Jeremy Bonderman Done For The Year? Maybe.

Detroit Tigers starting pitcher, and ace of their pitching staff (though, Justin Verlander may have assumed that mantle with his performances this season), Jeremy Bonderman may be done for the season with elbow pain, another blow to a Detroit Tigers team that could ill-afford to lose Bonderman at such a critical point in the season. The Detroit Free Press reports Bonderman is feeling a "sharp pain" in his elbow and he says it reminds him of a similar, 2005 injury, which ended his season.

Bonderman allowed six earned runs and left with one out in the second inning of Detroit’s football-esque 14-7 loss. He admitted afterward that he is feeling a “sharp pain” on the outside of his elbow, and Tigers manager Jim Leyland said Bonderman would “probably” be shut down indefinitely.

“I’m done for awhile,” Bonderman said. “I know that.”

“It makes me sick,” he said.

Bonderman believes the injury is similar to the lateral elbow soreness that limited him to only two September starts in 2005. He did not pitch after Sept. 19 that year, rehabilitated the injury without surgery, and led the team with 34 starts in 2006.

The Tigers have never seemed to have everyone healthy at the same time this season. Kenny Rogers missed most of the first half of the season, then a significant part of the second. The bullpen, as has been talked about continuously, just recently got back to full strength, as the losses of Joel Zumaya and Fernando Rodney really hurt. Nate Robertson, Jair Jurrjens, and Andrew Miller have all spent time on the disabled list. The offense has faired better, but losing Gary Sheffield for the past few weeks coincided with the Tigers second-half swoon. Now, just as everyone seems to be back healthy, Bonderman goes down.

Just doesn't seem like 2007 is destined to be the Detroit Tigers year, does it?