By Ben Jacobs, Rotoworld.com
April 20, 2006
It’s early in the season, but several big-name closers are already starting to provide reasons to worry. Francisco Rodriguez has four saves, but he also has a 6.75 ERA. Huston Street also has four saves, but that comes with a 7.94 ERA.
Eddie Guardado has only saved two games, and his ERA has ballooned to 11.57. Jason Isringhausen is also at four saves, but he’s giving up an earned run per inning. Francisco Cordero has more blown saves (two) than saves (one), and his ERA is at 10.50.
Which of these normally reliable closers should you really be concerned about and which are going to be just fine? Read on and I’ll give my thoughts on each of them, as well as the closers (and important setup men) for all the other teams.
Closers are rated in the following categories: rock solid, secure, shaky, almost done, injured.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Closer: Jose Valverde (secure).
Key setup men: Brandon Lyon, Luis Vizcaino.
Valverde has had one bad outing this season, and it was his last. On Monday, he blew his first save, suffered his first loss and allowed his first runs of the season. He’ll be fine though, and he’ll start getting the saves you’re expecting as Arizona starts playing more close games.
The good news for the Diamondbacks is that both Lyon and Vizcaino have been excellent as Valverde’s setup men, and either could step in at closer if needed. I still think Lyon would get the first opportunity just because of his previous experience in the role.
Atlanta Braves
Closer: Chris Reitsma (shaky).
Key setup men: Oscar Villarreal, Lance Cormier, Kenny Ray.
Reitsma has only pitched once since last week, allowing two hits in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his fourth save on Friday. His ERA is still at 6.35, and he’s probably still a few bad outings (especially if he blows some saves) away from being replaced at closer.
Villarreal has blown two saves, but one of them wasn’t really his fault and he’s also 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Cormier has been just as good, lowering his ERA to 0.84 on Monday (although his five strikeouts and five walks in 10 2/3 innings aren’t very good). Either of them could get called on within the next few weeks to close games for the Braves.
Baltimore Orioles
Closer: Chris Ray (secure).
Key setup men: LaTroy Hawkins.
Ray has been one of the very best relievers in baseball early in this season, as he’s struck out seven with just one walk in 6 1/3 innings while allowing no runs and converting all five of his save opportunities. He’ll give up some runs and blow some saves eventually, but there’s not reason he can’t save 40-45 games and be one of the top 5-8 closers this season.
Boston Red Sox
Closer: Jonathan Papelbon (secure).
Key setup men: Keith Foulke, Mike Timlin.
At this point, you would have to figure that Papelbon is going to be the closer for a long time, if not the whole season. He hasn’t given up a run or blown a save yet, and his only really scary outing came Tuesday when he loaded the bases before Adam Stern saved him with a great catch.
If the Red Sox were to replace a dominant closer like Papelbon with a questionable reliever like Foulke and then lost a game because of it, there would be bedlam in Boston. It’s simply not going to happen. Foulke is going to have to pitch very well and Papelbon’s going to have to struggle a bit before a change will even be considered.
Chicago Cubs
Closer: Ryan Dempster (secure).
Key setup men: Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Scott Williamson.
Somehow, Dempster has turned into a record-setting reliever, as his save Wednesday was his 23rd in a row, a record for the Cubs. He also still hasn’t given up a run since last August.
More important than the pitching of Dempster, however, is probably the pitching of Williamson. If he stays healthy and keeps pitching like this (1.42 ERA with nine strikeouts and three walks in 6 1/3 innings), it gives the Cubs two options. They can keep him around as a second quality setup man along with Howry, or they can trade him over the summer to a contender that is in need of a closer.
Williamson has some value already if he can keep his ERA low and his strikeouts high while winning a game here and there. That value is just a little higher because of the chance that he could end up with a team that will let him close.
Chicago White Sox
Closer: Bobby Jenks (secure).
Key setup men: Neal Cotts, Cliff Politte, Brandon McCarthy.
Jenks is now finally past the stage where his shaky spring should be a cause for concern. He’s converted all six of his save opportunities, he’s finally got his ERA below 4.00 and Cotts (his main competition for the job) still has an ERA of 6.00.
McCarthy has clearly moved into a more important setup role with the White Sox as well, and he may actually get the first chance to replace Jenks if there’s an injury or Jenks goes in the tank.
