John Lowe...Come On Down

You're the next contestant on Splendid Lynn Henning.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- This is where Fernando Rodney got his first big-time save.

It came in the final week of the 2003 season.

Ah, yes, the magical Tigers/Royals pennant race of 2003. I remember it as if it were yesterday. The Tigers ultimately came up short, finishing a mere 40 games behind the Royals (who finished 7 games behind the Twins and 3 back of the Sox.)

At that point, the Tigers needed to win four of their final five games to avoid tying the Mets' all-time record of 120 defeats.

"The big time" for the Tigers prior to 2006; narrowly avoiding the worst record of the modern era.

Rodney entered with none out in the eighth and a one-run lead, retired all six Royals he faced, and saved the Tigers' 4-3 victory. They avoided matching the Mets by one loss.

Anyone who saw that save in Kansas City could think, "Rodney could be a full-time closer someday."

Here's the box for the game Lowe is referring to.

Ah, the halcyon days for Shane Loux.

Holy shit, did the Tigers really win a game with an outfield of Ben Petrick, Alex Sanchez, and Andres Torres? Next thing you're going to tell me is that the Tigers could win a playoff game with Alexis Gomez at DH and Neifi Perez batting 2nd and playing short.

FUCK.

He has had a long wait for the role. It finally arrived four weeks ago when he succeeded Jones.

Rodney's first week on the job, he was a bigger and faster version of the fabled Jones roller coaster. He turned a non-save situation against Chicago into a turbulent event before he got the final out. Then within days, he blew his first two save chances as Jones' successor -- one on a homer, another on the three walks and hit batter in Tampa Bay.

Fernando Rodney sucks, we get it Lowe.

But maybe we all should have remembered that, when Rodney got the call last month to replace Jones, he already had 21 career saves for the Tigers and another for the Dominican Republic in the World Baseball Classic in '06.

Rodney's first week as Jones' successor was not so much a failed audition as an aberration.

Fernando Rodney doesn't suck?

In the 2 1/2 weeks since Rodney's walk-filled loss in Tampa Bay, the Tigers have disappeared from the playoff race.

Damn you Rodney! We were on the verge of greatness until you took over!

If there has been one good thing for the Tigers in 2 1/2 weeks, it's that Rodney has righted himself and has verified that he can be the full-time closer next season.

Heckuva job Rodney. ATTABOY!

Meanwhile, Rodney's line from last night against those vaunted Royals:
1 inning, 2 earned runs, 3 hits, 1 walk, and another near disaster.

And closer remains the most important and hardest-to-fill job in baseball. (Ask all those NL contenders who don't have full-time closers right now.)

I'm going to say no on that one. It's one of the easiest positions to fill if you're creative and smart. Most baseball GM's and managers are the polar opposite. That's why people like Todd Jones exist.

And what NL teams are being referenced here? Billy Wagner is hurt for the Mets, but Aaron Heilman is filling in and he's pretty good. Lidge is killing it for the Phillies. Kerry Wood has been solid for the Cubs, Salomon Torres! is doing well enough for the Brewers. Brandon Lyon hasn't been so great for the Diamondbacks but they have a very deep bullpen and plenty of guys that could step in if need be. Saito is on the DL like the rest of the Dodgers pitching staff but Broxton is a beast and will be fine.

Will Rodney be an effective closer over a full season? We can't know that until we see him do it over a full season.

Great Joe Morgan-style analysis. Way to go out on a limb with "we can't know."

But has Rodney shown enough that the Tigers can give him the job going into next season? Has he shown enough that they won't have to get into the bidding for free agent Francisco Rodriguez, who is heading for more than 50 saves with the Angels this season?

Meanwhile, getting into a bidding war for Frankie Rodriguez would be retarded. It's basically a lock that it will happen with Mr. I, DD, and the Skipper running the show but we just went through a list of the closers for the top 6 teams in the NL and NOT ONE was a high-priced free agent pickup. Notice a trend?

That answer would also seem to be yes, barring a big collapse by Rodney the rest of this season. The Tigers can use their money in the off-season on other needs such as left-handed hitting and speed. (Not stolen-base speed necessarily -- just some basic first-to-third speed.)

2008 Tigers runs scored: 648, 6th in the AL (currently 12 runs behind the White Sox and 4 behind the Twins)
2008 Tigers runs allowed: 637, 10th in the AL (89 worse than the Sox and 57 behind the Twins)

So, let's just spend our money on left-handed hitting and first-to-third speed. Sounds like a great plan.

Whenever Rodney first gets on the mound in this weekend's three-game series in Kansas City, he will try to add to a scoreless streak.

Streak over.