Tigers had their bi-weekly offensive explosion on Tuesday night against Seattle (one their bullpen did everything in their power to blow), manager Jim Leyland was asked about some comments made by former Tiger reliever Jason Grilli.

Grilli was traded earlier this season to the Rockies, and was recently asked by some reporters out there what he thought was going wrong back in Detroit, where the Tigers have failed to live up to expectations. Grilli's response was that he thought the Tigers hurt their team chemistry by bringing in new stars, and letting go of clubhouse favorites like Sean Casey. Jim Leyland was not amused.

"You have to be kidding me. I mean, please," Leyland said before the Tigers' 12-8 win over the Mariners on Tuesday night. "Jason Grilli ought to just worry about Colorado.

"Jason Grilli's not here any longer because Jason Grilli didn't pitch good under pressure situations and didn't pitch very well in Detroit. You want to tell it like it is? When players want to start talking, I'll start talking."

Leyland's reaction to Grilli quickly became somewhat of a warning to the rest of his team just in case anybody gets the bright idea of popping off about the team.

While there are a quite a few different reasons for the Detroit Tigers 1-8 start to the season, manager Jim Leyland knows what area of the team needs to improve the most if the Tigers are going to dig themselves out of an early grave. Sure, the lineup isn't producing much at all at the moment, but it's only a matter of time before the Tigers start to hit.

The problem lies in the pitching staff, and it's not just the bullpen. As Leyland himself said on Thursday after the Tigers lost to Boston, "There isn't a bullpen in the history of baseball that could help a team when the starters can only muster five innings every night." Of course, this doesn't mean that the bullpen isn't a concern in and of itself, and Leyland has been intimating some changes being made in the near future.

Whether he intended to or not, Jim Leyland issued what amounts to a challenge to his Detroit Tigers relief corps on Thursday.

Changes are coming soon, Leyland said, because he wants to go back to a 12-man pitching staff (the Tigers currently have 13), and because he wants to add a second bullpen left-hander (the Tigers currently have just one).

"I'm going to give everyone a chance," Leyland said. "There it is. Somebody take charge. ... The reality is that the big leagues is about results, and all you can do is give people opportunities."

The problem Leyland has, though, is who does he get rid of and who does he replace him with? There are plenty of pitchers in the Tigers bullpen right now that are worthy of a demotion (Zach Miner, Jason Grilli, Yorman Bazardo), but there aren't many lefties down on the farm worthy of getting called up. The Tigers have Aaron Fultz and Clay Rapada in the minors, but neither has been pitching well, and the recently signed Casey Fossum isn't anywhere near being ready yet either. It seems like the only option that would help would be going outside the organization, but I'm pretty sure there aren't many teams who are willing to start making deals this early in the season.

Seriously, this game is flying by. If you're joining late, here are innings 1-3, innings 4-6 and and we're joining the seventh in progress.

Top of the Seventh: Is Justin Verlander losing steam? He just walked Mark Teahen, the leadoff hitter, his first of the day.

Ugh -- Ross Glaod singles, putting Teahen, the tying run, on third. Jim Leyland has seen enough, bringing in Jason Grilli. Here's a timely commercial break for Tigers fans to go get their Pepto Bismal.

Grilli did what Grilli does, giving up an RBI base hit to John Buck to tie this game up.

On a side note, there's a very real possibility Detroit's bullpen will take 2-3 inches off my hairline this year. Just saying.

Tony Pena grounds to Polanco, and following a mini run-down, Buck is out at second, leaving Gload and Pena on the corners with one out. Jim Leyland comes to the mound (a few minutes too late) to take the ball from Grilli. Lefty Bobby Seay gets the call to face Joey Gathright. Let's continue these hijinks after the jump, mm-kay?