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Fuentes putting poor outings behind him
Closer seeking to bounce back when Angels visit Minnesota
By Lyle Spencer / MLB.com
07/30/09 1:48 PM ET
ANAHEIM -- Brian Fuentes isn't the kind of guy who is going to let a couple of bad nights have a lingering impact on his psyche.It's not as if he hasn't had to clear some hurdles along the way. He knows how humbling the game can be, never having had it easy.
"I took longer than most," Fuentes said. "I didn't have my first full season [in the Majors] until I was 28."
He's 33 now, but he hasn't had the wear and tear of most pitchers that age. He didn't waste bullets and burden his left arm as a kid.
"I didn't start pitching until my senior year in high school," the closer from Merced, Calif., said. "I played first base and the outfield before that. I was a good hitter then -- and I was small. After my junior year I was 5' 9" and skinny.
"I had a growth spurt my senior year, and by my first year of college I was 6' 2", 6' 3", and gangly. I had to learn to control my body physically.
"I'm definitely a late bloomer."
Because he's left-handed, and left-handed closers are so scarce and valuable, Fuentes could be doing this for a very long time.
"I'll play until my heart is content," he said.
He'll be 34 on Aug. 9, which makes him a kid alongside the fellow at the next locker. Darren Oliver, another wise old southpaw, is 38 and as productive as ever, even if he doesn't throw as hard as in his youth.
After Fuentes struggled in consecutive appearances against the Indians, manager Mike Scioscia gave him Wednesday off. With Thursday a travel day, the closer figures to be rested and revved when the Angels open a three-game series in Minnesota on Friday night.
"I don't know if Tito's getting a little tired," Scioscia said after Jason Bulger came to Fuentes' rescue to save Tuesday night's 7-6 decision over the Indians with three big outs. "The ball hasn't been coming out of his hand the way it can. He might need a little mechanical adjustment.
"Right now, Tito's going through a little rough spell. He'll right his ship."
Bulger, who admires Fuentes' work ethic and mentality, has no doubt.
"He'll get back to throwing the way he has the past few months," Bulger said. "We're not worried about Brian."
Fuentes has had a superb debut season, notching 30 saves in 34 opportunities. A few early poundings and his struggles against the Indians (six earned runs without getting an out) have bloated his ERA to a pedestrian 4.29. It was at 2.78 before Monday's game.
"I've always got my eyes forward," he said. "What makes a good relief pitcher is not to dwell on past performances, good or bad. I try not to look at that side of things until the offseason."
Fuentes has another year left on his contract, with an option for 2011 that will kick in if he finishes 55 games next season.
At $17.5 million for two years, and that $9 million option for 2011, Fuentes is shaping up as one of the best buys of the winter.
By comparison, Francisco Rodriguez, his predecessor, signed with the Mets for three years and $37 million -- with a performance-based option for 2012 that could bring the total package to $54.5 million for four years.
Fuentes, after a slow start related to a springtime back flareup and missed time to handle a family matter, put it all together and was named to the American League All-Star team.
It was his first selection in the AL after representing the Rockies on the NL roster three times.
Fuentes was the first MLB closer to reach 30 saves and had been successful on 47 of his previous 50 opportunities when he blew one on Monday night.
Watching his streak of 17 consecutive successful saves disappear, Fuentes knew what he had to do.
Let it go and move on.
As a late bloomer, taken in the 25th round by Seattle in the 1995 First-Year Player Draft out of Merced Junior College, Fuentes followed a long, hard road to The Show.
"Next to D.O.," he said, referring to Oliver, "I'm the old guy in the 'pen."
He spent five full seasons in the Minor Leagues and part of a sixth before making his Major League debut with the Mariners in 2001. Seattle sent him to the Rockies that winter with two other young arms for infielder Jeff Cirillo.
Fuentes claimed his first big league saves in 2003 but was primarily a setup man until 2005, when he nailed down the closer's job and delivered his first of three 30-save seasons, posting a career-high 31.
A trip to the disabled list with a strained left lat on July 4 sidelined Fuentes for a month during the start of what would become a memorable second-half run by the Rockies in 2007.
Fuentes finished 20-for-27 in saves in what became the greatest season in franchise history, culminating in a World Series ride.
"It's funny, once you get there, all the bad seasons are washed away," Fuentes said. "Obviously, it's not every year you get to the World Series, but the Angels are in the playoffs year in, year out.
"To have that opportunity is very appealing."
The Angels know how fortunate they are to have replaced one exceptional closer with another.
"Brian's done a great job for us," Scioscia said, Fuentes having joined Randy Myers as the only lefty to have 30-save seasons in both leagues. "He's been an anchor at the back end of our bullpen."
Lyle Spencer is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
