The whole Eric Gagne thing is not really working out right now. Okay, maybe for Texas it is.

Closing Notes

C.J. Wilson took over right after the trade that sent Eric Gagne to Boston, and has looked like a veteran in his brief time closing games. Since his promotion, he is 4-for-4 in saves while striking out eight batters in 6.2 innings. His 2.22 ERA puts him in the top 10 for closers, and he hasn’t allowed an earned run yet in five appearances since the trade deadline. When the trade first happened, he wasn’t anointed the closer right away as the team looked for someone to step up. Wilson grabbed the job right out of the box and has continued to shine at the end of games.It has certainly been a nice bonus for the Rangers.

Eric Gagne alert: he is sucking big time right now. For all of the fantasy owners that kept him despite his trade to the Red Sox for all of the saves he would still pirate on Papelbon’s nights off, the time has come to reconsider that strategy. The horrible set of appearances he has made for the Red Sox has definitely knocked him out of any possible save opportunities he might have gotten. His stuff still looks strong as he is still throwing in the low to mid nineties, but he just doesn’t look comfortable out there. Remember that time honored saying about some players not being able to handle the spotlight of Boston or New York: well, it is currently happening and it isn’t pretty folks. If you are in a keeper league and are willing to sit on him until he goes to a new team next season, then keep him by all means. If you are counting on him for this season, get rid of him for something before your league’s trade deadline leaves you for dead. The dreaded tightening in your stomach that Red Sox fans have learned to get used to as their team heads towards another second place finish after losing the division lead in the dog days of August seems to be happening in their prize trade pick up as well.

On the flip side, Mariano Rivera and the Yankees are back. The aged closer looks his old self and is finally getting opportunities to get saves again. If not for an earned run allowed in his last appearance, Rivera had not allowed an earned run in over a month while lowering his ERA back down into the 2’s. Since July 16, he has averaged over 10 strikeouts per nine innings and has looked absolutely dominant. The Yankees are once again making a run for the division title as the consistently choking-in-August-and-September Red Sox begin their pathetic descent to division runner’s up once again.

Now that Barry Bonds is done with his ridiculous quest to forever tarnish baseball’s image with his steroid induced home run record quest, maybe the Giants can get back to winning. Brad Hennessey certainly has not been a beneficiary of the “quest” having not had a save opportunity since the end of July. With only 11 save opportunities since his promotion, he has been the least productive closer in the majors. Yet, that isn’t his fault.It is the teams’ lousy play that has kept him down. He is carrying a reasonable 3.21 ERA on the season, and he has picked up his strikeout pace as closer. He looks like a reasonable candidate for next season after the Giants finally shed themselves of Barry and rework their roster.

In a rare show of confidence, the Astros sent Brad Lidge back out to the mound the night after he imploded for four earned runs and the loss. Lidge responded with a save in a third of an inning pitched. It was nice to see considering how quick the Astros have been to yank him from the closer role in the past when he had such breakdowns. Maybe Garner has finally turned the corner on how to work with his closer.

Overall closing statistical leaders

Saves

1. Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee Brewers – 36
2. Jose Valverde, Arizona Diamondbacks – 35
3. JJ Putz, Seattle Mariners– 34
4. Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox – 33
5. Joe Borowski, Cleveland Indians – 32

Strikeouts

1. Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee Brewers – 66
2. Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels – 64
4. Kevin Gregg, Florida Marlins – 61
4. Billy Wagner, New York Mets – 61
5. JJ Putz, Seattle Mariners – 60

ERA

1. JJ Putz, Seattle Mariner – 1.48
2. Billy Wagner, New York Mets – 1.58
3. Takashi Saito, Los Angeles Dodgers – 1.61
4. Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis Cardinals – 1.71
5. Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins – 1.94

Rising/Falling

Rising

C.J. Wilson, Texas Rangers

Wilson is the newest member of the elite closer ranks as he replaced Eric Gagne in Texas as of the trade. His results warrant a move up to Tier Three with a possible quick move to Tier Two if he continues to impress.

The Rankings

Tier One: The Best of the Best

Joe Nathan, Minnesota Twins
Billy Wagner, New York Mets
Francisco Cordero, Milwaukee Brewers
Jason Isringhausen, St. Louis Cardinals
Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox
Takashi Saito, Los Angeles Dodgers
Francisco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Angels
Jose Valverde, Arizona Diamondbacks
Trevor Hoffman, San Diego Padres

Tier Two: Just A Notch Below The Best

Ryan Dempster, Chicago Cubs
Bobby Jenks, Chicago White Sox
Al Reyes, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Manny Corpas, Colorado Rockies

Tier Three: Getting the Job Done

Kevin Gregg, Florida Marlins
Chad Cordero, Washington Nationals
David Weathers, Cincinnati Reds
Joe Borowski, Cleveland Indians
Bob Wickman, Atlanta Braves
Matt Capps, Pittsburgh Pirates
C.J. Wilson, Texas Rangers
Alan Embree, Oakland Athletics
Jeremy Accardo, Toronto Blue Jays
Todd Jones, Detroit Tigers
Brad Lidge, Houston Astros
Joakim Soria, Kansas City Royals

Tier Four: Shaky, But Closing
Brett Myers, Philadelphia Phillies
Brad Hennessey, San Francisco Giants

Injured



Chris Ray, Baltimore Orioles - 15 day
Brian Fuentes, Colorado Rockies – 15 Day
BJ Ryan, Toronto Blue Jays – 60 Day (Out until 2008)

Questions and comments may be sent to jamierugg@sportsgrumblings.com