NL Closers

There has not be a permanent change in closers in the NL yet.

Chris Reitsma looks like the worst of the lot, but the Braves have given no indication of taking him out of the role.

Joe Borowski looks like he will be sharing the role with some of the Marlins no-name relievers, but, until another reliever(s) gets two saves in a row, I will withhold the determination that Borowski has lost the job.

Brad Lidge was removed for three days to work on his mechanics. As the Astros had no save opportunities during that three-game stretch where Taylor Buchholz, Wandy Rodriguez and Fernando Nieve got destroyed, one cannot prove Lidge was actually not the closer.

Todd Coffey was used by the Reds to save a game last week and was promptly used in a non-save appearance in his next game. How can one conclude the role changed when Dave Weathers was used to close a game subsequent to Coffey's save?

The Dodgers lost Eric Gagne to the DL prior to the start of the season, and Danys Baez has operated as the closer in the interim. Grady Little did state he was going to use a commitee after Baez blew four straight saves.

Unfortunately, there have been few save opportunities since (Baez 1 and Taikito 1) to conclusively determine if Baez was out. I do concede that Baez's usage in the 7th and 8th would say he has lost the job.

There may never be a determination of that, though, because Eric Gagne looks to be back within the week.

What all this means is no team has fallen into a $10 or less closer this year, and that event is usually a positive sign of a successful season for the lucky owner.