The Red Sox are taking a gamble on Curt Schilling's health and are re-inserting him in the rotation after nearly four months on the DL and in the pen. His last start was April 23 at Tampa Bay.

He relinquished six runs in seven innings against the mighty D-Ray offense that list and promptly succumbed to two-plus months on the Disabled List. Schilling has looked nowhere near his former blood-stained-sock self all season, with a 1.50 WHIP and 6.43 ERA. But even after being reassigned the "cushy" closer role, he owns a 5.18 ERA, has saved 9 but blown two save opportunities, gave up five gopher balls in a scant 24.1 innings, but does have a more respectable though atypical 1.27 WHIP. Of course, he continues to strikeout more than a man per innings throughout.

He is the "World Series Hero" and I'm sure that the Red ox know what they are doing. Besides it seems the almighty—by which I mean FOX Sports—has deemed it necessary that every ounce of excitement be drained from the Sox and Yankees' pennant race down the stretch. Eh? Why not throw the Yankees a bone?

Perhaps the oddest part of the plan is that Mike Timlin is now the putative closer. Timlin hasn't closer stuff since his Blue Jay days (not to be confused with "Blue Jay Way", a Beatles oddity) and hasn't had a closer's role since the Clinton administration (and I mean George, not Bill, when he presided over the P-Funk All-Stars). Timlin, he of the 1.74 ERA but 1.28 WHIP and 5 blown saves, is the simply the best available option.

Given the reclamation projects that have been tried in the closer role over the last couple of years, should we be surprised by Timlin?

Well, Timlin is a rather special case. He has the second fewest saves among all pitchers with 800 relief appearances. Even less than seemingly lifetime role players Mike Jackson and Jesse Orosco garnered in their long careers:

Also, among pitchers who spent some extended amount of time as a closer (min. 100 saves), Timlin trails only Sir Jesse for the lowest percentage of games saved per relief appearance:

Now, there's a great list of mostly middling middle relievers. And I think three-quarters of them pitched for the Phils at some point in time. Now that's an organization to emulate.