The Dodgers lost their third straight game to the Marlins on Saturday night, causing the team to fall four games under .500 again, and drop two games behind the Diamondbacks in the NL West. More concerning for the team than that, though, is that they may have lost their closer in the 9th inning last night.Takashi Saito had to leave the game with a 2-2 count on Wes Helms and two outs in the 9th inning of a 3-3 game when he felt "tightness" in his elbow, but Saito says it wasn't the normal tightness you'd feel in your arm while you're on the mound.
"The kind of tightness that you feel on the mound isn't a normal tightness," he said. "It became gradually worse and I thought, 'This isn't tightness.' "Then what is it? That's what the Dodgers and Saito are waiting to find out, as there's hope the All-Star break will be enough to heal the problem, but given Saito's age and injury history while in Japan, there's probably more reason to be worried.
If Saito is out for an extended period of time, that will leave the Dodgers with a hole at the back of their bullpen, which is never a good thing when you're trying to win a division. Whether or not they'll replace Saito from within, or make a trade would remain to be seen, but they do have options.
They could just move Jonathan Broxton into the role, but if they're worried that would only open a hole in the 7th and 8th innings, they could go outside the organization. There are relievers out there that are available.
The Rockies are looking to move Brian Fuentes, but given the fact the Rockies are in the same division and the price they're reportedly asking for Brian's services, I don't see this move happening. Teams have been trying to get some of the Dodgers young talent for years to no avail, and I don't see them changing their philosophy right now.
They could look to the north at Oakland's Huston Street. Even though the A's are still in the playoff hunt at the break, the fact that they just traded Rich Harden to the Cubs is probably a sign that just about everybody on the team is available for the right price. When you look at what Oakland took in return for Harden, you have to figure their price for Street wouldn't be as high as the one Colorado wants for Fuentes.
