News for Joba Chamberlain - 2013 Park Slope Rotisserie League

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Fri May 20 201601:27Indians' bullpen proves deep, versatile
CINCINNATI -- Terry Francona has options in his bullpen, options he trusts."It's a good feeling to not feel like you need to hide somebody," the Cleveland Indians manager said.The Indians' 12-inning, 8-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday was a great example. Cleveland relievers had to cover 6 2/3 innings in relief of rookie Mike Clevinger, who tossed 5 1/3 innings in his major league debut.Closer Cody Allen who is 9-for-9 in save conversions, wasn't used in a save situation, and instead he tossed two scoreless innings to earn his first victory of the season.Dan Otero pitched the 12th inning and allowed a hit and a walk but no runs to earn his first save.Francona was particularly impressed with Otero and Joba Chamberlain, who extended his scoreless appearances streak to seven."They've been outstanding," Francona said. "They're not going to go the whole year without giving up any runs, but when they've pitched, they've put up zeros. It helps a lot. For Dan (Wednesday) night, that was huge to have a meaningful inning."Overall, the Indians' bullpen owns a collective 3.63 ERA through 38 games with 10 saves in 14 chances.The bullpen wasn't much of an issue Thursday night as Josh Tomlin pitched 7 2/3 innings in a 7-2 win at Cincinnati. Kyle Crockett and Tommy Hunter combined to retire all four batters they faced to seal the victory.Earlier in the season, only a few roles were defined. Allen was the closer, Bryan Shaw the setup man, Zach McAllister in the middle and Crockett the left-handed specialist.However, the emergence of Chamberlain and Otero gives Francona flexibility, especially in lengthy games such as Wednesday's or when a starter has a short outing."We feel like our guys are all usable," Francona said. "And we try to line them up where it makes sense. Sometimes you can't. That's the good part about having guys in the bullpen who can all chip in and help you win."