Cincinnati Reds
Closer: Dave Weathers (shaky), Kent Mercker (shaky).
Key setup men: Todd Coffey, Rick White.
Weathers has gotten a chance to save four games so far (converting three) while Mercker and White have each gotten one save chance (both were successful). Weathers had one bad outing that hurt his ERA, but was pretty solid Wednesday. Mercker, meanwhile, has been amazing with seven strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings and a 2.70 ERA.
Weathers will probably continue to get more of the save attempts than anybody else, but a tough stretch for him will have Mercker getting chances pretty quickly. And if both struggle, Coffey has also pitched well and could supplant both of them.
Cleveland Indians
Closer: Bob Wickman (secure).
Key setup men: Guillermo Mota, Rafael Betancourt, Fernando Cabrera.
Wickman hasn’t seen much action in the last week, pitching one scoreless inning in a blowout to lower his ERA to 2.25. Mota has yet to allow a run and Betancourt is pitching well enough, which is the good news for Cleveland.
The bad news is that Cabrera, who was so impressive in 30 2/3 innings last year, has a 17.36 ERA with seven walks in 4 2/3 innings and is currently “rehabbing” an “injury” in the minor leagues. In reality, he’s trying to get the kinks worked out without having to go through waivers to get sent down to the minors.
Colorado Rockies
Closer: Brian Fuentes (secure).
Key setup men: Jose Mesa, Ray King, Tom Martin.
Mesa showed his first signs of weakness Tuesday when he blew a save by allowing five baserunners (and amazingly just one run) in the eighth inning. His ERA is still just 1.17, but it will be above 5.00 to stay in no time.
Luckily for the Rockies, Fuentes is a pretty good bet to continue pitching well, and King and Martin are both doing a fine job so far.
Detroit Tigers
Closer: Todd Jones (injured).
Key setup men: Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker, Joel Zumaya.
Jones is expected to come off the DL Friday, and he may get a few non-save outings at first to prove he’s healthy. Assuming there are no setbacks, however, he will have the closer’s role within 7-10 days.
Rodney will go back to being the top setup man and will wait for Jones to get hurt again or pitch badly enough to lose the job, either of which is a definite possibility.
Florida Marlins
Closer: Joe Borowski (shaky).
Key setup men: Matt Herges, Todd Wellemeyer, Josh Johnson.
The Marlins just might not be worth the trouble of trying to figure out who will get their saves. Johnson has the best potential, but even he has the drawback of no control (eight walks in 8 2/3 innings).
Borowski might give you a save every couple weeks if he keeps the job, but you’ll have to put up with a bad ERA and bad WHIP along the way. Herges’ ERA looks better now that three of his runs have become unearned, but he still has a WHIP over 2.00 and isn’t likely to be a good reliever.
Houston Astros
Closer: Brad Lidge (rock solid).
Key setup men: Dan Wheeler, Chad Qualls, Russ Springer.
Lidge has had a couple shaky outings this year, but he’s closed the door in time in all five of his save opportunities. He also has 12 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings, so his pitches are as difficult to hit as ever.
Wheeler has struggled a little bit recently, but he’s still a quality reliever and the top setup man for the Astros.
Kansas City Royals
Closer: Mike MacDougal (injured).
Key setup men: Ambiorix Burgos, Andy Sisco, Elmer Dessens.
Burgos is pitching well enough, but the Royals are so bad that he may not get more than one save opportunity every two weeks. Burgos probably has three or four weeks left to really impress the Royals if he wants to steal the closer’s job before MacDougal gets back.
I would guess that MacDougal will probably finish the season with about 15 saves, and Burgos with 5-10. Both of them could be worth using despite the low save totals if they can keep the ERAs down, because they do strike people out.
Los Angeles Angels
Closer: Francisco Rodriguez (secure).
Key setup men: Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly.
Rodriguez blew his first save Wednesday and saw his ERA go up to 6.75. Still, he’s not one of the big-name closers with poor numbers that you should be worried about. He has six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings and he’ll be fine as long as he doesn’t have many more two-walk innings like he did Wednesday.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Closer: Eric Gagne (injured).
Key setup men: Danys Baez, Takashi Saito, Hong-Chih Kuo.
