A Big Bowl of Wrong

As you watched Dontrelle Willis struggle to find the 313 area code on Monday night, how could you not be thinking of Rick Ankiel?

In just his second start at Comerica Park this season, optimism — however guarded — was high. The Tigers could take a series for the first time since…since…it’s been a long time, or at least it seems like it — and Willis could build on the momentum of a so-so mini-start in Oakland last week.

Instead, Willis was in the shower with only one out in the second inning and the Tigers were down 5-0 on their way to an 8-2 loss.

Willis (0-1) gave up eight earned runs — matching a career high — three hits and five walks in 1 1/3 innings. The left-hander became just the third pitcher since 1956 to give up eight earned runs on three or fewer hits, according to STATS.

Here’s something else: a little more than 40 percent of his 64 pitches were strikes.

Of course this Tigers team mounted nothing resembling a comeback against Cliff Lee. If you thought the rain delay was going to wash away the ugliness of the first four innings or so and give the Tigers a fresh start, I have a question: Are you nuts? This team has shown no signs of being able to bounce back or even chip-away at opponents’ big early leads.

So they got a split with their fellow underachievers. Big whoop. Keep splitting series for the rest of the year and the Tigers will be lucky to win 70 games. And we’ll all be waiting for the Lions to pound the rock.

But back to Dontrelle. You have to wonder about his future in Detroit. As Doug said, you can’t justify running him out for another start given his performance tonight. Nor can you put him in crucial relief spots because, well, that’s essentially a suicide mission. I suppose all you can do is use him in long relief during a blowout loss — an opportunity I’m sure the White Sox will offer this week.

The last Tigers pitcher I remember struggling with his control was a young Kevin Ritz. Eventually he turned it around enough to be a number-one starter — at Coors Field of all places. Lefty Kevin Saucier started pegging people in the spring of 1982 and never recovered.

Is Willis at that point? Probably (hopefully) not. But still, you have to wonder what’s eating him and if it will stop.

I consulted my Baseball Prospectus 2008 guide this evening to see what they projected for Willis this year. Here’s a part of what they said:

Willis isn’t the All-Star pitcher he looked like in his peak year of 2005. He’s also not a 5.00 ERA guy, and with massive upgrades almost everywhere behind him, Willis, more than anyone else, may end up the biggest winner in the winter’s biggest trade.

They were right about one thing; he’s not a 5.00 ERA guy. Today he’s twice that.

I take no pleasure in Dontrelle Willis’ apparent demise as a starting pitcher. I like the guy and I want him to succeed. Unfortunately, the Tigers have little room for error at this point in the season and the D-Train poses just too big a risk for his team take every five days.