A few members of the 2006 Draft class have made the Majors, including one to stay. Righty Chris Perez has established himself as a valuable part of the Cardinals' bullpen, and the hope remains that he could close someday down the road.


(mlb.com)

Right-handed pitchers Mitchell Boggs and Chris Perez were recalled from Memphis.

Chris Carpenter was removed from Tuesday night's game prior to the bottom of the fourth inning with a strain to his left rib cage. While there is no firm prognosis, it is reasonable to expect the 33-year-old to miss six weeks, potentially putting him back in action around June 1. More will be known about Carpenter’s condition after he is examined in St. Louis by team physicians.

Sent to Memphis to open the season, Perez has pitched four innings over three games. He has a win and two saves on no hits and three walks. Perez fanned four Triple-A batters. It remains to be seen whether or not Perez is used as the team’s closer initially. Veteran Ryan Franklin may play the role short-term or rookie Jason Motte could be eased back into the job.

(mets.scout.com)

ST. LOUIS -- From the looks of it, Chris Perez was unfazed by his demotion to Triple-A Memphis.

In his 2009 regular-season debut with the Redbirds, Perez turned in two effective and efficient innings, earning the win in relief as Memphis beat Oklahoma City, 4-3, in 10 innings on Thursday. Perez did not allow a run or a hit, striking out two and walking one. He needed only 23 pitches to get six outs.

Perez competed for ninth-inning duties during Spring Training, but was set back when he missed two weeks due to shoulder discomfort. He was sent out when the Cardinals instead chose to take long reliever Brad Thompson rather than a late-inning, short man in Perez.

"I think the idea is to let him pitch and let us play," manager Tony La Russa said. "There's no timetable, [where you say] 'Well, if he has three great outings, we'll see him.' You don't have that kind of crystal ball. I'm just pleased that he got off to a good start. Let him keep cranking, and stuff will take care of itself."

Cardinals Minor League affiliates went 3-1 in their season openers on Thursday, with only Class A Quad Cities losing. Other system stars included 2008 first-round Draft pick Brett Wallace, who went 4-for-5 with two home runs for Double-A Springfield, and reliever Ryan Kulik. The left-hander struck out five over two scoreless innings, picking up the win in reliefs.

(mlb.com)

ST. LOUIS — Ejected from the major-league bullpen near the end of spring training and given the assignment of proving his readiness by closing in Triple-A, righthander Chris Perez did just that in Memphis’ opening night Thursday.

Perez pitched two scoreless innings and got the victory Thursday when Memphis got a bases-loaded walk in the 10th to defeat Oklahoma City, 4-3. (Here is the box score.) Perez did not give up a hit and he struck out two.

From the majors, the Cardinals will be eyeing Perez’s performance.

Pitching coach Dave Duncan has said that it’s possible for a pitcher, specifically Perez, to earn his way into a ninth-inning role with the big-league club by pitching well in the role for the minor-league affiliate. When told about being optioned out to Triple-A, Perez noted that he began last year in the minors and still received save opportunities in the majors — during a division-title race, no less. Manager Tony La Russa said he saw the reports on Perez’s outing Thursday and noted the righthanders success and the positive review of his outing from the coaches.

That doesn’t mean he’s on deck for an instant callup.

“The idea is to let him pitch and let us play,” La Russa said. “There isn’t a time table for his return. We don’t have a crystal ball. I’m pleased he got off to a good start. Let him keep cranking and we’ll see how it goes.”

(stltoday.com)

JUPITER, Fla. — A few more notes to wrap up a hot, sunny Wednesday at Roger Dean Stadium:

Reliever Chris Perez pitched his first game for Triple-A Memphis today since being sent down from major-league camp earlier this week. He looked good, from what little I could see from the bleachers at the Double-A side.

Springfield reliever Francisco Samuel continued to throw heat. He was hitting 95 mph on the gun just about every pitch — even the ones that went into the dirt. And there were plenty of those.

Reliever Kenny Maiques fell off a lot of radar screens after a rough last year, posting a 6.3 ERA in High-A Palm Beach. He looked solid in relief today. He didn't give up a run (he's the only reliever who can say that today) in 1 2/3 innings of work. His stuff also got into the low 90s.

If I haven't talked much about offense today, that's because there wasn't a lot of hitting for Springfield. Second baseman Daniel Descalso had a nice single in the sixth, and shortstop Donovan Solano got an RBI with a sacrifice fly in the third.
(news-leader.com)

JUPITER, Fla. — The St. Louis Cardinals optioned reliever Chris Perez on Monday to Class AAA Memphis, where he will be the closer. The move leaves the Cardinals with seven relievers on the active roster — the seven relievers that will make up the major-league bullpen on Opening Day.

“He’s got 100 innings in minor-league baseball,” manager Tony La Russa said. “He needs to work. He needs to work regularly. He can be the closer in Memphis and get valuable experience.”

As mentioned this morning in Cardinal Beat, the Cardinals were weighing between carrying a long reliever into the season or letting March performance dictate that bullpen’s makeup. They sided with role, and Brad Thompson will go north with the team as the long reliever. Kyle McClellan, who got the win in this afternoon’s game against Florida, will also be considered for long relief, though his chief role will be in late-inning setup. His rocky spring did not factor into the discussions, La Russa said, because McClellan’s recent shift on the mound and his work outside of games has shown he knows what to correct — and, La Russa said, “is doing so.” Righthander Josh Kinney takes over the Russ Springer role, coming in during dicey innings like he did today with the go-ahead run on base.

Perez missed more than a week of time with discomfort in his shoulder, and La Russa said Perez’s need to get healthy, need to refine his stuff and the team’s need for a long reliever “dovetails.”

“He needs to work on his stuff and the big leagues are not a place to work on stuff,” La Russa said. “He lacks experience, and he needs to pitch.”

(stltoday.com)

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- When Chris Perez came down with some right shoulder discomfort earlier in Spring Training, it appeared that one of the Cardinals' hardest roster decisions might make itself. With one too many right-handed relief candidates, a lingering Perez injury could have relegated the second-year pitcher to the disabled list or Triple-A Memphis. It's again looking like the decision might make itself, but in the other direction.

Perez turned in another excellent outing on Sunday, his second in a row following a rusty return from the injury, and continued to strengthen his case to be one of the five righty relievers that St. Louis takes north. He struck out two, walked one and didn't allow a hit or a run against the Twins in a 5-3 loss. In his previous game, on Friday against Boston, he pitched a perfect inning with two Ks. For the spring, he has nine strikeouts, four walks and a 3.86 ERA in seven appearances.

"The last couple outings have been good," he said. "I'm strong. I haven't gotten back to long-tossing like I usually do, but everything else is fine. My shoulder is good to go."

Along with Perez, five other right-handed relievers remain in camp: Jason Motte, Ryan Franklin, Kyle McClellan, Josh Kinney and Brad Thompson. Barring something very surprising, one of them will be sent to Triple-A Memphis for Opening Day, as St. Louis is likely to carry five righties and two lefties in a seven-man bullpen.

Motte has been outstanding, Franklin's spot is secure, McClellan seems safe as he rebounds from a slow start, and Kinney looks to be in very good shape as well. That leaves Perez, who has pitched well, and Thompson, who provides something none of the others do: a long reliever. But if Perez continues to shine, the Cardinals may simply elect to keep their long man at Memphis, and call someone up when and if needed.

For now, Perez just needs to keep doing what he did on Sunday.

"I thought he had a solid inning," manager Tony La Russa said. "So we keep giving him work and see how it works out."

(mlb.com)

JUPITER, Fla. - Manager Tony La Russa just got through explaining how he will balance managing the remainder of exhibition games as though they counted versus getting relievers enough work to prepare themselves for the season.

Chris Perez represents one example. Perez is expected to appear in this afternoon’s Grapefruit tilt against the Houston Astros. It will be his first game appearance since March 11. Perez told trainers the next morning he was experiencing persistent shoulder stiffness after throwing and had some trouble loosening beforehand. Once considered a leading candidate to close games but now fighting for a spot on the Opening Day roster, Perez was shut down and has been on a mound only twice since.

Perez said earlier this week he hoped to make six appearances before the season. La Russa countered Wednesday, “I don’t know if he can pitch six times in the last games. I would err on the side of trying to get him in games whenever he’s cleared to pitch.”

“There are certain priorities,” La Russa said. “The first priority is the starting pitcher. Then it comes down to the rest. But he is one of the priority guys.” 

Jason Motte, for example, has appeared four times since Perez’ last outing. Josh Kinney and Trever Miller have been seen five times. Perez now operates at a deficit.

(stltoday.com)

JUPITER, Fla. — Chris Perez threw about 25 pitches in a bullpen session this morning and said his shoulder is pain-free and game-ready. Now if only the St. Louis Cardinals’ reliever could get in a game.

