When the season began, the Braves were supposedly going to close games with a committee of two: left-handed Jonny Venters and right-handed flamethrower Craig Kimbrel. Instead, Fredi Gonzalez gave the closer role exclusively to Kimbrel and made Venters the set-up man.
Time to flip them.
Kimbrel blew another save last night (his third blown save in his last seven appearances). He throws a nasty fastball when it finds the strike zone, but it doesn't do that enough. He seems scared to throw strikes - scared to pitch to contact.
Meanwhile, Venters' ERA is .87 and he has only walked five batters in twenty innings. More importantly, he isn't a rookie anymore. He knows how to get big leaguers out. Kimbrel is learning on the job...in the 9th inning...on a World Series contending team.
I don't know what it will do to Kimbrel's confidence, but for the good of the other 24 guys on the roster it is time to make Venters the closer and put Kimbrel into the set-up role. It actually fits the bullpen better anyway because Eric O'Flaherty is a perfectly acceptable left-handed set-up man.
Take some pressure off Kimbrel and put the ball in Venters' hands in the 9th.
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