2002.07 : Buffalo Sauce - The Tin Man Commeth
Posted: Tue Nov 15, 2011 1:14 pm
Number 46 has arrived. Fresh off issues with bone chips in his elbow, Melvin Ripken joins the Bison bullpen at a time when the relief staff seems to be tossing beach balls towards the plate. With a Frick League worst ERA of 5.48, the Bison relief crew needs substantial relief. And it may be arriving in the form of yet another lefty.
While Ripken has closed in the past, the current strength of the relievers has been Richard Wasson, which means the team has a pair of southpaws who are capable of that role. With the season basically a loss at this point, the plan for the rest of the season is to let Ripken act in a role of setup or middle relief, and let Wasson finish the year at the end of the staff. It may be possible to swap one of the two this winter for a like skilled right hander, but who knows, maybe the presence of Wasson, Ripken, and Acosta means that having all right handed starters may not be something we need to fix this off season.
While Ripken has closed in the past, the current strength of the relievers has been Richard Wasson, which means the team has a pair of southpaws who are capable of that role. With the season basically a loss at this point, the plan for the rest of the season is to let Ripken act in a role of setup or middle relief, and let Wasson finish the year at the end of the staff. It may be possible to swap one of the two this winter for a like skilled right hander, but who knows, maybe the presence of Wasson, Ripken, and Acosta means that having all right handed starters may not be something we need to fix this off season.