THE BROO VIEW with Ken Broo

On to Houston tonight for your Cincinnati Reds. The three games in Chicago were frustrating only in the realization that the Reds could have made it a sweep, except for the meltdown of Coco Cordero on Saturday afternoon. Sunday, many Reds fans called into my radio show on 700 WLW and wondered why Cordero is still the closer on this team. Two simple reasons: money (he's making in excess of $12 million this year) and what is the other alternative to Cordero? Who would fit the closer mold better right now? The answer, from the current Reds roster, is no one.

Nick Masset? I'm sure the Reds have considered him a candidate in the past two off seasons. But Masset is a notoriously slow starter and using him in that role beginning Opening Day would have been a disaster.

Aroldis Chapman? Control has always been a huge issue with him. And he is still trying to figure out how to keep runners on base from stealing. Saturday, with two out and runners on second and third, Dusty Baker left Cordero on the mound and did not bring Chapman in for one very big reason: Chapman could have brought the winning run home with a wild pitch. Turns out, the Reds lost anyway. But to think that Baker doesn't consider the pitfalls of using other relievers in a closing situation is simple wrong.

Cordero must be included in the conversation, if that conversation is about the top ten closers in baseball. Look at the numbers. Yes, he's good for eight or nine blown saves a year. Virtually everyone who has that job in baseball will finish the year with the same number. The greatest closer in the history of baseball, the Yankees Mariano Rivera, has blown 68 saves in his 17 year career. If the greatest closer in the history of baseball blows an average of four save opportunities a year, blowing eight a year really isn't all that bad.

The larger issue with the Reds continues to be hitting with runners in scoring position. They had a grand total of nine runs in the three game series against the Cubs and, as a team, hit less than .200 in that three game series.

The glaring problem with the Reds right now isn't their closer. It's the missing bat of Scott Rolen. Until he returns, this team will struggle for runs. The more you have in the 9th inning of a game, the easier it is on your closer. Plain, simple, end of story.

This blog may not be reproduced, repurposed or re-transmitted in any manner, in whole or in part, with the written permission of Ken Broo.