DETROIT – The Detroit Tigers will be without setup man Buck Farmer for at least the next 10 days as he hits the injured list with a left groin strain.
Farmer was placed on the 10-day IL Monday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sunday to help secure the weekend sweep.
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Of Farmer’s seven appearances so far this season, six have been scoreless innings in which he allowed a total of just two walks and one hit allowed. He’s only struck out one batter all season, but he’s been extremely reliable in the eighth inning for a second straight year.
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Farmer had his only bad outing of the season Friday, when he allowed three hits, a walk and two earned runs against the Pirates while only recording one out. That came after the Tigers had a four-game series with the St. Louis Cardinals canceled and Farmer hadn’t pitched in seven days.
The bullpen has been a surprising strength for the Tigers this season, with Farmer, Gregory Soto and Jose Cisnero locking down the late innings en route to closer Joe Jimenez.
With 35 games -- including two doubleheaders and two off-days -- scheduled for the Tigers in the next 35 days, the team’s bullpen depth will be tested, especially if Farmer misses an extended period of time.
He was also considered a possible trade chip at the deadline if the Tigers weren’t in contention, but this injury puts that in jeopardy because the deadline is just three weeks away.
In a corresponding move, the Tigers called up long reliever Beau Burrows, who made his MLB debut July 27 against the Kansas City Royals.
Burrows allowed three hits, a walk, a hit by pitch and three earned runs in 2.1 innings of work without striking out a batter. The Royals hit two home runs and a double.
Detroit is 8-5 after 13 games against teams with losing records to start the season. Monday kicks off a three-game series with the Chicago White Sox, the toughest opponent so far.