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June 27, 2007, 2:08 PM

Relief Efforts: Dempster on DL, Percival returns

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By Eric Karabell
ESPN.com
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Things change every day in major league bullpens. One day your fantasy closer is dominating, the next he's nursing a sore arm or third in line for saves. Eric Karabell breaks down all the key happenings in major league bullpens in the Wednesday Relief Efforts.

Cubs: Well, Lou Piniella finally found a way to get Ryan Dempster out of the closer role, albeit for just a few weeks. Dempster was placed on the disabled list Tuesday with an oblique strain, four days after he originally suffered the injury. Piniella got to see what life would be without the underrated Dempster -- that's right, I did type the word underrated -- when Scott Eyre and Bob Howry combined to allow six runs to the Rockies on Monday, while protecting a 8-3 lead. Howry ended up with the win, thanks to Brian Fuentes (no worries there, just a bad night) blowing the save right back. Howry does deserve credit for his fine June, however. Monday was his third straight day pitching, and he had converted saves Saturday and Sunday. Other than Monday's pounding, Howry had allowed one run all month in 12 innings. He'll handle closing duties with Dempster out. On Tuesday Carlos Marmol came in to protect a four-run lead in the ninth, and lefty Will Ohman was summoned to retire Todd Helton to end the game. Expect Howry to save games when he is available.

Dempster should not be out more than three weeks, so don't drop him. He has 16 saves, sixth in the NL, and his 3.38 ERA isn't hurting fantasy teams. His 1.01 WHIP is one of the better rates among closers -- lower than Francisco Cordero, Jose Valverde, Francisco Rodriguez and Joe Nathan. Enjoy Howry for a few weeks, but expect Dempster to get the job back. As for all those rumors about Marmol and Angel Guzman figuring into the situation, the second-place Cubs are winning games, don't look for any major bullpen changes.

Tigers: We've been down this road before, wondering what would happen if Todd Jones pitched so poorly that a closer change would appear warranted, but there was nobody to replace him. On Tuesday the Tigers placed Fernando Rodney on the DL for the second time this season, and there remains no telling when or if we'll see Joel Zumaya again. It's certainly becoming possible that the Tigers, clearly championship contenders, could make a trade to acquire bullpen help. Jones, who had given up only one run since a June 1 blowup, imploded again on Tuesday, turning a 6-6 tie game into a 9-6 loss. It was not a save situation, however, it further exposed the Tigers as a team with a questionable closer and a frightening lack of middle relief.

Like 2006, Jones has had an interesting season, with overall peripherals that would scare many a fantasy owner off, but he remains the guy getting saves, which should continue until a replacement is dealt for. Chad Cordero? Brad Lidge? Who knows what the Tigers will do. Jones has four official blown saves on the season, tying him with Fuentes, Dan Wheeler and Chris Ray for second-most among current closers -- trailing only Washington's Cordero. The problem is when Jones gets hit, he really gets lit up. He's allowed runs in nine of 33 outings this season, but in seven of those games he's permitted two or more runs. In June alone he's been dreadfully inconsistent, with seven scoreless outings in which he's allowed a total of four baserunners, and three other outings in which he pitched 2 2/3 innings and gave up 15 hits and 11 earned runs. Ouch.

But as long as Jason Grilli, Tim Byrdak, Bobby Seay and Chad Durbin are the other relief options, it's Jones' job. Of that group, I'd think Durbin has to warrant consideration if Jones keeps scuffling.

Athletics: Let's get the Rich Harden situation out of the way first, because there doesn't appear much reason for Harden fantasy owners to expect save opportunities in the future. Does Harden throw hard? Does he have closer stuff? Is he on the active roster? Is there a need for a big-time closer to step up? The answer is yes to all of the above. But Harden reported shoulder soreness after his last relief outing, and even the most optimistic among us would have to admit it's unlikely he can stay healthy long enough to generate real fantasy value. I found irony in the fact Harden's latest ailment was announced the same day Kerry Wood was scheduled to have his first throwing session off the mound since March. What happened there? It was rained out. Of course.

Who does that leave in the bullpen? Alan Embree was doing a terrific job as closer until this week, when he surrendered a pair of runs to the Indians on Monday while getting some work in, then imploding the next night to allow five runs, including Kelly Shoppach's pinch-hit walk-off home run. Prior to Monday, Embree hadn't allowed a run in seven outings, and hadn't walked a hitter all month. Now there will be speculation that Santiago Casilla could figure into the ninth-inning role, since he's fashioned a 0.66 ERA over 13 2/3 innings since his re-call. Casilla has been one of the more popular middle relief free-agent pickups of late, mainly because of his strikeout potential and overall dominance, but if he gets a save chance or two, then he'll really be an attractive option.