Baez still hasn’t given up an earned run, but he was ineffective for the first time Wednesday as three unearned runs got him a blown save and a loss. He’s still a quality closer to have around until Gagne gets healthy.
The biggest surprise for the Dodgers is that Saito is becoming the top setup man while Baez is closing, as he’s struck out six with no walks and no runs in 6 2/3 innings this season. At this point, he’s probably next in line to get saves if Baez gets hurt.
Milwaukee Brewers
Closer: Derrick Turnbow (secure).
Key setup men: Matt Wise, Dan Kolb.
Turnbow still hasn’t allowed a run or blown a save, although his WHIP is 1.50 at the moment. That will need to come down or he’ll start giving up some runs and blowing some saves soon. Ultimately, though, he’s looking like one of the better closers in baseball this year.
Wise got roughed up on Monday, but he’s still Turnbow’s top setup man. Kolb was pitching well until his elbow started bothering him, and now he may need to go on the DL. Justin Lehr has done a nice job pitching the innings that probably would have gone to Kolb otherwise.
Minnesota Twins
Closer: Joe Nathan (rock solid).
Key setup men: Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon, Francisco Liriano.
Nathan allowed his first hit of the season Wednesday, but he also picked up his first win thanks to Minnesota’s late rally. Crain continues to struggle while Rincon continues to pitch well.
Liriano gave up his first run of the season Wednesday, but he also struck out two more to improve to 15 strikeouts (with just two walks) in 9 1/3 innings. This kid just might turn into a pretty good pitcher.
New York Mets
Closer: Billy Wagner (rock solid).
Key setup men: Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez.
Wagner is starting to settle into a nice groove for the Mets as he has four saves and a 1.29 ERA. Heilman and Sanchez are both still pitching well as his setup men, and Jorge Julio finally had his first solid appearance (a perfect inning with two strikeouts) on Tuesday.
New York Yankees
Closer: Mariano Rivera (rock solid).
Key setup men: Kyle Farnsworth, Tanyon Sturtze.
Well, it looks like Rivera got his one bad outing of the year out of the way on Saturday and he can now go on to dominate the rest of the season. He only has two saves and a 4.15 ERA, but I don’t think anybody really expects that he won’t have 40-plus saves and a sub-2.50 ERA by the end of the year.
Oakland Athletics
Closer: Huston Street (secure).
Key setup men: Justin Duchscherer, Kiko Calero.
Street got bombed Sunday for four runs to blow his first save, suffer his first loss and increase his ERA to 9.64. He bounced back just fine on Tuesday, however, pitching a perfect inning with two strikeouts for save number four. He’ll be just fine.
Duchscherer, meanwhile, still hasn’t allowed a run and has 10 strikeouts against two walks in eight innings this season. He may be the best setup man in baseball with 95 strikeouts, 21 walks and a 2.02 ERA in 93 2/3 innings since the beginning of 2005.
Philadelphia Phillies
Closer: Tom Gordon (secure).
Key setup men: Arthur Rhodes, Aaron Fultz.
Tom Gordon has shown given no indication that he can’t be an excellent closer again at the age of 38. He’s 4-for-4 in save opportunities so far with a 1.35 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Rhodes was pitching very well this season until he gave up two runs Tuesday in what was a close game before he and Geoff Geary got their hands on it.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Closer: Mike Gonzalez (secure).
Key setup men: Roberto Hernandez, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte.
Save opportunity number three went to Gonzalez, with Hernandez setting him up as people expected. It will probably be at least a few more weeks before we really have a sense of how many saves Hernandez might steal because Jim Tracy is willing to use Gonzalez earlier than the ninth, but it probably won’t have too big an effect on Gonzalez’s value.
San Diego Padres
Closer: Trevor Hoffman (rock solid).
Key setup men: Scott Linebrink, Alan Embree.
Hoffman, Linebrink, Embree and Scott Cassidy are all pitching well so far, so it’s something of a shame that the Padres haven’t had more small leads for them to protect this season.
Two things seem likely to change: Hoffman will start getting more saves, and Embree and Cassidy will both start pitching worse.
San Francisco Giants
Closer: Armando Benitez (injured).
Key setup men: Tim Worrell, Tyler Walker, Scott Munter.
