Video: Ryan Rowland-Smith wants to see Marc Rzepczynski get a shot at closing for Mariners
May 19, 2017, 12:25 PM
With former Mariners pitcher and current ROOT Sports analyst Ryan Rowland-Smith filling in as Brock Huard’s co-host Friday on “Brock and Salk,” Huard took every opportunity to pick his brain about baseball matters. That of course included perhaps the most pressing matter this week for the Mariners – who should be their closer?
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Mechanical issues prompted Seattle to demote Edwin Diaz earlier in the week, and manager Scott Servais is instead taking a committee approach to the ninth inning. One of the members of that committee, southpaw Marc Rzepczynski, is who Rowland-Smith wants to see get an extended look at the role, though. And while he had a rough outing on Tuesday night in which he gave up a three-run homer in the ninth inning to Oakland’s Mark Canha that pushed an Oakland lead to 9-5, that blow accounts for the only runs given up by Rzepczynski in 17 appearances this season.
“I know he’s a lefty specialist, but he’s also putting up good numbers against right-handed hitters,” Rowland-Smith said. “I know he gave up the home run the other night, but before that, when he’s come in to to tough situations he’s been lights out. And he has, first of all, the most experience in that bullpen, but experience on teams that were in the playoffs.
“Why not give this guy a chance?”
Hear the whole conversation with Rowland-Smith and Huard in the video above.
