'We left a little out there:' Tigers failed by most trusted arms

The offense is the offense, and there's no way around it. Well, there's one way, the only way for the Tigers. A week of missed opportunities might have been their deadend.

They led 2-1 in the sixth last Tuesday. They were tied 2-2 in the sixth on Wednesday, their ace on the mound. They led three times on Saturday, including 6-4 in the seventh. They led 3-0 in the seventh on Sunday. Even on Thursday, a one-run deficit became two in the ninth, the difference in a one-run loss.

Any chance of a revival for the Tigers had to start with their arms. And in too many big spots last week, their most trusted arms failed them. A 10-game homestand that started 4-0 finished 5-5, when eight or nine wins were there for the taking.

"We played 10 games at home. The fans were great, the weather was great, we saw a lot of really good baseball, and we saw a lot of close losses," A.J. Hinch said after the Tigers let another one slip away on Sunday, 7-5 in 10 innings. "I love the things that happened in the five wins, and we can pick apart something in the five losses. We feel like we left a little out there."

So, let's dissect.

Casey Mize gave up a go-ahead two-run bomb to Jazz Chisholm on Tuesday when he was a couple outs away from a great outing. Tarik Skubal gave up a go-ahead two-run bomb to Jasson Dominguez on Wednesday, serving up three homers on a night he was otherwise untouchable.

Kenley Jansen allowed a costly insurance run in the top of the ninth on Thursday that wiped out what could have been a game-tying homer by Dillon Dingler in the bottom half.

Saturday was a two-man crime: Framber Valdez put the Tigers in a 3-0 hole, then failed to deliver a shutdown inning after Kerry Carpenter's grand slam had given them the lead in the third. Will Vest imploded in the eighth and turned a one-run lead into an 8-6 loss, the latest stumble in a disastrous season for Detroit's top reliever.

The two culprits on Sunday were Kyle Finnegan, who surrendered a game-tying dinger to old friend Isaac Paredes in the eighth, and Jansen, again, who allowed a three-run bomb to Christian Walker in the 10th that all but ended the game. Jansen, MLB's active saves leader, has had a disastrous season of his own.

"I don’t rank losses — they all suck," Hinch said Sunday. "Especially when you feel like the margin for error is pretty small, in trying to put together a run here."

There were other guilty parties along the way, including Drew Anderson on Saturday and Tyler Holton on Sunday, both of whom allowed homers that trimmed comfortable leads. But the six pitchers who conspired to let those five games get away -- Mize, Skubal, Valdez, Jansen, Finnegan, Vest -- are supposed to be the six best pitchers on this staff.

The three best starters, and the three best relievers.

It's not to absolve the bats, which were particularly quiet in three games against the Yankees. But this team was built on pitching, and the idea that dominance on the mound would compensate for youth and inconsistency at the plate. You can argue with the philosophy if you wish, especially after the front office failed to actively upgrade an offense that languished in the second half of last season.

But if the Tigers can't ride their most proven horses, the race is already over.

"The winnable games (are) exactly what you leave this homestand with," said Hinch. "At this level, their guys are going to come up with big hits or big pitches or big plays. This is the big leagues, so you don’t (assume) that every single time it’s going to go your way. It’s a competition. But we do feel like we left a little bit out there, at least I do, in terms of opportunity to start to trend better in the right direction."

With July around the corner, the Tigers are headed the wrong way. They're 14 games under .500 -- and 27 games under .500 since July 9 of last year -- nine games back in the division and 6.5 back in the wild card race. They are one loss better than the worst team in the moribund American League. They have reached that point in the season where they are what they are.

Each of the Tigers' five losses on this homestand was decided by two runs or fewer; they are now a staggering 11-31 in such games this season, the worst mark in the majors. Some of that owes to the randomness of baseball. Not all of it. The Tigers have lost 15 games after leading in the seventh inning or later. Their 18 blown saves are the most in the AL.

That owes to a manager who hasn't pulled the right levers in the bullpen -- and to a bullpen that hasn't come up with enough big pitches. And that owes to everyone, from Scott Harris to Hinch to the players themselves.

Jansen had a 2.59 ERA last year; it has more than doubled to 5.31 this year. After nearly acquiring him the past two seasons, first in free agency and then at the trade deadline, it appears the Tigers brought him in a year too late. At 38, Jansen looks finished.

Vest had a 2.93 ERA over the past three three years; it has more than doubled to 6.08 this year. If Vest is pitching hurt after missing time with a forearm injury that required a cortisone shot earlier this season, the Tigers might be better off not pitching him at all. But what other option would they have?

Jansen, Vest and Finnegan were supposed to form a sturdy bridge to the end of games for Detroit. Two of the beams have collapsed. So has this season, a sobering reminder for the Tigers and their fans that all roads lead back to the bullpen. They had a road forward last week, but their best pitchers led them deeper into the rut.

It's hard to plot any path out of this mess now.