Concerns about the Jays' present closer situation reached a fever pitch on July 7 when Travis Hafner's walk-off grand slam in the ninth inning gave the Cleveland Indians a come-from-behind 5-4 win. It was a devastating loss that saw closer Frank Francisco once again implode with the game on the line.
To the team's credit, they rebounded to win the final three games of the series, but not without more late-inning drama the following two contests.
Both Francisco and soft-throwing Jon Rauch have struggled to hold leads this year. As a team, the Jays have blown 15 saves, second-most in the American League. If the Toronto relievers had staved off the opposition in just five of those contests, the team would be in thick of the American League wild-card race.
So how can the Jays solve their closer woes? Where can they find their next Henke?
In-house options
Some suggest Jason Frasor, who's having one of his best seasons, deserves the ball in the ninth inning, but the diminutive right-hander has struggled in the closer's role before and is susceptible to home runs. Fellow right-hander Octavio Dotel, who look awful earlier this season and has allowed just one earned run over the past month and owns 106 career saves, represents a better option.
The best option, however, is to move reliever-turned starter Carlos Villanueva into the closer's role and summon Joel Carreno (7-6, 3.32 ERA in 17 starts at AA New Hampshire) to replace him in the rotation. The Jays have voiced concerns about the number of innings that Villanueva has tossed this season, so inserting him in a ninth-inning role would reduce his workload and make him available for the entire campaign.
Prior to joining the starting rotation on May 23, Villanueva, who recorded 16 saves with the Milwaukee Brewers from 2007 to 2010, was the club's most effective relief pitcher and his 67 strikeouts in 52 2/3 innings in relief in 2010 indicate he's capable of overpowering hitters.
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