Milwaukee Brewers: K-Rod nears 300-saves milestone - Pioneer Press

MILWAUKEE -- Francisco Rodriguez witnessed history firsthand in his second full major-league season.

An all-star setup man with the Anaheim Angels in 2004, Rodriguez watched from the home bullpen as teammate Troy Percival became the 18th pitcher to record 300 career saves.

In the aftermath, Percival, who was nearing the end of his run as one of baseball's premier closers, took a picture with the rest of the Angels' relievers. In the midst of that, he handed Rodriguez the ball and imparted a message to the youngster.

"When he took the picture with the bullpen and the baseball, he told me, 'Make sure when you get yours, you invite me, because I want to be in that picture,' " Rodriguez recounted earlier this week. "And I laughed like, 'Yeah, right. I'm not a closer. You're the closer.' And he said, 'Yeah, but you will be.'

"I was like, 'No chance,' and he said, 'Son, you will be. Make sure you call me when you get your 300th, because I want to be there.' "

Now here Rodriguez finds himself, nearly eight years later, on the brink of accomplishing what Percival had predicted. Having replaced John Axford as the Milwaukee Brewers' closer earlier in the week, Rodriguez finds himself just six saves away from joining his mentor in the 300-save club.

And being a man of his word, "K-Rod" has every intention of fulfilling Percival's request.

"I need to start making phone calls," said Rodriguez, now 30. "I will find a way to get him here. He was my mentor. He was a

guy coming in and taught me everything I know about being a closer, and has been really, really helpful."

While they were both nail biters, Rodriguez is 2 for 2 since taking over for Axford and has three saves on the season. When he does reach 300, he'll become the 24th pitcher to do so and the first since Jason Isringhausen did it with the New York Mets late last season.

Isringhausen assumed the closer's role with the Mets that had been held by Rodriguez before his trade to the Brewers last July. New York moved Rodriguez to clear salary, and Rodriguez went on with Axford to become one of the best setup-closer combinations in baseball.

The duo was one of the primary reasons Milwaukee went on a 27-5 streak down the stretch that helped earn the franchise its first National League Central Division title and then its first postseason series victory since the World Series run of 1982.

The prospect that Rodriguez would be back with the Brewers -- and closing, at that -- seemed far-fetched after last season.

Axford, after all, had just tied for the NL lead with 46 saves, including 43 straight to close out the year, and Rodriguez was looking to become a closer again. He had saved 23 games in the first half with the Mets and, although he tied for the NL lead with 17 holds from mid-July on, was up front about his desire to pitch the ninth.

The Brewers offered Rodriguez, a free agent, arbitration in late November to insure themselves two compensatory draft picks when he signed with another team. But when a verbal agreement with the San Diego Padres fell through at the last minute, Rodriguez surprised many by accepting arbitration and returning to Milwaukee on a one-year, $8 million deal.

"There were a couple other options, but they weren't sure. See and wait, pretty much. To me, bouncing around, my family -- we had a great time here. Why not go back there? They were good to us, and if we're comfortable there, why try to go elsewhere and not feel comfortable?"

Knowing the situation coming in, with Axford entrenched as the closer, Rodriguez had no issues with returning to his setup role.

"Coming into last year (after the trade), I didn't know what to expect," he said. "I might get a couple chances, I might not. Besides, we were in the race. Last year was totally different than this year.

"This year I came in, I knew what my role would be and I prepared myself for it. So I wasn't thinking or hoping to come in for the ninth inning."

But as Brewers fans are well aware, not much has gone according to plan this year.

Injuries left the team short-handed. Most of those who remained performed inconsistently, Rodriguez included. In fact, after giving up the lead in a 2-1 loss in Kansas City on June 12, he said his performance to that point had made 2012 the most frustrating season of his career.

"One of the things that was hurting me early was just trying to be too fine around the strike zone, and I was getting hurt," said Rodriguez, who dropped to 0-4 with a 4.50 earned-run average after that game. "Definitely, it was frustrating."

Things began falling into place for Rodriguez after that, though, and by the start of this week he'd allowed just three earned runs over his last 15 appearances to drop his ERA to 3.67. When Axford blew his sixth save in a 3-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals on Monday, the call was made to go with Rodriguez in the ninth and cover the eighth inning by committee.

While Rodriguez said he didn't enjoy becoming the closer at Axford's expense, he nonetheless has gotten the job done both times since.

Neither outing was pretty. He had to get out of a first-and-third situation with nobody out Tuesday and recorded the third out with the go-ahead run on second base Wednesday. Rodriguez is now 2-4 with a 3.71 ERA, 21 walks and 42 strikeouts.

"I finally I feel like I've come out of that hole and am throwing the ball a lot better," he said. "My location's way better. I'm attacking the hitters. I've been more aggressive, attacking. That's a part of my game. That's what I built my whole career on and something I want to get back to."

Rodriguez threw 35 pitches Wednesday. He had also pitched in four straight games and five of six. His 43 2/3 innings are the most by a non-starter for the Brewers.

In recent years, Rodriguez has made up for a drop in the velocity of his fastball with a devastating changeup. But Tuesday, his fastball topped out on multiple occasions at 94. He attributes that to the work he's been able to get.

"The more that I pitch, the much better I feel," he said. "If you do the research, if I have four-five days off, my velocity's going to be 89, 90, 91. I'm not going to have the arm strength. But if you give me three games in a row or six out of seven, six out of eight, that's more consistent and my arm strength is right there. I prepare myself every day to make sure my arm is there.

"The more that I work, the much better I feel, definitely."

But even Rodriguez needs a day off here and there, and with the Brewers sporting a 44-47 record heading into a critical three-game series with division-leading Cincinnati this weekend, he got one Thursday.

And so his march toward 300 saves continues. The possibility exists he could be traded to a contender needing a closer if general manager Doug Melvin decides to sell heading toward the July 31 trading deadline.

Rodriguez says his immediate goal remains helping the Brewers move up in the standings. Percival, no doubt, would be proud.

If things work out according to plan, maybe he can tell his former pupil in person soon.

"I mean, records are pretty much made to be broken. Milestones are made to be broken," Rodriguez said. "Obviously, coming up on 298, 299, it's going to be in the back of my mind. But right now at this point, that's the last thing I'm thinking about. Honestly.

"It will be a big accomplishment for myself, but right now I'm just more focused on getting back in the hunt than on anything else."