Sox will take relief where they find it

[SSH2005]

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Sox will take relief where they find it

Roles may remain in flux this season

 

By Mark Gonzales

Tribune staff reporter

March 29, 2006, 9:39 PM CST

 

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The revolving door that pushed White Sox relievers to near the top of major-league bullpens last season will continue to spin.

 

And the Sox don't care who ends up where, despite recent uncertainty at the back end of the bullpen.

 

"As we go, guys will show us where they need to pitch," pitching coach Don Cooper said.

 

Recent developments suggest the script could resemble 2005, when the closer's role was passed from struggling Shingo Takatsu to ailing Dustin Hermanson to rookie Bobby Jenks.

 

"I think it's an attitude we have to uphold and go out there and throw strikes and keep the game where it's at," said Cotts, who has been used twice in a closer's role in the last nine days. "It will be a learning experience, I'm sure, for a couple of guys.

 

"I was in the same circumstance (as a rookie in 2004). I just watched [veterans in] how they went about there business."

 

Manager Ozzie Guillen hasn't been afraid to opt for the most effective pitcher at the time in late-inning situations, so the roles of the entire bullpen could change throughout the course of the season.

 

It means the hottest pitchers will pitch the latter innings as they did last year, when left-hander Cotts and Cliff Politte moved to late-inning roles.

 

Carrying three left-handed relievers also gives Guillen the flexibility to use them when a favorable matchup surfaces.

 

"I always think the bullpen, to a large degree, settles itself," Cooper said.

 

The Sox also will have more pitchers to examine this season.

 

Bullpen newcomers Matt Thornton, Boone Logan and Brandon McCarthy (a former starter who could rejoin the rotation in the future) will try to fill the void left by the departures of the more seasoned Damaso Marte (now with Pittsburgh), Luis Vizcaino (Arizona) and Takatsu (Japan).

 

"The bottom line is we're going to feel comfortable about our bullpen's ability to come in and keep the game where it's at," Cooper said. "The bullpen's job is to get the first guy. I say get the first two guys and hold the score where it's at, pouring strikes in and attacking.

 

"Our bullpen was strong last year. It has a little different makeup this year. I'm of the belief [the relievers] always show us where to pitch (them). Politte already has done it (he was moved to the late-inning role). We're trying to get Bobby untracked."

 

Jenks' fastball has been scrutinized this spring because it has been clocked 5 m.p.h. slower than last year. His robust frame, stemming from off-season workouts that concentrated more on weightlifting than conditioning, also has been a concern.

 

But a key for Jenks is his ability to polish the curve and slider he virtually abandoned during the World Series. That enabled Houston's hitters to cheat on his fastball.

 

Jenks, though, believes his sharp-breaking curve is back, citing his three-inning stint Saturday against Colorado's Triple-A team.

 

"I got a couple of guys out when I needed to," Jenks said. "I can throw it on 1-2 and 0-2 counts. It's there.

 

"The curve and slider are my two most important pitches, other than my fastball. On certain days if my curve isn't there, my slider will be there. I'll throw it any time."

 

In an effort to simulate regular-season situations, Cooper had Logan throw on consecutive days (he pitched two scoreless innings Tuesday and Wednesday).

 

Jenks is scheduled to throw Thursday and Friday and to take Saturday off to rest up for the regular-season opener.

 

"On days Bobby can't throw, we're going to go by what we did last year—go by our heart and our gut," Cooper said.

[beck72]

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Even with Hermie's injury and some drop off expected from CLiff and Neal, I think the sox bullpen will be stronger than last yrs. For one, BMac could be a Scot Shields--a one man bridge from the SP's to Jenks. I could also see him coming in for the 8th and closing games out. Secondly, Jenks as closer for the entire yr could keep the bullpen roles clear. Third, one of the two new lefties should take over Cott's 2005 role as lefty specialist. That pushes Neal into the 7th and 8th inning set up role, where he faces both lefties and righties.

[beck72]

To further make the Shields--BMac comparison, Shields threw 2+ innings 18 times during the reg. season, and 4 times in the playoffs; he had 10 wins and 7 saves.

 

If Bmac can give the sox the 90+ innings that Shields went, I wonder how many innings the rest of the bullpen would have to go, factoring in how deep the starters go? That would certainly save the other guys from throwing a lot, particularly Neal and Cliff. The sox starters should at least equal the innings they went last yr, with El Duque not going as deep as the others.

[Balta1701]

Even with Hermie's injury and some drop off expected from CLiff and Neal, I think the sox bullpen will be stronger than last yrs. For one, BMac could be a Scot Shields--a one man bridge from the SP's to Jenks. I could also see him coming in for the 8th and closing games out. Secondly, Jenks as closer for the entire yr could keep the bullpen roles clear. Third, one of the two new lefties should take over Cott's 2005 role as lefty specialist. That pushes Neal into the 7th and 8th inning set up role, where he faces both lefties and righties.

The only thing which will determine if our bullpen is as strong as last years will be the closer spot. 100% will be determined by that. When you have a 90%+ closer, your whole bullpen will look a lot better even if all you have around him is crap. Think about the Cubs last year...they didn't really have a solid bullpen, but when Dempster took over the closer job and did his job well, suddenly it became a lot better. Think about all the mediocre pens in NYY that have looked vastly better because of that hall of fame cut fastball they have at the end.

 

If Jenks has a good season, or someone steps up to take Bobby's place (I'd prefer the former by a lot), then our bullpen will probably be better than last year, because Jenks hopefully won't have to put up with the things that Shingo & Hermanson did, so we'll have some continuity out there.