If Worrell keeps pitching like this (6-for-6 in save chances with a 1.23 ERA), it’s going to be hard for the Giants to just hand the closer’s job back to Benitez when he’s healthy. It’s actually very likely that Benitez will spend a week or two in middle relief to prove he can be effective before the Giants use him to replace a closer who has already been effective.
Seattle Mariners
Closer: Eddie Guardado (shaky).
Key setup men: J.J. Putz, Rafael Soriano.
Francisco Rodriguez and Huston Street I told you not to worry about despite their ugly ERAs. Guardado, on the other hand, you should be worried about. He’s striking people out, but he’s already allowed two homers in 5 2/3 innings and more than two baserunners per inning.
He’s 35 years old, he’s not as healthy as he once was, and there’s an excellent reliever on the Mariners ready to replace him any time Seattle wants in Soriano (1.00 ERA with seven strikeouts and three walks in nine innings). Putz (despite his 4.00 ERA) might even be a better option as he has 14 strikeouts and just one walk in eight innings.
With two guys who can pitch as well as Putz and Soriano, Guardado won’t be allowed to stink the joint up for very much longer.
St. Louis Cardinals
Closer: Jason Isringhausen (secure).
Key setup men: Braden Looper, Brad Thompson.
Isringhausen has really only had a couple bad appearances so far this season. He’s appeared in seven games so far and he’s only allowed runs in two of those appearances. The problem is that he allowed four runs without getting an out in one of them, which sent his ERA through the roof.
I’m not worried about him at all, and if you look at his numbers in a month or so, they should be pretty close to where you would expect them to be.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Closer: Dan Miceli (almost done).
Key setup men: Shawn Camp, Chad Orvella, Travis Harper.
Miceli is still the closer, but he has five walks and only one strikeout on his way to an 8.10 ERA in his first 6 2/3 innings. Combine that with the fact that his ERA was nearly 6.00 last season (I know it was in Colorado), and it seems foolish to believe he’ll pitch well enough to remain the closer for very long.
The question is just who replaces him. Orvella was expected to be the closer coming into the season, but he struggled in spring training and got sent to the minors. He’s back in the majors now, but he had a rough first outing and will need at least two weeks of really solid work before Joe Maddon probably trusts him enough. Camp has pitched well enough to get a chance to close, but it’s hard to see that continuing with just three walks in 9 1/3 innings.
It may take longer than expected, but I still think Orvella will ultimately be the closer for Tampa Bay.
Texas Rangers
Closer: Francisco Cordero (shaky).
Key setup men: Akinori Otsuka, Antonio Alfonseca, Joaquin Benoit.
Cordero had already been struggling somewhat this season, but then he gave up four runs in a third of an inning Wednesday to blow his second save and suffer his second loss. His ERA now stands at 10.50 and he’s allowing more than two baserunners per inning.
Cordero had some shoulder trouble during spring training, and the way he’s pitching suggests that it might not have gone away. I wouldn’t give up on Cordero yet, but you should pick up Otsuka for sure if he’s available because he’ll get the save chances if Cordero hits the DL.
Toronto Blue Jays
Closer: B.J. Ryan (rock solid).
Key setup men: Justin Speier, Scott Schoeneweis, Jason Frasor.
Ryan has been pretty filthy so far this season, as he has six strikeouts and just one walk in six innings and hasn’t allowed a run yet. Schoeneweis hasn’t allowed a run yet either and seems to have passed Frasor as the second setup man, and Speier is still pitching very well and holding down the top setup man position.
Washington Nationals
Closer: Chad Cordero (secure).
Key setup men: Gary Majewski, Felix Rodriguez.
Cordero probably should have gotten another save opportunity Wednesday, but Frank Robinson decided to do things a little bit differently. Instead of turning things over to Majewski, his top setup man, with a one-run lead with one out in the eighth, he sent Joey Eischen out.
Eischen proceeded to load the bases without recording an out, at which point Majewski finally emerged, but he couldn’t escape Eischen’s jam. Then, since the game was tied, Mike Stanton came in for extra innings and proceeded to lose the game.
At least you know Cordero isn’t going to lose any saves because he’s being used in a non-traditional fashion though.
Ben Jacobs is a sports copy editor and freelance writer whose work can also be found on The Hardball Times
Contact Ben Jacobs
April 20, 2006
It’s early in the season, but several big-name closers are already starting to provide reasons to worry. Francisco Rodriguez has four saves, but he also has a 6.75 ERA. Huston Street also has four saves, but that comes with a 7.94 ERA.
