St. Louis Cardinals' Relief in 2009: More 'Pen, Less Bull

In 2008, the bullpen for the St. Louis Cardinals was a horror show.  Leads were snuffed out, tight games blown up into routs, and fans kept Mylanta on the table with the remote control for each time Tony LaRussa went out to the mound.

This defect was one of the priorities for the offseason, and even though their flirtations with Francisco Rodriguez and, more notably, Brian Fuentes didn’t pan out, a case could be made that this year’s relief corps is stronger than the one seen last year, even if it may not be as lock-down as you might want.

First off, as I noted in a post at Fungoes during the United Cardinal Bloggers blog swap, the bullpen seemed to improve last year as the year went along. For instance, the bullpen had a 3.82 ERA in September, their second-lowest month of the year (April was 3.75). 

Fewer losses, on a percentage basis, were assigned to the bullpen in August and September than any other time in the year. Some of that was due to the fact that they pitched fewer innings, some of that due to the starters losing the game before it got to the 'pen. 

Some of it, though, was likely due to pitchers finding roles and the young blood, in the form of Chris Perez and Jason Motte, giving a boost to the team.

Secondly, there’s addition by addition and addition by subtraction. The Cardinals signed lefties Trever Miller and Royce Ring to strengthen the port side of the 'pen. Knowing LaRussa’s penchant for matchups, it’s likely both of them (or perhaps waiver claim Charlie Manning or minor league signee Ian Ostlund) will be active participants in the coming year. 

Miller’s signing was fairly well-received, though Royce Ring’s numbers made people scratch their heads. There’s hope, though, that Dave Duncan can work on him and bring out the talent that made him a former first-round pick. His numbers strictly against lefties are encouraging, so he should be the living definition of a LOOGY.

The pen won’t be having Randy Flores or Ron Villone, a couple of guys who could be counted on to bring gas to the fire about as often as they brought water. It may not be a coincidence in the improvement of the bullpen stats that Flores spent August in the minor league and only pitched two innings in September. 

Villone improved in those latter two months, fashioning a 3.27 ERA in 11 innings, but he turned 39 last month, so cutting him loose wasn’t a bad option.

Let’s look at who the 'pen is likely to consist of. 

Kyle McClellan was a surprising story last year, coming out of nowhere to be one of the most effective arms in the pen. Unfortunately, he seemed to run out of steam down the stretch. 

However, this offseason he has been training as if he is going to be a starter, which has a dual benefit of increasing his stamina in case (and, since Chris Carpenter looks healthy, the likelihood) he returns to the bullpen.

Most likely for key situations in the seventh or eighth, McClellan will be your man, at least until the back of the pen continues to take shape.

You have Miller and Ring, which as noted above will focus on getting lefties out.  Ring should be limited to just left-handed batters, but Miller has shown that he can get righties out as well. 

Not to the same clip, of course, but last year, righties hit .286 against him with only one home run in 81 plate appearances. For his career, they’ve been a little more successful against him, hitting at a .293 clip. 

In other words, you probably don’t want to see him face too many righties in a row, but in the right situation, you might not have to yank him if one comes up.

Brad Thompson will likely continue his role as the swingman and jack-of-all-trades, filling in as a spot starter when needed, going long innings if a starter gets shelled, or coming in to get a ground ball late in the game.

However, his ERA has creeped up every year he’s been in the big leagues and he posted one over six in the second half last year. He may be one that is pitching for his job most of the year.

Josh Kinney has been an inspiring story, battling back from surgery after the 2006 World Series to return to the majors last season.  He’s posted good numbers in his limited time and Dave Duncan recently commented in an interview that he was very excited about Kinney. 

If he stays healthy, he has strikeout ability and could be a strong seventh or eighth guy.

Ryan Franklin spent some of 2008 in the closer role.  That wasn’t exactly the most stable of relationships, as he blew a few saves and generally made St. Louis doctors busy treating an outbreak of ulcers. 

Statistically, he didn’t look as bad, though he did serve up five home runs in the ninth inning and allowed a .254 average. On the whole, though, the more he pitches in set-up situations, the better.

Then we have the kids, Motte and Perez.  Perez came up first, making a strong debut in May.  Save for a good August, however, the rest of his season was a little shaky.  He did compile seven saves and struck out 42 in 41.2 innings, but the league caught onto the fact that his slider still needs work and, without it, he’s only got a fastball.

Motte only got 11 innings under his belt, though they were pretty dominant with 16 strikeouts and an ERA under one. That said, the knock on Motte is also that he needs a second pitch. His fastball blazes up there in the high 90s, but until he comes up with something offspeed, it’s only a matter of time before hitters adjust and start pounding him.

The setup of the pen is still in flux, as there will be competition for the closer role.  Most fans would like to see McClellan-Motte-Perez as the late inning tandem, assuming the youngsters continue to develop. 

LaRussa has said, though, that it’s possible Motte or Perez—or both—could be starting in Memphis to help them work on their secondary offerings.  If so, it likely leaves Franklin as closer by default.

There are a lot of questions to be answered in Jupiter this spring.  How far the Cardinals go in 2009 will largely depend on the answers.