The creeping worry on this Tigers team is not a handful of slumping hitters, because "slumps" are just that — spastic lapses of production that eventually turn into really neat things. And since we haven't really heard much new information about it, it's not in the forefront of our minds, but Adam Wilk's third turn in the rotation was a harsh reminder: Doug Fister is still hurt. Very hurt. And very not pitching.

That side muscle injury has kept him out of action since the second day of baseball where his great start against the Red Sox was terminated abruptly. And this team desperately needs him back. We remember how the pitching fared with Phil Coke, Starter Mediocritaire not getting the job done, and what truly gave the bullpen and everyone else less pressure was Fister's cool resolve and also his ridiculous strikeout-to-walk ratio. Right now he has an alarmingly low strikeout-to-ow-it-hurts-when-I-pivot ratio.

Can I help him recover? I tried.

I really tried.