Eddie Guardado has only saved two games, and his ERA has ballooned to 11.57. Jason Isringhausen is also at four saves, but he’s giving up an earned run per inning. Francisco Cordero has more blown saves (two) than saves (one), and his ERA is at 10.50.
Which of these normally reliable closers should you really be concerned about and which are going to be just fine? Read on and I’ll give my thoughts on each of them, as well as the closers (and important setup men) for all the other teams.
Closers are rated in the following categories: rock solid, secure, shaky, almost done, injured.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Closer: Jose Valverde (secure).
Key setup men: Brandon Lyon, Luis Vizcaino.
Valverde has had one bad outing this season, and it was his last. On Monday, he blew his first save, suffered his first loss and allowed his first runs of the season. He’ll be fine though, and he’ll start getting the saves you’re expecting as Arizona starts playing more close games.
The good news for the Diamondbacks is that both Lyon and Vizcaino have been excellent as Valverde’s setup men, and either could step in at closer if needed. I still think Lyon would get the first opportunity just because of his previous experience in the role.
Atlanta Braves
Closer: Chris Reitsma (shaky).
Key setup men: Oscar Villarreal, Lance Cormier, Kenny Ray.
Reitsma has only pitched once since last week, allowing two hits in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his fourth save on Friday. His ERA is still at 6.35, and he’s probably still a few bad outings (especially if he blows some saves) away from being replaced at closer.
Villarreal has blown two saves, but one of them wasn’t really his fault and he’s also 4-0 with a 1.12 ERA. Cormier has been just as good, lowering his ERA to 0.84 on Monday (although his five strikeouts and five walks in 10 2/3 innings aren’t very good). Either of them could get called on within the next few weeks to close games for the Braves.
Baltimore Orioles
Closer: Chris Ray (secure).
Key setup men: LaTroy Hawkins.
Ray has been one of the very best relievers in baseball early in this season, as he’s struck out seven with just one walk in 6 1/3 innings while allowing no runs and converting all five of his save opportunities. He’ll give up some runs and blow some saves eventually, but there’s not reason he can’t save 40-45 games and be one of the top 5-8 closers this season.
Boston Red Sox
Closer: Jonathan Papelbon (secure).
Key setup men: Keith Foulke, Mike Timlin.
At this point, you would have to figure that Papelbon is going to be the closer for a long time, if not the whole season. He hasn’t given up a run or blown a save yet, and his only really scary outing came Tuesday when he loaded the bases before Adam Stern saved him with a great catch.
If the Red Sox were to replace a dominant closer like Papelbon with a questionable reliever like Foulke and then lost a game because of it, there would be bedlam in Boston. It’s simply not going to happen. Foulke is going to have to pitch very well and Papelbon’s going to have to struggle a bit before a change will even be considered.
Chicago Cubs
Closer: Ryan Dempster (secure).
Key setup men: Bob Howry, Scott Eyre, Scott Williamson.
Somehow, Dempster has turned into a record-setting reliever, as his save Wednesday was his 23rd in a row, a record for the Cubs. He also still hasn’t given up a run since last August.
More important than the pitching of Dempster, however, is probably the pitching of Williamson. If he stays healthy and keeps pitching like this (1.42 ERA with nine strikeouts and three walks in 6 1/3 innings), it gives the Cubs two options. They can keep him around as a second quality setup man along with Howry, or they can trade him over the summer to a contender that is in need of a closer.
Williamson has some value already if he can keep his ERA low and his strikeouts high while winning a game here and there. That value is just a little higher because of the chance that he could end up with a team that will let him close.
Chicago White Sox
Closer: Bobby Jenks (secure).
Key setup men: Neal Cotts, Cliff Politte, Brandon McCarthy.
Jenks is now finally past the stage where his shaky spring should be a cause for concern. He’s converted all six of his save opportunities, he’s finally got his ERA below 4.00 and Cotts (his main competition for the job) still has an ERA of 6.00.
McCarthy has clearly moved into a more important setup role with the White Sox as well, and he may actually get the first chance to replace Jenks if there’s an injury or Jenks goes in the tank.
