Last season, Rick Porcello lost only nine times all year. So far this season he has already lost six. Last year, his ERA was a commendable 3.96. So far this year, it is an unacceptable 6.09, and steadily getting worse.
    Right now, Porcello is the weak link in the Tigers' starting rotation.
    They cannot afford to let that trend continue. They need Porcello pitching the way he did last season, and they need to stop this skid before it gets any worse. That's why Jim Leyland announced Friday that Porcello will skip his next start.
    Porcello, who was ripped for eight earned runs in 3 1/3 innings on Wednesday -- his shortest outing and worst shellacking of the year -- won't pitch again until next Saturday night against Arizona.
    Instead, the young right hander, who began the year as the Tigers'  No. 2 starter, threw in the bullpen on Friday and will do so again on Sunday and on Tuesday.
    "When you need somebody to iron a situation out, you can't just let him sit," Leyland said.
    "The No. 1 thing we want to accomplish is trying to get his sinker back," Leyland explained.  "He is throwing way too many balls from the belt up as opposed to last year when he threw the ball down."
    The Tigers also want Porcello to slow down on the mound. "He's kind of rushing at the hitters," Leyland said. "Particularly when he has men on base. He wants to see the results before he throws the pitch."
    That is the same thing Leyland said about Justin Verlander two years ago.
    "But you have to go one step at a time," Leyland said. "And I think getting his sinker back is the first step.
    "We want to fix one thing at a time. We don't want to clutter up his mind with a lot of thoughts. It is the opinion of some people that if he gets his sinker back, everything else will fall into place,
    "That should be very fixable," Leyland added. "But so far we haven't had much success. I guess it sounds easier to fix than it is."
    I guess we'll have to wait until next Saturday to find out.