Tigers’ once-heralded three-headed bullpen monster approach has broken Will Vest

If you have three capable closers, at least one of them is going to suffer. While that old adage is typically reserved for quarterbacks in the NFL, in this case it reigns true for the Tigers late-inning relief approach. Detroit has found this out the hard way, as no MLB team has blown more leads than they have. You can add another to that list from Tuesday night, when Detroit held a late 2-1 lead over the Astros heading into the late innings, only to relinquish that advantage in a three-run Houston eighth.

No Tigers relief pitcher has suffered more from a flawed bullpen approach than Will Vest, who went from one of the more feared bullpen arms in the AL Central to, well, this. Vest has a 6.04 ERA on the season, which wasn't helped by a stint on the injured list a month ago. His streak of three-straight scoreless outings was broken on Tuesday, when he gave up an unearned run to Houston.

The Tigers bullpen approach is hurting Will Vest

Should Vest be just as effective in the seventh and eighth innings as he is in the ninth? Sure, absolutely. But if you think you can get in the mind of a late-innings relief pitcher, I have a timeshare to sell you. Vest is undeniably better when he has an assigned role — ideally the ninth inning, where he has thrived in each of the past two seasons — than when he's asked to do literally anything else.

Ultimately, this falls on the Tigers, specifically AJ Hinch and Scott Harris. The Tigers bullpen was a relative strength just last season. By no means did they have to go out and sign Kenley Jansen, or ask Kyle Finnegan to pitch in the ninth inning. Vest had 24 saves last season, and was lights-out when it mattered most. In this case, acquiring too much bullpen talent has forced the Tigers — and Vest by association — to overthink.

How can the Tigers cure what's really ailing Will Vest?

Throwing Vest back into the closer role unprompted wouldn't be a wise decision given how he's pitching. Hinch's best approach could be to insert Vest into games without pressure attached and let him regain his confidence. From there, a late-innings role should be back on the table.

The Tigers aren't a very good baseball team. That could mean trading Jansen and/or Finnegan to bullpen-needy teams at the trade deadline, which would reopen Vest's usual ninth inning role for him.

Again, Vest has already started to improve on his own accord. He has a 1.69 ERA in June, and Tuesday's defeat was not on him alone. Rather, it was Keider Montero who put runners on in front of Vest. The right-hander entered a pressure-packed situation with runners on and made the most of it, even if he couldn't hold onto Detroit's slim advantage.

Assigned bullpen roles are, for the most part, a thing of the past. At some point Vest is going to have to adjust to throwing in the seventh or eighth innings. But right now, the proof is staring Hinch and Harris in the face. While Jansen and Finnegan are more reliable in all late-innings situations, Vest is best left for the ninth, if at all.

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