Closer without the "C" = "B-R-U-N-E-Y"

[spikecop02]

Bruney must be sent down!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[AZZenny]

Believe me, I wasn't defending him - I was just surprised, because it has felt like he had a lot of blown saves. I've been ready to send him down for a week or two.

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

RANT alert: Last night I was banging my head against the steering wheel while Bordow of the Trib said Voldemort is looking at Bob Wickman, Jose Mesa, Jeremy Affeldt and Danys Baez, to 'settle down' our bullpen and would look at trading some talent - Cintron, Santos, Hairston were likely possibilities he said (and then said 'if we had Aquino or Cormier as set up and Mesa or Wickman as closer it could be like when the Giants had Rodriguez and Nen'! What was he snorting!? --oh, wait - my bad, maybe he meant when Nen was injured.)

After I was done shrieking "Wickman's Old and Fat! Mesa's Old and Fat! Affeldt lost his closer's job in friggin' KANSAS CITY and he's not healthy! Baez has a bad shoulder!!"

You must be registered for see images

It occurred to me another name in trade might be Tracy, and let Conor and Clark man 1st. Unlikely, but not impossible. In which case, what the hell! - I'm all for it -- bring on an old fat injured closer!

You must be registered for see images

This morning I hear Eddie Guardado is under consideration, too. Hmmm... well, OK, if he doesn't cost too much.

A minor point - the pen is not going to be THAT improved by any one guy. The old chestnut 'They'll know their roles and everybody can relax and prepare' nonsense is being trotted out now - they could be given set-in-stone roles right now, if BoMel and staff chose to do so (and would ever stick with it) (and if the starters could be predictable about their innings before they lose it) - I doubt it would make any difference at all in the combined or individual WHIP or ERA of the rest of them.

I was so annoyed that Matt HurtUs actually had a fair inning last night - now he may have bought himself more time.

Did you all realize Bruney has actually only blown one save? I sure didn't.

These guys may be marginal, but marginal is 200% better than what we're getting out there now. The D-Backs don't need bullpen guys with sub-2 ERAs, they need serviceable guys who Melvin trusts can get some outs. If we don't find relievers that can do this (whether from outside or within the organization), then we'll be the ones selling at the deadline.

 

[AZZenny]

True, marginal is better than consistently disastrous, and after the last couple games, there's no question something fairly radical needs to be done -- but not if we get guys who aren't healthy, which has sort of been our FO habit. They are supposed to be very interested in Affeldt - but turns out he lost the closer job for KC partly because he has constant problems with blisters and something else - shoulder or wrist or something, I forget - and just is always day-to-day this season. Shades of Mantei. Baez has been skirting the DL for a couple weeks with a 'stiff shoulder.' So I guess I'd opt for old and fat, as long as whoever is not too expensive and stays healthy. Maybe we should look up Mike Morgan.

 

[AZZenny]

Interesting that they just released Shane Nance - which seems especially weird since he was doing pretty well in the Tucson Bullpen, and he couldn't be worse than Vargas, Herges, Lightenberg... They had to either call him up here by July 1 or release him anyhow, but at this point I'd certainly have him up here over Vargas for a couple weeks and see how he does.

You know - I really just don't understand what they are thinking with the bullpen. I did hear yesterday that they'd tried to sign Graves.

 

[Gnomad]

i dono... for my money it doesn't get much worse than Koplove/Bruney to blow a lead.

 

[AZZenny]

Per AZ Daily Sun:

Tolar, Ligtenberg on their way out

Veteran relievers Kevin Tolar and Kerry Ligtenberg enacted the July 1 options in their contracts, meaning the Diamondbacks will release them today.

I have a hard time imagining Tolar is really much worse than J. Lopez. Ligtenberg pitched some decent innings in triple-A. Which sort of proves the Peter Principle once again.