April 10, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – A day after his bullpen completely melted down, Mike Matheny used his relievers the same way he had all season: Edward Mujica for the 7th, Trevor Rosenthal for the 8th, and Mitchell Boggs for the 9th. Matheny had said he would leave Boggs in the closer role for now, so his usage was no surprise, but Rosenthal’s status as the set-up man was up in the air. However despite his inexperience, the hard-throwing righty will continue on in his 8th inning role. Hierarchy change: Trevor Rosenthal to Set-up, Edward Mujica to 2nd in line.
|Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedSTL |Boggs |Rosenthal |Mujica |Motte |4/10/13 |Motte(DL) |
Milwaukee Brewers – John Axford took another loss yesterday and saw his ERA balloon to 24.30. It’s unlikely he’ll be used in a high-leverage situation any time soon, leaving the set-up spot behind Jim Henderson wide open. Mike Gonzalez, the only other player with closer experience in the bullpen, has also struggled so far this year, and was unable to get any outs after entering in the 7th. Last night, with both Henderson and reliable lefty Tom Gorzelanny unavailable, Ron Roenicke was actually going to use Burke Badenhop in the 9th inning if there was a save chance. As Roenicke shakes up his hierarchy, so do we. Hierarchy change: Tom Gorzelanny to Set-up, replacing John Axford; Burke Badenhop to 2nd in line, replacing Mike Gonzalez.
|Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedMIL |Henderson |Gorzelanny |Badenhop |Henderson |4/10/13
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates – Jason Grilli has pitched in three straight.
2. Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals – Mitchell Boggs has pitched in two straight and three of the last four.
