Jose Valverde News

May 19, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera heads to the dugout after hitting a home run in the fifth inning of the game against the Texas Rangers at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington.

A lot of fans were probably aghast when the Tigers made the decision to sign Jose Valverde to a speculative contract earlier this year.

The Detroit Tigers already had lost five games this season in which they led in the seventh inning or later.

Detroit Tigers' Andy Dirks is tagged out at home plate by Texas Rangers catcher Geovany Soto in the third inning Friday.

A rather quiet week in the AL Central saw no team make a big move up or down. Sounds like a good time to look around the division and see how some of the new acquisitions added around the division have been making the transition from "Hot Stove Hope" to regular season contributor.

Every day there's another question about closer Jose Valverde. Every day, manager Jim Leyland scratches his head and wonders why.

Jose Valverde has three saves in four opportunities this season. Is he the answer as the closer for the Detroit Tigers? The Detroit Tigers have done their fair share of bullpen shuffling already this season.

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Jose Valverde, left, laughs with Torii Hunter in the dugout before a game against the Kansas City Royals in Detroit on Wednesday, April 24, 2013.

The Tigers' bullpen has been the team's biggest question mark the entire season, and that isn't likely to change any time soon.

It was no secret that fans came to Comerica park over the weekend for two reasons.

Indians closer Chris Perez had both his and the team's long-term goals in mind when he said he couldn't pitch in Sunday's win over the Tigers.

White Sox 3, Angels 0 : Chris Sale was fantastic. And not just because of that suh-weet 1983 throwback jersey.

The Detroit Tigers punished the Houston Astros earlier this month and attempt to do so again when they open a three-game series on Monday at Comerica Park .

Jose Valverde's first blown save of the season came Sunday. Here are the last five Tigers closers' earliest first BS: On 6/14/05, he entered vs.

Since his debacle in Anaheim, in which he allowed nine runs in two-thirds of an inning, he's allowed just eight in his last 19.1. He was an out away from evening his record at 2-2, but then the Indians scored with two outs in the top of the ninth to tie it against Jose Valverde and went on to win 4-3 in 10 innings.

Asked to bunt for the first time in a decade, Hunter's attempt didn't end well. What a surprise.

Making his sixth appearance this year, the Tigers' oft-criticized closer blew his first save after giving up a game-tying run with two outs to the Cleveland Indians in the ninth inning.

Jim Leyland probably has it right. He says Andy Dirks' tough April all was a product of that badly bruised knee Dirks endured after crashing into a fence during the Grapefruit League season.

The Detroit Tigers had one on and two out in the ninth inning, but Prince Fielder's blast to center off Nationals closer Rafael Soriano was caught at the warning track.

Detroit Tigers pitcher Jose Valverde throws against the Kansas City Royals in the ninth inning in Detroit on Wednesday.