“It was 100 percent,” Perez said. “A little rusty. But the shoulder fine. No pain.”

Perez plans to throw on flat ground Wednesday morning to work some of the kinks out of his delivery and his slider, and then he hopes to return to game action that afternoon. His plan would be to appear in six games — essentially every other day from here to the end of spring training — in hopes of making up for lost time in the closer competition. He has not appeared in a game since March 11.

In his absence, Jason Motte has excelled in ninth-inning opportunities.

The righthander threw “max’d out” in the bullpen session. He tried all of his pitches: fastball, curve, slider and two-seam fastball. He lacked command and polish, but said that likely comes from having more than a week off from the mound.

Perez had been diagnosed with impingement or tendinitis in his right shoulder. He had a “knotting” sensation in the front of his shoulder that sent the Cardinals scurrying for MRIs and exams.

No structural damage was found in any of the scans.

“I think this was just normal spring training wear and tear,” Perez said. “We didn’t know what it was so that’s why we went had the MRI and the tests and all that stuff. But maybe it was just normal to feel this way a this point in spring training. If I was a 10-year veteran I would have known what it was and gone in for treatment. It’s something now that I’ve learned.”

(stltoday.com)

JUPITER, Fla. — Sore-shouldered reliever Chris Perez will attempt long toss Friday as a possible prelude to a weekend game appearance. Perez remained in Jupiter Thursday to accept treatment on his throwing shoulder, which has been a nuisance for some time. Minimizing its degree, Perez said he has made his last two Grapefruit League outings since the discomfort first surfaced.

Perez compared the sensation to “a knot” and said he typically feels uncomfortable before and after throwing. One of several contenders for the Cardinals’ closer role, Perez described the feeling as “stiffness” more than pain and said that he is typically able to loosen it with exercises and light throwing.

“It would hurt, then I would start playing catch and loosen it up and it would be gone,” Perez said.

Perez accompanied the club on its recent two-day swing to Clearwater and Lakeland but was scratched from a Monday assignment after waking up stiff. He threw in the Joker Marchant Stadium outfield and gradually became more comfortable. However, the team’s training staff sided with caution. He returned to camp and underwent an arthrogram on Tuesday. Results suggested no structural damage but confirmed an impingement caused by tendinitis.

“They told me they want to be healthy later. If there’s any kind of discomfort tomorrow we’re going to shut it down. They said it’s not that important right now for me to throw an inning,” Perez said.

Since first experiencing stiffness, Perez worked a scoreless inning against the Florida Marlins March 18 and allowed two runs in a bumpy inning against the Baltimore Orioles March 13.

Any residual discomfort today will lead to a longer shutdown. Even if he is allowed to pitch this weekend, Perez acknowledges going more than a week without game activity does not enhance his chances to open the season as Cardinals closer.

“It’s definitely not ideal,” Perez said. “I’ve still got 2 ?weeks left and I can get four or five more appearances. Hopefully, they go good and I build some momentum going into the season and win a spot.”

(stltoday.com)

LAKELAND | Nobody has had a better spring for the Tigers than Timo Perez, who had four hits in Monday's 7-6 exhibition victory over the St. Louis Cardinals.

Given some regular at bats in the absence of Detroit's regular outfielders, the 33-year-old Perez has shown he can still hit, run, play the outfield and hit with power. He had a home run and a triple on Monday.

The problem is the Tiger outfielders will soon return from the World Baseball Classic, and then Perez will be out of a job, at least at the Major League level.

"I know my situation here. I'm a veteran. A lot of younger players are here," said Perez, who spent the entire 2007 season at Toledo. "I just get ready for every day. You never know. It's a long season, and I have to be mentally ready."

Manager Jim Leyland expressed Perez's predicament.

"Timo Perez is probably the best pinch hitter we've got. He's a prototype pinch hitter -- go up there and let it fly . . . sometimes it goes at somebody and sometimes it drops in. But the fact of the matter is, how much are we going to pinch hit?''

American League teams pinch hit only about once every two games, less than half as frequently as National League teams, which means Perez is probably in the wrong league.

"Yeah," he agreed, "but nobody gave me a job in the National League."

Consecutive hits by Ramon Santiago, Perez and Will Rhymes produced the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning Monday before a crowd of 8,376.

The Cardinals jumped of Tiger starter Zach Miner for four runs in the first inning and Albert Pujols hit his first spring homer off Bobby Seay in the seventh.

But the Tigers came back with the help of Perez's hitting and Brent Clevlen's first home run.

(theledger.com)

We know you can't get enough news about the Cardinals' closer situation (who can?), so we're back with our third update in the span of 10 days.

This one centers around another rocky outing by Chris Perez. Perez, who closed some last year and is the favorite for the job out of spring training, gave up two hits, a walk and two runs while closing out Friday's split-squad game against Baltimore. He's struck out three and has given up three earned runs in five innings this spring.

Compare that to the performance of Jason Motte: five innings, one earned, seven Ks. Ryan Franklin, who closed for awhile last season and is a candidate again this spring, has given up one run in four innings while striking out five.

Manager Tony La Russa hasn't said anything recently regarding the closer situation, but he can't be happy with Perez's most recent performance. We still have Perez listed as the favorite, but his grip on the job is slipping by the day. So far this spring, he's received one save opportunity to Motte's two.

If you're drafting in the next couple days, consider Perez one of the last closer options. We currently have him ranked 29th among relievers (27th among closers). Motte should rise a few notches on your big board. Even if he doesn't land the closer's job right away, he should be able to help your team with his strikeout ability (assuming he doesn't start the year in Triple-A -- you never know with La Russa).

(sportingnews.com)

JUPITER — His hair is long enough to brush his shoulders and his cheeks haven’t seen a razor in a few days. Chris Perez has that unkempt look of a closer; of the gunslinger called on to blow his fastball by over-matched hitters and nail down the final outs of a game. It’s as if Perez is channeling Rich Gossage or Al Hrobosky.

“That’s what everybody says. But that’s just a coincidence,” Perez said Monday morning while standing outside the St. Louis Cardinals clubhouse behind Roger Dean Stadium.

Actually, Perez has the mid-90s fastball of a closer, and if he can learn to throw his slider from the same arm slot as his fastball, he might very well have the job as the Cardinals closer this season.

“It’s the job I prefer, but I just want to be on the team,” Perez said. “Any role would be fine with me.”

Perez, the 23-year-old Bradenton native who played at Manatee High and Pendleton School and starred at the University of Miami, served as the Cardinals closer last season, converting seven of his 11 save opportunities.

“He’s got an electric arm. The ball jumps out of his hand,” said Trever Miller, the former Ray reliever who is in his first season with the Cardinals. “He’s got a long future in this game as long as he keeps his head where it needs to be and stays grounded.”

Perez reached the major leagues last season, joining the Cardinals on May 16. It was a Friday night and the Rays were in town for an Interleague series. The game was televised so Perez’s family watched him make his big league debut. He pitched a scoreless seventh inning.

“A long day,” Perez said of his first day in the big leagues. “I was excited. Sitting in the bullpen, watching a big league game. Being on the team is what I dreamed about as a kid. I remember going to McKechnie Field with my dad. That was the best thing in the world. We had season tickets for spring training. He still has them. Even in high school, I would go to every game.”

Perez picked up his first big league victory two days later when he pitched a perfect ninth inning. The Cardinals scored the winning run in the bottom of the inning, making a winner out of Perez.

It all happened so fast for Perez. One day he’s in Memphis with the Cardinals Triple A team, the next day his pitching at Busch Stadium.

“My third appearance we were in L.A. and I was facing Jeff Kent,” Perez said. “When I was in high school, he was in the World Series with the Giants. He was arguably a Hall of Famer and I was facing him. I’ve seen that guy on TV and doing ESPN commercials and here I am facing him. Another thing was walking in (the Cardinals clubhouse) the first time, and there’s Albert (Pujols). Welcome to the majors: Here’s your first baseman. He won the MVP last year and is a great player. To have him as a teammate is pretty much: You’re here. If I blow it, maybe he can hit a home run in the ninth.”

The shaggy look notwithstanding, Perez feels he is made to be a closer. He was used in that role as a junior at Manatee High and at Miami and during his climb through the minor leagues.

“I like being on the mound when the game is close and having it all on my shoulders,” Perez said. “I like that feeling. I like the back against the wall kind of a feeling. It feels even better when you get out of it and your guys win. That’s the best feeling.”

To experience that feeling in St. Louis this summer, Perez needs to add that slider. Right now, he’s working on his delivery so that hitters see the same arm slot whether Perez is throwing a fastball or slider.

