Kenley Jansen Has Blown Two Straight Saves and Detroit's Bullpen Is Collapsing Right When It Matters Most

The Detroit Tigers are in serious trouble. They've dropped three of their last four games, and the culprit is crystal clear: a bullpen that's hemorrhaging runs at the worst possible time. Closer Kenley Jansen has now blown back-to-back saves, and Detroit's relief corps ranks 21st in baseball with a 4.39 ERA. That's not a formula for winning baseball in April.

Friday night against Texas was the perfect example of everything going wrong. The Tigers clawed back from a 4-0 hole to tie things up in the fifth inning. They had momentum. They had a chance. Then the eighth inning happened. Back-to-back doubles by Jake Burger and Alejandro Osuna off Burch Smith broke the game open, and the Rangers walked away with a 5-4 win to open their three-game series.

The Bullpen Is Running on Fumes

It's not just about recent failures either. Setup man Will Vest hasn't pitched since Sunday, and Tigers manager A.J. Hinch acknowledged the reliever "is not 100%" but wouldn't confirm whether he's dealing with an injury. That's code for a bullpen stretched thin and running on empty.

"We're going through a few things," Hinch said. "Obviously, the bullpen has been leaned on quite a bit. There are guys that are not feeling at their best. That's what we're working through. We're day-by-day."

Day-by-day is not how you want to be operating this early in the season.

Montero Is Holding It Down, But It Won't Matter If the Pen Keeps Imploding

On the bright side, 25-year-old Keider Montero has been solid filling in for Justin Verlander, who's been sidelined for four weeks with hip inflammation. Montero allowed three runs over five innings in an eight-inning no-decision against Cincinnati on Sunday. He's struck out 23 batters against just five walks through five starts covering 27 innings. The kid can pitch.

But here's the problem: Montero's going up against Kumar Rocker on Saturday, and the numbers aren't great. Montero is 0-1 with an 8.31 ERA in his only previous start against the Rangers. Texas' Andrew McCutchen has hit two homers in four at-bats against him. Rocker, meanwhile, looked sharp in his last outing, giving up two runs over six innings against Oakland.

None of that matters if the bullpen can't hold leads. Detroit has to figure this out fast, or this weekend against Texas could get ugly.

This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.