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The bat boy working for the Detroit Tigers had to be helped off the field Monday night.

(AP Photo)

PITTSBURGH -- Just when you wondered what else could go wrong with the Detroit Tigers -- a reeling team following Monday's 11-6 loss to Pittsburgh -- the top of the eighth inning happened at PNC Park.

This was after starting pitcher Justin Verlander left with an injured shoulder, after those three Tigers' errors that could have been five and after three of the four Pirates' home runs.

Running back to the dugout after exchanging the batting gloves of Rajai Davis for sliding gloves after his double, the Tigers' bat boy slipped in the first-base coaching box, fell backward and had to be helped off the field with what looked like a serious leg injury.

But the inning’s pratfalls were far from finished.

With two men out, Davis still on second base and the Detroit trailing, he tried to score on a hard single to right field by Miguel Cabrera.

Davis easily was thrown out at home plate, the second time in the game a Tiger was retired there to end an inning with his team trailing by four runs.

"We were a little sloppy in the field," manager Brad Ausmus said. "We had a couple base-running blunders. And one of the best pitchers in Tiger history is being evaluated."

Ausmus looked worried. His face was stern, his arms folded tightly across his chest.

As it turns out, both Verlander and the bat boy will undergo MRIs on Tuesday to determine the extent of their injuries. (The manager of the visiting clubhouse said the bat boy did not wished to be named. He lives in the Pittsburgh area.)

As hard as they work, bat boys are more easily replaced than pitchers like Verlander who -- despite his 10-11 record -- still is considered one of the best in major league baseball. He will return to Detroit for his medical tests.

"Toughest game I’ve ever had to watch," Verlander said. "Obviously, I’m concerned. You go get an MRI it’s never a good sign. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. Keep my fingers crossed."

He could have said the same thing about the entire team.

Monday’s loss was Detroit’s fifth defeat in its last six games and left the Tigers 10-16 in their last 26.

Mix in a couple Pirates stolen bases Monday and a Tiger wild pitch and you’ve got a dreadful performance for the Michiganders who made the trip to this exquisite National League ballpark nestled among the rivers and high hills of Western Pennsylvania.

Comparatively speaking, how bad is this slump? Earlier this season, the Tigers lapsed into a 9-20 skid, fell out of first place and recovered nicely to rebuild their lead in the American League Central to seven full games just three weeks ago.

So why worry now? Because they’re back in second place again, a half-game behind the Kansas City Royals, and this time it feels more severe than the June swoon.

If Verlander goes on the disabled list with Anibal Sanchez, the Tigers will have lost 40 percent of their elite starting rotation in less than a week.

Tuesday’s starter, Robbie Ray, is just one of many minor-league callups wearing the "D" shirt this week on a battered and shattered pitching staff. If it isn’t the new crisis of starters getting injured, it’s the ongoing crisis of the bullpen’s lack of reliability.

Now, for the rationalization. The day before, in Toronto, they lost a 6-5 result in 19 innings. They had to travel afterward. They were weary. They are on a wretched nine-game road trip that ends Tuesday night. So far, they are 2-6 on a three-city swing.

One positive sign: Miguel Cabrera, slumping since the All-Star break, had three hits for the second consecutive day. His first gave the Tigers a 1-0 lead. But, once again, Cabrera showed only warning-track power on his best fly balls.

Neither Cabrera nor many teammates were speaking in a somber clubhouse. Team president Dave Dombrowski and aide Jim Leyland huddled with Ausmus in the manager’s office. Dombrowski spoke briefly with reporters.

After expressing concern and hope for Verlander, Dombrowski discussed the team overall.

"We need to get our feet back on the ground right now," Dombrowski said.

Joe Lapointe is a sports columnist for MLive.com. He is a 20-year veteran of the New York Times sports department, 11-year veteran of the Detroit Free Press, and a Detroit native.