A's in trouble; Marlins closer situation takes shape

By Brooks Peck, Special to SI.com, ProFantasySports.com

The closer injury plague continues to spread from bullpen to bullpen across the country. Like I was with my bomb shelter stocked with Cheez Whiz and Capri Sun for Y2K, some clubs have been more prepared for it than others. One club that wasn't ready was the Oakland A's, who lost Huston Street to the DL earlier this week with nerve irritation in his elbow.

With Street out of action, Oakland is left to rely on a group of relievers who have blown a combined six save opportunities, converting none. Considering that, choosing a temporary closer looks like a game of Russian roulette with a bullet in every chamber for manager Bob Geren. Jay Witasick has one of the best ERAs in the bullpen at 3.65, but his 1.54 WHIP is scary and he just blew his last save chance on Tuesday. Kiko Calero has been inconsistent at best. Lenny DiNardo has been great this season but has never been tested in a save situation. And Justin Duchscherer, who remains the most likely to close in Street's absence, has been battling an arthritic hip while accounting for two of those blown saves and losing his last pair of decisions. So, get well soon, Street, because you might have to pitch even if you don't.

As the good people of Oakland try to track down that spray they use on soccer players to make their injuries magically disappear, let's take a look at some other notable bullpen situations, which, coincidentally, happens to look like a rundown of the NL East.

Marlins: Henry Owens is on the DL with a shoulder injury, leaving closing duties to his preseason rival for the job, Kevin Gregg. Now worthy of a fantasy roster spot as long as Owens is sidelined, Gregg has been Mr. Reliable so far this year, with his 2.63 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, six holds, and two saves in as many chances. If Gregg continues the way he's been pitching, he could align himself to be the Marlins' next full-time closer should Owens, a 28-year-old rookie, falter upon his return from the DL.

Braves: As soon as Bob Wickman comes off the DL, Mike Gonzalez, Atlanta's closer plan B2, hits it himself with arm spasms. Though Wickman has yet to see a save opportunity since his return, he did pitch well in his one perfect inning of work against the Nationals on Wednesday -- good news for Wickman, who will now have to look over his shoulder for Rafael Soriano as he continues to pitch the lights out. It might just take one or two more blown saves from Wickman before the calls begin for Soriano and his 2.75 ERA, 0.66 WHIP, and five saves in as many chances to retake the closer's job. Consider yourself warned, Wickywoo (seriously, that's his nickname).

Phillies: Brett Myers was able to rebound from his first career blown save not with a complete emotional meltdown, but a perfect inning and two strikeouts against Milwaukee the very next day, further proving that this really could be his true calling.

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, the man he replaced as closer, Tom Gordon, is only on the verge of beginning a "light conditioning program." Oh, and he's also recovering from an upper respiratory infection that hospitalized him last weekend. Combine that with shoulder inflammation that put him on the DL in the first place and I'd say he won't be challenging Myers' hold on the closer's job for some time yet.

Nationals: Chad Cordero's time on the bereavement list allowed Jon Rauch to emerge as Washington's second-choice closer. In Cordero's absence, Rauch notched three saves, lowered his ERA to 3.63 and his WHIP to 0.85. Now that Cordero is back, Rauch's name becomes one that fantasy owners should not soon forget. After all, Cordero has converted just four of eight save chances this year and he's working with a 1.90 WHIP. Perhaps now that Rauch has shown he's capable the Nationals won't be as forgiving with Cordero.

Mets: Thought I'd throw this one in just to be complete. Billy Wagner is obviously still the unchallenged closer, as he should be with an ERA and WHIP both below 1.00. Setup men Pedro Feliciano and Joe Smith have also been dominant, though, giving the Mets a couple of solid backup options should Wagner get hurt. Not to say Wagner is going to get hurt or anything, but I'm sure my Mets-loving friend has already frantically searched out a piece of wood to knock on just in case.

Brooks Peck covers baseball for ProFantasySports.com. He can be reached at brookspeck@profantasysports.com.