| HeraldNet - Snohomish County's online news source |
 FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2008 2:48 am |
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Sports 
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Mariners Bullpen: Can it hold the lead? The Mariners spent all of spring training trying to piece the bullpen puzzle together, sorting through rehab patients and the tweaked shoulder suffered by Brandon Morrow.The M's hope they've assembled a relief corps similar to the 2001 bullpen, which featured two of the best setup men in the game in left-hander Arthur Rhodes and right-hander Jeff Nelson, leading to closer Kazuhiro Sasaki. If the Mariners had a lead after six innings, the game essentially was over. This year, it's Eric O'Flaherty and Brandon Morrow getting the game to closer J.J. Putz. Here's a look at the 2008 bullpen: J.J. Putz Closer Putz won the Rolaids Relief Man award after recording a career-best 40 saves with a 1.38 earned run average. He became one of 12 closers in major league history to record more saves than hits allowed (37) in a season. Putz threw 712/3 innings, the second-most in his big-league career, and only three of his 40 saves were less than one inning. Brandon Morrow Right-handed setup Morrow became the third player from the 2006 draft to pitch in the major leagues and he was the seventh in Mariners history to make his big-league debut in the year after he was drafted. He struck out 66 hitters in 631/3 innings, combining his mid-90 mph fastball with a splitter. Morrow made seven starts for Lara in the Venezuelan Winter League when the Mariners considered switching him to a starter, but he moved back to the bullpen at spring training after the club traded for starter Erik Bedard. Eric O'Flaherty Left-handed setup The 23-year-old Walla Walla native was one of the pleasant young surprises of 2007, going 7-1 with a 4.43 ERA in 56 relief appearances. His seven victories tied for the American League lead for rookie relievers and his 36 strikeouts ranked 12th. Sean Green Right-handed setup Green's sinker became a huge pitch when the Mariners needed someone to produce a ground ball bail them out of dicey situations with runners on base. He went 5-2 with a 3.84 ERA. He pitched in 61 games after being recalled from Class AAA Tacoma on May 23, the most appearances in the American League in that time. Mark Lowe Right-handed setup A year and a half ago, there was no guarantee that Lowe's career would resume after he underwent elbow surgery to fix a rare defect in the cartilage. Doctors told him to expect the worst. He's making the best of it. Lowe, who pitched four games for the Mariners last year before pain flared up and he had to be shut down, made steady progress at spring training and has regained his mid-90 mph velocity. If he can stay healthy, Lowe not only will be a success story, he'll bring some badly needed high heat to the late innings. Chris Reitsma Right-handed setup Mariners fans never got a chance to see the real Reitsma, who needed elbow surgery and missed most of last season. That's one reason Reitsma turned away other offers and signed a minor-league contract with the Mariners. He looked strong in spring training and gives the Mariners an experienced veteran in a bullpen filled with young pitchers. R.A. Dickey Right-handed long relief This may be Dickey's best opportunity to show that he's made a complete conversion into a knuckleball pitcher. He throws the knuckler harder than most, but it's still a pitch that's easy on Dickey's arm. It allows the Mariners to use him not only in long relief but as a spot starter. Cha Seung Baek Right-handed long relief Baek has long been a promising prospect who's had chances at the major league level but always seemed to either fall short or get hurt. Because he was out of minor league options, the Mariners had to make a difficult decision knowing if they didn't keep Baek, he probably would be claimed by another team. Ryan Rowland-Smith Left-handed long relief Like Morrow, Rowland-Smith stretched himself out in winter ball in case he would be needed as a starter. The rotation was filled by the additions of Erik Bedard and Carlos Silva, shoving Rowland-Smith back into the competition for a bullpen role. He pitched well at spring training, following up on a nice first big league season when he went 1-0 with a 3.96 ERA in 26 relief appearances. Man on the spot: Eric O'Flaherty O'Flaherty became the winner in a competition for the left-handed specialist role with Arthur Rhodes and Cesar Jimenez. The pressure is on because O'Flaherty fills a role occupied so well last year by George Sherrill, who was a key piece in the trade with the Orioles for starter Erik Bedard. In his first major league season, O'Flaherty put up nice numbers against left-handed hitters, holding them to a .183 average and allowing only one extra-base hit. O'Flaherty said he thrives on late-inning pressure, which seems to make him a good fit for this role. O'Flaherty said he pictures himself as the late-inning lefty. He enjoys the pressure and has the unflappable personality needed for the situation. "I think what makes guys pitching late in the game so good is they can control their emotions and dial it down," he said. "Everyone feels a ton of emotion, a ton of adrenaline, and the guys that control it and use it in a good way are the ones that do well in those roles." --Kirby Arnold |
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