How is the Kerry Wood experiment working out so far?

Well, obviously the best closer in baseball in the 2008 season is going to be Freddy Dolsi of the Detroit Tigers. Unlike Atlanta pitcher Colter Bean, who has blown one of his two save opportunities, Dolsi has converted 100% of his save opportunities, and is currently leading the majors in saves with two.

You know what they say – those who start first, finish first.

Of course, you may not want to draft Dolsi in the first round of your draft or anything, but he is certainly someone to keep in mind. On that note, I will look around both leagues to see what has been happening with relievers of fantasy note over the past few days.

Pen Notes

Chicago Cubs potential setup man Bobby Howry, had a horrid outing against the Mariners Tuesday. In just one inning pitched, he gave up three runs on five hits. Thankfully, he also managed to strike out a pair, but the Cubs had better hope that Howry was drunk or something that day, because if he has many more games like that their bullpen is in trouble.

Thankfully, for Howry’s sake, he was not the only reliever to struggle that evening. Seattle rookie Stephen Kahn, who played well in A ball last season, also struggled, letting in three earned runs in just an inning. However, Kahn is just a youngster, compared to 34-year-old Howry, so another year of seasoning in the minors should help him iron things out, and that is what will likely happen with Kahn.

White Sox closer extraordinaire, “Big Bad” Bobby Jenks, also had trouble Tuesday, letting up two earned runs against the improving, but still horrible Royals, in just one inning of work. Keep an eye on Jenks, for all his success, he is still young, but he is due to have a down season sometime.

Jose Valverde, acquired by the Astros from the Diamondbacks in the offseason to close and to solidify their bullpen, had his first win of Spring Training Tuesday against the Tigers. He only pitched one inning, and while he did not strike anyone out, he also did not let anyone score, and that is at least a neutral-to-positive sign for people who have already drafted him.

Although he only let up one run of his own, Philadelphia's closer to start the season, Tom Gordon, definitely did not dominate Tuesday, giving up three hits to the Braves in a 10-1 loss. He had one strikeout and one walk. Phillies fans have to hope the aging reliever has not lost a step, as he is critical to their hopes of returning to the postseason.

Given how bad the Orioles’ bullpen was already, and considering all of their injuries, it was a positive sign for O’s fans that Greg Aquino did well Wednesday against the Marlins. He saved 16 games for the Diamondbacks in 2004, and may add to his career total this year, after pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts against the Marlins.

As nobody knows what to expect from the enigmatic, steroid-using Éric Gagné, it was nice to see Guillermo Mota pitch well against the Rangers. In one inning, Mota, never much of a fighter struck out one and did not allow any runs to score.

Against the Athletics, Kerry Wood showed he has a chance to be a solid member of the Cubs bullpen. In one inning, the pitcher who once struck out 20 in a game only struck out one, but he did not allow anyone to score. If he can stay healthy and keep his head straight, he very well could move into the closer spot for the Cubbies before the end of the summer. Bobby Howry had a redeeming performance, after his pathetic outing earlier in the week, shutting the A’s down for an inning.

Despite only 113 games of MLB experience, the Rockies decided to sign the coolest pitcher in baseball, Manny Corpas, to a four-year extension Friday. Though Corpas does not seem the type, keep an eye on him to see if he gets a little too satisfied, and lets his performance slip this season. He has picked up where he left off last season, so far this spring. It is too small of a sample size to judge, but in two innings, he has not allowed any runs and only given up two hits.

Injury Analysis

The most important names to pay attention to on this list are B.J. Ryan and Brad Lidge. If they can find a way to return before April, it will be a good sign for fantasy owners who drafted them, as well as their respective teams.

If the Tigers want to have a prayer of getting far in the playoffs, Fernando Rodney needs to return to the form he displayed earlier in his career. Hopefully, he can work out the kinks in his shoulder early in the year. Though his talent does not merit it, he is somewhat of a fantasy sleeper, and probably worth picking up in the later rounds of your draft.