Blue Jays' pitching woes exposed in costly series loss to Tigers

TORONTO — Bullpen games as a matter of course are usually a last resort rather than a choice, one the Toronto Blue Jays have been forced into with eight starting pitchers, a full rotation and three-fifths, currently on the injured list. By and large they’ve done well with them, too, covering over various gaps as starter after starter has gone down this season.

But the perils of running them as often as they have this season are being exposed in this suddenly costly series against the Detroit Tigers, when the reliever usage in Monday’s 6-5 loss was influenced by the need to preserve arms for Tuesday’s bullpen game, which unravelled into a 10-1 thumping.