Once again, Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon stood behind veteran closer Fernando Rodney on Wednesday after he suffered his third blown save Tuesday against the Yankees. The right-hander has a 6.85 ERA through 23 appearances.
"The fact is he’s our closer," McClendon said, per The News Tribune. "We need him. We’re going to need him to be successful.
“I think people talk very lightly about changing closers. That’s fine, but you’ve got to have someone to do it. You don’t just throw anybody into the ninth inning and say, `Well, let him do it.' The old adage that anybody can do it…that’s just not the case.”
Rookie Carson Smith is enjoying a nice start to his career, but McClendon isn't even close to linking his name as a potential option for the closer's role, if Rodney continues to struggle.
“We have to be careful with him,” McClendon said, “particularly with his innings. Particularly with back-to-back-to-back (situations). I’m not sure if he can do that. I think his velocity goes down quite a bit.
“He doesn’t yet have his man muscles. He needs to mature and continue to develop. He’s doing a nice job, but I think part of him doing a nice job is the fact we’ve put him in positions where he can be successful. When you’re a closer, you don’t have that (luxury). It is what it is, and you’ve got to go in and get it done.”