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DETROIT -- The Weekend Buzz while you were shopping for that perfect Mother's Day gift:
1. Mo Better Blues: There is absolutely, positively, without a doubt nothing wrong with the New York Yankees that closer Mariano Rivera cannot fix.
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| No matter what's going on in the Bronx, you always have Mariano Rivera and his cut fastball. (Getty Images) |
In a year marked by blown save opportunities throughout the game -- there were more this season on opening day than on any other opening day since the save came into being in 1969, and St. Louis' Jason Isringhausen and Milwaukee's Eric Gagne each lost their closer privileges over the weekend -- Mariano Rivera somehow has remained under the radar.
I had no idea that even was possible in New York. But not only is Rivera 10-for-10 in save opportunities after collecting another here Saturday, he has allowed neither a run nor a walk so far this season.
In 15 innings over 14 appearances, he's fanned 12, allowed only six hits, compiled a 0.00 ERA and is holding opponents to a .122 batting average.
"I'm healthy, thank God, and I'm feeling good about that," Rivera says. "The rest, everything is just falling into place."
Like the Sistine Chapel. Or Beethoven's Ninth.
"It's what you come to expect," Derek Jeter says. "I've played with Mo 15, 16 years, going back to '93 (in the Yankees farm system), and that's all I've seen. You really can't compare Mo to anybody. You're comparing him to himself."
My point, exactly. Even when compared to himself ... May 12 dawns, and he's still yet to allow a run or a walk?
Granted, 10 saves isn't an overwhelming total, but Rivera last year didn't notch save No. 10 until June 28.
"He's set such a standard of excellence that sometimes he gets put on the back burner," Jason Giambi says.
Rivera is off to his best start since 2004, when he was perfect in his first 12 save chances. And this is the latest he's ever gone in a season without having allowed a run -- his previous best came in 1998, when he didn't allow a run until his 11th appearance.
Until Cleveland's Ben Francisco doubled last Thursday, Rivera had not even allowed an extra base hit to any of the first 44 batters he faced this season.
If there was a way to induct a particular pitch into the Hall of Fame, Rivera's cut fastball would be in the initial class -- the Ty Cobb, Babe Ruth, Honus Wagner, Christy Mathewson and Walter Johnson class, as it were.
"After his first couple of years in the league, you're thinking, 'This guy is going to have to figure out another pitch,'" Yankees' starter Andy Pettitte says. "But he doesn't. His ball is still cutting, and you can't hit it."
All true, but not quite the entire truth. Rivera has, in recent seasons, developed and refined a two-seam fastball. Because the cutter bites down-and-in on left-handed hitters, rendering them virtually helpless, some right-handers have been able to extend their arms and hit it before it darts away from them.
This is why switch-hitting Detroit infielder Carlos Guillen has started batting right-handed against the right-handed Rivera. Guillen is 1-for-8 lifetime against Rivera -- and the one hit came after he turned around to hit righty.
"Because I don't feel comfortable left-handed," Guillen says. "He's not pretty good. He's the best. I'm serious."
Even that's not foolproof. As Jason Giambi notes, Jose Vidro, Seattle's switch-hitting DH, flipped around to bat righty against Rivera earlier this season. That's when Vidro got to meet Mr. Two-Seamer.
"It had been so long since he faced him that I don't think he realized that Mo had another pitch," Giambi says. "Mo jammed the crap out of him. Broke his bat."
Just another day at the office in 2008. At 38, Rivera has never been better.
"You always hear, 'You're not going to see this again, or that again'," Jeter says. "It's true with Mo. You're not going to see another closer with one pitch -- or, I should say, one speed (because the cutter and two-seamer both clock in around 95 mph) -- again. You're not.
"I'm not saying you're not going to see a closer or a reliever this successful. But not with one pitch, one speed.
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"If you do see it, call me. Because I won't be here."
2. Cough it up I: Jason Isringhausen is out in St. Louis after blowing four of his past seven save opportunities. Though Isringhausen leads the NL with 11 saves, he also is tied for the NL lead with five blown saves (hello, Eric Gagne in Milwaukee). The Cardinals expect to use right-handers Ryan Franklin and Russ Springer as their main closers while trying to fix Isringhausen. Unless Al Hrabosky volunteers.
3. Cough it up II: Gagne is out in Milwaukee after blowing five of 14 save opportunities, including Saturday's meltdown which caused him to say he doesn't deserve to be out there anymore. Which is far more honest and direct than he was this spring when he wouldn't directly acknowledge being accused in the Mitchell Report of receiving human growth hormone shipments. Apparently off the juice now, he's still collecting $10 million in salary from the Brewers this season based on what he accomplished when he apparently was on HGH. And you see THAT's not working out so well. The Brewers expect to use Guillermo Mota, David Riske and Salomon Torres while trying to fix Gagne. Unless Rollie Fingers volunteers.
4. Pap, too: Is there some virus going around among closers that's causing them to struggle? Boston's Jonathan Papelbon has 82 saves since the beginning of the 2006 season, but those all seemed long ago after he blew two save opportunities in three nights -- Wednesday in Detroit and Friday in Minnesota. It was the first time in Papelbon's career he was tagged with back-to-back losses, but while Isringhausen and Gagne were shrinking, Papelbon came back to save Saturday night's game in Minnesota.
5. Greg Maddux wins 350th game: Remember all that stuff we heard about Roger Clemens being the greatest right-hander of our generation? Nonsense. With Clemens dripping juice while continuing to deny the Mitchell Report allegations, we can now safely say Maddux is the greatest right-handed pitcher the game has seen at least since Walter Johnson. Period.
6. Reeling Padres release Jim Edmonds: So this is how it ends for Edmonds. Just like Steve Finley, told to go away and not come back. The Padres will pay Edmonds more not to play for them (roughly $4.5 million the rest of the season) than they will pay pitcher Chris Young ($2.5 million), third baseman Kevin Kouzmanoff ($410,000), and first baseman Adrian Gonzalez ($750,000) to play for them the rest of 2008. Meanwhile, shortstop Khalil Greene ($4.5 million) will earn roughly the equivalent of Edmonds the rest of the way.
7. Sunshine State rocks: Tampa Bay enters the week at 21-16 -- first time the Rays have been this far over .500 in franchise history. Meantime, not only are the Marlins in first place and off to their best 37-game start in club history, they sign Hanley Ramirez to a six-year, $70 million deal. Plus, Jennifer Aniston was filming a movie in Dolphin Stadium a week or so ago. It can't be long until the Marlins' own cable network begins airing Marlinography shows regularly, can it? And the Rays are only one Superstation short of becoming America's Team.
8. Toronto's Vernon Wells out six-to-eight weeks: The hard-luck center fielder suffered a broken wrist. Thank goodness the Blue Jays acquired Brad Wilkerson and Kevin Mench during the week. Now they've got two people who can change Wells' ice bags.
9. Brandon Webb is 8-0: CNN already is projecting Webb as this year's NL Cy Young award winner.
10. David Wells hinting at comeback: He would be more productive writing another book.
