Broxton says Cards pen loaded, happy to be on a contender
In one day, relief pitcher Jonathan Broxton went from last place to first place in the National League Central Division.
One of two trades the St. Louis Cardinals made prior to last Friday's non-waiver trade deadline to bolster its bullpen Broxton moved from the struggling Milwaukee Brewers to the Cardinals, a team with a 5.5 game division lead and bearing down on another postseason. He made up 21.5 games from where Milwaukee sits in the division.
"It's always nice when you go from last place to first, especially when you're in the same division," Broxton told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "You have a real good team over here. I didn't like pitching against them because every night, if you made one mistake, it could cost you."
Broxton has already worked two spotless appearances for the Cardinals as he settles into taking the mound in pressure situations every night in the thick of a pennant chase. He's logged two innings, allowing no hits or walks with two strikeouts.
A former All-Star, Broxton becomes the fourth reliever in the Cardinals' bullpen to have had a season with 30 or more saves. He could easily be a ninth-inning man on many teams, but in St. Louis' loaded bullpen that includes closer Trevor Rosenthal, that's not likely to happen often.
But that's fine with Broxton, who'll take playing for a postseason berth over his personal role.
“I don’t care when I pitch, fifth, sixth, ninth, 12th," Broxton told the Post-Dispatch. "I don’t care as long as we get the (win). We've got so much experience out there that if guys do need days off, somebody can step right in."
(h/t St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
