Uncle Todd (Not as bad as it seems?) Yeah, right!

Todd Jones (10 appearances)

From June 29 until now:

8.2 innings pitched
10 hits
7 runs
5 earned runs
1 home run
3 bases on balls
1 strike out
1 win
1 loss
3 saves
5.49 earned run average


Lit up once again!

That means in his last 8.2 innings pitched, theoretically he has only allowed 13 runners. It sure does seem like he puts more people on base than that. However, Mariano Rivera (Yankees are similar to the Tigers on paper) has given up only 4 walks and 6 runs ALL year.

Jones has never been lights out, but lately he's been brightly lit up. Can the Tigers acquire an ace reliever? Or should they look back to the old days and split things up between Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya ...

Back in '84, Willie (MVP and Cy Young) Hernandez and Aurelio Lopez basically split the duties. While Hernandez garnered all the credit, Lopez has a sub–3.00 earned run average and 14 saves. He also pitched 135 innings. Get this ... he finished 14 games. Hernandez finished 68 games of the 80 he appeared in. Both were relied on during that wondrous season.

As Rich "Goose" Gossage goes into the Hall of Fame today, the way of the relief pitcher has majorly changed in the last 25 years. So has baseball itself. The Tigers had nearly 20 complete games that season!