Closer Perez struggles to rise above troubles

CLEVELAND: Indians fans have been through this before.

They've suffered through a slew of closers who have caused countless ulcers and a litany of restless nights.

Think the Tribe's current young closer Chris Perez is struggling right now after poor outings in back-to-back games, the latest coming in the 4-2 loss Monday in the home opener to the Texas Rangers?

Maybe you've forgotten about the Bob Wickman high-wire act that was the ninth inning for six years as the Tribe's closer in 2000-06.
And who could forget Joe Borowski, the poor-man's Bob Wickman, who posted 45 saves in 2007, then suddenly lost his touch the next season and was forced into retirement?

Perez at 24 years old has a long way to go before then, but that didn't stop him from publicly bashing himself after loading the bases with no outs in a 2-2 tie game in the ninth inning Monday.

''I pitched like crap,'' he said, thanking teammates Tony Sipp and Jamey Wright for getting out of the jam unscathed. ''And that's unacceptable for any role, let alone the closer's role. Based on my last couple of outings, it's probably not going to be mine too much longer. . . . Based on how I've thrown here and in spring training, I really don't deserve [the closer's] role right now.''

Indians manager Manny Acta stood by Perez after the game, sharing what he told him after he gave him a tap on the chest in a keep-your-head-up gesture before Perez walked off the mound to the dugout amid boos from the soldout Progressive Field crowd.

''I told him he's going to be OK, and that we're counting on him,'' Acta said. ''Two days from now, he's going to have an opportunity to save a game.''

Entering spring training, the Indians hoped Kerry Wood would have a solid first half while teaching the finer points of the art of closing to Perez, who was set to become the set-up man, a role that would put him in games in the eighth inning.

With a good start to the season, the Tribe could then trade Wood (the highest-paid member of the team at $10.5 million) to a team in contention and Perez would be primed to take over.

But Perez had little time to learn much from Wood, who hasn't pitched since March 10, when he injured his right latissimus dorsi muscle in his back and was placed on the disabled list for the 13th time in his career.

Although Wood threw a 20-pitch bullpen session before the game Monday and is scheduled to throw another session Thursday, there's still the issue of whether he'll need to shed a month and a half of rust via a minor-league rehab assignment.

Even if all goes well, Wood probably wouldn't return to the Indians until the end of the month.

The opportunity to close games for the Tribe is the chance Perez has been dreaming of during his young career. He got a short chance last season for the St. Louis Cardinals before they traded him to the Indians in July for veteran infielder Mark DeRosa.

The maddening part for Perez is that he has no idea what's gone wrong.

''I really don't know,'' he said with a shrug. ''I haven't seen video or anything. My arm feels fine and I've got my stuff. It might just be one of those things, one of those ruts. . . . It's a tough game and part of it is making adjustments and battling when you don't have your best stuff and your stuff's not going well. Half of that is battling yourself, your mind, your body and all that.

''I'm just not throwing enough strikes, not getting ahead of the hitters and maybe I'm giving [the hitters] a little too much credit when I am behind instead of just challenging them like I've always done. Right now, it's just mental. I have to start believing in my stuff again.''

Perez was a closer throughout his minor-league career, racking up 60 saves while coming up through the Cardinals' farm system. Before the season began last week, Perez had eight big-league saves, seven coming with the Cardinals last season.

''I've been here before. I've been in worst situations before, and I've been able to dig down and figure it out and get out of it,'' Perez said. ''I'll take the off day and rest up, watch video, talk to [bullpen coach Scott] Radinsky and [pitching coach Tim] Belcher to see if I'm doing anything mechanically or if it's just bad pitching.''

Perez didn't have any problems in Chicago last week with a pair of saves against the White Sox, despite playing the series in frigid, wet weather.

''This game is definitely all mental,'' Perez said. ''I've got the tools. I've done it before. It's just doing it. . . . It feels like every pitch I throw, they're right on it.''

Although Acta promises to support Perez for the time being, he is concerned about a bullpen that has given up nine hits, five earned runs and four walks the past two games.

''It's nothing to be happy about, but we're not the only team that has had some struggles in the back end,'' Acta said. ''It's something that's going to get better as the season goes on.''

Indians fans can only hope Perez will, too.

''[Perez] saved two very good games in Chicago and we were celebrating and being very happy,'' Acta said. ''Now that he's had two bad outings in a row, we're not going to run him out of town because of that.''

(ohio.com)