Cincinnati Reds
Closer: Dave Weathers (shaky), Kent Mercker (shaky).
Key setup men: Todd Coffey, Rick White.
Weathers has gotten a chance to save four games so far (converting three) while Mercker and White have each gotten one save chance (both were successful). Weathers had one bad outing that hurt his ERA, but was pretty solid Wednesday. Mercker, meanwhile, has been amazing with seven strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings and a 2.70 ERA.
Weathers will probably continue to get more of the save attempts than anybody else, but a tough stretch for him will have Mercker getting chances pretty quickly. And if both struggle, Coffey has also pitched well and could supplant both of them.
Cleveland Indians
Closer: Bob Wickman (secure).
Key setup men: Guillermo Mota, Rafael Betancourt, Fernando Cabrera.
Wickman hasn’t seen much action in the last week, pitching one scoreless inning in a blowout to lower his ERA to 2.25. Mota has yet to allow a run and Betancourt is pitching well enough, which is the good news for Cleveland.
The bad news is that Cabrera, who was so impressive in 30 2/3 innings last year, has a 17.36 ERA with seven walks in 4 2/3 innings and is currently “rehabbing” an “injury” in the minor leagues. In reality, he’s trying to get the kinks worked out without having to go through waivers to get sent down to the minors.
Colorado Rockies
Closer: Brian Fuentes (secure).
Key setup men: Jose Mesa, Ray King, Tom Martin.
Mesa showed his first signs of weakness Tuesday when he blew a save by allowing five baserunners (and amazingly just one run) in the eighth inning. His ERA is still just 1.17, but it will be above 5.00 to stay in no time.
Luckily for the Rockies, Fuentes is a pretty good bet to continue pitching well, and King and Martin are both doing a fine job so far.
Detroit Tigers
Closer: Todd Jones (injured).
Key setup men: Fernando Rodney, Jamie Walker, Joel Zumaya.
Jones is expected to come off the DL Friday, and he may get a few non-save outings at first to prove he’s healthy. Assuming there are no setbacks, however, he will have the closer’s role within 7-10 days.
Rodney will go back to being the top setup man and will wait for Jones to get hurt again or pitch badly enough to lose the job, either of which is a definite possibility.
Florida Marlins
Closer: Joe Borowski (shaky).
Key setup men: Matt Herges, Todd Wellemeyer, Josh Johnson.
The Marlins just might not be worth the trouble of trying to figure out who will get their saves. Johnson has the best potential, but even he has the drawback of no control (eight walks in 8 2/3 innings).
Borowski might give you a save every couple weeks if he keeps the job, but you’ll have to put up with a bad ERA and bad WHIP along the way. Herges’ ERA looks better now that three of his runs have become unearned, but he still has a WHIP over 2.00 and isn’t likely to be a good reliever.
Houston Astros
Closer: Brad Lidge (rock solid).
Key setup men: Dan Wheeler, Chad Qualls, Russ Springer.
Lidge has had a couple shaky outings this year, but he’s closed the door in time in all five of his save opportunities. He also has 12 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings, so his pitches are as difficult to hit as ever.
Wheeler has struggled a little bit recently, but he’s still a quality reliever and the top setup man for the Astros.
Kansas City Royals
Closer: Mike MacDougal (injured).
Key setup men: Ambiorix Burgos, Andy Sisco, Elmer Dessens.
Burgos is pitching well enough, but the Royals are so bad that he may not get more than one save opportunity every two weeks. Burgos probably has three or four weeks left to really impress the Royals if he wants to steal the closer’s job before MacDougal gets back.
I would guess that MacDougal will probably finish the season with about 15 saves, and Burgos with 5-10. Both of them could be worth using despite the low save totals if they can keep the ERAs down, because they do strike people out.
Los Angeles Angels
Closer: Francisco Rodriguez (secure).
Key setup men: Scot Shields, Brendan Donnelly.
Rodriguez blew his first save Wednesday and saw his ERA go up to 6.75. Still, he’s not one of the big-name closers with poor numbers that you should be worried about. He has six strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings and he’ll be fine as long as he doesn’t have many more two-walk innings like he did Wednesday.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Closer: Eric Gagne (injured).
Key setup men: Danys Baez, Takashi Saito, Hong-Chih Kuo.