Cardinals manager Tony La-Russa called Perez’s work on his slider “promising.”

“I need to get more consistent with my arm slot, Perez said. “Last year I was kind of dropping, and hitters could pick that up. That’s not a good thing. I’m just trying to keep it as the same arm motion and coming out of the same spot as my fastball, so it makes it better.”

Miller, who has been in the big leagues since 1996, said Perez needs that second pitch to survive.

“They aren’t many one-pitch pitchers who last in this gamer too long,” Miller said. “Mariano Rivera is about the only guy I know of who can dominate with one pitch, and he’s a hall of famer, so it’s not fair to compare anyone with him.”

Perez is competing with Jason Mott for the closer role. Mott had nine saves at Memphis and one with the Cardinals.

“(Perez) has to earn that” LaRussa told reporters earlier this spring.

That’s fine with Perez.

“Nothing for granted. You’ve got to earn it,” Perez said. “The worst thing a young guy could do is take something for granted, especially the way Tony likes to run the team. He likes competition, guys working hard and competing. He doesn’t want anybody to feel like they are on the team already It makes it fun.”

(bradenton.com)

FORT LAUDERDALE -- It was an eventful 2009 Grapefruit League debut for Chris Perez, but ultimately a successful one in more ways than one.

The results were solid: Perez allowed one hit and no walks in a scoreless inning. And the way he got there was pleasing to the right-hander.
Perez threw six or seven sliders and a couple of curveballs in the span of four batters, and he threw them mostly for strikes.

So even though he gave up plenty of contact on off-speed offerings -- some of it very hard contact -- Perez achieved what he wanted to.

"They told me that's what they want me to work on," Perez said, "and it's the best time to work on it -- Spring Training. They want me to throw it ahead in the count, behind in the count, even in the count, all the time. So today, I threw it first pitch to a guy, I threw it full count to a guy, threw it 2-2 to a guy. That's what I need to do right now. I worked it in a lot today, and it's the best it's been since I was in the Minors."

For too much of 2008, Perez was a one-pitch pitcher. He throws a fastball with excellent velocity and good movement, but he had a difficult time finding his breaking ball. This after he was drafted in 2006 on the strength of a fastball-slider combination at the University of Miami.

"It's not like I never had a slider," he said. "I just lost a feel for it last year. It's hard to get that feel in the big leagues, especially being a rookie and just trying to survive up there. It's hard when you only have one pitch. ... Especially during the season, relievers, we can't throw bullpens. So I was working on my slider during games."

Now he's working on it in the spring. And although it was far from perfect, it was in the strike zone on Thursday.

"He threw some that were promising," said manager Tony La Russa. "It's not there yet. You can't be happy. But it's promising."

(mlb.com)

FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. — Chris Perez' road map for spring training is a simple one: He must become more than a one-pitch talent.

The young righthander acknowledges improving a slider is his ticket to the Cardinals' opening day roster, perhaps as the successor to departed closer Jason Isringhausen.

"I'm competing with myself to be on the team and competing with everybody else to be the closer," summarized Perez after working a scoreless fourth inning in Thursday's 11-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles.

A member of the Cardinals' 2006 draft class, Perez, 23, fell into and out of the role after the organization hustled him to St. Louis following Isringhausen's May meltdown last season.

No longer a rookie despite remaining on many publications' prospect list, Perez made 41 major-league appearances. He compiled a credible 3.46 ERA but admits pitching much of the time with little confidence in anything other than his fastball.

"It's not like I never had a slider. I just lost the feel for it," recalled Perez, who rated it his best pitch while closing at Miami. "It's hard getting it back in the big leagues, especially being a rookie just trying to survive up there. It's not like a hitter, who can take 2,000 swings in the cage if he wants. During the season, relievers really can't throw a bullpen. I was working on my slider in games. That makes it tough. You throw a ball or they whack it, and you lose confidence in it."

Perez mixed six sliders among Thursday's 14 pitches. He threw 10 strikes to four hitters. One pitch became a double; two were hard outs to right fielder Ryan Ludwick, who went far into the right-center field gap to save Perez' scoreless inning. Perez counted the outing a success because he consistently found the strike zone. Precision within the zone will come later.

"Today it was looking good so I felt I could throw it for strikes. That changes your mentality," Perez said.

"He threw some that were promising," manager Tony La Russa said after an otherwise ugly game. "It's not there yet. You can't be happy. But it's promising."

No one questions Perez's velocity. But without an effective slider as an additional deterrent, he realizes that one pitch is not enough to keep major-league hitters at bay.

"They told me that's what they wanted me to work on," Perez said of his slider. "They want me to throw it ahead in the count, behind in the count, even in the count — all the time."

Dealing with pressure is part of the process. La Russa wants it to be palpable.

"There's the pressure of him making the team," La Russa said, careful to make known that no guarantees have been extended a pitcher many have anointed the organization's closer-in-waiting. "He has to earn that."

The message has resonated. Perez is well aware of La Russa's and Duncan's skittishness about exposing inexperienced major-league pitchers to ninth-inning pressure. The next six weeks provide time enough to make a case.

"Nothing is written in stone," Perez said. "We've got seven or eight guys for five righthanded (relief) spots," Perez said. "I'm still trying to show Dunc' and Tony I worked on stuff in the offseason — that I can be successful on a consistent basis in the major leagues.

"My first goal is to make the team. As a young guy, nothing is guaranteed. There's a little pressure for that. At the beginning of the season, if I'm the closer there's more pressure."

For now he refines the tool to help deal with it.

(stltoday.com)

JUPITER, Fla. — Just a few short strides from the doors of the Cardinals' spring training clubhouse, there is important work being done. Behind the giant, green chain-link fence windscreen, you can hear the work long before you see it.

Shhhhhhhhhh thuuuuuump!

It is the distinctive sound of a baseball whistling through the air at warp speed, then pounding to an abrupt stop into the firm leather pocket of a catcher's mitt. The baseball sounds different, almost violent as it cuts through the air. If string music is basketball's sweetest sound and the ball rattling into the cup is golf's beautiful music, then this is one of baseball's finest melodies:

This is the sound of frightening velocity, 94-miles plus.

Shhhhhhhhhh thuuuuuump!

This is why 23-year-old Chris Perez is attracting a crowd. The big kid with the baby face, stringy long hair and rocket arm is trying to earn his way onto the Cardinals' regular-season roster as the team's closer. No matter where he is throwing — here on the practice mound, over on the far field throwing live batting practice — people tend to gather.

A few days ago, the kid was cranking it up behind the windscreen, and in a few minutes he had no fewer than 15 people staring at him. Coaches, front-office types, media folks and more than a few teammates, carefully scrutinizing every pitch he threw.

"Yeah, I notice," Perez said Monday as he stood near the clubhouse door. "But you have to kind of block that out. You can't allow that to affect how you go about your business every day. But that is something that is real. Every time I throw there seems to be more people watching me than the last time. I guess that is part of them evaluating me and the other (closer candidates) to see who will win the job."

The process has just begun, but the ever-expanding crowd is an indication of just how unique Perez's talent is and just how important he figures to be to this 2009 season. The coaches and personnel folks are evaluating the simple pitching functions. They're looking for arm slots and velocity. They're scrutinizing just how much Perez can make that change-up dance and that fastball zing.

At 6 feet 4, 225 pounds, the righthanded reliever showed promise in his brief major-league stint last season — enough promise that the organization coaxed manager Tony La Russa to consider doing something he absolutely abhors: handing the closer's job over to an untested rookie.

The former first-round draft pick (2006) out of the University of Miami has to convince pitching coach Dave Duncan and all those other organizational eyes that he has mastered a second pitch (a slider) to go along with that explosive 94-95 mph fastball that brings total smoke toward the plate. "It wasn't that I needed to get a second pitch," said Perez. "I just have to throw it better. I had (the slider) all through the minors, I just have to get better at it. But I got away from using it last year and I sort of lost the feel for it, and up in the big leagues it's kind of tough to get it back because the hitters are so good. It's not when I was in the minors where you can get away with things because the hitters aren't nearly as good.

"That's sort of what happened to me last year when I got in a rut and tried to find it in the games and it just wasn't happening," Perez said. "But when I came into spring training, I just went back to throwing it like I did in the minors, and it's worked so far pretty good."

But there is something else he has to work on, and that is why he's drawing the discerning stares from Cardinals veterans, too. When they gather along the fringes of Perez's vision, they're looking to see something a bit more intangible than what the personnel people are searching for.

Confirmation that they can trust the kid in one of the most significant roles on this team. A reliable closer could be the difference between the Cards being middle-of-the-pack pretenders and serious NL Central contenders. So when you see Albert Pujols stroll over from the batting cage to sneak a peek from behind the fence, you understand how much weight is on Perez's shoulders.

"Right now I'm just trying to win a job on the team," said the kid. "That's one of my goals is to just win a spot on the roster coming out of spring training. Now a secondary goal is to pitch good in spring training and hopefully have them pick me as the closer. That's something I worked hard for in the offseason, and that would be nice."

Barely a week into spring training, it's way too early to make any definitive judgments on Perez. Live batting practice and side sessions are like going to the practice range and pounding a bucket of golf balls. They're all about technique, not competition.

He has spent the entire offseason working on perfecting that second pitch, making it nearly impossible to detect a difference in his arm slot between his slider and his fastball.

The crowds gathering around Perez are growing by the day, and everyone is waiting to be pleased. Chris Perez pretends he doesn't notice, but he feels all those eyes and all that pressure on him. If it turns out that all that pressure feels like a scalding hot lamp in an interrogation room, this could be a difficult season for the Redbirds. But if Perez can treat all those glaring eyes like the soothing rays of the sun, the Cardinals are sure to prosper.

(stltoday.com)

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) — The battle for the St. Louis Cardinals' closer position wasn't on Chris Perez's mind when he walked off the mound following his first appearance against batters this spring.

"It's too early right now," Perez said on Thursday, as he made his way across the backfields to the Cardinals clubhouse in Jupiter, Fla. Even the first few spring games probably won't tell much, he added.

"The end of March, that's when it is really going to start heating up."

Perez, 23, entered spring as the likely front-runner in a four-way battle with Ryan Franklin, Jason Motte and Josh Kinney for the position.

Perez was the 41st pick in the 2006 draft. He began last season with Triple-A Memphis before being called up in mid-May. He appeared in 41 games, saving seven of them and posting a 3.46 ERA.

Franklin, the veteran of the group, first reached the majors with Seattle in 1999. He led St. Louis with 17 saves in 2008. Motte recorded one save last season. Kinney has yet to record a save at the major league level.

The Cardinals limited Perez to 30 pitches, mixing fastballs, sinkers, curveballs and sliders. He focused on his mechanics and pitch location, noting with a laugh that the last thing a pitcher wants to do is hit a teammate.

Perez said he felt good following the session, though admitted he did tire toward the end of the session.

"He's making good progress," pitching coach Dave Duncan said. "The breaking ball is his project this spring, and he threw some good ones. He's coming along."

Perez was the lone member of the closer's battle to face batters on Thursday. Franklin threw a bullpen session while Motte and Kinney had non-throwing days scheduled.

If none of the four emerge as a clear choice, there is still the possibility the Cardinals could bring in former closer Jason Isringhausen. The Cardinals' all-time saves leader wasn't re-signed following a rocky 2008 season and remains a free agent.

St. Louis General Manager John Mozeliak said earlier this week that the organization considered inviting Isringhausen to camp in a mentor role, but decided against it.

"The message we are trying to send this group of guys we have here is that we think they are capable of doing the job," Mozeliak said.
Perez, for one, isn't concerned about the possibility of an Isringhausen return.

"I'm worried about myself right now," Perez said. "If I take care of my own thing and I do well, it will work out."

(usatoday.com)

The Cardinals would prefer to name a closer from their group of relievers before the start of the season.

"Ideally," pitching coach Dave Duncan said, "what I would like to see is that over the course of the spring, somebody emerges that we have the confidence in to finish the games." MLB.com's Matthew Leach labels Chris Perez the early favorite, with Josh Kinney and Jason Motte also in the mix. Going relatively unmentioned is Kyle McClellan, who did a better job of protecting leads than any St. Louis reliever last season, even if most of his chances came in the seventh and eighth innings. McClellan, though, is viewed as a candidate to step into the rotation should Chris Carpenter or someone else miss the start of the season.

(rotoworld.com)

JUPITER, Fla. — Arguably the leading candidate for the Cardinals' vacant closers role, second-year righthander Chris Perez is scheduled to throw his first official bullpen session of spring training Sunday. He's working on something new and plans to bring back a little of something old.

In his past two sessions with pitching coach Dave Duncan, Perez has been stopped in the middle to correct what coaches see as a flaw in his arm path. They want him to try and get the same motion whether he's throwing his high-heat fastball or his under-construction slider.

"My mechanics feel good," Perez said. "Right now, it's not my mechanics, it's just the angle my arm takes as I throw the ball. They want to make it the same from one pitch to the other. That way I'm not giving up the pitch by having two different release points."

Perez saved seven games for the Cardinals last season and since being drafted in 2006 he's been billed as the club's future closer. He comes to camp as part of a competition or a committee for the role — depending on perception — and must develop his second pitch to strengthen his claim. Improving the consistency of his arm path is new.

What he uses as his second pitch could be old.

Perez usually uses his curveball early in spring training and builds toward throwing the slider that he uses during the regular season. This year, he's considering keeping the curve and nurturing it as more than a show pitch.

"It's been looking good," Perez said. "Coach Marty (Mason) told me to throw a curve or a slider. Whether I can throw it consistently is the most important thing. They want me to have one. They don't care which."

(stltoday.com)

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch's Bernie Miklasz reports St. Louis Cardinals pitching coach Dave Duncan said RP Chris Perez has to refine his slider and make it more consistent. He said Perez throws a good slider sometimes, but he needs to throw a good slider all the time. Duncan said hitters are happy when Perez throws his slider because it's nowhere near as good as his fastball. Duncan said it's no guarantee Perez will begin the season in the majors. He also praised Perez's work ethic and will to improve.

(kffl.com)

The parade of caravans continued through Central Illinois. Thursday it was the Cubs. Sunday it was the Cardinals.

In fact, they're already playing doubleheaders, with caravan stops at both
Redbird Arena in Normal and the Embassy Suites Hotel in East Peoria.

Reliever Chris Perez was part of the group. He'd like to be the guy Tony LaRussa hands the ball to at the end of the game.

"He's real big on competition," said Perez, who registered 7 saves for St. Louis last year after his promotion from Triple-A Memphis. "Going into spring training 2 or 3 of us are competing for the job and that's what you want competition. Competition brings out the best in competitors, which baseball players are. I'm just happy to be on the team. I just want to help the team win. I told everybody last year when I got called up, I don't have to pitch the 9th. I can pitch the 7th, the 8th, the 9th, you know, whatever. I just want to help the team win."

There are other candidates for the job, like set up man Josh Kinney. Kinney returned from Tommy John surgery in September and didn't allow a run in 7 appearances.

"Somebody will pitch the 9th," said Kinney. "II don't know who it will be. We have some young candidates and I'm sure I'm in the mix of it. But right now it doesn't really matter. I know it will be a competitive spot. Its nice to know that the team is going to handle the closer situation in house. That's kind of neat. Its gives us all something to shoot for. We'll see. Time will tell."

(week.com)

The Associated Press' R.B. Fallstrom reports St. Louis Cardinals RP Chris Perez earned his seventh save in 10 opportunities Sunday, Sept. 7, as he recorded the last two outs. He had blown his previous two attempts.



(kffl.com)

Cardinals.MLB.com's Matthew Leach reports St. Louis Cardinals RP Chris Perez doesn't mind that manager Tony La Russa hasn't officially named him the closer. Perez has nailed down six straight saves since coming back up from the minors. "They haven't told me anything, but actions speak louder than words," Perez said. "I'm in there in the ninth with the game on the line. That's pretty much what a closer does. It doesn't matter to me if (manager Tony La Russa) comes out and says it or not. I'm happy to be there, I'm doing good and hopefully it continues."

(kffl.com)

Rookie Chris Perez gained his fifth save — and third of more than three outs — when he set down the final four hitters he faced Sunday. "I've thrown twice in the last nine days, so I'm definitely fresh," he said.

"It went through my mind that if a guy got on base in the eighth (Atlanta had one hit in the inning), I could be in there. And then they called down and told me to get ready."

Just before he spoke to a reporter, Perez was getting some inside baseball counseling from veteran Russ Springer, who was more than happy to give it.

"He and (Kyle) McClellan both want to talk pitching, and they want to learn," said the 39-year-old Springer. "If they didn't come to me and want to learn, I'm not going to go push it on them.

"They know there's a difference between pitching here and in the minor leagues, and they want to learn. I've been on teams where young guys come up and think they're going to come in and dominate and not have to do anything different. It usually takes them a couple of trips to the minor leagues before they figure out they need to come up and learn something."

(stltoday.com)

Chris Perez finished out the Cardinals' 5-3 victory over the Reds Friday to earn his fourth save of the season.
It's safe to call Perez the Cards' closer at this point. He'll have a good amount of fantasy value down the stretch and likely allows the Cardinals to go ahead and rehab Adam Wainwright as a starter.

(rotoworld.com)

MIAMI -- Chris Perez has two saves for the Cardinals in his past three Major League games, yet neither manager Tony La Russa nor pitching coach Dave Duncan is ready to call him the team's main closer.

That is because they don't want to saddle the 22-year-old with too many expectations too soon.

"The worst thing you can do is say, 'Here, you're the closer,' then he lets some games get away from him," La Russa said. "He takes a big setback and loses confidence and starts struggling."

The manager paused a moment, then added, "We're excited by his prospects, but we want to be careful. There are days when he's available that he'll get the ball. Then there are matchups, and we might use someone else."

Duncan offered a similar sentiment. He said he is encouraged by Perez's performance, but at this point in the season, Ryan Franklin and Jason Isringhausen will continue to receive consideration for saves along with Perez.

At least it is beginning to appear that the Cardinals' closing job will be a competition among those three.

(mlb.com)

CHICAGO -- Dolphin Stadium, named as it is for a football team, doesn't hold a place among baseball's cathedrals the way Wrigley Field, Dodger Stadium and Fenway Park do. But for Cardinals rookie Chris Perez, pitching at the South Florida ballpark will be a highlight in his young career.

Perez hails from Bradenton, Fla., across the state but not far from Miami, and attended the University of Miami. He's had the Cardinals' trip to Florida circled on his calendar for a while now.

"When I got called back up, I knew I would probably make that trip," Perez sid. "It's cool. It's cool to play in front of your family, and to have a big league game a couple hours from where I grew up and close to where I went to college."

Perez's parents have come to St. Louis to see him pitch, so it won't be their first time seeing him in the big leagues. But many of his friends and acquaintances have never seen him pitch in a Major League game.

"It's going to be fun," Perez said. "I spent three years [at Miami]. I've got a lot of college friends, and my coaching staff is going to be there. My family is coming over from the west coast [of Florida]. So it's going to be fun."

In his second tour of duty in St. Louis, Perez has emerged as a key late-inning reliever. He recently notched his first Major League save, and will continue to be in the mix for closing duties for the time being.

(mlb.com)

ST. LOUIS -- Even though he looked dominant on Wednesday night, Chris Perez is "no Bruce Sutter, yet."

And despite the many issues for the Cardinals' bullpen this year, manager Tony La Russa is not ready to name Perez the closer, though the rookie was lights out against the Dodgers.

"The worst thing we can do right now is heap on expectations on Perez -- anointing him the closer -- mostly because he's not ready for it," La Russa said. "Just let him take his assignments and once in a while, he's closing."

Entering the game with a runner on second base on Wednesday, Perez retired five of the six batters he faced. Possessing a blazing fastball and slider with bite, Perez has the potential to close.

Not only is Perez young and relatively inexperienced, La Russa has other reasons for hesitating with the rookie. He is in his second stint in the Majors this season. The Cardinals sent Perez back down to Triple-A Memphis on July 18 with a mission: work on the slider.

"There's a reason he got sent down," La Russa said. "He lost an edge there. ... He had a problem. Command of his fastball was good, not great. Command on his breaking ball was not as nice. If he improves both of those things, like yesterday, he does that a lot -- just let him baby step, baby step, baby step."

After Jason Isringhausen struggled on Tuesday, the Cardinals announced they would operate by a closer "by committee." La Russa said that includes anyone that is available.

In a perfect world, La Russa would rather have Perez grow into the role over the course of the year -- much like Kyle McClellan is preparing for next year and Adam Wainwright did in 2006.

"The best is if you can give him a whole year in the Major Leagues and you can groom him, groom him, groom him," La Russa said. "Then the next year, it bears fruit."

(mlb.com)

Righthander Chris Perez was recalled from Memphis today and outfielder Nick Stavinoha was optioned to the Triple-A club. Perez, who was 2-0 with a 4.18 earned-run average in a previous trial with the Cardinals, was the closer at Memphis. Given the Cardinals’ closer issues here, will he be the ninth-inning man at the major-league level?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Manager Tony La Russa, for the moment, is adopting the closer-by-committee approach. He said Perez was coming up anyway, even before the ninth-inning problems experienced by Jason Isringhausen in Tuesday’s 6-4 win in 11 innings.

"I’m going to look at the guys available and piece it together to the best of my ability," said La Russa, who proceeded to say the same thing in different words three or four times this afternoon.

"There isn’t anybody in that bullpen that couldn’t pitch the ninth inning, in my opinion," La Russa said. "Mix and match the best I can. Just watch the game. That’s the best way to describe it. That way you don’t get too specific and have to come back and explain it."

Righthander Ryan Franklin, trying to clean up Isringhausen’s mess, actually got credit, if that’s the word, for the Cardinals’ 27th blown save of the season on Tuesday. La Russa said that Franklin would pitch late innings when available but he also said he thought Isringhausen, whose confidence has been an issue nearly all season, was salvageable.

"I definitely do," La Russa said. "I think he’s got a lot he can offer us."

La Russa said the format he will use for at least a while wasn’t ideal. "But we’re having our struggles," he said. "It’s not ideal but I think it’s the reality of the circumstances we’re in."

(stltoday.com)

Chris Perez has earned a save in each of his past three appearances, allowing no hits, since he got blasted for four hits and five earned runs July 26 against Tacoma. In his last three innings, he has struck out six and walked one.



(bnd.com)

On the one hand, Chris Perez spent the last two months enjoying every minute of his time with the St. Louis Cardinals in what was his first taste of the major leagues.

But the Cardinals' No. 2 rated prospect by Baseball America was wise enough to soak up all the knowledge he could while he was there. And with that knowledge, Perez, who was sent back to the Redbirds last week, plans to put it all to good use so that the next time he makes the trip up I-55 to St. Louis, it's for a more permanent stay.

''It was great,'' Perez said. ''I was up there for two months, which is a good amount of time. I learned a lot. It was fun. It's the big leagues. It's your dream and I got to do it. Hopefully, I'll get back up there soon and hopefully stay for a longer time.''

Perez is considered to be the Cardinals' closer of the future. Unfortunately, the big league club desperately needs someone to fill that role ASAP.

Perez pitched in 23 games during his stint with St. Louis, going 2-1 while posting a 4.18 ERA in 23.2 innings. He failed to pick up a save in his two save opportunities. Perez did strike out 22 batters while walking 13.

''The hitters are really good up there,'' he said. ''The only way you can find out is by going up there and actually pitching and facing them and finding out what works and what doesn't. What works in Triple-A sometimes doesn't work up there. It's just a game of adjustments. They sent me back down to work on some stuff so I can be more successful up there. Hopefully I'll get back up there and have some more learning opportunities.''

The biggest thing the Cardinals want Perez to work on is developing a consistent second pitch. That means getting better control of his slider, as well as his curveball, to go along with his blistering fastball. He came into the season with Baseball America rating him as having the best fastball and the best slider in the Cardinals' minor league system.

''I got in kind of a funk. I was dropping down and trying to make it do too much,'' Perez said. ''It's tough to work on it up there in the big leagues because the hitters are so good. If you make a mistake, they hit it. So they just wanted me to come down here and work it out in the minor leagues where there's some pressure, but not like it is in the big leagues.''

To help alleviate some of that pressure, Redbirds manager Chris Maloney said Perez will be used primarily in the seventh and eighth innings, as opposed to closing. Before being called up to St. Louis, Perez was the Redbirds closer, posting eight saves in 10 chances.
With Kelvin Jimenez's recent call-up, the closing role will now be split between Jason Motte and Mark Worrell, Maloney said.

While in St. Louis, Perez also had to get used to not closing, something he's been doing since his days at the University of Miami where he became a first-round supplemental pick by the Cardinals in the 2006 draft.

Perez had grown accustomed to knowing he was never going more than two consecutive days without pitching. While in St. Louis, there was no telling when he was going to appear.

''It's a little different,'' Perez said of not closing. ''The game's kind of different later in the game. Hitters are more aggressive trying to get stuff done. In the fifth or six inning, they're still a little patient and trying to wait for their pitch. I had some success in that role, and I also had some failure.

''The way they (the Cardinals) were using me then, I needed two pitches for strikes. Sometimes as a closer, you can just throw a slider as a chase pitch and you don't really have to control it for a strike. That's probably the biggest difference I had to contend with.''

Since rejoining the Redbirds, Perez has made two one-inning scoreless appearances, combining for two hits, four strikeouts and one walk.
''It's nice to have Chris back,'' Maloney said. ''He's definitely a very plus guy to have on your staff.''

Perez is grateful for the taste of major league baseball that he received. If nothing else, it let him know that he can get big league hitters out.
And because of that, Perez plans to work even harder to realize his dream of becoming a big league closer.

''That's my ultimate goal, to be a closer in the big leagues,'' he said. ''It might not be this year. It might not be next year. It might be two years, three years, whatever, but that's my ultimate goal and I'm going to keep working to try to get there.''

(commercialappeal.com)

Right-handed reliever Chris Perez was sent to Memphis Class AAA farm club on Friday.

Perez was 2-1 with a 4.18 ERA, striking out 22 in 23 2/3 innings of work. He started fast, but has struggled a little lately.

La Russa said Perez needs to work on developing pitches other than his fastball.

"We sent Chris down so he can keep working on his arsenal," La Russa said. "He needs to keep adding ways to get hitters out, and I'm sure we'll bring him back this year."

(mlb.com)

PITTSBURGH -- On the 11th anniversary of Francisco Cordova and Ricardo Rincon's combined no-hitter against the Astros at Three Rivers Stadium, the Pirates pulled off another miracle.

Click here to watch video!

This time, instead of Mark Smith (who hit a pinch-hit three-run homer in the 10th to win the no-hitter), Jason Michaels hit the game-winner in the 10th inning, propelling the Pirates to an unlikely 12-11 come-from-behind win over the Cardinals at PNC Park on Saturday night.
"I've never had a walk-off home run, professionally," Michaels said. "That was awesome."

The home run capped off a six-run comeback which started in the seventh. The Pirates came into the bottom of the inning down 9-3, and managed to make it a 10-6 heading into the ninth.

That's when things started to get crazy.

Michaels and Jack Wilson reached base to begin the ninth, and Nate McLouth brought them home with a deep blast to right-center field to make it 10-9.

Then, with runners on the corners with one out, Jason Bay sent a dribbler to short. But middle infielders Cesar Izturis and Aaron Miles were unable to complete the double play and Luis Rivas scored to tie the game at 10.

Troy Glaus appeared to have ended the Pirates' hopes in the top of the 10th with a solo home run to left field, but Michaels answered the Cardinals third baseman with a two-run shot to win the game.

"That was one of the more amazing games I've ever been involved in," Bay said. "That was something I'll never forget."

"They kept after it," manager John Russell said. "It looked like we were well out of reach. We kept pecking away. I think the biggest thing is these guys never quit. They always battle. They pull for each other. It's been phenomenal."

The comeback overshadowed Yoslan Herrera's rough Major League debut. The Pittsburgh right-hander's unorthodox, toe-tapping delivery seemed to be too confusing for the Cardinals at first, as he struck out Cardinals sluggers Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel in succession to end the first inning.

Herrera's Houdini act in the second was even more impressive. After loading the bases with no one out, Herrera got a pop out before inducing second baseman Adam Kennedy into an inning-ending double play.

But that's when Herrera's luck finally ran out. The Cardinals ended up scoring six runs off Herrera over the next three innings. In total, the rookie gave up 11 hits, four walks but struck out four in 4 1/3 innings.

"I thought he was OK," Russell said. "He throws a lot of offspeed stuff, so he's got to use his fastball to really set that up. I thought occasionally he went too soft, too often and they made the adjustment on him. I think he's got good stuff. I was very intrigued by what I saw."

The barrage was part of a 22-hit attack -- the most hits in a game by the Cardinals this season.

Jason Bay gave the Pirates an early 2-0 lead in the first on a home run to right-center field. Bay's blast, his 18th of the season, tied him with Al Oliver for 10th place on the Pirates' all-time home run list. Bay then passed Oliver with another two-run homer in the eighth to pull the Pirates within four.

The Pirates left fielder now has 51 RBIs this season to go along with 19 home runs. He is now one home run short of tying Kevin Young (136) for ninth place on the all-time list.

Doug Mientkiewicz was thrown out of the game in the fourth after a play he helped create. Pujols hit a line drive that caromed of Mientkiewicz's glove toward the tarp along the baseline. Pujols took a hard turn around first and appeared to be tagged out by Luis Rivas at second, but umpire Eric Cooper called the Cardinals first baseman safe.

Television replays showed that Rivas applied the tag to Pujols' right shoulder before he touched the base. Mientkiewicz was ejected moments later for arguing the call.

McLouth kept the Cardinals from scoring more than two runs in the sixth with a pretty diving catch in right-center field. McLouth then got up and threw a dart to LaRoche at first to double up Troy Glaus.

(mlb.com)

PHILADELPHIA -- Pitching in the big leagues has brought Cardinals reliever Chris Perez plenty of new challenges, and not just in terms of the quality of the competition.

Perez has pitched earlier in games than he's used to and pitched longer than he's used to. A pitcher who has closed out wins for most of his professional and college career has often pitched with his team trailing.

Most of all, he's had to adjust to longer appearances. After years of being conditioned to pitch a single inning, Perez has been asked to get four or more outs in four of his past eight appearances. And it hasn't always gone well -- Perez has definitely been more effective in his first inning, and on his first 15-20 pitches.

Not that he's worried.

"I think it's just a coincidence," he said. "Going into last year, they said I couldn't get lefties out, and then they hit under .150 against me. I do the same things. It's just more hits and stuff in the second inning."

On his first 15 pitches of a game, opponents are batting .196 and slugging .255 against Perez. After that, they're batting .313 and slugging .656.

"A couple of times, we've needed him to go beyond the one inning, he's gone deeper, and it's a different mind-set for him," said manager Tony La Russa. "I don't think you're ever going to make him somebody that's going to be a two-inning or 30- or 40-pitch reliever. It's just the expediency of the moment."

So the Cardinals will prefer to use Perez in shorter outings, but he may still be called on at times to go a little longer. Either way, he could be a key cog against a Pirates team with a couple of dangerous right-handed bats.

(mlb.com)

In his first taste of the big leagues, Chris Perez is showing the St. Louis Cardinals that he's well-suited to be the team's future closer. Perez, 22, has been solid out of the bullpen in a setup role, recording four holds and 11 scoreless outings in his first 13 games. Perez talked with News-Democrat reporter David Wilhelm about his transition to the big leagues, his desire to be the Cardinals' closer and the benefits of being a member of a veteran bullpen.

Q: Is this a best-case scenario for you, considering it's your first trip to the big leagues?
A: You couldn't ask for more. I couldn't ask to be pitching any better. The coaching staff is showing confidence in me, putting me out there in close games. My second outing was a tie game in the ninth. I was able to get through that, and I keep gaining confidence every time out.

Q: Are you treating these hitters as if they're Triple-A or Double-A hitters?
A: That has to be your mindset. I trust my stuff, and so far, I know if I locate it good, not too many people are going to hit it. I'm trying to get ahead of the hitters and put them away, get ground balls and stuff like that and work down in the zone.

Q: Are you looking forward to the time when you are the ninth-inning guy? A: I'm just happy being up here right now. "Frankie" (Ryan Franklin) is our closer. He's there for a reason. He's pitching great, and he's got experience. I'm just here to pitch whenever they call me. If that time comes, maybe he's down or something and I'm up, I'm going to try and treat it the same way. You can't put extra pressure on yourself. That's when you start walking people. Hopefully, the day will come. When it does, I'm going to try to do my best.

Q: When your contract was purchased from Memphis, what went through your mind? A: I just thought it was a tremendous opportunity to come here and show them what I can do --whether it was for two weeks or a month or for however long. I wanted to put something good in their mind so if they do send me back down and something else happens, I'll be the first one up again. I just kept that mindset and tried to show them what I can do.

Q: Since you were the closer at Memphis, are you itching to get back into those save situations?
A: I'm just glad to be in the big leagues. The only difference between pitching the eighth inning and ninth inning is you get a save by your name. It's one of my ultimate goals --to be a closer in the big leagues. But as long as I'm here getting experience and pitching and we're winning games, I can't complain.

Q: How have you been able to go out there and maintain a cool head?
A: It's always easy to pitch when you're making good pitches. Luckily, I haven't run into any rough spots yet. My confidence is pretty high right now just because I've been going out and making good pitches. That could all change tomorrow. I could give up a home run or something and you're back to square one. When you're throwing your curveball and slider for strikes, it's easy to pitch.

Q: Do you think one of your keys is your aggressiveness?
A: Hitters can pick up on a guy that's tentative, a guy that's trying to miss the strike zone or trying to nibble. It's a huge advantage to come out firing. Sometimes that borderline pitch that they wouldn't swing at, they'll swing at because they know you're coming at them. It always seems to work that way. If they see you attacking them, they have to swing. It's definitely an advantage. Hitters don't like hitting 0-1 and 0-2, so that's even a bigger advantage if you can attack and throw strikes.

