Archive for Blake Parker

In the aftermath of the Brandon Kintzler trade, the Twins were going to use a committee to close games, but those committee meetings have not been well-attended. Ever since the Twins dealt Kintzler on July 31, Matt Belisle has been the only closer the Twins have called upon (not including Dillon Gee’s four-inning save on Tuesday), and he is the only one they have needed.

Belisle was brought in for the ninth inning against the Brewers on Wednesday and he struck out the side, but with a four-run lead, he was not credited with a save. However, he closed out the series opener against the Brewers on Monday as well as the finale against the Rangers on Sunday. While Taylor Rogers has looked better in his last few outings, Belisle seems to have a firm grip on the job. He has not allowed an earned run since June 24, and since the beginning of June, he has a 1.61 ERA with one home run allowed.
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Sometimes, the best part about trading season is less about the additions some clubs make than it is about the new roles of those left behind. In fantasy baseball, that’s rarely more relevant than it is in the bullpen, where the “save” can suddenly make barely-notable middle relievers valuable properties, simply because they’ll be pitching now in the ninth rather than the seventh or eighth.

While we could see closers move in a few places, the most likely spot to see this happen this year is going to be in Chicago, where Kevin Gregg is 35, a free-agent-to-be, having a surprisingly good season, and absolutely not going to be with the Cubs the next time they’re any good. Dale Sveum’s club has already gone through three closers this year — first Carlos Marmol before he was demoted and traded, then Kyuji Fujikawa before he got hurt, now Gregg — and it seems more likely than not that they’ll end up with at least one more before the season is out.

So… who’s it going to be? Read the rest of this entry »