Categories: News

Jeanmar Gomez out as closer; Joaquin Benoit in

Photo by Keith Allison (https://www.flickr.com/photos/keithallison/29221986002/)

Pete Mackanin has made a change at closer: Jeanmar Gomez is out, and Joaquin Benoit is in.

Benoit – 0.00 ERA, 4 K in 3 IP – will take over for Gomez, who allowed a two-run home run in his first outing on opening day – a save against Cincinnati – and allowed a game-tying three-run home run Sunday against Washington.

OPINION: Gomez wasn’t fit for the role anyway, even if the role itself is a bit unnecessary these days. Hector Neris was passed over in the process; I thought he should’ve been the choice, but Mackanin likes Neris as a multi-inning fireman type.

Well, fine. Just use him that way. Don’t stick to an inning-by-inning approach if the situation calls for something different.

Tim Malcolm

Tim first found the Phillies as a little infant at Veteran’s Stadium, cheering on a Juan Samuel game-winning home run in his very first game. With the pinstripes in his blood, he witnessed Terry Mulholland’s 1990 no-hitter, “Steve Carlton Night” at the Vet, game three of the 1993 World Series, countless games during the charmed 2008 championship season and various road excursions. Since November 2007 Tim’s been writing about them daily at Phillies Nation, becoming one of the world’s most popular Phillies scribes. You can catch him on Twitter and Facebook, as well. When he’s not talking about the Phils he’s relaxing with a St. Bernardus ABT 12 or one of his many favored brews.