By David Young, Special to SI.com

	LaTroy Hawkins is showing once again that closing may not suit him. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

After a week of games, we have learned the following things about pitching after the fifth inning:

1. LaTroy Hawkins still can't close.
2. Eric Gagne will be out for longer than originally advertised.
3. Nobody has any faith in Mike Adams, and all the RP behind him are being drafted.
4. Brandon Lyon and Yhency Brazoban have the jobs, but not the instinct.
5. Mariano Rivera has a new daddy.

In other words, the first week of April 2005 has not been kind to most bullpens. And just think, we only have 25 more weeks to go in the season. My head is full already. Let's see if we can break this all down.

Save Ferris

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks: Brandon Lyon has picked up a couple of saves and hopefully you saw my prediction from a month ago that he'd be the closer. However, he doesn't seem to know what to do when he gets two strikes on a batter. There's no one challenging him for the job, so he's not in danger, but your WHIP may take a hit.

Atlanta Braves: Did anyone else notice Danny Kolb striking out Carlos Beltran and Cliff Floyd the other night? Leo Mazzone may turn this guy into an elite closer yet.

Chicago Cubs: LaTroy. That's French for "The Troy." It may also be Latin for "Can't handle the ninth." So this means that if you can pick up Joe Borowski and store him, go ahead and do it. In the meantime, many people are touting Chad Fox as his replacement. I don't think he's worth pursuing, but it's your call.

Cincinnati Reds: Two appearances for Danny Graves equals one win and one save. And the save was a one-out job with the tying run at the plate.

Colorado Rockies: Sad world we live in when we get nostalgic for the "Good old days of Shawn Chacon." The ninth inning for the Rockies is a mess right now, which is good news for Chin-Hui Tsao owners. I also think that Byung-Hyun Kim will have some value this year. The question is whether you have the intestinal fortitude to get a submariner at altitude.

Florida Marlins: Guillermo Mota has made three appearances and allowed two base runners in two of them. No saves yet, but now that they're out of Atlanta there should be more moments for him. Having said that, I have Tony-Twelve-Fingers (Antonio Alfonseca) on a couple of my teams in case I'm right about Mota having LaTroy Syndrome.

Houston Astros: Brad Lidge is at it again, and could be the NL's top closer this year. But keep in mind that he's been worked hard the last couple of years, and an injury wouldn't surprise me. I've picked up Chad Qualls in most of my leagues as the heir apparent.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Yhency, Yhency, Yhency. Giving up 2 ER in 0.1 IP against the Giants in your first appearance is no way to win a job. However, with Eric Gagne out indefinitely, Brazoban may reach double digits in saves this year, which makes him valuable in any league.

Milwaukee Brewers: There is nothing wrong with Mike Adams and no data to show that he can't handle the job. Having said that, Matt Wise and Derrick Turnbow are flying off the shelves like Tickle Me Furbies (or whatever the latest doll/toy craze is).

New York Mets: Raise your hand if you think the Mets already have a locker with "U. Urbina" engraved on it. I know Braden Looper looked good last year, but the team was out of contention in May and there was no pressure. Anyone remember how he pitched in Florida when there was a little pressure? I'm sure he's a great guy and kind to small animals, but it's the Big Apple. Get some insurance if you have him.

Philadelphia Phillies: That whole bullpen is snake bit right now except for Billy Wagner. Stay far away from Tim Worrell, regardless of whether he'll get save opportunities.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Last I checked, Jose Mesa was still the closer. However, we have a "King Lear" scenario emerging with Goneril, Reagan, and Cordelia being played by Salomon Torres, Mike Gonzalez, and Bryan Meadows, respectively. If you're not sure what that means, there should be a copy available at the library.

San Diego Padres: I was at Petco Park on Opening Day last year and I remember Trevor Hoffman having trouble then, too. Stay the course. He's fine.

San Francisco Giants: So what happens when your star offensive player goes down? Why you score runs in bunches against your opponents, that's what. I love Armando Benitez in that park this season, but he may not get as many save opportunities as we thought if his team is up by 10 going into the ninth.

St. Louis Cardinals: Remember the rule with Jason Isringhausen: unhittable on the road, but terrible at home.

Washington Nationals: Was I the only one that flinched when I saw the report that the Nationals' Cordero was going on the DL. Turns out it was Wil, not Chad. Phew. Even though Luis Ayala is pitching well, I think Chad keeps the job through the season.

American League

Baltimore Orioles: So far, B.J. Ryan hasn't been getting the job done. Meanwhile, Jorge Julio has been flawless. This could get worse before it gets better for Ryan owners.

