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Soria new KC Closer (1 Viewer)

per Rotoworld with Link to KC Newspaper

cheap saves for a couple of weeks

:goodposting:
linkyROYALS NOTES | Soria may get shot at closing

By BOB DUTTON

The Kansas City Star

TORONTO | A night to reflect only reinforced the idea for Royals manager Buddy Bell that rookie Joakim Soria deserves the opportunity to serve as an interim closer until Octavio Dotel returns from the disabled list.

“They don’t take good swings off of (Soria),” Bell said. “For me, that’s the determining factor of whether a guy has the stuff (to close) or not. It’s not so much 95 or 98 (mph). It’s what kind of swings are guys taking?”

Soria gained his first career save Tuesday by retiring six straight hitters over the final two innings in a 6-3 victory over the Blue Jays. He has allowed just one hit and no runs while striking out five and walking two in five innings over four appearances.

Pitchers on schedule

Rehabbing right-hander Scott Elarton was cleared to join Class AA Wichita for a Monday start at San Antonio after experiencing no problems with his surgically-repaired shoulder Wednesday in a 50-pitch outing in extended spring training.

Elarton is tentatively scheduled to make at least four minor-league starts in building his endurance to 100 pitches. He hasn’t pitched in a game since a July 16 victory at Detroit. He underwent surgery Aug. 1 to repair a torn labrum.

Right-hander Luke Hudson also threw about 50 pitches Wednesday in testing his recovery from an inflamed biceps tendon. He is scheduled to throw again Sunday in Surprise.

Doubling up

The Royals used the same starting catcher in consecutive games for the first time this season when Jason LaRue drew the assignment over John Buck. Bell said there was no significance to the move and that Buck would start the next two games.

“We had been alternating them for a week,” Bell said, “and I just wanted to change it up a little bit. Our pitching has been good, and I think they’ve had something to do with it. So I didn’t want to mess with it too much.”

Etc.

•Rookie third baseman Alex Gordon went one for three with a single after being dropped from fifth to sixth in the lineup. Bell made the move because he wanted to bunch two right-handed hitters — Reggie Sanders and Emil Brown — at No. 4 and No. 5 against left-hander Gustavo Chacin.

•Ryan Shealy had a sacrifice fly but otherwise went zero for three. He is batting .115 at three for 26.

 
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Oblique injuries have a way of lingering, so Soria may have more value than just a couple of weeks. Plus, I like his stuff.

 
His stats so far look good - eventhough he only pitched 5 innings so far.

Obliques do tend to linger.

I picked him up and dropped Riske yesterday.

 
Dotel had another setback and is headed for an MRI :shocker:
Good call AB. I was hesitant on dropping Riske to pick him up but I finally did after the game last night. This morning I got this:The Kansas City Star reports that "The Royals are now bracing for an extended period without their $5 million closer. Octavio Dotel, 33, suffered a setback Thursday when he experienced renewed problems with his strained left oblique while throwing from a mound at the club’s year-round facility in Surprise, Ariz. Plans call for Dotel to return to Kansas City to undergo a follow-up magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination today to determine the cause of the continuing pain. ... Rookie Joakim Soria will serve as Dotel’s primary replacement. Soria has yet to allow a run in five innings over four appearances and retired six straight hitters over two innings Tuesday in preserving a 6-3 victory at Toronto. Bell said veterans David Riske and Joel Peralta will supplement Soria in a committee approach. ... The Royals gambled $5 million last December to sign Dotel to a one-year deal as a free agent in hopes he could serve as the lynchpin in a revamped bullpen. They did so in the belief that he was completely recovered from reconstructive elbow surgery. His elbow hasn’t been a problem. Club officials initially characterized the injury as a mild strain to the oblique and held off placing him on the disabled list until April 4. The Royals once targeted Dotel to return for Sunday’s series finale against the Orioles before revising their timetable earlier this week to April 20." - newsource1
 
Soria was terrific during winter ball too. I think he threw a perfect game. I had him until he was unexplicably dropped to middle relief in spring training. Couldn't get him after he got that cheap save.

 
Soria was terrific during winter ball too. I think he threw a perfect game. I had him until he was unexplicably dropped to middle relief in spring training. Couldn't get him after he got that cheap save.
Yeah, he threw the perfect game right after the Royals took him too, the guy has good stuff. We'll see if it keeps up.
 

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