I was listening to the Pirates broadcast of the Reds/Pirates game (forgive me, I don't know their names) and one of them said about Francisco Cordero "This does NOT look like a premier closer."
He's right.
All closers blow games from time to time. Hell, the great Mariano Rivera spit the bit last night.
But Cordero imploded against the Pirates today and allowed Andrew McCutchen to clear the bases with 2 outs in the 9th and give the Pirates a 3-1 win.
I know going into this game Cordero had a 5.40 ERA in September. This couldn't have helped.
And this after Nick Masset got bombarded the other night.
Your team is going to the playoffs... and you have a few weeks to line up the rotation. And you also have a few weeks to fix the closer spot.
Don't talk to me about loyalty. Loyalty comes up with managers say "I HAD to stick with my guy" after Mitch Williams or Armando Benitez or Byeun Yung Kim coughed it up.
Trust me, you stay with Cordero, you will be mumbling in a post game press conference this October "He's the one who got us here."
There have been times when injuries or ineffectiveness put a new closer into the playoff spot. Remember Todd Worrell for the 1985 Cardinals? Bobby Jenks with the 2005 White Sox? Adam Wainwright with the 2006 Cardinals?
All had the chance to clinch the World Series and 2 did (Worrell had the Denkinger call against him.)
So take a veteran like Arthur Rhodes, a starter who won't make a playoff start like Travis Wood or Homer Bailey or just mix and match for match ups.
Or take the mystery kid Aroldis Chapman and hope he pulls a K-Rod in the 2002 playoffs and nobody can hit him.
You just can't go to Cordero anymore... or you'll look like THIS more often.
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