When the M's started dropping saves in the ninth inning, without their All-Star closer, Kazuhiro Sasaki, nobody was worried. After all, that could happen even with Kaz in there. But after several losses in close games in the ninth, one tended to get a little more nervous when Melvin handed it over to the bullpen.
The bullpen has lost Sasaki twice this season. He strained his back in May and then fractured some ribs falling over a suitcase in June. The breaks are almost completely healed and his intercostal strain is much improved, but it is not certain when he will be able to return.
CHANGING ROLES
The biggest impact of losing Kaz was that some of the bullpen staff was overworked. Nelson, Rhodes and Hasegawa were forced to close out consecutive games. Going into the game on July 2, Jeff and Arthur had both worked three consecutive games and four of the last five. Shige had worked three of the last five games and pitched seven innings during that time.
That meant the long and middle relief guys weren't getting the work they needed. Mateo, Soriano and Aaron Taylor had to come in and finish out some games. They showed they can pitch, but they were not in their best roles.
SHIGE IS THE MAN
Hasegawa is ready to step into any pitching role. He has been a starter, a closer and a long reliever in his seven seasons with the major leagues and six Japanese League seasons. Of the closing job he says, "It's just pitching."
Shige's save on July 8 was his fourth this year and the twenty-first of his big league career. It also dropped his era to an unbelievable .79 for the season.
BACK IN STRIDE
Hasegawa's appointment to closer, until Sasaki returns, slid Nelson and Rhodes back into the roles they are perhaps the best in the game at: Setup men. This allows things to return to almost normal and lets Mateo, Soriano and Taylor get their normal share of work.
The M's still may not win them all-but, at least for now, maybe the fans can breathe a little easier in those close ninth innings. It's in Shige's hands.
References: http://www.heraldnet.com:
"M's beat Rangers in 10th", July 6, 2003
"M's hang on to beat O's", July 9, 2003
"Five M's named all-stars", July 7, 2003
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