Izzy's out, for now

Tony La Russa announced Saturday that Jason Isringhausen will no longer close games for the St. Louis Cardinals. In the International Herald Tribune La Russa said, "(Isringhausen's) still prepared to pitch important innings, but for a while we'll try to keep him out of the ninth inning." He also said, "It needed to be done. It's a mental break more than anything."

While Spitting Seeds expected Isringhausen to stay in the closer role and iron out his problems, La Russa seems to be willing to get him away for a while. It will only be a short time before he's back closing games, however, as setup men Russ Springer and Ryan Franklin 24 times less experience than Izzy nailing down wins. If Springer and Franklin falter La Russa might soon need a mental break of his own.