linkmaster
06-20-2006, 12:01 PM
Reading this really made me wonder, if the pen is so good, when will the rest of them team catch up and start putting together a stretch to get us atop the west?
"The Seattle Mariners Have A Dominant Late-Inning Tandem"
Posted: Saturday, June 17, 2006 12:00 AM
By: Rob Veno
"The focus for this article will be the Seattle Mariners, another American League West team with a strong bullpen.
Closer: J.J. Putz – He throws as hard as any closey in the game. Putz regularly runs his fastball up there at 95-99 mph. Putz’s climb to his current position as permanent closer for the Mariners has been rapid considering the fact that he was projected to be primarily a middle and occasional setup guy heading into this season. He had shown flashes of brilliance during his 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Mariners, but he was far to inconsistent to be given an important role. Returning closer Eddie Guardado struggled early on this season and much like the situation in Texas , the closer's job was taken away from “Everyday Eddie” and given to Putz. Since he took over the role, Putz has not allowed a single earned run in any of his nine save opportunities, and he has converted every one of them. His heater is backed by a nasty split finger fastball which caught Barry Bonds looking on a 3-2 count for the final out in last night’s Seattle victory. The flame-throwing righty has an ultra impressive 45 strikeouts in just 33 innings pitched this season and a 7.5:1 K:BB ratio. His WHIP is a stellar 0.85, and he has held opponents to a .183 batting average. In my estimation, he’s going to supplant the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez as the division's most dominant closer.
Setup Man: Rafael Soriano – He was supposed to be next in line for the closer’s job behind Guardado, but he’s settling in nicely as the setup manr. Like Putz, Soriano is a power pitcher first, as evidenced by his 10.19 strikeout average per nine innings. That number ranks second on the team only to Putz. He leads the bullpen with 35 innings pitched to this point, and opponents have struggled with him managing just 1.10 baserunners per inning and a .220 batting average. He has struck out 40 and walked just 11 while registering seven holds.
Left-Handed Specialist: George Sherrill – Many avid baseball followers, let alone the casual ones, have no idea this 29-year-old is even a big-league pitcher, but he is establishing himself as a top-fight specialist. His 0.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP against left-handed batters has helped elevate this bullpen to a higher level. Like the previously mentioned anchors, Sherill has been a strikeout pitcher. In 11 2/3 innings versus left-handers this season, Sherrill has 14 strikeouts and he has allowed just three hits. He has a 1.75 groundout-to-flyout ratio against lefties, which is important when trying to induce late-inning double plays. Sherrill has become a situational force"...
continued here...
http://www.sportsmemo.com/handicappers/veno/articles/637/
"The Seattle Mariners Have A Dominant Late-Inning Tandem"
Posted: Saturday, June 17, 2006 12:00 AM
By: Rob Veno
"The focus for this article will be the Seattle Mariners, another American League West team with a strong bullpen.
Closer: J.J. Putz – He throws as hard as any closey in the game. Putz regularly runs his fastball up there at 95-99 mph. Putz’s climb to his current position as permanent closer for the Mariners has been rapid considering the fact that he was projected to be primarily a middle and occasional setup guy heading into this season. He had shown flashes of brilliance during his 2004 and 2005 seasons with the Mariners, but he was far to inconsistent to be given an important role. Returning closer Eddie Guardado struggled early on this season and much like the situation in Texas , the closer's job was taken away from “Everyday Eddie” and given to Putz. Since he took over the role, Putz has not allowed a single earned run in any of his nine save opportunities, and he has converted every one of them. His heater is backed by a nasty split finger fastball which caught Barry Bonds looking on a 3-2 count for the final out in last night’s Seattle victory. The flame-throwing righty has an ultra impressive 45 strikeouts in just 33 innings pitched this season and a 7.5:1 K:BB ratio. His WHIP is a stellar 0.85, and he has held opponents to a .183 batting average. In my estimation, he’s going to supplant the Angels' Francisco Rodriguez as the division's most dominant closer.
Setup Man: Rafael Soriano – He was supposed to be next in line for the closer’s job behind Guardado, but he’s settling in nicely as the setup manr. Like Putz, Soriano is a power pitcher first, as evidenced by his 10.19 strikeout average per nine innings. That number ranks second on the team only to Putz. He leads the bullpen with 35 innings pitched to this point, and opponents have struggled with him managing just 1.10 baserunners per inning and a .220 batting average. He has struck out 40 and walked just 11 while registering seven holds.
Left-Handed Specialist: George Sherrill – Many avid baseball followers, let alone the casual ones, have no idea this 29-year-old is even a big-league pitcher, but he is establishing himself as a top-fight specialist. His 0.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP against left-handed batters has helped elevate this bullpen to a higher level. Like the previously mentioned anchors, Sherill has been a strikeout pitcher. In 11 2/3 innings versus left-handers this season, Sherrill has 14 strikeouts and he has allowed just three hits. He has a 1.75 groundout-to-flyout ratio against lefties, which is important when trying to induce late-inning double plays. Sherrill has become a situational force"...
continued here...
http://www.sportsmemo.com/handicappers/veno/articles/637/