Time running out for Phil Coke to keep spot in Tigers' rotation

AP PhotoPhil Coke needs to immediately prove he can be an effective starter, or he will be back in the bullpen

Phil Coke has gone from hard luck to no luck. 

In his first nine starts of the year, Coke allowed four or more earned runs only twice.  Through that stretch he had a respectable ERA of just 3.80, but the lack of run support from his teammates left him a dismal 1-5.

Then he hurt his foot in the fourth inning of a win over Tampa Bay and was placed on the Disabled List.

Since coming off the DL, Coke has allowed at least four earned runs in three of his four starts.

I would say Coke's problem prior to his stint on the DL was 60-percent team, 40-percent Phil.  Unfortunately, that number has shifted to 90-10, and it's not in Coke's favor.

The sad thing for Coke is that if the team had done a better job behind him earlier in the season and gotten him a few more wins, this recent hiccup could have been overlooked.  However, since he is now 1-7 instead of 4-4, the view through the microscope is much more intense.

What all this means for Coke is that his leash is about as long as an unlit Jim Leyland cigarette.  And we all know those don't stay unlit for long.  Coke cannot have another poor performance - not one - or he will be demoted back to the bullpen.

It's probably unfair for me to call it a "demotion."

Last year Coke was a darn good relief pitcher, and if he ends up back in that role again, it will be as much recognition of his quality coming out of that spot as it is pointing out his shortcomings as a starter.  Well, it might be a little bit more of the latter, but you get my point.

In 2010, Coke threw 64.2 innings in 74 appearances for Detroit, with only one of those a start.  His ERA was 3.76, which would be the fifth best in the bullpen this year behind only Al Albuquerque, David Purcey, Jose Valverde and Charlie Furbush.

Of course, one of those pitchers would have to replace Coke in the starting rotation, and the obvious choice to get his shot is Furbush.

AP PhotoCharlie Furbush will move into the starting lineup if Phil Coke falters again

He's been spot-on out of the bullpen since getting called up May 21.  In 21.2 innings in 12 appearances, Furbush has allowed only 18 hits and six earned runs.  It's not all sunshine and roses, with Furbush giving up nine walks and six home runs, but he has certainly shown enough to get his shot if Coke loses his starting spot.

That becomes even more obvious when you take into account Furbush's work as a starter in the minors this year before coming to Detroit.

In 46.1 innings, Furbush had a fantastic 2.91 ERA with 55 strikeouts and opponents batting just .179 against him.  Furbush threw two complete games and, possibly most important, he only got rocked once. 

So this is the deal for Phil Coke:  turn it around now, and don't falter once.  The second you show a crack, Charlie Furbush is waiting.

Good luck, Phil.

Follow The Ottoman Empire Blog on Facebook and Twitter

View the original article here

Detroit Tigers move Phil Coke to the bullpen, promote Charlie Furbush to starting rotation

AP PhotoCharlie Furbush will take Phil Coke's place in the Detroit Tigers' rotation.DETROIT -- The Phil Coke experiment in the Detroit Tigers’ pitching rotation has ended.

Coke will return to a bullpen role after a half-season as a starter, with Charlie Furbush moving into the starting rotation.

Whether Furbush is the long-term answer remains to be seen. Tigers manager Jim Leyland is hopeful — he has said recently that the 25-year-old rookie has starter’s stuff -- but noncommittal.

What is certain is Coke (1-8, 4.91) wasn’t pitching well, and had regressed since a May 23 ankle sprain put him on the disabled list.

"I don’t know what’s going to happen with Furbush," Leyland said. "But I’m smart enough to know, right now, it wasn’t working with Phil."

Furbush will start Monday against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim.

"I’ve been a starter my whole career," Furbush said, "so I’m just going to do the same thing I’ve always done as a starter and get back in that routine."

Coke, who Wednesday night said he would understand if he went to the bullpen, saying he was at the team’s "beck and call," was agitated by the questioning, moreso than the decision, when asked about the move Thursday, one day after he pitched four innings, allowing 10 hits and eight runs (seven earned) in a 16-9 loss to the New York Mets.

It marked the third consecutive game Coke did not last beyond the fifth inning.

"I wouldn’t want to be the next guy I face," Coke said.

The Tigers will be fully staffed in the bullpen today and Saturday, but not for Friday’s opener of a three-game series against the San Francisco Giants, because Furbush won’t be allowed to pitch in relief after today, and Coke won’t be available until Saturday, Leyland said.

Coke took some tough-luck losses early in the season, including twice when he made quality starts. He also pitched seven shutout innings in a no-decision at Boston.

In his next start after that game, Coke sprained his ankle while attempting to field a bunt against Tampa Bay, was forced to leave the game, then went on the disabled list.

He struggled in four of five starts since returning from the injury.

"Before that ankle thing, he was pitching pretty well," Leyland said. "But I don’t know that that’s the answer. I don’t know if that’s the reason."

Coke said it wasn’t.

"I’m not 100-percent happy because I am giving everything I’ve got and I’m coming up short and it looks really bad — my ERA, my record, whatever, walks to strikeouts," Coke said. "Who cares what the numbers say, before or after? It doesn’t matter. I’m giving everything I’ve got and I’m coming up short. Period."

Coke probably will return to much the same role he occupied last season, as a predominantly sixth- and seventh-inning reliever, Leyland said.

Coke pitched well in that role last year, when he was 7-5 with two saves and a 3.76 ERA in 74 appearances. But his success was much spottier as a starter, and Leyland said he probably wouldn’t work in that role again this season.

Leyland said Coke seemed "a little jittery" early in the season, then found a groove, but lately has been "a little more frustrated."

"That’s the thing that sticks out to me," Leyland said.

The Tigers put Coke in the rotation in spring training, even though he had started only once in 158 major-league appearances.

"Our thought process all along was let’s give this a shot, because we don’t really have some other guys ready yet, so let’s give this a shot," Leyland said. "Going in, that’s what we were thinking. Let’s get to the halfway point and let’s see what it is. Here’s the halfway point and it wasn’t working. So we’re making the adjustments."

Leyland said Coke’s response to the change "can go two ways."

"It can be just like going home for him, everything’s fine," Leyland said. "Or it could be, you know, ‘I’m disappointed, I let people down.’ Who knows? I don’t know the answer to that. But it’s the right thing to do right now."
Overworked bullpen forces moves
The adjustment to the starting rotation seemed to complete a whirlwind of activity with Tigers pitchers -- at least until they determine whether Furbush, or someone else, can start well enough to keep them out of the trade market during July -- but the move late Wednesday to send Daniel Schlereth to Triple-A Toledo, and recall Brayan Villarreal, was unanticipated until after the blowout was complete.

The Tigers simply found themselves overworked in the bullpen, where all their relievers except setup man Joaquin Benoit and closer Jose Valverde pitched either Tuesday or Wednesday, when the Mets scored 30 total runs.

"There were no plans to make any pitching changes," before Wednesday’s game, Leyland said. "Absolutely none. We just got stuck in a bind and that’s the way it is."

View the original article here