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Oakland going with Mecir as closer

By BRUCE LOWITT and times wires

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 8, 2000

Reliever Jim Mecir, traded by the Devil Rays to Oakland in the deal for potential starter Jesus Colome, is the Athletics closer for now.

Former closer Jason Isringhausen did not take the demotion particularly well, but he has accepted it.

"He was probably mad, because he wants to be in that position," manager Art Howe told the Oakland Tribune. "He knows what he's supposed to do for us, but he also understands we're trying to win at this time of year. I talked to him some more. Who knows, he might be in there again. You have to see how the game goes."

Since Aug. 5, Isringhausen had: one save, two blown saves and a 10.13 earned-run average.

"We're going to give Jimmy a chance to do something and, at the same time, try to get Izzy going," Howe said. "I didn't tell (Isringhausen) we were going to replace him, but I also didn't tell Jim he was going to be in that (closer) role."

Said Mecir: "It was kind of a surprise. But (Howe's) the boss. I hadn't heard anything at all about it. I just did what I was told."

Sunday, Isringhausen sat while Mecir picked up the final two outs in Oakland's 4-3 victory at Toronto. Monday, Isringhausen pitched the final non-save inning in a 10-0 rout of the Blue Jays. Wednesday, Isringhausen was stricken with food poisoning. "In the second inning, I just started cramping up and then all hell broke loose," he said.

Mecir pitched the final two innings Wednesday of a 6-4 win over Boston for his third save of the road trip and fifth overall. "The adrenaline is unbelievable," Mecir said of closing games. "It's nice to be in there. As a reliever, it's always going to be a difficult situation whether you come in the game in the seventh, eighth or ninth innings. It was too bad that we didn't get it done in Tampa (Bay), but it's good to be pitching in important games here."

After initially refusing to say anything, Isringhausen seemed more at ease with Howe's decision.

"I was mad and I didn't want to say anything dumb," Isringhausen said. "But I'm perfectly fine now. ... The main thing is that I agreed with what Art (Howe) did. I don't blame him. We needed a win and that's what we got."

Howe and pitching coach Rick Peterson say he is not concentrating -- and Isringhausen agrees. "My focus there for a while wasn't great," he said, "but not pitching has made me hungry. Thinking about losing your job gets you off your behind a little bit.

"I have the physical ability; I don't think anybody doubts that. It's just the part between the ears that gets in my way. But I've got to put this behind me."

HE'S BACK: Call the Jason Giambi comeback a success. The All-Star first baseman missed eight games because of a sore left shoulder. The Athletics went 2-6. They're 4-1 since he returned.

Giambi got a cortisone shot two days before the Athletics played in Toronto, went back to work Saturday at SkyDome, and proceeded to go 8-for-22 with two homers the remainder of the trip. After four games as the designated hitter, he returned Wednesday to the field for the first time since Aug. 14, because scheduled first baseman Mario Valdez injured his wrist in batting practice.

"I was excited to be back in the lineup every day and I think the team was excited I was back," Giambi said. "That gave us a little momentum. Everyone was like, "All right, he's back.' "

Jason's brother, rightfielder Jeremy, is at Triple-A Sacramento. He could return this weekend. Jeremy has been on the disabled list since Aug. 22 with a strained oblique muscle.

DELAY OF GAME: The Athletics are going to have to wait for the shot of offense they were expecting from Olmedo Saenz, their best bench player. He is in rehabilitation since he aggravated his partly torn left hamstring last week.

Saenz, on the disabled list since Aug. 1, has not tested the leg with any activity and he won't until he's pain-free. Trainer Larry Davis said Saenz definitely won't join the A's on their homestand, and he could be out the rest of the season. "Hamstring strains are one of the toughest things to deal with," Davis said.

He said Saenz could have aggravated the strained the leg or, less serious, torn through some scar tissue, running out a grounder Aug. 29 at Sacramento.

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