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Mound meetings
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Boggs has some margin |
Jonathan Broxton can now add elbow soreness to his shaky job security. After pitching on the previous two days, he was unavailable Wednesday for the Los Angeles Dodgers, barring an emergency. It was a much-needed opportunity to see what LA can do without him.
Vicente Padilla closed the door in his stead with a clean frame. Hong-Chih Kuo (back) is iffy for activation on Friday because of rehab struggles. His return might not come long after and would complicate the speculative situation ... eventually. He might not be given big innings for a bit. Padilla remains a candidate for at least a few saves and a solid gamble for closer chasers.
- With two lefties due up Wednesday, the Washington Nationals turned to Sean Burnett for a save for the first time since he blew one April 15. He did the same last night while allowing four runs on four hits in two-thirds of an inning; the southpaw has now yielded seven runs over his last six innings.
Drew Storen, who was also warming up for the ninth, has helped his cause with a sparkling start to 2011 and three recent save conversions. Though it's still technically dual duty, Burnett owners should continue to prepare for him losing his share.
- Following his Tuesday blown save, the St. Louis Cardinals' Mitchell Boggs remained on the sidelines Wednesday. Eduardo Sanchez allowed three hits and two runs but held on for the closure. Jason Motte was warming up in the final inning.
Though Tony La Russa will probably mix and match options in some situations, it's safe to guess Boggs, who hasn't pitched on back-to-back days this year, was unavailable after tossing 21 pitches the night before. That, combined with Sanchez's shakiness in the opportunity and the lack of solid competitors, likely upholds Boggs' moderately sized leash.
About Tim Heaney

Tim's work has been featured by USA Today/Sports Weekly, among numerous publications, and recognized as a finalist in FSWA's awards. The Boston University alum competes in Tout Wars and LABR and has won numerous industry leagues in both baseball and football.
During baseball and football season, he's on The Reality Check with Glenn Clark every Wednesday on 1570 AM WNST in Baltimore. He hits the airwaves every Thursday at 9:30 a.m. ET on Sirius XM Fantasy Sports Radio, where he often crashes other shows, as well.
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