Baez still hasn’t given up an earned run, but he was ineffective for the first time Wednesday as three unearned runs got him a blown save and a loss. He’s still a quality closer to have around until Gagne gets healthy.
The biggest surprise for the Dodgers is that Saito is becoming the top setup man while Baez is closing, as he’s struck out six with no walks and no runs in 6 2/3 innings this season. At this point, he’s probably next in line to get saves if Baez gets hurt.
Milwaukee Brewers
Closer: Derrick Turnbow (secure).
Key setup men: Matt Wise, Dan Kolb.
Turnbow still hasn’t allowed a run or blown a save, although his WHIP is 1.50 at the moment. That will need to come down or he’ll start giving up some runs and blowing some saves soon. Ultimately, though, he’s looking like one of the better closers in baseball this year.
Wise got roughed up on Monday, but he’s still Turnbow’s top setup man. Kolb was pitching well until his elbow started bothering him, and now he may need to go on the DL. Justin Lehr has done a nice job pitching the innings that probably would have gone to Kolb otherwise.
Minnesota Twins
Closer: Joe Nathan (rock solid).
Key setup men: Jesse Crain, Juan Rincon, Francisco Liriano.
Nathan allowed his first hit of the season Wednesday, but he also picked up his first win thanks to Minnesota’s late rally. Crain continues to struggle while Rincon continues to pitch well.
Liriano gave up his first run of the season Wednesday, but he also struck out two more to improve to 15 strikeouts (with just two walks) in 9 1/3 innings. This kid just might turn into a pretty good pitcher.
New York Mets
Closer: Billy Wagner (rock solid).
Key setup men: Aaron Heilman, Duaner Sanchez.
Wagner is starting to settle into a nice groove for the Mets as he has four saves and a 1.29 ERA. Heilman and Sanchez are both still pitching well as his setup men, and Jorge Julio finally had his first solid appearance (a perfect inning with two strikeouts) on Tuesday.
New York Yankees
Closer: Mariano Rivera (rock solid).
Key setup men: Kyle Farnsworth, Tanyon Sturtze.
Well, it looks like Rivera got his one bad outing of the year out of the way on Saturday and he can now go on to dominate the rest of the season. He only has two saves and a 4.15 ERA, but I don’t think anybody really expects that he won’t have 40-plus saves and a sub-2.50 ERA by the end of the year.
Oakland Athletics
Closer: Huston Street (secure).
Key setup men: Justin Duchscherer, Kiko Calero.
Street got bombed Sunday for four runs to blow his first save, suffer his first loss and increase his ERA to 9.64. He bounced back just fine on Tuesday, however, pitching a perfect inning with two strikeouts for save number four. He’ll be just fine.
Duchscherer, meanwhile, still hasn’t allowed a run and has 10 strikeouts against two walks in eight innings this season. He may be the best setup man in baseball with 95 strikeouts, 21 walks and a 2.02 ERA in 93 2/3 innings since the beginning of 2005.
Philadelphia Phillies
Closer: Tom Gordon (secure).
Key setup men: Arthur Rhodes, Aaron Fultz.
Tom Gordon has shown given no indication that he can’t be an excellent closer again at the age of 38. He’s 4-for-4 in save opportunities so far with a 1.35 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings.
Rhodes was pitching very well this season until he gave up two runs Tuesday in what was a close game before he and Geoff Geary got their hands on it.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Closer: Mike Gonzalez (secure).
Key setup men: Roberto Hernandez, Salomon Torres, Damaso Marte.
Save opportunity number three went to Gonzalez, with Hernandez setting him up as people expected. It will probably be at least a few more weeks before we really have a sense of how many saves Hernandez might steal because Jim Tracy is willing to use Gonzalez earlier than the ninth, but it probably won’t have too big an effect on Gonzalez’s value.
San Diego Padres
Closer: Trevor Hoffman (rock solid).
Key setup men: Scott Linebrink, Alan Embree.
Hoffman, Linebrink, Embree and Scott Cassidy are all pitching well so far, so it’s something of a shame that the Padres haven’t had more small leads for them to protect this season.
Two things seem likely to change: Hoffman will start getting more saves, and Embree and Cassidy will both start pitching worse.
San Francisco Giants
Closer: Armando Benitez (injured).
Key setup men: Tim Worrell, Tyler Walker, Scott Munter.
