K-Rod has no choice, accepts new role

MILWAUKEE -- If not for a few inches, the distance from John Axford's right forearm to his elbow, the Brewers might have been forced to rely on their backup closer for the rest of this postseason.

Yep. Francisco Rodriguez.

That's how close K-Rod came to having his old job back -- or at least the one he held with the Mets before the July trade to Milwaukee. One out away from wrapping up NLCS Game 1 on Sunday, the Brewers held their breath when Jon Jay smacked a line drive off Axford's right forearm.

The play occurred so quickly that it was difficult to tell exactly where Axford had been struck -- and it looked uncomfortably close to his elbow. Afterward, in the clubhouse, he had the area heavily wrapped.

"I was concerned overnight that thing was going to swell up more and [he wouldn't] be able to throw," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said before Monday night's Game 2. "I knew it was hit hard. And it looked like it hit him somewhere around the arm. And then when I saw it right away, it got him pretty good. I'm very happy to see that he's OK."

The X-rays were negative and Axford reported no problems after throwing some test pitches Monday afternoon, so it appeared that the closer dodged a bullet -- if not Jay's bullet. While Milwaukee does have a more than capable replacement in K-Rod, losing Axford would dismantle Milwaukee's effective 1-2 punch at the back end of the bullpen.

The Brewers are fortunate that Rodriguez's unhappiness in the setup role hasn't seemed to affect his performance. It took K-Rod until six weeks after the trade to finally grumble that the Brewers had reneged on their pledge to give him some closing opportunities, but it's something that still eats at him.

Even after Sunday's win, when he struck out two during his scoreless eighth inning, Rodriguez didn't fail to bring up what he believes is an injustice. He does appear to be handling it better, however, with Milwaukee three victories away from its first trip to the World Series since 1982.

"Right now, I'm trying to enjoy what I have," he said. "Just be grateful for what I have and don't be ungrateful about what I don't have. Get it done, be happy with what I have to do, and we will find out what's gong to happen three months from now."

Rodriguez, who relies more on his changeup now than ever, is a good complement to Axford, whose fastball reaches 95 to 97 mph. Getting the two to coexist was an early hurdle, and Rodriguez negotiated away his $17.5-million vesting option. In his mind, that was supposed to clear the way for him to split closing duties. But all it really did was take the Brewers off the hook for an expensive option, and they were perfectly content to lock him into the setup spot.

"It's pretty much the role I'm going to be," Rodriguez said. "I just have to take it in. The one thing that makes it easier for me -- they only give me one inning. The eighth inning -- that's it. I don't think I have thrown an inning-plus here yet, which is something I was trying to make an adjustment to. It's made it a lot easier for me."

Heading into Game 2, Rodriguez had not allowed a run in three innings in three postseason appearances. He did surrender four walks to go with his six strikeouts, however, so K-Rod certainly hasn't lost his flair for the dramatic.

"That was my goal, to be in this spot, obviously in the playoffs," he said. "Unfortunately, I couldn't do that in New York."