OAKLAND -- At least the Detroit Tigers bullpen didn't blow a 7-1 ninth-inning lead?

It was a day of noted bullpen failures, particularly within the American League, and the Tigers were not immune.

Just as the Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox fell victim to their own respective bullpen implosions, Detroit saw its relief corps crumble and give up nine runs as the Tigers suffered a 12-3 rout at the hands of a 21-29 Oakland A's team that hasn't exactly been an offensive juggernaut.

"It was just one of those days," said manager Brad Ausmus, who was back in the dugout for the first time since the death of his mother earlier this week. "Rough day for the 'pen. You're gonna have those days. We'll file it and come back tomorrow."

It wasn't quite the same sort of disaster that took place in Kansas City, where the White Sox allowed a shocking, seven-run rally by the reigning World Series champion Royals, or the two-inning special that did in the Red Sox against the Toronto Blue Jays, but it was disheartening just the same. Players chalked it up as simply an off-day, considering the team has played some of its best baseball of the season the past two weeks; they entered Saturday winners of nine of their past 11 games.

"We're not going to quit today," catcher Jarrod Saltalamacchia said.

Following a game-tying, two-run blast from veteran Victor Martinez in the sixth inning, the Tigers got hammered with Aussie reliever Warwick Saupold on the mound. Saupold, in to replace starter Matt Boyd in the bottom of the sixth, surrendered five straight hits before he got his first out of the inning, and that left Ausmus in the unenviable position of having to decide whether to risk further damage or tax his bullpen in a game that was quickly spinning out of control.

"Once you're trailing, you don't want to burn one of your back end guys," Ausmus said of sticking with Saupold in the sixth.

AWhile the A's roughed up Saupold, he wasn't the only one. It was another difficult outing for reliever Alex Wilson, who found himself trying to work through some recent mechanical adjustments at the worst possible time.

"It's never easy, especially against big league hitters, but at the same time, to get better, I'm going to have to find a way to make that happen," Wilson said.

Wilson gave up four runs on five hits in just two-thirds of an inning. At one point during Wilson's appearance, pitching coach Rich Dubee trotted out to the mound and told him to go back to what he had been doing before the tweaks, if only for the sake of getting an out.

Wilson sounded confident that he can right himself soon, but he admits he hasn't had a stretch such as this since he played Double-A ball in 2010.

"It's been a while. It's been a long while," Wilson said. "I came out of that one alright. I imagine I'll come out of this one alright. Gotta keep pushing and turn the page and start fresh tomorrow."

It was a day to forget for the Tigers. Given the outcome of the day's events for Boston and Chicago, Detroit wasn't alone.

"The best and worst thing about baseball," Wilson said, "is there is another game tomorrow."