Broxton to close, Saito no, Kuo good to go?
Well, that's yet to be determined. But the Blue have made the choice to leave Jonathan Broxton in the
closer role for their series against Philadelphia, kicking off Thursday evening. With Saito struggling to regain consistent mechanics, Joe Torre and Co. felt it best to run with big Brox. Saito, in fact, might not make the roster at all, something he understands, according to the LAT's Kevin Baxter and Dylan Hernandez: 
"There's a probably a good chance of that happening," Saito said. "I would never tell the team that I don't want to be on the roster. The decision is theirs. If they judge that I can't help the team in this series, I'm fine with that."
The good news? If Saito is left off, it could be to make room for Hong-Chi Kuo, writes MLB.com's Ken Gurnick. With the need for a situational lefty particularly acute in this series- Ryan Howard's already prodigious K rate is even higher against lefties- having a healthy Kuo could be huge. Even better? While Kuo crushes lefties, he's also one of LA's best against righties. Basically, if he's able to shake off the rust, it can be argued at that the addition of Kuo is actually more important than the loss of Saito. Not to minimize Saito's contributions as a Dodger- he's been awesome- the Blue made their push down the stretch without him, and clearly can succeed with Broxton at the end of the pen.
Judging by the comments we get when Broxton enters a game, I'm sure some fans will be nervous, but I'm still of the mind that he's fine. Still, given Broxton's relative struggles against lefties, it'll be interesting to see what Torre does if the ninth inning rolls around with Utley and Howard scheduled to hit. If Kuo shows he's healthy and effective, it wouldn't shock to see him get the call.
BK
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I am OK with Broxton being the closer. The guy that closed out the Cubbie series was a MONSTER. If Broxton stays like that, we need him. However, if he goes back to being "Mongol" Broxton... I'd rather have the luxury of Saito on the bench.
Posted by: Benzo Jones | October 08, 2008 at 06:23 PM
The way Broxton was throwing v. the Cubs in the third game, he might have blown away Pujols, Howard, and A-Rod in a row.
Posted by: WBB | October 08, 2008 at 10:35 PM
I'm not so sure about Broxton yet. He showed me a lot against the Cubs, but there are two things to keep in mind about that appearance.
1) The Cubs were already dead. Everybody except Derrrek Lee pretty much phoned it in once they fell behind 2-0 in the first. They weren't going to come back against Scott Proctor.
2) Broxton still had Saito behind him in that game. Psychologically, it's different knowing you've got your lights out closer behind you if you fail. Broxton's problems have been mental, not physical. The guy throws triple digits, but it's his pattern and placement that gets him into trouble. When he knows he has a guy behind him, he's less afraid to use his best stuff. But sometimes, when he's the last man on the hill, he's tentative.
That said, Saito didn't look too good, and I doubt Torre would have called upon him. But I think having his presence in the bullpen alone, even if he never throws a pitch, is worth more to the team than whatever James McDonald is going to contribute. I doubt he'll appear unless the Dodgers are losing by double digits.
Kuo's addition to the bullpen is spectacular, especially against Philly's lefties. I look for Torre to mix and match him, Beimel, and Wade through the 7th and 8th. And if you've got Utley and Howard due up in the 9th, I wouldn't be surprised to see Kuo in the closer role.
Go Dodgers.
Posted by: SaMo | October 09, 2008 at 08:43 AM