SEATTLE — Paul Molitor has a lot of faith in his closer, and for good reason. Brandon Kintzler has saved 15 of 18 games this season, and 17 of 20 last year.
But he knows that a closer like Kintzler — not a strikeout pitcher, like most closers, but a ground-ball specialist — means he'll have a few more anxious moments than most managers.
Take Wednesday's crushing 6-5 loss to the Mariners, for instance. Kintzler's sinker appeared to be working just fine, and he got three straight hitters, Kyle Seager, Taylor Motter and Ben Gamel, to smack his sinkers into the ground. The first two were routine outs, while the third snuck through the infield for a hit.
Kintzler kept throwing sinkers, and Mike Zunino took a couple for balls, then watched one go by for a strike. Then came yet another sinker — but this one didn't sink. Instead, it hung in the middle of the plate, and Zunino did, as Kintzler said, "what major league hitters are supposed to do with it."
It landed 437 feet away, turning a Twins victory into a bitter defeat. And it reminded Molitor that Kintzler is an effective closer — but a nerve-rattling one.
"He doesn't strike a lot of people out, so you hope to get the ball on the ground. he was just hoping to throw a little back-door sinker there, but he left it up over the middle," the manager said. "He's going to be in trouble, at times, just because of the fact that he's going to put the ball in play more often than not."
Yes, strikeouts can't get past an infielder or land in the seats. It's a compromise that Molitor can live with, though, because Kintzler's sinker has been so effective.
"You just try to put your people in the best position," Molitor said. For Kintzler, that's the ninth inning.
