Archive for the ‘Bullpen’ Category

This is bullsh*t

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008

I don’t know what else to say, really. The D-Backs just finished ripping the heart of the Cardinals yet again, ruining Lohse’s six-shutout-inning effort by scoring four runs against the bullpen: two in the seventh and another two in the ninth.

You know how everyone used to say about the ‘96-’00 Yankees that they “shortened the game”? That the bullpen was so consistent that they won something like 95% of games in which they had the lead after the sixth inning? Yeah. Those were good times. Good times. For Yankees fans.

I’d like to write something really thoughtful about the Cardinals’ bullpen travails, with exhaustive research and probing analysis, perhaps leading to an insightful conclusion about how to rectify the situation, but y’know what? I just can’t. Not right now. I’m too worn out, too emotionally spent. Too hoarse from cursing at the screen.

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Closer to a Closer?

Tuesday, August 12th, 2008

Everybody knows that Cardinals have had trouble in the bullpen this year.  Everybody knows that Isringhausen and Franklin have accumulated a pile of missed save opportunities along with 10 losses between them.  Neither has the ERA of a closer and Isringhausen’s current 5.98 ERA is difficult to align with his career statistics.  With the recent recall of Chris Perez, the Cardinals may be closing in on a solution.  Since rejoining the club last week, Perez has made three appearances, each scoreless and each of one inning or more.  His first appearance saw him pitch an inning and two-thirds of scoreless baseball on just 21 pitches, leading to his first career save.  I admit that it is hard to project Perez as the closer based on eleven outs, but with five strikeouts, four ground ball outs, one fly out, and a runner caught stealing against just two walks and one hit, he seems to be pitching the way a closer should.  I think it’s prudent to keep the closer-by-committee policy alive, but I like what I’m seeing from Chris Perez.

Posted in Bullpen, Chris Perez, Closer | 1 Comment »