Cleveland — Nobody is trying to make excuses for the collective struggles of the bullpen through 10 games. Least of whom, manager Brad Ausmus.
“The Wilson brothers (Alex and Justin, not technically brothers) and K-Rod (Francisco Rodriguez) have done their job,” Ausmus said before the game Saturday. “We just need more consistent outings from the other guys.
“And it boils down to throwing strikes. We just haven’t been throwing strikes; we haven’t been getting ahead of hitters. You just can’t do that at the major-league level, especially against good hitters.”
Tigers relievers have allowed an untenable 14 of 21 inherited runners to score, including five Friday night as they nearly squandered a six-run lead in the ninth.