Chicago White Sox closer Bobby Jenks might be losing his job soon if he doesn’t turn things around real quick. Manager Ozzie Guillen (known for speaking his mind) has said “Maybe the next couple of days we use somebody different,” in an interview with ESPN. “That way we can see if Bobby can get regrouped and come back to his form. Obviously, he is not throwing the ball well. The good thing is we have options, and we will see what happens the next few days.”
What exactly does this mean? Well, there are a few options here. One, Guillen could rest Jenks to let him work on his mechanics and straighten things out. Two, Guillen could demote Jenks in favor of Matt Thornton who has been lights out so far this season to the tune of 15.1 IP, 2 W, 25 Ks, a 2.35 ERA and a .72 WHIP. Or three, he could be doing this just to light a fire under Jenks to motivate him more.
I sure hope it is option three we are looking at here. I would say that if I had to guess right now, I’d say that Jenks is still the closer and it is his job to lose. If he can step back, clear his head and start pitching like a dominant closer again, Guillen will have no problem keeping him as the closer. But, if he is put into the game in some 8th inning situations and he doesn’t succeed, we will most likely be looking at an overpaid set up man.