The Arizona Diamondbacks got another good starting pitching performance from Joe Saunders, who went seven innings, striking out nine and giving up only one earned run. But then the 2010 D-backs bullpen came out to relieve him.
After Aaron Heilman took over for Saunders in the bottom of the eighth, he got two men out pretty quickly, but also got two men on base by giving up a single and a walk. David Hernandez came into the two out, two on situation and, on a day in which he was again really off his game, loaded the bases and then allowed three straight singles for three runs. Hernandez was pulled for Brian Shaw, but Shaw gave up one more run -- and the Tigers got one more on a throwing error -- before the eight inning was finally over.
By then, the damage was too extensive. Up until the bullpen collapse, the game had been tight, with the D-backs up 2-1. Arizona had been hitting - both Miguel Monero and Ryan Roberts went three-for-four -- but the team left a lot of runners stranded.
The game seemed to highlight the importance for the D-backs to get some more bullpen help around the trade deadline. Hernandez and Puts, early stalwart relievers for the team, have struggled of late and outside of them, Arizona really has no dependable non-starter arms.
The loss puts Arizona one game behind the Giants in what has been a yo-yoing competition for first place in the NL West.