The Cardinals_€™ closer quandary

TOWER GROVE — