Papelbon Blows Second Save in a Row

Red Sox fans may find themselves asking, "What's the matter with Papelbon?" after the normally lights-out closer lost two games in two appearances.

The answer is nothing at all.

Closers blow consecutive saves all the time. Then they continue mowing down batters as if nothing's happened. I recall a few seasons back when Mariano Rivera went through a rough patch and I (stupidly) thought to myself, this guy's finally done. After all those years of dominance, he can't save a game for the life of him!

But before I could finish rubbing my hands together and laughing like a mad scientist, Rivera was back to his normal self, striking out hitters and racking up saves. Of course, Rivera's the greatest of all time, so that was wishful thinking on my part. And, by the way, to those who said Joba Chamberlain should take the closer's role and the Yanks shouldn't have re-signed Rivera for huge money, take note: Mariano Rivera is one of only three closers yet to blow a save this season.

I've always wondered how much the intimidation factor of facing a closer inhibits a batter from getting on base. When facing guys like Rivera and Papelbon, it seems like hitters approach the plate with a count of 0-2 already against them, as if they have no chance to make contact. Is it possible that Jonathan Papelbon's ninth inning bravado has been overshadowing his mechanics? The downside for the competition is that he'll probably refocus on his delivery and return to 1-2-3 game enders in his next appearance. If so, the lessons of those two games will serve as a reminder that on any given day, any major league hitter can get the best of a closer.

But it won't happen very often.