The Rangers pulled another one out in the bottom of the 9th last night, beating the Swingin' As 6-5 on some late heroics by the heart of the batting order. Closer Francisco "Coco" Cordero made these heroics necessary by coughing up a 2-run lead in the top of the 9th.
Cordero has been AWFUL lately, blowing four of his last seven save opportunities. Two years ago, Cordero was one of the best closers in the game. However, since then, what was once an automatic win is now anything but.
Some have been suggesting for a while that he's hurt, and one hopes that's it. The alternative (he's washed up) is not a good one.
Ranger fans have been spoiled over the past 7 years or so. Ever since John Wetteland was lured away from the Yankees to tame the out-of-control closer situation (remember his predecessor: Mike "Thank You Sir, May I Have Another" Henneman?), the 9th inning has been minimal drama. Both Wetteland and Cordero had a history of making things a little more exciting than they should be, but both came through far more often than not.
No more. It's no longer drama, it's a friggin' Greek tragedy. Every night.
Too many other things are going right for this team (shocking, but true) for them to get dragged down by a had-it closer. The obvious solution seems to be moving setup man Akinori Otsuka to closer, but that's not the sort of move one makes lightly. Besides, this bullpen is clearly constructed to facilitate Otsuka mowin' 'em down in the eighth, then handing the ball to Cordero for a quick ninth.
It's not working as planned.
Buck is going to stick w/ Cordero for a while. That's his history, and, frankly, I don't disagree with it. Yet. However, the situation clearly has to change in some way. We'll see.
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