What's the latest on Huston Street and Justin Duchscherer? Don't expect either guy to return before the All-Star break, if in July at all. Neither is expected to need surgery, but neither is throwing at this point, either.

Astros: What would a report on closers be without dealing with this floundering team. As reported in last week's Relief Efforts, Brad Lidge is on the DL, Dan Wheeler is having a brutal June and Chad Qualls remains productive in middle relief. Not much has changed over the past week, though Lidge is rehabbing nicely and could return before mid-July, Wheeler is setting standards for futility that doesn't cost someone a job and Qualls earned his second save of the season. Wheeler is having a Todd Jones June, but worse. On Sunday, Wheeler blew not one, but two leads, surrendering three home runs in the process, and he has now allowed three or more runs in four outings for the month. Wheeler won that wild Sunday game, thanks to the kindness of Eric Gagne and his cohorts. Qualls saved it, though there remains no indication that he'll be given the next save chance. It appears that Wheeler remains the choice.

Something else to keep in mind, as the Astros proceed with what could be their worst season since 1991, is the fact that Lidge remains a highly coveted property, and his return from the DL could be used as a showcase for a trade. Why hold on to a relief pitcher who has been on the trading block on and off since his postseason struggles, if you're on your way to 90 losses anyway?

Cardinals: Hold on, Jason Isringhausen owners, there is nothing to worry about here, but Izzy is now only second in St. Louis' bullpen in career saves, now that Troy Percival has been signed and promoted to the majors. Percival hasn't pitched in nearly two years (July 9, 2005, to be exact), but he can aid a bullpen that needs more depth. The Cards have enjoyed Ryan Franklin as the main set-up man for Izzy, but for how much longer can Franklin's 1.43 ERA and 0.88 WHIP be sustained? Percival is not a threat to Isringhausen's role, but as we're seeing in Detroit, having a strong set-up core protects the closer from being overworked. Can Percival still succeed? He retired due to persistent shoulder soreness, but claims he feels fine after the two years off. Talk about a guy needing some rest! There's no need to sign Percival in fantasy, there are plenty of valuable middle relievers out there.

Meanwhile, Isringhausen continues to flourish with a 1.72 ERA and 0.83 WHIP. Although the pessimist warns against another hip problem, there has been no word of any Izzy health woes all season.

Two is the number of current closers who have neither a win nor a loss. The lone culprits with no record are J.J. Putz and Octavio Dotel. Wins are an arbitrary thing for most closers anyway, since they are often accomplished only when someone enters a tie game and his team gets the lead, or he blows a save and his team comes back with a bigger inning. Putz has yet to blow a save, while Dotel just hasn't gotten lucky.

Two is the number of 1-2-3 outings for MLB save leader Francisco Cordero in June, entering Wednesday's game. While Cordero does have eight saves in June, his 6.10 ERA is a problem, and he's allowing baserunners not only in his bad games, but in most outings, which speaks to a career trend. Cordero has never been a closer fantasy owners could count on for a low WHIP. If you can sell high, consider your options.

Two is the number of strikeouts in June for Philly closer Antonio Alfonseca, who has four saves on the month. Not all closers have to be big strikeout options! Alfonseca is certainly not someone you target for WHIP (1.63 for the year) either, but with little chance of Brett Myers or Tom Gordon returning before the All-Star break, the job remains his. Alfonseca remains available in a one-third of ESPN's standard-mixed leagues, in part because he's not getting many save chances. The Phillies are 7-5 over the past two weeks, but in none of the seven wins have they had a save chance.

Tom (Chesapeake, Va.): "Eric, I have concerns about where you are ranking Eric Gagne. I think he is showing consistency in his appearances and seems healthy. I just don't think he can dominate given the Rangers' performance and the lack of save opportunities. At the current rate, if they reach 60-something wins, what would Gagne end up with, perhaps 20 saves? It's not inspiring. Thoughts?"

Eric: I agree that part of Gagne's ranking, which is among the bottom half of closers in this story, is because concerns about his durability and the team around him. The Rangers have no starting pitching, and have virtually the same record as the Royals. If we view Octavio Dotel negatively because of the team he hurls for, how is Gagne different? As for the pitching himself, Gagne has looked terrific. He did allow two runs in Sunday's slugfest with the Astros, but those are the only blemishes on a solid June, in which he has a 1.80 ERA and a strikeout per inning. Gagne is ranked in about the right spot, and you should expect him to continue to pitch well, but not pile up the saves.

Eric Karabell is a senior writer who covers fantasy sports for ESPN.com. E-mail him by clicking here and check out his daily blog at this link.