Boston Red Sox: Keith Foulke has a place in Red Sox Nation Heaven after his gutty 2004 playoff performances. Having said that, giving up 1 ER to the Yankees is understandable. Giving up 2 ER to the Blue Jays is not. He started off last year like this and then cruised. No problem yet, but stay tuned.

Chicago White Sox: Shingo Takatsu got rocked by the Indians last Thursday. In that same game, one heir apparent (there are three in Chicago's South Side), Luis Vizcaino, also got rocked, but that's because he was kept in too long. One reader, Brad Nathan, stated that the Sox brass doesn't seem to have confidence in Shingo. While there are wolves waiting to divide up his kingdom (what, you still haven't read "King Lear" yet?) he should be fine. But if you can, sit him (Shingo, not Brad) against the Indians.

Cleveland Indians: Speaking of the Indians, after two appearances we've seen Good Bob Wickman and Bad Bob Wickman. Not sure which personality will emerge, but Rafael Betancourt has pitched better than anyone in that pen and may get a shot, especially if the DL is in the future for Cleveland's 36-year-old closer.

Detroit Tigers: Troy Percival has no saves yet, but once the Tigers get done beating up on the Royals, they should create some save appearances. We all assume Urbina is going somewhere (Chicago North Side? Queens?), but don't buy the hype over Kyle Farnsworth. He couldn't get the job done at Wrigley, so why should things be different at Comerica? Don't forget about Franklyn German for when (not if) Percival hits the DL.

Kansas City Royals: I don't know about you, but I'm liking Mike MacDougal's chances of seeing some saves this year.

Los Angeles Angels: Francisco Rodriguez tossed three scoreless innings last week, but only picked up one save.

Minnesota Twins: Joe Nathan hasn't pitched since Wednesday and is sitting  on one save.

New York Yankees: You know what I'm going to talk about, don't you? The Red Sox are in his head, man. While this is kinda important, it's more important that George Steinbrenner thinks this as well. Watch as King George throws gasoline on the open flame which will allow other teams to get in Mariano's head as well.

Oakland A's: So far, so good for Octavio Dotel. However, we all expect him to be traded, so who's the heir apparent? Kiko Calero has been doing a good job, and others say the A's are paving the way for Huston Street to take over, but I still maintain Juan Cruz is the man to beat. Sure, in his only appearance this year he got a loss, but that was to Tampa Bay, who is this year's team of destiny (OK, he blew it, but I still think he has skills). Reader Ken Ashe questioned this call, but I think that we're all jumping on the rookie bandwagons too early for such a demanding job and guys like Street, Brandon League (TOR) and Felix Hernandez (SEA) must all be given time to fit into the footsteps we've created for them.

Seattle Mariners: Everyday Eddie Guardado is what the Rangers call him as they'd love to see him everyday. Since a lot of other big-name closers got rocked this week, we'll give him a pass this time. But that's it. Having said that, the sounds of turmoil are coming out of that bullpen and may be a prime place to pick up a new closer or even a starter.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays: Danys Baez has two appearances and two wins, which puts him on pace for more than 50 wins. Try to temper your expectations and only pencil him in for 40.

Texas Rangers: Remember that Francisco Cordero started Spring Training late because of a bum shoulder, so he might be a bit rusty. Don't worry if he gives up an run here or there this month.

Toronto Blue Jays: Miguel Batista hasn't been flawless, but I have a hypothesis about his performances. I think he's actually pitching a regular game as if he were a starter an inning at a time. So let's group his appearances into seven-inning games (about his usual start), and see how those numbers match up to his start numbers.

Vulture Club

OK, so now we're scouring the box score trying to find out who King Vulture might be. A few closers have been in the right place at the right time and have two wins each (Chad Cordero, Danys Baez), but there are a couple of NL middle relievers that are tied with them. Let's try a quick quiz to see what we can find out:

1. What non-closing, non-starting pitcher is tied with Glendon Rusch with two wins this year?
2. Whose team in the Mixednuts Expert League is he on?
3. In that same league, whose bench has he sat on all week thus not earning any vulture wins for his owner?

The correct answers are: (1) Adam Bernero (ATL); (2) mine; and (3) mine. Well at least I drafted him. I don't think this is a fluke for either Rusch or Bernero. Both may be put into the role of a reliever who comes in for two innings when the SP leaves early or if the game is tied. Think a healthy Wilson Alvarez.

In the AL the picture is still cloudy, but there's no reason why Juan Rincon shouldn't be close to the top again.

Until next week, shut 'em down.

David Young is Baseball Editor and starting and relief pitching columnist for TalentedMrRoto.com, a fantasy sports site specializing in analysis, stats and advice. Include name and location when sending e-mails to MrSnappy@TalentedMrRoto