Luvofthegame
09-15-2006, 11:57 PM
Veteran reliever is doing the job of two setup men
By Matthew Leach
MLB.com
9/15/06
From the day Braden Looper signed with the Cardinals, his jobs were clear. Task one: be the last bridge to Jason Isringhausen in the ninth inning. Task two: be ready to fill in when and if Isringhausen can't take the ball.
At job one, Looper has proven himself a success. He's thrown strikes, kept the ball in the park and preserved the leads that have been handed to him. It's job two that's been a bit odd. Looper may have been passed on the ninth-inning depth chart by a pitcher who came to Spring Training as a contender for a starting rotation spot.
Since Isringhausen was shelved with hip pain, the Cardinals actually haven't been faced with a save situation despite winning three games. But given the way Looper has been used in that time, it's evident that his role has changed in a different way than might have been anticipated.
Rather than taking over the ninth-inning duties, it appears that his role has expanded in the other direction. He's doing the work of two setup men. Each of Looper's two appearances since Isringhausen has been hurt lasted two innings. Three times in four September appearances, he's gone two full innings.
"I've been doing that quite a bit," he said. "But this is the time of year when everybody's got to pull up the bootstraps, and no matter how you feel, we've got to go out and get these wins."
The bullpen has held its own in Isringhausen's absence. Whether it be holding a lead or keeping a deficit close, St. Louis relievers are going well. The relief ERA over those seven days is a respectable -- if not great -- 4.26, with only Jorge Sosa struggling.
"I think everybody's throwing the ball well," Looper said. "Obviously it would be nice to get Izzy back and get him throwing the way he's capable of, just because it's hard to replace.
"Maybe you can have a couple guys step up and fill in his role while he's gone, but then you've got somebody else. It's like a chain effect. You're still losing one guy. We really need him. Hopefully he'll be OK and be able to pitch."
Manager Tony La Russa goes into each game with a pitcher or two in mind for the end of the game, based on the opponent as well as availability of his various relievers. For the most part, Looper or Adam Wainwright will be the first choice. Given both men's difficulty against left-handed hitters, though, sometimes there will be a left-handed option as well.
"I think you have a certain number of guys that have shown they can handle different roles, and you want to see who's pitching at that time," La Russa said. "And also, when you decide what the big inning is; it may not be the ninth. "
Randy Flores represents the best left-handed option, while Josh Hancock may figure in as a third right-handed choice. But Wainwright and Looper remain the top choices. In a sense, Looper is doing the jobs that both he and Wainwright were doing when Isringhausen was available.
"I'm not going to use Looper or Wainwright in the sixth," La Russa said. "Unless I think it's the inning of decision, then you'd use one of those two guys."
Ideally, the Cardinals will get an effective Isringhausen back soon, but there's simply no guarantee of that. In the meantime, they'll figure it out as they go. Looper may continue biting off two innings at a time, or he may find himself doing something different.
Typically, when he hasn't had Isringhausen, La Russa has gone largely on the freshness of his various options. The guy who hasn't been used as extensively, as recently, gets the longer assignment. The guy who may have been worked a little harder in the previous couple of days gets the shorter one.
"I've gone through this before," he said. "I haven't always had [Dennis] Eckersley or Izzy. You've just got to read the game. We are playing a lot of games, with one day off, so it is going to have something to do with availability. Just try to reason it through."
By Matthew Leach
MLB.com
9/15/06
From the day Braden Looper signed with the Cardinals, his jobs were clear. Task one: be the last bridge to Jason Isringhausen in the ninth inning. Task two: be ready to fill in when and if Isringhausen can't take the ball.
At job one, Looper has proven himself a success. He's thrown strikes, kept the ball in the park and preserved the leads that have been handed to him. It's job two that's been a bit odd. Looper may have been passed on the ninth-inning depth chart by a pitcher who came to Spring Training as a contender for a starting rotation spot.
Since Isringhausen was shelved with hip pain, the Cardinals actually haven't been faced with a save situation despite winning three games. But given the way Looper has been used in that time, it's evident that his role has changed in a different way than might have been anticipated.
Rather than taking over the ninth-inning duties, it appears that his role has expanded in the other direction. He's doing the work of two setup men. Each of Looper's two appearances since Isringhausen has been hurt lasted two innings. Three times in four September appearances, he's gone two full innings.
"I've been doing that quite a bit," he said. "But this is the time of year when everybody's got to pull up the bootstraps, and no matter how you feel, we've got to go out and get these wins."
The bullpen has held its own in Isringhausen's absence. Whether it be holding a lead or keeping a deficit close, St. Louis relievers are going well. The relief ERA over those seven days is a respectable -- if not great -- 4.26, with only Jorge Sosa struggling.
"I think everybody's throwing the ball well," Looper said. "Obviously it would be nice to get Izzy back and get him throwing the way he's capable of, just because it's hard to replace.
"Maybe you can have a couple guys step up and fill in his role while he's gone, but then you've got somebody else. It's like a chain effect. You're still losing one guy. We really need him. Hopefully he'll be OK and be able to pitch."
Manager Tony La Russa goes into each game with a pitcher or two in mind for the end of the game, based on the opponent as well as availability of his various relievers. For the most part, Looper or Adam Wainwright will be the first choice. Given both men's difficulty against left-handed hitters, though, sometimes there will be a left-handed option as well.
"I think you have a certain number of guys that have shown they can handle different roles, and you want to see who's pitching at that time," La Russa said. "And also, when you decide what the big inning is; it may not be the ninth. "
Randy Flores represents the best left-handed option, while Josh Hancock may figure in as a third right-handed choice. But Wainwright and Looper remain the top choices. In a sense, Looper is doing the jobs that both he and Wainwright were doing when Isringhausen was available.
"I'm not going to use Looper or Wainwright in the sixth," La Russa said. "Unless I think it's the inning of decision, then you'd use one of those two guys."
Ideally, the Cardinals will get an effective Isringhausen back soon, but there's simply no guarantee of that. In the meantime, they'll figure it out as they go. Looper may continue biting off two innings at a time, or he may find himself doing something different.
Typically, when he hasn't had Isringhausen, La Russa has gone largely on the freshness of his various options. The guy who hasn't been used as extensively, as recently, gets the longer assignment. The guy who may have been worked a little harder in the previous couple of days gets the shorter one.
"I've gone through this before," he said. "I haven't always had [Dennis] Eckersley or Izzy. You've just got to read the game. We are playing a lot of games, with one day off, so it is going to have something to do with availability. Just try to reason it through."