2009 Closers Thread (No Game Commentary Please)

[converge241]

Anyone know if McClellan has potential to be stretched out to starting? (came into the game with the fork going in Carpenter again)

Cardinals have had some success moving the relivers into that role

Relevant to the thread only in the way that this takes him totally out of the saves "mix" if so..

[NZ Eff]

Anyone know if McClellan has potential to be stretched out to starting? (came into the game with the fork going in Carpenter again)

Cardinals have had some success moving the relivers into that role

Relevant to the thread only in the way that this takes him totally out of the saves "mix" if so..

McClellan was totally out of the saves mix yesterday. Franklin is clearly the closer now for the Cards.

[NittanyLions1]

Anyone know if McClellan has potential to be stretched out to starting? (came into the game with the fork going in Carpenter again)

Cardinals have had some success moving the relivers into that role

Relevant to the thread only in the way that this takes him totally out of the saves "mix" if so..

Its also relevant to the saves mix in another way...just SPECULATING but if they move McClellan to the rotation (which they considered in Spring if Carp wasnt going to be able to start this year), then they need another reliever right. Who could that be...maybe Mr. Perez? He's thrown well so far in AAA. SPECULATION of course but relevant because we want to be on top of potential closer moves right. Franklin is probably the short term closer (and maybe Reyes if they run into the lefty situation again) but longer term they want Motte or Perez to take over imo. If Franklin is somehow dominant that may change but I think they look at Franklin more as an 8th inning guy longer term.

[converge241]

Thanks on that spring tidbit..I thought I read somewhere McClellan might start but then I couldnt remember where so thought I was fabricating it LOL

I think Franklin is THE guy right now in my mind I own him in a few and between warming up for it Sunday, getting it Monday and potentially getting it here ronight should solidfy that a little more

of course if he gets bombed its back to square one on this circus

edit: OR IF KINNEY BLOWS THE @$%&() LEAD (sorry minor bit of game commentary)

[jealousblues]

Kyle hasnt been great this year but there was talk of him starting in spring...

that said by the time he is stretched out Carp hopefully will be back from his appearent rib/oblique injury anyway

I would think we bring Mortensen/Walters or Boggs up to start if needed before Kyle moves into the rotation.

Though I could also see Perez back up (hes been pitching well) and Kinney has been bad (as well as others in the pen)

[Havok1517]

On a side note to the Cards closers fiasco, Qualls did not look good tonight, he did strikeout 3 in the inning but those he couldn't get to chase got hits and he blew the save. This is just something to monitor.

[The G.O.A.T.]

Qualls looked fine. What happened is Felipe Lopez is a horrible baseball player. 2 run lead and the runner on first takes off and he goes to cover the bag instead of staying home. Barden hits a little dribbler to right where he would have been. So instead of it being man on 2nd 2 outs it is 1st and 3rd one out. Pretty much went south there.

[loyal_bushie]

On a side note to the Cards closers fiasco, Qualls did not look good tonight, he did strikeout 3 in the inning but those he couldn't get to chase got hits and he blew the save. This is just something to monitor.

Game commentary, game commentary!! Oh wait, he's the thread author. Never mind.

To add on to monitoring Qualls, Tony Pena (next in line?) has been talked about as a potential closer of the future and has looked good. Is he a better handcuff than Rauch at this point? My thought is that Qualls has a long leash, but this would suggest (to me) that switching from Qualls to Rauch to me would be a wash, so the only reason I'd think that Qualls would get pulled is if they wanted to go a different direction entirely (Pena).

[jsphlly]

Anyone see Ziegler pitch? 2 scoreless, but 2 hits and 2 walks, interested to see how he looked.

[NittanyLions1]

Anyone know if McClellan has potential to be stretched out to starting? (came into the game with the fork going in Carpenter again)

Cardinals have had some success moving the relivers into that role

Relevant to the thread only in the way that this takes him totally out of the saves "mix" if so..

Its also relevant to the saves mix in another way...just SPECULATING but if they move McClellan to the rotation (which they considered in Spring if Carp wasnt going to be able to start this year), then they need another reliever right. Who could that be...maybe Mr. Perez? He's thrown well so far in AAA. SPECULATION of course but relevant because we want to be on top of potential closer moves right. Franklin is probably the short term closer (and maybe Reyes if they run into the lefty situation again) but longer term they want Motte or Perez to take over imo. If Franklin is somehow dominant that may change but I think they look at Franklin more as an 8th inning guy longer term.

From St. Louis today concerning moves they may make because of Carp...

The Cardinals are operating under a tight turnaround for making a move before Wednesday’s game, which begin at noon Phoenix time. It’s is likely that the Cardinals will make two moves as a result of Carpenter’s injury. The bullpen was taxed covering the seven innings left in the game, and there will be an opening for a starter Sunday at Wrigley Field. The most likely move for the Cardinals is to promote Chris Perez from Class AAA and consider bringing a starter like Mitchell Boggs, who had spot starts in the majors last season, up as well. General manager John Mozeliak declined to name specific options, but he agreed that two moves were possible — one to address the bullpen and the other two solve the starter vacancy.

“That’s a viable option,” Mozeliak said. “The probability of us making a move is there.”