Q: Pitchers often say they want to respect hitters, but not fear them. Is that part of the way you go about it?
A: I don't really look at who the batter is. I look at where they are in the lineup. Obviously, the three, four and five hitters, you can't really make too many mistakes over the plate or they're going to hurt you. The seven, eight, nine guys, you can get away with a little bit more. But I know if I make my pitches, I can get pretty much anybody out. If I stay ahead of the hitters, it makes me even better.

Q: Tony La Russa doesn't talk about whether you'll be the closer here. He talks about when you'll be the closer. It may not be this year. Are you OK with that?
A: I can't complain. I'm in the big leagues at 22. That's something many people don't get the chance to do. I'm just playing every day. I could pitch the fifth inning. I couldn't care less. I'm in the big leagues and our team's winning --and I'm helping them win. Right now, it's great. My ultimate goal is to be the closer. I closed in college (University of Miami) and I closed in the minors. If that comes a month from now, a year from now or two years from now, I'll still be happy to just go out there and play.

Q: Did you see the stadium radar gun register you at 100 mph in your first outing?
A: Yeah, I saw that. I usually throw 94, 95, 96. I can make it up to 97, 98. I don't know about 100. That might have been off. I don't consistently throw there.

Q: What made you ready for this opportunity at such a young age?
A: Spring training. The big-league invite to spring training helped me a lot. Mentally, going up there against big-league hitters. I had some success, I had some failure. You learn from failure. I learned I needed to work on (getting) pitches down in the zone. I also had success, so that told me I could do it.

Q: Troy Percival said recently that you could really help yourself by observing a guy like Russ Springer. Have you been able do that?
A: Russ is great. Frankie's great. We've got (Ron) Villone here. Our whole bullpen's good. They've been talking to me a lot in the outfield, especially Spring Dog (Springer). He tells me I've got great stuff. Just go after (hitters). Even though they're in the big leagues, they still can't hit 98 (mph pitches) that good. ...
I couldn't be in a better bullpen. We've got guys who have won the World Series, been in the playoffs. Russ has played on six different teams. He knows what he's talking about. Twelve, 13 years in the game, he's doing something right. It's good to have those guys in your corner.

Q: Who's your favorite closer?
A: I like Joe Nathan. He doesn't get much recognition up in Minnesota, but he comes right after you and throws strikes and he has good offspeed (pitches). Every year, you look up and he's in the top four in saves. He doesn't show much emotion. He just goes about his business.

Q: You're pretty much doing what Nathan did, right? He was a setup guy, too, before becoming a closer.
A: That's something most closers do. Not too many guys go straight to the closer's role. There's just something about it. Basically, you have to prove to your manager that you can handle it. Another part of that is going through some struggles --having a tough game and coming back the next day. That's something else I have to show I can do --bounce back and have a short memory. That's the hardest part. That's the worst part. Your team battles its butt off, your starting pitcher goes six or seven and you go out there and pitch one inning and give it up. That's the worst, coming back into that locker room after that.

(bnd.com)

With veteran closer Jason Isringhausen struggling mightily before landing on the disabled list with a cut on his pitching hand, the St. Louis Cardinals are looking for a late-inning solution to fill the void. While Ryan Franklin has been the emergency stopgap, the team's future closer could very well be rookie fireballer Chris Perez.

The Cardinals recalled the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Perez as soon as Isringhausen hit the DL, and the youngster certainly impressed in his first inning of big league ball. Working the seventh inning of a 3-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays, Perez was perfect, striking out one while not surrendering a single hit or walk. The 22-year-old right-hander was simply overpowering, routinely registering over 95mph on the radar gun. He even touched triple digits on at least one of his offerings. That's exactly the kind of intimidating fastball needed to become a dominant closer.

Of course, it takes more than just nasty stuff to close games in the big leagues. The job is as much mental as it is physical, and asking a 22-year-old to thrive in such a pressure-packed situation, where the slightest mistake can turn victory into defeat, is risky to say the least. But St. Louis manager Tony La Russa was admiring more than Perez's fearsome fastball. He also liked how composed the kid was on the mound, carrying himself like a true professional. If Isringhausen is unable to recapture his form, the future could become now for Perez and the Cardinals.

St. Louis -- Chris Perez was the closer at Triple-A Memphis before getting his first taste of the big leagues with the St. Louis Cardinals, and his early reviews suggest taking over Jason Isringhausen's role might not be a huge leap.

But the team is in no hurry to elevate the hard-throwing 22-year-old right-hander, no matter how impressive and unflappable he's been.

"As soon as I think he's better than some of the other guys out there, specifically Ryan Franklin, then he would do it," manager Tony La Russa said. "He's not better than Ryan Franklin, so why would he close?"

Perez certainly hasn't been politicking for the big stage.

"I'm just happy being up here right now," he said. "Frankie's our closer and he's the closer for a reason, he's been pitching great and he's got the experience.

"Hopefully, the day will come, and when it does I'm going to try to do my best."

Perez had piled up seven scoreless outings, often pitching in key situations, finishing four games and with six strikeouts in 6 1/3 inning. Just not the key situation.

"I think the last three outs when you shake hands, I don't care what the score is, they're different," La Russa said.

For that, until Isringhausen is ready to reclaim his job, La Russa is leaning on a veteran. Franklin has done well as the stand-in, too, with five saves in seven chances on the year, although his outings lately have been just as eventful as Isringhausen's often have been with fans on the edge of their seats before the third out. Franklin gave up a leadoff ninth-inning homer on Thursday before recording three straight outs to save a one-run victory over the Pirates, and surrendered a bases-clearing double on Friday before nailing down a save.

"The last inning is no different to me than when I was starting," Franklin said. "I know you have to get one out at a time and you can't walk people.

"You can't let anything negative creep in there, just trust your stuff and stay positive."

Just because Perez has had no such stumbles doesn't mean, in La Russa's eyes, that he's ready to step in.

"Sometimes it's better to go slowly than rush a guy in, then all of a sudden something goes wrong and he takes a big step back," La Russa said. "He's actually pitching a lot of important roles.

"He's earned more than his experience would suggest. He's doing really well."

Perez has been a closer since the Cardinals drafted him in the second round in 2006 out of Miami, although during an extended look in spring training he was used in middle relief. His fastball was clocked at 99 mph last August in the minors and there appears to be no fear on the mound that is a prerequisite for closing.

"I couldn't ask for more," he said. "I couldn't ask to be pitching any better, and the coaching staff has shown confidence in me, putting me out there in close games."

Perez said getting a lot of action in spring training was just as big for his confidence as it was for the team's confidence in him.

"I trust my stuff, and so far I know if I locate it good, not too many people are going to hit it," he said. "I'm trying to get ahead of the hitters and put them away."

(news-leader.com)

ST. LOUIS (AP) - Chris Perez is as good as advertised, but that doesn't mean he'll be the St. Louis Cardinals' closer any time soon.

The hard-throwing 22-year-old right-hander has pitched 6 & a-third scoreless innings since being called up from Triple A. But for now, with Jason Isringhausen on the disabled list, Ryan Franklin remains the closer.

Perez says that's fine by him. He's happy with the set-up role he's been given but says when the time comes to close he'll be ready to do it.

Manager Tony La Russa says Franklin is pitching well so there's no need to make a change. But he's been impressed with Perez, both in his makeup and in his performance on the mound.

(wthitv.com)

LOS ANGELES --The questions isn't if, just when. On the day the Cardinals selected Chris Perez with a supplemental pick in the 2006 draft, vice president of player procurement Jeff Luhnow called him a "ready-made closer."

Perez threw 96 miles per hour and for most of two seasons he had held the role at Miami.

Less than two years later, Perez, a month shy of turning 23, is at the threshold of what those who scouted and signed him believe to be his career birthright. Promoted to St. Louis on the day the club put veteran closer Jason Isringhausen on the disabled list with a hand laceration, Perez has underscored the belief in five appearances containing 14 efficient outs.

It has taken five games for Perez to advance from major-league curiosity to late-innings factor, earning a win in his second outing, striking out the side in his fifth. He has allowed two baserunners and no runs.

"In his mind, Chris is where he was supposed to be," says Perez's father, Tim. "He may be surprising some people. But I don't think it's a surprise to him."

"I just want to keep doing what I've been doing to get here," Perez says. "I haven't changed anything. I'm the same as I was in (Class AAA) Memphis. If I do what I've been doing, I'll have success. It's about making pitches. There's no reason to make it more complicated than that."

To get here, Perez modified his delivery, improved his slider and began working on a change-up. He is staking no claim to the closer role, only offering evidence that he is prepared if the job comes his way.

Perez recently received the endorsement of Dodgers hard-thrower Brad Penny as well as positive reviews from manager Tony La Russa and pitching coach Dave Duncan.

"He throws hard, he throws strikes with more than one pitch and he keeps the ball down," said Duncan, more often given to understatement than hyperbole.

