Quote of the day
"The last two innings seemed like a week and a half." -- Dodgers manager Joe Torre, after a 7th inning 6-2 lead turned into a 10-9 loss in PhillyDaily blurb
Back in March, Jonathan Broxton was the first closer taken in the RIBC draft. Jon Papelbon was third (with Mariano Rivera sandwiched in between). Last night, both Jons went in the dumper, blowing 3-run leads in the 9th inning and taking losses. It was the 5th blown save of the season for Broxton, and #6 for Papelbon.
Broxton is no stranger to occasional blown saves, as he’s averaged about one per month over the last three years. But his current ERA of 3.50 and his WHIP of 1.32 are very pedestrian. Pap has blown a few more than usual this year, posting an ERA of 3.26 and a WHIP of 1.15. Neither is in the top five in saves, although Papelbon ranks 6th (Broxton 19th). I guess it just goes to show that there is no such thing as a “reliable closer”.
The top three in saves this year are Heath Bell, Brian Wilson, and Rafael Soriano. Bell was the 7th closer drafted in the RIBC. Soriano was 10th, and Wilson 11th. Beware of those three next year.
Fog has once again delayed the start of play in the PGA Championship, and there is no chance they’ll complete round two today. Hopefully, they can get back on schedule tomorrow, although the potential for severe thunderstorms may interfere on Saturday morning.