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Closers Struggling This Postseason

At this exact moment, the Dodgers still had the lead last night.

More photos » by Rob Carr - AP

At this exact moment, the Dodgers still had the lead last night.

If there is one trend this postseason, it might be the blown save.  Jonathan Broxton was the latest to fall victim to it, last night, as Jimmy Rollins smoked a two-run double to turn a potential tied series into a commanding 3-1 series lead.  But Broxton is not alone this October.  Closers have entered a playoff game in a save situation 16 times so far this offseason, and six times they have blown the lead, a stark contrast to last season:

Closers in Save Situations, 2008-2009 Playoffs
Year Sv BSv IP H R ER BB SO ERA FIP WHIP BA/OBP/SLG
2008 15 3 22.2 14 5 5 7 32 1.99 2.40 0.926 .177/.241/.304
2009 10 6 15.0 19 14 12 13 8 7.20 6.62 2.133 .302/.429/.460

In addition to Broxton, the blown saves are spread out among six of the eight playoff teams.  Alex Rodriguez is responsible for two of them, with game-tying home runs in separate games off Joe Nathan and Brian Fuentes.  The Angels scored the first runs ever allowed in the postseason by Jonathan Papelbon while eliminating the Red Sox.  The Dodgers benefited from Ryan Franklin's wildness (and Matt Holliday's gaffe) in the NLDS.

Mariano Rivera is one of the two playoff closers without a blown save this year, which doesn't come as much of a surprise since his plaque in Cooperstown should probably say "greatest closer ever" or something close to that.  The only other unblemished closer this postseason has been Brad Lidge, who was easily the most blemished during the regular season, with his 11 blown saves and 7.21 ERA.

With the wound from last night's game still fresh, I don't know if this is comforting or not.  But just know that Broxton isn't alone in struggling this offseason.  Misery has plenty of company.

0 recs  |  Comment 19 comments |

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The Yankees should have released Mariano Rivera after the 2001 World Series, in my opinion

Blowing big games like that just crippled that franchise. They haven’t won since he blew that Game 7, and he choked in games 4 and 5 of the ALCS in 2004. It’s clear that he doesn’t have the mental resolve to handle the job of closing in big games. Worse yet, he’s prevented the Yankees from winning it all with his depressing losses and struggles.

Time to get David Robertson take the reins.

by kensai on Oct 20, 2009 9:23 AM PDT reply actions   1 recs

Hopefully Lidge implodes in World Series

"If you go to ciphering we are whipped beforehand."

by Sordid on Oct 20, 2009 9:28 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Hopefully, he won’t get that far…

2009-10 LA Kings Hockey: Where Smyt Happens!!

by DodgerBlueBalls on Oct 20, 2009 9:32 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

May readers take it to heart!

Thanks, Eric. Keeping complete perspective is important, and no time is better than today. It was disheartening to see Broxton’s center-plate pitch being whacked for a double, but he got us to the last third of the 9th inning in Game 4, and he closed out Game 2.

I believe the Dodgers will put up a great fight tomorrow. They want to bring the series back to LA, too.

by Connector on Oct 20, 2009 9:28 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

As much as it hurts (and it hurts baaaaad) these things happen

It would be worse, in my estimation, to lie down in game 5. I would love to see them score some runs in game 5 and make a series of it.

by LA Taco on Oct 20, 2009 9:33 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Get Rid Of PitchTrax

or use it 100% of the time. I hate that the network chooses to only show some of the VERY bad calls. I wonder if MLB has told them to cut down on showing the bad calls.

Since the technology is available, balls and strikes should be called by a computer so it is 99% accurate and equally fair for both teams. No moore arguing over missed calls.

by Dodgers1981 on Oct 20, 2009 9:40 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

Wasn’t it on screen the entire game last night, at least as pitches were thrown? On the HD broadcast, it is off to the right side.

by Eric Stephen on Oct 20, 2009 9:43 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

This is why I felt HFA was more important to us then anyone else. I expected close games and I wanted the advantage of an unbeatable Broxton at home as often as possible.

