Well, it's become quite obvious that the Mets desperately need to find someone else to close in Billy Wagner's absence. When Wagner had to miss a game against the Phillies three weeks ago with forearm stiffness, Duaner Sanchez dropped the ball. Since Wagner was placed on the DL last week, Heilman has been awful in two of his four ninth inning chances. In order to put an end to the bullpen's pattern of implosion, Jerry Manuel offered two other options after yesterday's game: Eddie Kunz and John Maine.
Kunz closed for Oregon State's College World Series team in 2006 and was the closer for Double-A Binghamton before the Mets called him up to the big leagues. The Mets drafted him with the intention of molding him into their closer of the future, since Wagner is 36 years old and has just one year left on his contract after this season. Despite his lack of major league experience, he's actually the only pitcher on the Mets' staff other than Wagner with any sort of closing experience. At first Manuel wanted to keep him out of high-pressure situations for the time being, but the ineptitude of the rest of the bullpen has forced the manager's hand. Consistent with Manuel's comments after yesterday's game, Kunz will get an opportunity to close tonight, if necessary.
John Maine is an interesting candidate because he certainly has the stuff to be a closer, but his lack of experience and the Mets' needs in the starting rotation might dissuade Manuel from using him in that role. The main problem with the Mets' starting staff this year has been their inability to go deep into games, and Maine has been just as guilty as anyone, but he's still got to be better than any alternative. Brian Stokes looked decent in his start on Saturday, but the Mets might be wiser to use Stokes in long relief should he remain with the big league club. Omar Minaya expressed his reluctance to call up left-hander Jon Niese, because that would cause him to be arbitration-eligible one year earlier.
Like I've been saying all along, the best way to avoid using a leaky bullpen is for the starters to pitch more innings. Ideally, Wagner will be able to pitch once he's eligible to come off the DL. But if he isn't, the closer situation will depend on how well Kunz performs. Hopefully Kunz will solve the problem, and Maine will be able to return to the rotation once he's healthy. But if Kunz falters and Maine needs to close, that severely weakens the rotation, which in turn further exposes the bullpen, and who knows if the Mets' playoff chances can withstand that? That's quite a lot of pressure on the rookie's shoulders...
Around The League
The Tigers have signed Freddy Garcia to bolster their ailing starting rotation. They are not certain whether he will be able to contribute at the major league level this year, but they are hoping some time in Triple-A will get him ready. The Red Sox placed Tim Wakefield on the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation, and subsequently traded for Paul Byrd. Byrd was 7-10 with a 4.53 ERA with Cleveland, but is 4-0 with a 1.24 ERA since the All-Star break. Boston is currently four games behind Tampa Bay for the lead in the AL East, but leads the AL Wild Card race by two games over the White Sox, five games over the Yankees and seven games over the Rangers. If Byrd pitches well down the stretch he could give the Red Sox a boost to the postseason. He was 2-0 in the playoffs last year.
In baseball's weakest division, the 60-58 Diamondbacks lead the .500 Dodgers by one game. Last night the Dodgers beat the Phillies, who they play seven more times this season. Philadelphia leads the NL East by two games over the Mets and 2.5 games over Florida. Tonight they will send Cole Hamels to the hill against Dodgers rookie Clayton Kershaw.
The Brewers have won six straight games, but still remain 3.5 games behind the Cubs in the NL Central. Milwaukee leads the NL Wild Card race by three games over the Cardinals, 5.5 games over the Mets and six games over the Marlins. C.C. Sabathia and Ben Sheets pitched back-to-back complete game shutouts last week, so it seems their pitching is performing as advertised. Dave Bush has pitched well of late, and Manny Parra is 9-5. As long as their offense keeps up their production, the Brewers are in line to make the playoffs for the first time since they won the World Series in 1982.
Keywords: Aaron Heilman, Arizona Diamondbacks, Ben Sheets, Billy Wagner, Boston Red Sox, Brian Stokes, C.C. Sabathia, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Clayton Kershaw, Cleveland Indians, Cole Hamels, Dave Bush, Detroit Tigers, Duaner Sanchez, Eddie Kunz, Florida Marlins, Freddy Garcia, Jerry Manuel, John Maine, Los Angeles Dodgers, Manny Parra, Milwaukee Brewers, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Omar Minaya, Paul Byrd, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays, Texas Rangers, Tim Wakefield