If Worrell keeps pitching like this (6-for-6 in save chances with a 1.23 ERA), it’s going to be hard for the Giants to just hand the closer’s job back to Benitez when he’s healthy. It’s actually very likely that Benitez will spend a week or two in middle relief to prove he can be effective before the Giants use him to replace a closer who has already been effective.
Seattle Mariners
Closer: Eddie Guardado (shaky).
Key setup men: J.J. Putz, Rafael Soriano.
Francisco Rodriguez and Huston Street I told you not to worry about despite their ugly ERAs. Guardado, on the other hand, you should be worried about. He’s striking people out, but he’s already allowed two homers in 5 2/3 innings and more than two baserunners per inning.
He’s 35 years old, he’s not as healthy as he once was, and there’s an excellent reliever on the Mariners ready to replace him any time Seattle wants in Soriano (1.00 ERA with seven strikeouts and three walks in nine innings). Putz (despite his 4.00 ERA) might even be a better option as he has 14 strikeouts and just one walk in eight innings.
With two guys who can pitch as well as Putz and Soriano, Guardado won’t be allowed to stink the joint up for very much longer.
St. Louis Cardinals
Closer: Jason Isringhausen (secure).
Key setup men: Braden Looper, Brad Thompson.
Isringhausen has really only had a couple bad appearances so far this season. He’s appeared in seven games so far and he’s only allowed runs in two of those appearances. The problem is that he allowed four runs without getting an out in one of them, which sent his ERA through the roof.
I’m not worried about him at all, and if you look at his numbers in a month or so, they should be pretty close to where you would expect them to be.
Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Closer: Dan Miceli (almost done).
Key setup men: Shawn Camp, Chad Orvella, Travis Harper.
Miceli is still the closer, but he has five walks and only one strikeout on his way to an 8.10 ERA in his first 6 2/3 innings. Combine that with the fact that his ERA was nearly 6.00 last season (I know it was in Colorado), and it seems foolish to believe he’ll pitch well enough to remain the closer for very long.
The question is just who replaces him. Orvella was expected to be the closer coming into the season, but he struggled in spring training and got sent to the minors. He’s back in the majors now, but he had a rough first outing and will need at least two weeks of really solid work before Joe Maddon probably trusts him enough. Camp has pitched well enough to get a chance to close, but it’s hard to see that continuing with just three walks in 9 1/3 innings.
It may take longer than expected, but I still think Orvella will ultimately be the closer for Tampa Bay.
Texas Rangers
Closer: Francisco Cordero (shaky).
Key setup men: Akinori Otsuka, Antonio Alfonseca, Joaquin Benoit.
Cordero had already been struggling somewhat this season, but then he gave up four runs in a third of an inning Wednesday to blow his second save and suffer his second loss. His ERA now stands at 10.50 and he’s allowing more than two baserunners per inning.
Cordero had some shoulder trouble during spring training, and the way he’s pitching suggests that it might not have gone away. I wouldn’t give up on Cordero yet, but you should pick up Otsuka for sure if he’s available because he’ll get the save chances if Cordero hits the DL.
Toronto Blue Jays
Closer: B.J. Ryan (rock solid).
Key setup men: Justin Speier, Scott Schoeneweis, Jason Frasor.
Ryan has been pretty filthy so far this season, as he has six strikeouts and just one walk in six innings and hasn’t allowed a run yet. Schoeneweis hasn’t allowed a run yet either and seems to have passed Frasor as the second setup man, and Speier is still pitching very well and holding down the top setup man position.
Washington Nationals
Closer: Chad Cordero (secure).
Key setup men: Gary Majewski, Felix Rodriguez.
Cordero probably should have gotten another save opportunity Wednesday, but Frank Robinson decided to do things a little bit differently. Instead of turning things over to Majewski, his top setup man, with a one-run lead with one out in the eighth, he sent Joey Eischen out.
Eischen proceeded to load the bases without recording an out, at which point Majewski finally emerged, but he couldn’t escape Eischen’s jam. Then, since the game was tied, Mike Stanton came in for extra innings and proceeded to lose the game.
At least you know Cordero isn’t going to lose any saves because he’s being used in a non-traditional fashion though.
Ben Jacobs is a sports copy editor and freelance writer whose work can also be found on The Hardball Times
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