(Photo: Robin Buckson, Detroit News)
Cleveland — Joe Jimenez is conspicuous. Flat-out. There is no other way to describe his impact on the Tigers' success rate. His presence is conspicuous, his absence may be more so.
If Jimenez gets the Tigers through the eighth inning with the lead, they win. That scenario, though, hasn’t played out nearly enough, as closer Shane Greene’s 21 saves in 22 opportunities shows. Conversely, if Jimenez doesn’t get the ball in the eighth inning, the Tigers expected win rate drops precipitously.
That scenario has played out far too often.