Tall order for Twins' new closer
The Twins' success might depend on how well Jon Rauch replaces Joe Nathan.
By JOE CHRISTENSEN, Star Tribune
ANAHEIM, CALIF. - At 6-11, Jon Rauch is the tallest player in major league history, but he knows it's going to be tough filling Joe Nathan's shoes.
Three days after being named the new Twins closer, Rauch could get his first test Monday night against the Angels and their infamous Rally Monkey.
Opening Day brings the first of four consecutive 9:05 p.m. Central starts at Angel Stadium for the Twins, who hope these don't turn into late-night horror shows.
Rauch, 31, humbly accepted the closer's job last week. He is hoping to lean on his experiences -- including some tough lessons learned during Arizona's failed 2008 playoff bid -- to help the Twins overcome the loss of Nathan to season-ending elbow surgery.
"He's basically the guy who holds the whole bullpen together," Rauch said of Nathan. "We all look up to him, so it's going to be a huge blow to not have him down there. He's one of the key components that's made this team so successful over the past few years."
The lineup seems loaded, the starting pitching looks steady if not spectacular, but the biggest question for the Twins moving forward will be the bullpen's ability to replace Nathan. Since becoming the Twins' closer in 2004, Nathan has posted a 1.87 ERA while holding opponents to a .182 batting average and converting 246 of 271 save chances (91 percent).
Now the job falls to Rauch, who converted 17 of 22 save chances (77 percent) as Washington's closer in 2008. The Twins tabbed him, in part, because none of their other relievers has more than four major league saves. The move enables Matt Guerrier, Jose Mijares and Jesse Crain to remain in their setup roles.
"I felt like we had a bunch of capable arms that could definitely do it," Rauch said. "That's why it's such an honor for me to get that."
Fitting right in
Minnesota has been a good fit for Rauch, who came in a trade from Arizona on Aug. 28. To Twins fans, he was just some tall guy with a rubber arm and a tattoo crawling up his neck. That tattoo, which includes interlocking wedding rings, is actually a tribute to his wife.
He wound up going 5-1 with a 1.72 ERA in 17 appearances down the stretch. Rauch said it was nice to make a positive impact on a pennant race after helping squander one for Arizona in 2008.
He had started that year with Washington and moved into the closer's role after Chad Cordero was injured. With no hope of playoff contention, the Nationals traded Rauch to Arizona in late July for infielder Emilio Benefacio.
The Diamondbacks were hoping Rauch could help stabilize the back of their bullpen, along with Brandon Lyon, but Rauch went 0-6 with a 6.56 ERA. Arizona was tied for first when the Diamondbacks traded for Rauch and finished two games behind the Dodgers.
"I think it was a lot of my doing," Rauch said. "My lack of execution cost us some critical ballgames that would have put us ahead in the division."
Asked if helping the Twins win in 2009 helped ease his 2008 disappointment, Rauch said: "I still think of the negatives. I always will. It's just who I am. Those guys busted their tails all year to try to get to that point, and here I am for six or seven weeks. You don't want to be the guy that ruins it for everybody."
He also shies from any suggestion that he helped save the Twins last year.
"I think I helped," he said. "I don't think I was the guy who should be responsible for that. Everybody stepped up. I think [Michael] Cuddyer's hugely responsible, the run that [Joe] Mauer had, [Carl] Pavano, all our starters that kicked in at the end, Delmon [Young] stepping his game up at the end. You could go down the line, and each guy contributed."
With Arizona last year, Rauch averaged only 5.8 strikeouts per nine innings, but thanks to a refined curveball, his strikeout rate climbed to 8.0 for the Twins. That's not the 11.1 strikeout rate the Twins have enjoyed from Nathan since 2004, but it could help Rauch in the ninth inning.
Leaning on experience
Rauch said he's not much different as a pitcher than he was in 2008. According to www.fangraphs.com, Rauch's average fastball was 92.0 miles per hour that year and 91.3 last year. Experience helps. Since 2006, he leads all major league relievers with 322 appearances.
"He's a big guy, intimidating figure, creates great angle on his fastball, and he has four solid pitches he can throw for strikes," Pavano said. "You see a lot of closers, maybe they throw a little harder, but they really have one go-to pitch. He's got a lot of weapons, so I think that's going to be his advantage."
The Rally Monkey will be waiting, so the Twins might need Rauch to use all those weapons and whatever poise he can find.
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