Joel Zumaya

Even with Miguel Cabrera, don't be surprised when the Detroit Tigers are in last place in the AL Central division after the first month of the schedule. 

The MLB schedule makers have done no favors for a team that has been abysmal on the road the last two years, and the team has one major and a few minor issues to deal with.

Is the baseball season really a marathon? Or, can injuries, poor play, and bad luck end your season in just a couple of weeks? The Detroit Tigers will be able to answer that question rather quickly.

After a mediocre first two months of the season, the Detroit Tigers scratched and clawed their way to the division lead on June 28. As the Minnesota Twins spun their wheels in first place, objects in their mirror were closer than they appeared. 

Detroit Tigers reliever Joel Zumaya suffered from what appeared to be a major elbow injury as he exited the game in the eighth inning.

Zumaya, who is known for his high-velocity pitches that frequent the 100 mph mark, said he heard a pop in his throwing arm after his last pitch of the game against Michael Young.

The Tigers went on to win the game against the Minnesota Twins 7-5.

The injury plague that has ruled Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya's career struck again Monday night.

The reliever threw a pitch with one out in the eighth inning that Minnesota Twins outfielder Delmon Young fouled off.

Zumaya's right arm went limp after the pitch and he fell to the ground, writhing in pain. His right thumb shook as trainers examined him.

The video shows a pitcher in so much pain he can barely walk off the field.

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Zach Miner.....does that name even ring a bell to anyone? Certainly not in 2010. Ok, you might remember him from such exciting shows as Imploding 'Pen 2009 and Fail 'Pen 2008. 

Miner is an everyman reliever and sometime starter most notable for not being notable. The story is always the same—average stuff, below average strikeout rate, above average walk rate, never an exceptional outing, and usually pitches as if he belongs on the trash heap.

I’ve learned to expect nothing from Joel Zumaya.  I also feel as though I made this exact same post each of the last two years.  If the Tigers are able to get anything out of Zumaya in 2010, we should all just consider it a bonus.

In spite of all of his injuries, Zumaya remains one the hardest throwers in the big leagues.  If he is on and healthy, there are very few batters that can catch up with what he features.  From ESPN's  Jerry Crasnick:

This past Tuesday night, I was making my way along on my summer trip and was spending the day in New York City.  I spent the night at CitiField, watching the Mets take on the St. Louis Cardinals.  I was keeping close tabs on the scoreboard in left-centerfield so I knew how the Tigers were doing. 

I saw the Tigers take a late lead and then noticed that they had put Joel Zumaya into the game.  I said to my friend that I wouldn’t be surprised if Zumaya coughed up the lead, since he’s been struggling for most of the month. 

I'm getting that Doom Doom feeling about Zoom Zoom again.

Joel Zumaya is feeling some more discomfort in his pitching shoulder. Again. And he's being held out of spring training competition. Again. And the Tigers' bullpen—specifically, who will pitch the seventh and eighth innings?—is back in flux. Again.

Sigh.