Our most important asset was our bullpen and it is now responsible for two of the three losses. I only expected to win this series if our bullpen shut them down, since it hasn’t a 3 – 1 deficit is no surprise. As good as Broxton was throwing I’m still in shock that Rollins squared up on him. I think my face looked like that photoshopped Lidge photo that Shaqfor3 has been showing.

Patience is for those who die waiting for something to happen

by Phil Gurnee on Oct 20, 2009 10:00 AM PDT reply actions   0 recs

I think my face looked like that photoshopped Lidge photo that Shaqfor3 has been showing

This made me laugh out loud, or LOL as the kids say :)

by Eric Stephen on Oct 20, 2009 10:05 AM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Thanks Eric

But this just isn’t doing it for me. Broxton has more talent than every single one of those guys.

Everyone who has watched the Dodgers all year knows Broxton has been lights out all year and that his only Achille’s heel was the walk. Last night, after Broxton successfully delivering on the most important out of the year, the Phillies found his Achille’s heel, took advantage, and with an improbable shot to center field nailed it. It was a fucking Greek Tragedy in every sense.

It may be frustrating as hell to watch it, but Broxton is still developing as a pitcher. His worst outing ever until he is 34 or so should be giving up one run. As soon as Broxton finds out that he is absolutely dominant over the rest of the league, he will never need to throw another ball while he still has the Stuff he has now. While most tragedies are based on hubris, this one is the opposite, it was based upon lack of confidence. His teammates need to go up and slap him and say, “dude, you are the best closer in baseball” again and again and again until it sticks.

by Cool Dudes on Oct 20, 2009 11:08 AM PDT reply actions   1 recs

+1

I agree with this completely.

by MammothDodger on Oct 20, 2009 3:38 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

the whole inning was like the script out of a horror film
im still in shock
we shoulda tied this series up
i woke up trying to convince myself we won the game
its just a damn shame that game got away from us
how rollins was able to smash a 98 mph fastball i’ll never know
all i know is anyone who thinks we should trade broxton is a complete moron
and anyone who said sherrill should be our new closer is much worse
that guy’s fastballs top out in the low 90’s and occasionally in the 80s….no way i would use him as a closer
he really should be only used as a setup man
just give brox a few more years and he will develop more and get better…then we shall see if there are still people out there that want to trade him…

Because when I think of Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven and the age of Romanticism....

by shaqfor3 on Oct 20, 2009 3:49 PM PDT reply actions   0 recs

well, people are entitled to their opinion

I don’t think they should trade Broxton, but is someone really a moron for thinking that, or thinking Sherrill should be our closer? Most of that kind of talk is just reacting to the moment instead of the big picture at large, but it’s still at least worth discussing, anyway.

Speaking of reacting to the moment, the thing that bothered me most about that 9th inning, outside of the searing pain of the loss itself, was Broxton’s attitude towards Matt Stairs. He was just thinking of the guy who hit that ball last year that still hasn’t landed, instead of who Matt Stairs is TODAY, which is 2008 Mark Sweeney with a little bit more power. Walking him on 4 pitches doesn’t seem like he lost his nerve, as his control seemed fairly decent (the pitch to Ruiz notwithstanding)- it was pretty much a conscious decision to pitch around him, which played right into the Phillies hands. This isn’t the talk of a disgruntled Dodger fan- the PHILLIES said as much after the game, knowing that this meant they were that much closer to getting Rollins up to the plate.

Anyway, it’s done. The Phillies felt like they let game 2 get away, we feel that way about game 4. 3 out of 4 of these games could have gone either way, and 2 broke against us. If the Dodgers play tomorrow like they played in those 3 other games, they have at LEAST a 50% chance of winning it- way more than that if Padilla pitches anywhere near the way he has been. So let’s see what happens next….

by sarcastro9 on Oct 20, 2009 4:46 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

Unless you have heard Broxton or Torre say it

Which I have not, I do not believe he was pitching around Stairs. Seems to me to be much more likely that he had a momentary wild episode. He had jsut sat in the dugout on a cold night for almost 20 minutes.

by MammothDodger on Oct 20, 2009 5:57 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

yeah i guess ur right

people are entitled to their opinion
my bad

Because when I think of Boris Diaw, I think of Beethoven and the age of Romanticism....

by shaqfor3 on Oct 20, 2009 9:50 PM PDT up reply actions   0 recs

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