Joe Bo a no-go

I know people who believe Joe Borowski had a great year last year as the Indians' closer, because he got 45 saves and only blew six. But he did it with an uncloserly 5.07 ERA. And some of his bad outings were really, really bad. He remains the Tribe's closer this year, despite the fact that there are better pitchers in the bullpen. Rafaels Betancourt and Perez, for example, had better years than Borowski in '07. And so did Jensen Lewis. And so did Masa Kobayashi, albeit in Japan.

Borowski did it again last night. After the Indians scored three runs in the top of the ninth to take a 4-2 lead, Borowski poured gas all over the lead and tossed a match on it. After getting the first hitter, Chone Figgins, to hit a foul ball that was caught, Joe Bo failed to get another out. He walked Gary Matthews Jr., then gave up a single to Vladimir Guerrero, then walked Garret Anderson to load the bases. Torii Hunter came up next, and hammered a 75-mph meatball into the left field seats. It wasn't fair by much, but it didn't have to be. That pitch was right down the heart of the plate, and I don't know if it was supposed to break, but it sure didn't.

Any pitcher has to accept that you're going to give up hits to a great hitter like Vlad Guerrero, and Torii Hunter's going to hit the occasional home run. But doggone it, a closer can't be walking two hitters in the ninth inning -- especially if the second walk loads the bases. That's going to kill you almost every time.

Borowski has now pitched in three games in '08. He's saved two of them. In one of those saves (on opening day), he was asked to protect a three-run lead, which it seems to me should hardly qualify as a save. He gave up one run in that game, on a solo home run, and then walked a guy, so he let the tying run come to the plate despite the three-run lead. His other save came Sunday against Oakland, and he did protect a one-run lead, but he also walked a guy. So he hasn't appeared in a single game in which he hasn't walked at least one guy.

Borowski's ERA is an ungodly 19.29. That'll come down -- it could hardly do otherwise -- but I think it's long past time for the Indians to look at someone else to close games.