2009 Closers Thread (No Game Commentary Please)

[quitesanemax]

If nothing else I am pretty confident he won't hurt me in the meantime like the other flavors of the week (Izzy, Wheeler, etc).

Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.86 and 5.11
Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 3.38 and 13.5

Are you sure about that?

You have to look at more than just their stats for the year...


Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.17 and 2.63
Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 1.00 and 0.00

Any chance it may be Rauch who gets the job? Of course he has been getting some garbage time, but 2 of the last 3 have been in close games. One was right after Qualls blew the save. It was tied. The other was in that 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. Those are pressure situations. Pena has really been bad over the last month, and Rauch does have some experience at the job...

Max

[T-Bone Costanza]

If nothing else I am pretty confident he won't hurt me in the meantime like the other flavors of the week (Izzy, Wheeler, etc).

Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.86 and 5.11
Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 3.38 and 13.5

Are you sure about that?

You have to look at more than just their stats for the year...


Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.17 and 2.63
Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 1.00 and 0.00

Any chance it may be Rauch who gets the job? Of course he has been getting some garbage time, but 2 of the last 3 have been in close games. One was right after Qualls blew the save. It was tied. The other was in that 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. Those are pressure situations. Pena has really been bad over the last month, and Rauch does have some experience at the job...

Max

Nice post, some good ideas about Rauch. He did look pretty strong on Sunday, I'm going be watching this one closely to see if there are signs pointing to him getting some chances while the Qualls situation is playing itself out. Although depth-chart wise I'm pretty sure it's Pena.

[Magnus_CA]

If nothing else I am pretty confident he won't hurt me in the meantime like the other flavors of the week (Izzy, Wheeler, etc).

Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.86 and 5.11
Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 3.38 and 13.5

Are you sure about that?

You have to look at more than just their stats for the year...


Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.17 and 2.63
Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 1.00 and 0.00

Any chance it may be Rauch who gets the job? Of course he has been getting some garbage time, but 2 of the last 3 have been in close games. One was right after Qualls blew the save. It was tied. The other was in that 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. Those are pressure situations. Pena has really been bad over the last month, and Rauch does have some experience at the job...

Max

Rauch has fallen out of favor with the decision makers in Arizona. He will most likely be in another uniform very soon.

[buffalobillsrul2002]

ATL/PITT had some strange things going on...

If I am reading the ESPN updates right, it seems Gonzo was relieved by Soriano (which who knows with those two) and then Burnett??? over Grabow. Am I reading into this, or reading it wrong? More interested in the Burnett coming in the 9th rather than the Soriano, since that has happened before.

Gonzo/Soriano is almost a CBC, with a slight edge to Gonzalez. In this case Gonzalez was brought in because LaRoche and Moss were both due up in the 8th. as for Pitt, it makes perfect sense to go Grabow in the 8th, and then not use your closer in the 9th, with the theory being that you're waiting for a lead to use your closer (not that I agree with it, but I'm sure that's the reasoning....)

[slomo007]

If nothing else I am pretty confident he won't hurt me in the meantime like the other flavors of the week (Izzy, Wheeler, etc).

Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.86 and 5.11
Pena's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 3.38 and 13.5

Are you sure about that?

You have to look at more than just their stats for the year...


Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last month: 1.17 and 2.63
Rauch's WHIP and ERA over the last week: 1.00 and 0.00

Any chance it may be Rauch who gets the job? Of course he has been getting some garbage time, but 2 of the last 3 have been in close games. One was right after Qualls blew the save. It was tied. The other was in that 1-0 loss to the Dodgers. Those are pressure situations. Pena has really been bad over the last month, and Rauch does have some experience at the job...

Max

I don't think it's wise to look at a 15 IP sample and judge a pitcher based on it. He has good career #s with over 200 IP. Rauch is a decent reliever but is tradeable (experienced and not too expensive). Unless they plug him in to the role simply to showcase him for a trade then I just don't see the logic in making him the closer.

[Little Lee]

http://spittingseeds.blogspot.com/2009/ ... osers.html

Nice site for up to date closer info

[quitesanemax]

I don't think it's wise to look at a 15 IP sample and judge a pitcher based on it. He has good career #s with over 200 IP. Rauch is a decent reliever but is tradeable (experienced and not too expensive). Unless they plug him in to the role simply to showcase him for a trade then I just don't see the logic in making him the closer.

I think 15 innings is plenty of pitching to make a judgement call on whether you think this guy is going to hurt your ERA and WHIP... well, for a reliever anyway. Pitchers aren't like hitters... they can lose it just like that... and get it back as well. But unless you have some way of knowing exactly when he is going to get it back, then all you have to go on is his stats of the last month. I tend to go by monthly stats at this point in the season... within reason. Its all about what you've done for me lately in this game. At some point you have to forget about the past, and realize that he is what he is this year. Now with the elite pitchers, you can give them a little more rope, but Pena hasn't shown me that he is all that.

Don't get me wrong, if this guys the closer, and you need saves... and you don't mind taking a hit to your ERA and WHIP, go for it. But the poster I was answering was saying that this guy is safer than those Rays relievers, and I just don't see that.

By the way, last year Pena's WHIP was 1.33, and his ERA was 4.33. I guess that's okay, but its not spectacular... He had a good year in 2007, but a lot of pitchers have one good year.

Just my 2 cents...

Max

[Little Lee]

Izzy update:

RHP Jason Isringhausen met with manager Joe Maddon on Monday to discuss his lack of opportunities, the St. Petersburg Times reported. Isringhausen said "everything's fine" after Maddon explained his plan to use relievers based on match-ups. Isringhausen did say, "I have to gain his trust a little bit, go out there and get people out on a regular basis." Maddon said it's not a matter of trust but opportunity.

(Yahoo! Sports)

By the all star break the closer job will be his!

[18 and 1]

Izzy update:

RHP Jason Isringhausen met with manager Joe Maddon on Monday to discuss his lack of opportunities, the St. Petersburg Times reported. Isringhausen said "everything's fine" after Maddon explained his plan to use relievers based on match-ups. Isringhausen did say, "I have to gain his trust a little bit, go out there and get people out on a regular basis." Maddon said it's not a matter of trust but opportunity.

(Yahoo! Sports)

By the all star break the closer job will be his!

Why should he be? Howell has obviously shown that he's the best pitcher in the bullpen.

[Neato Torpedo]

At this point Joe Nelson is probably ahead of Izzy in line. I don't know what I was expecting when I picked him up when he got called up.