With Perez entering only his fourth series as a major-league pitcher tonight against the Houston Astros, the buzz surrounding him is at such a level that La Russa suggests a sizable dose of restraint for any runaway bandwagon.

"Chris Perez is not ready to close on a daily basis," La Russa said Sunday before his team's series finale against Los Angeles. "That would not be good for him and it would not be good for us. He needs to grow into his responsibilities here. I don't even worry about how that sounds, because clearly from the way he's being used there's a confidence factor there."

With Ryan Franklin unavailable because of an extended appearance Friday, La Russa summoned Perez to get the final three outs in Saturday's 4-0 win. Perez did not qualify for a save because of the margin but his consecutive strikeouts of James Loney, Matt Kemp and Blake DeWitt screamed closer material.

Franklin, meanwhile, is unblemished as keeper of a role that La Russa insists awaits Isringhausen when he heals his hand and the inconsistencies that dogged him for three weeks.

"Just to be in the big leagues is huge," Perez says. "I'd be happy to be a long guy or whatever they need from me. I'm here to pitch."

The only thing more exciting to the Cardinals than the way Perez throws is what he represents. Perez, the seventh player overall from the 2006 amateur draft class to reach the major leagues, is believed to be only first in a line of power arms to move through the system onto the parent club's roster. Talents such as Jason Motte, Clayton Mortensen, Mark McCormick, Jaime Garcia and Jess Todd are among the fast-risers within what long was regarded as a dysfunctional pipeline.

Perez expected to begin 2007 at Class A Palm Beach but instead started at Double-A Springfield when their projected closer, Mike Sillman, was bumped up to Memphis. Perez saved 27 games for Springfield with 62 strikeouts against 17 hits allowed in 40 2/3 innings and advanced to Triple-A July 31. He converted 35 of 37 save chances between the two stops and was named to Team USA in last fall's World Cup.

Perez became the third rookie in the Cardinals bullpen when Luhnow personally escorted him into the Busch Stadium clubhouse. Kyle McClellan and Mike Parisi were already there.

"I see a dramatic change," says Cardinals minor-league pitching coordinator Dyar Miller, in his 14th consecutive season within the system. "It used to be you would check the daily report and there might be two or three guys touching 90 on the (radar) gun. They were the exceptions. Now you see the arms all over. That doesn't say everything. But it says a lot about what we're working with."

Perez is an unfinished product but is markedly more refined than a year ago, when spotty command allowed him only marginal success in 15 appearances at Memphis. There, he allowed six hits but walked 13.

"Chris knew that's what was holding him back," said Tim Perez. "He understood to take the next step he would have to improve that aspect."

Embracing Duncan's suggestion in February to throw only from the stretch has simplified what was an inconsistent delivery.

Miller said, "His arm was lower than it should have been, which flattened his breaking ball. He had a hard time repeating his delivery and maintaining command. He made big strides with that, and it shows in his performance up there."

Miller is among those less restrained about Perez's readiness to work the ninth inning. "He's pretty close," Miller says. "He just doesn't have the experience. But I don't think he's scared."

La Russa admittedly is more reluctant to expose younger players to certain roles: the Nos. 3-4 spots in the batting order, shortstop, catcher -- and closer.

Albert Pujols and Yadier Molina represent exceptions, but La Russa admits that Perez's age and inexperience are factors in the manager's slower approach.

In 30 seasons as major-league manager, La Russa has only twice entrusted the closer role to pitchers younger than 27. Salome Barojas (25) served as the 1982 Chicago White Sox's primary closer. The next season Bob James (26) replaced Barojas. La Russa successfully rode Dennis Eckersley with the Oakland A's and in his early seasons in St. Louis. Isringhausen has held the responsibility since 2002.

Perez entered the season with only 79 professional appearances covering 84 innings. A catcher in high school until his junior year, he possesses what scouts term a "young arm." It is a compliment.

Originally a starter, Perez approached Miami coach Jim Morris about moving to the ninth inning midway through his sophomore year. The role suited him perfectly.

"Chris has always liked the gun. He likes to throw as hard as he can. He wants to go in and blow you away," said Tim Perez. "But he also learned at Miami he can't do that all the time. As he matures and gets better coaching, he's started to become a pitcher."

The Cardinals eagerly anticipate the finished product.

(lakeexpo.com)

I apologize for the brief hiatus. This weekend was very enjoyable and, hopefully, was the same for you. It was so enjoyable, in fact, that I couldn't find time to write anything new since Wednesday. The Cardinals have been winning games, mainly due to a resurgence of the starting pitching staff, which, by the way, had an impressive 1.89 ERA in the Dodgers series. They've won 6 of their last 8, but are only 12-11 for the month of May. The Cards have managed to stay a half-game back of the Cubs despite their mini-slump in the middle of the month, losing 8 of 10 games against the Rockies, Brewers, Pirates, and Rays. The Astros and Pirates linger ahead, giving us a legitimate chance to catapult back into first place by the month's end. One foot in front of the other...

A lot of attention has turned to Chris Perez, who has been lights-out so far with the Cards. Although Ryan Franklin is going to be closing the majority of the games, Perez is going to be a major league closer soon enough. His stuff is certainly there - FanGraphs has him averaging 95 mph on his fastball, a fastball that has been thrown a whopping 83.1% of the time in 4 appearances. And there's evidence that his stuff will improve as the years go by, according to Josh Kalk. In "Preliminary aging curve for fastball speed," Josh dives into his preliminary PITCHf/x data - data that measures pitch speed, location, and movement - to show that pitchers typically gain speed as they age, to a point:
It appears that until pitchers reach 28 or 29, they increase the speed on their fastball by about 1.5 mph. After 29, there is a rather sharp decline in fastball speed.

Take a look at the article and see the graph for yourself, as it's very interesting stuff. What it could mean is that Chris Perez will be averaging 97 mph on his pitches as he progresses towards his late 20's. Tony seems to need to be persuaded that Perez can do the job at the moment, however:

"Chris Perez is not ready to close on a daily basis," La Russa said Sunday before his team’s series finale against Los Angeles. "That would not be good for him and it would not be good for us. He needs to grow into his responsibilities here. I don’t even worry about how that sounds, because clearly from the way he’s being used there’s a confidence factor there."

With Jason Motte averaging a mid-90's fastball in Memphis, the Cards could have two flame-throwing arms coming out of the bullpen in the next couple of years. I can't remember the last time we had that luxury.

(rockinred.blogspot.com)

Chris Perez, RP, Cardinals: Perez was recalled May 16 after the team placed former closer Jason Isringhausen (hand) on the 15-day disabled list. Perez had been closing for Class AAA Memphis, where he recorded eight saves and struck out 22 batters in 17⅔ innings. Perez has been throwing consistently in the mid-90s while hitting 98 mph on the radar gun.

He has struggled with his control at times, but Perez figures to be the Cardinals future closer and could receive some opportunities early on.

(usatoday.com)

Rookie closer Chris Perez wiped out the Rays in the ninth, disposing three hitters on five pitches. He got three harmless fly balls and picked up his first big-league win when the Cardinals scored in the bottom of the ninth. Perez throws fastballs in the middle-upper 90s. He has a slider that he can deliver at two different speeds; the slower one serves as a wicked changeup. And he’s a big guy who has an imposing demeanor on the mound. “He’s nasty,” Tampa outfielder Carl Crawford said.  

Manager Tony La Russa is quickly becoming a fan. “If he can repeat what he’s done for the last couple of days for the rest of his career, he’s going to be special,” TLR said. “He’s come in against a very good team, and he’s made pitches. The ball hasn’t been thrown all over the place. It’s been at or near the catcher’s mitt, with good stuff. I mean, that’s a tie game in the ninth and he handled it very well.”

Here’s another cool thing about the Perez outing on Sunday: He fired his first warm-up pitch over the head of catcher Jason LaRue and to the backstop. You don’t think the Rays noticed that? It won’t be comfortable for hitters to step in against this kid. He’s effectively wild.
And it’s a matter of time before La Russa pronounces Perez as ready for ninth-inning save situations. Until then? We’ll, frankly, it’s kind of silly. My pal Brian Stull of KFNS asked Ryan Franklin about pitching the ninth inning with a save on the line, which is a new role. And Franklin said: “I’m just going to pretend it’s the seventh or eighth inning.” And Stull asked Perez about pitching the seventh or the eighth, which he isn’t used to. And Perez said: “I’ll just pretend that it’s the ninth so it feels the same.” So you have Frankling pretending it’s the 8th inning when he pitches the 9th, and Perez pretending it’s the 9th inning when he pitches the 7th. I suppose one option would be to let them pitch where they usually pitch so they don’t have to do all of this pretending, eh?  Just kidding...

(stltoday.com)