FIVE DOWN

	Detroit hoped Jose Mesa would add some veteran depth in the bullpen, but he has struggled to add much of anything thus far. AP
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I. NL Central: Through May 12, the Brewers owned the best record in baseball (25-11) and a comfortable seven-game lead over the rest of the NL Central. Since then, Milwaukee has lost 13 of its last 18. But during this Brew Crew belly-flop, Milwaukee has lost just a half game on its division lead. That's the luxury you have when playing in baseball's worst division, as evidenced by the division's current "last 10" records:

Milwaukee: 3-7
Pittsburgh: 4-6
Chicago: 2-8
St. Louis: 5-5
Houston: 1-9
Cincinnati: 3-7

With the way things are going, it looks as if Houston and Cincinnati will challenge Washington for the NL's worst record; reigning world champion St. Louis will battle Chicago for the title of Biggest National League Letdown; and the Pirates will bring home their 15th consecutive losing season. Long story short, if the Brewers reach 85 wins, they're almost assured of sending Milwaukee into a pants-peeing frenzy -- literally. Check out this website.

II. Tigers 'pen: In Detroit's shocking run to the World Series last season, the Tigers largely depended on a lights-out bullpen that finished second in the AL with a 3.51 ERA. This season hasn't been as friendly to Tigers relievers; Detroit possesses the worst bullpen ERA in the game (5.42). To the Tigers' credit, the 'pen is missing two key hurlers. Joel Zumaya is out until at least July because of a ruptured tendon in his finger, and Fernando Rodney is on the DL with biceps tendonitis. The absence of these fireballers has led to increased workloads for a few underwhelming pitchers -- namely, Jose Mesa. A free agent signee in the offseason, "Joe Table" has completely collapsed in his 16 appearances, posting a 12.34 ERA, 2.14 WHIP and .365 batting average.

III. Rays' 3-5: In Scott Kazmir and James Shields, the Rays boast a promising front-of-the-rotation duo. But beyond those two, the starting rotation takes on a ghastly appearance. Tampa Bay has not one, not two, but three starters with ERAs north of seven: Jae Seo (8.13), Casey Fossum (7.89) and Edwin Jackson (7.12). Seo and Fossum are simply dead weight, but Jackson actually has the potential to be a solid starter if he ever learns to harness his nasty arsenal.

Tampa Bay has the first overall pick in next week's MLB draft, and the Rays will almost assuredly take Vanderbilt ace David Price. With the horrendous state of Rays pitching (besides Kazmir, Shields and closer Al Reyes), don't be surprised if Price logs some major league innings this season, a la Detroit's Andrew Miller in 2006.

IV. Giants' closer situation: After yet another ninth-inning disaster courtesy of Armando Benitez, the Giants finally cut ties with their star-crossed closer, sending him to the Marlins for reliever Randy Messenger. Benitez, who signed a three-year, $21.5 million contract with San Francisco in November 2004, gave the Giants a grand total of 45 saves in 2 1/2 years.

After the trade, San Francisco is back to square one in its everlasting search for a steady ninth-inning stopper. The Giants have been looking for a long-term closer ever since Nen sacrificed his rotator cuff for the 2002 World Series run.

It has been duly noted that the Giants made a tragic mistake in dealing Joe Nathan, who has quickly become one of the game's top closers. But recently, another front-office miscue has come to light. Last year, the Giants traded promising reliever Jeremy Accardo for Shea Hillenbrand and Vinny Chulk. Chulk has been pretty mediocre, and Hillenbrand is no longer with the organization, but the 25-year-old Accardo has emerged as a solid stopper in Toronto. Having taken over as the Blue Jays' closer with the injury to B.J. Ryan, Accardo has converted six of seven saves. On the season, Accardo owns a miniscule 1.11 ERA, having tossed up a donut on 21 of his 22 appearances.

Which high-ceiling reliever will the Giants mistakenly deal away next?

V. Jason Giambi's home run trot: I know you all saw the Jason Giambi injury headline, but did you actually read the AP story?

"Jason Giambi will be sidelined at least three weeks and possibly far longer after tearing tissue in his left foot while rounding the bases on a home run."

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the Bronx Bombers, their $120 million DH pulls a Deion, injuring himself in the heat of celebration.

Is it possible to actually feel bad for The Boss?