Tigers' pitching staff continues to roll without Verlander

The Tigers didn't get the news they were hoping for from Justin Verlander Wednesday afternoon.

Alfredo Simon helped lessen the disappointment a few hours later.

Verlander's simulated outing had to be cut short due to fatigue, pushing back his return to the rotation, but the pitching staff kept rolling without him.

This time it was Simon putting up eight shutout innings in a 1-0 victory over the Pirates -- the fourth time in their 8-1 start that the Tigers haven't allowed a run.

"Our starters are going so deep into games that we actually have some guys in the bullpen who need some work," Brad Ausmus said. "Joba Chamberlain needs some work, and so does Tom Gorzelanny, but I'll take a 1-0 win and a rested bullpen every night."

Since World War I, only four other teams have pitched four shutouts in the first nine games of the season, including this year's Oakland A's and Miguel Cabrera's Florida Marlins in both 2004 and 2005. The 2004 Marlins are the only other team that, like the Tigers, had five games without an earned run in the first nine.

Does that mean much? Probably not -- neither Marlins team made the postseason, and the 1940 Brooklyn Dodgers finished in second place, but 12 games behind the pennant-winning Cincinnati Reds.

None of those teams had an offense as good as Detroit's, though, and none of them had a Cy Young winner waiting in the wings.

That ace, though, might be offstage a little longer than the Tigers had expected. 

Verlander, on the disabled list for the first time in his career with a triceps strain, was supposed to throw four 15-pitch innings in a simulated game Wednesday afternoon, but only managed three.

The good news is that Verlander said that was able to throw all of his pitches without pain during his workout, but his arm was tired after only 45 deliveries.

"There are times to push through stuff and there are times not to," Verlander told the media before Wednesday's win. "I think right now is not the right time to really try to push yourself through it. I think you need to make sure you're healthy first and foremost."

Verlander had hoped to return Tuesday against the Yankees, but that won't happen. Even with 60 pitches, it would have been tough for him to be ready for a big-league start, but the shortened workout means it is impossible.

"You can't go from 45 pitches and then into a major-league game," Ausmus said. "You can put two and two together, but we won't decide on the next step until Friday."

The obvious plan would be for Verlander to go to one of Detroit's minor-league affiliates to make a start or two and build up his arm strength, but he's not thrilled with that idea.

"It's not like I came out there and I was totally lost location-wise or stuff-wise," he said. "It wasn't like it just evaporated. It was still all there. Obviously, if I feel like I'm good enough to go out on a rehab start, I feel like I'm good enough to pitch in the big leagues."

That means at least one more start for Kyle Lobstein, and quite possibly more. 

That's not good, but Detroit's 8-1 record and 1.94 ERA prove that things could be a lot worse.