It would have been interesting to have bugged the conversation manager Jim Leyland planned to have Monday with his general manager, Dave Dombrowski.

Not only would some ears have been burned, but maybe some futures, too.

"We have a lot of issues to deal with right now," Leyland said after Detroit's seventh shutout loss of the season Sunday. "That's why I'm meeting with Dave. I'll be able to clear some stuff up, hopefully, in the near future. We've got a lot of issues to address."

It's not going to be as easy as simply bringing up somebody from the minors. There aren't any answers there.

It's not going to be as easy as simply plugging outfielder Matt Joyce into the lineup on a regular basis. He's providing the club with what little life it has now, but regular exposure to major league pitching will expose the holes that exist in his swing, probably breaking pitches and off-speed stuff.

"I can't believe it. I can't believe we've been shut out like this. I can't believe it," Leyland said. "I'm totally out of answers as far as the offense.

"I don't think about whether it's early or late (in the season), I think about why aren't we doing better? I think about why is this team not playing better, why isn't it hitting better? What's going on? Maybe we're waiting on each other to do it. Maybe we're doing that and I don't realize it. I don't know. This offense is not supposed to get shut out like that. Or as often as it has been. I can't sugarcoat it. I don't know the answer. It's mind-boggling to me."

What Leyland and Dombrowski could decide is who to put quietly on the market and who to keep the faith in. It's unlikely the Tigers will eat the $30 million or so they owe designated hitter Gary Sheffield, but it's entirely possible the organization will step up efforts to peddle some of the expensive contracts that have become liabilities, even if it means paying to get rid of them.

It's tough. There's no market yet, especially for high-priced players who aren't producing. The 'Wish' season doesn't begin until the All-Star game and the "Hope" season isn't until a month after that.

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