Football
17y

Bullpen getting back in shape

The return of Fernando Rodney and Joel Zumaya has helped strengthen our bullpen and return it to its top form. Both Rodney and Zumaya seem to be 100 percent healthy, which is huge. Everyone in our bullpen seems to be getting more defined roles now.

The other guys in the 'pen have also been throwing really well. Chad Durbin has been one of those guys who can handle moving from a starter to a reliever to even a closer, which he did earlier this year against the Braves. Jason Grilli has some of the best stuff on our pitching staff, with a fastball that touches 95 mph and dives in on right-handed hitters. He has been throwing really well for us as of late, and his confidence has remained high and is getting even higher.

Zach Miner was sent down to Triple-A Toledo for about three days before he was called back up to fill a spot in our bullpen. During our Monday night game against the Yankees, I moved to left field when Miner came into the game, and it was amazing to see the movement on his pitches from a different angle. Bobby Seay has been one of our lefty specialists along with Tim Byrdak, and they have been coming in late in games to get opposing lefties out. Seay even picked up his first win since 2001 -- and the second of his career -- on Sunday.

And let's not forget Todd Jones, who has been dominant in the role of closer.

Our bullpen came up huge in our most recent series against the Yankees. Having a strong bullpen is an underrated part of the game, but maybe the most important. There are going to be a lot of keys in order for us to return to the playoffs, and with September right around the corner, the bullpen along with our hitting and starting pitching are going to have to click for us to catch the Indians by the end of the regular season.

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