Something to prove
The closer's role is such that one could dominate for a decade but have three blown saves in a row and it's all forgotten. For Jonathan Papelbon, he dominated for about a half decade, had two rough patches in 2010 and was nearly run out of town.
It is a fickle trade.
Papelbon had very long stretches in 2010 in which he showcased that prior dominance. Through mid-May he had nine saves in nine chances and a 1.47 ERA. He allowed one earned run in a span of 17 2/3 innings (17 appearances) from the end of June through the middle of August, the dog days of the summer and the heart of the team's playoff push.
The problem with the righty was that when it went wrong, it really went wrong. The two two-run home runs he gave up in Yankee Stadium on May 17 to lose a game stand out, as do the back-to-back blown saves on consecutive nights in Colorado, the first of which also saw him give up a pair of homers.
There was also the four-run outing against Chicago in September, and four more runs in a rare mop-up session against Baltimore later that month, which served only to make the numbers look that much worse.
That's the thing; Papelbon's numbers were destroyed by intermittent doses of destruction. His ERA in games in which he blew a save was 21.13. In his previous five years, that number was 10.80, roughly half. If we toss out the four runs in the meaningless Orioles game on Sept. 21, his ERA in all other games last year was 1.08, much better than the 1.49 mark he has posted throughout his career in games in which he did not blow a save.
So, for much of the year, he was actually a better pitcher than in years past. However, nobody notices that when the blown saves are so over the top.
What does it all mean? Well, while other candidates stand by to steal saves from Papelbon, either this year or next, he has the knowledge that his 2010 season was still solid, relative to his peers. Despite what some fans might think, he has not fallen off the cliff.
"I'm going to get back to proving to everyone the type of closer that I am," Papelbon said earlier in camp.
As for the offseason acquisition of former White Sox closer Bobby Jenks and the rumors surrounding a possible trade of Papelbon, it will not be an issue, according to manager Terry Francona.
"I just want him to get a bunch of saves," Francona said. "It looks like he’s in great shape. I don’t think this is as much of an issue for Pap as maybe it was for people talking about Pap."
Such is the life of a closer. Even when you remain among the elites, people will talk about the failures.
Other options
Guess it is rather obvious by now. With Jenks and Daniel Bard in front of Papelbon, the Red Sox have the luxury of having three guys who can close.
If all else fails
If all three are unavailable, something horrible has happened. Dan Wheeler has served in a closer's role before and he is a veteran who won't be overwhelmed, so that would be the last-ditch option.
