Which of the In-Contention Teams Has the Best Bullpen?

Lowe feels better about doing this knowing his bullpen is themarksmith's favorite.

In the second part of an undefined-part series, I'll take a look at the bullpens of each team still in contention (or at least teams I think are still in contention). Tomorrow, I'll look at each team's offense.

Mets
Ha. Ha ha. Ha ha ha ha. Sorry. They're a robust 23rd in the majors in bullpen ERA, and without Wagner, things won't get any better. They have a big series in Philadelphia starting today, and then we'll see how Heilman, Feliciano, and Ayala really react to pressure situations. Somehow, I think they'll fail, but the talent is there to surprise some people.

Phillies
An underrated bullpen that is actually quite good. As far as ERA goes, they have the best bullpen in contention for a playoff spot (the Blue Jays are the team ahead of them). With Lidge closing games, things seem to be A-okay, but if he has any Pujols nightmares, they could be in trouble. Romero has also done a nice job, but Gordon needs to rebound to be the right-handed set-up guy. If not, lineups such as the Cubs and Brewers can give them fits. Still, this bullpen is solid with Condrey, Madson, and Seanez doing well.

Marlins
Kevin Gregg's ERA is only 2.72, but he has blown 7 saves so he's a bit of a question mark. Is he going to handle the pressure of the big time? Other than Gregg, the Marlins have some nice relivers. Arthur Rhodes has done a fine job in his stint, and he has the experience. Joe Nelson may be the best reliever you haven't heard of (1.89 ERA, 45 K in 38 IP), but he doesn't have experience and is a bit wild (16 BB). Matt Lindstrom will probably be the closer next year, and this flamethrower is lethal. However, outside of that, no one is really good. But, 4 relievers is better than most.

Cubs
The Cubs may well have the nastiest last three in baseball. If they are leading after 6 innings in the playoffs, you might as well give up as you'll face Samardzija, Marmol, and Wood (1.06, 2.79, and 2.56 ERA's respectively). Add in Cotts and Gaudin, and things in the Chicago bullpen look pretty good.

Brewers
Outside Shouse and Torres, this bullpen has a lot of problems. Gagne and Riske have been disappointing, and Gagne definitely can't be trusted anymore. There are major problems in this bullpen, and it wouldn't surprise me if that's what caused this team to collapse down the stretch or in the playoffs.

Cardinals
Jason Isringhausen's injury may have been the best thing for this bullpen as the closer's job can be handed to Chris Perez, who has been pretty outstanding. Add in Springer, McClellan, and Franklin, and this bullpen seems solid. However, McClellan and Perez don't have too much experience (disclaimer: see Cards '06), and no one else really strikes fear into opposing hitters. I don't think the bullpen is as much of an issue as some make it out to be, but it's not a strength.

Diamondbacks
Juan Cruz has been solid (if somewhat erratic), but everyone else has struggled and disappointed. Lyons has been a less-than-stellar closer, and Peña really hasn't been any better. Add in that Rauch has struggled, and the bullpen is glad that Webb and Haren are so good.

Dodgers
The injury to Saito hurts this bullpen, but Broxton has pitched well as the replacement. Also, Kuo, Beimel, Wade, Park, and Stultz have been very good, and they are the reason this bullpen is third in the majors (just 9 points behind the Phillies). If Saito comes back, this is the best bullpen of the bunch, but if he's still hurt, than it's just incredibly good.

Rays
The injury to Percival doesn't seem to be too serious, and his return to the bullpen will make this bullpen stronger. With Bradford (who's been living dangerously with a 1.86 WHIP), Balfour, Howell, and Wheeler, this bullpen is already good. They're fourth in ERA, and that's a major reason this team has stayed atop in the AL East (just don't let Miller pitch against lefties -- .306/.414/.429).

Red Sox
Papelbon is an absolutely dominant closer, and Okajima, Lopez, and Masterson have all been very good. The questions appear when you get past those guys to Aardsma and Delcarmen. However, the other (with a bit more help from the starting rotation) guys should be good enough to stumble into the playoffs and hold on if Beckett and the others get their acts straight.

White Sox
The injury to Linebrink dampens the mood surrounding this bullpen, but with his bullpen sessions seeming to be okay, he could return for a playoff push. Jenks has been very good, but there are concerns with his K rate dropping rapidly to around 5 from 7.75 last season (the two previous seasons saw him above 10 per nine). Thornton and Dotel have been solid as well giving the White Sox a nice back four, and if Carrasco continues to pitch well, this really might be the best bullpen here.

Twins
The Twins bullpen is oddly average (15th in ERA in the majors), but with the addition (or re-addition) of Guardado, the bullpen just became a bit stronger and more experienced. Nathan is still the best closer in baseball even though he doesn't get the same publicity as others. Breslow and Reyes have also been very good, but this team would really like for Neshek (the most underrated set-up guy in the majors) to not be hurt. If he wasn't, this could be a really tough bullpen, but for now, they'll just have to be moderately tough.

Angels
Wow, the publicity for this bullpen. I guess it is deserved in many ways. K-Rod has really split the baseball world. Some really like him based on his save totals, and some have bashed him for getting credit for them. Honestly, he's still one of the top four or five closers in the game, but he is definitely not the best. Add in Arredondo (who most still don't know) and Shields, and the last three innings are as tough as the Cubs. Having Oliver pitching well is another plus, and combined, this bullpen is 8th in the majors. They're a bit overrated, but they're still good.

Who who's the best bullpen in the majors? I'd have to give it to the Dodgers for quantity. They have the most solid to really good arms of anyone (I'd feel better about this pick if Saito comes back healthy). However, if there was a bullpen I want nothing to do with, it's the Cubs. Samardzija, Marmol, and Wood would make me seriously pee my pants. No one wants those guys in September. The Phillies are really good, and having the second-best ERA despite the park shows how good they are. The thing is I don't trust Madson to be the right-handed set-up guy.