On any pitching staff, the starters are the stars. They get all the glory. With the exception of a  rare closer like the Yankees' Mariano Rivera, the guys in the bullpen are usually role players at best -- and scapegoats at worst. Remember Fernando Rodney?
    Well, it is time we give the Tigers' current crew of relievers their just due.
    When Bobby Seay and Zach Miner, two key veteran cogs in the Tigers' bullpen, were sidelined indefinitely, maybe forever, with arm injuries late in spring training, the relief corps suddenly became one of Jim Leyland's biggest concerns.
    Not to worry.
    So far, along with top half of the batting order and the performance of the rookies, that bullpen has been one of the Tigers' biggest surprises -- and one of their biggest strengths.
    Where would the Tigers be right now without Jose Valverde, Joel Zumaya, Phil Coke, Ryan Perry, Fu-Te Ni, Eddie Bonine, and Brad Thomas?
    Not a close second in the American League Central, that's for sure.
    Instead of battling the Twins for the division lead, they would be sparring with the Royals and  Indians to stay out of the cellar.
    Together, the bullpen has gotten credit for 11 of the Tigers' first 25 wins. Given the loss of Seay and Miner, and the supposed strength of the starting rotation, that is a remarkable stat.
    Bonine, Coke, Zumaya and Thomas are a combined 9-0. I can assure you, nobody -- NOBODY -- expected that.
    With the exception of Coke, none of those guys figured prominently in Leyland's plans when spring training began. Zumaya was a continuing question-mark and there was no guarantee Bonine or Thomas would even make the team.
    Valverde, the new closer who was something of a question-mark himself coming over from the National League, has 11 saves and a nearly spotless 0.46 ERA. He served up a home run in his first outing, back on April 7, setting off alarms all across Tiger Nation. But nobody has scored on him in 19 trips to the mound since then. In fact, in those 19 appearances, the animated right hander has allowed just five hits -- all of them singles.
    Bottom line: Going into Tuesday night's game in Seattle the Tigers were a flawless 16-0 when leading a game after six innings.
    The website Scout.com recently rated the best and worst bullpens in baseball.
    Not surprisingly, the Tigers ranked first in the AL, ahead of the Texas Rangers and New York Yankees.
    Who ranked the worst?   The California Angels, Baltimore Orioles and Cleveland Indians, who come back to Comerica Park next week.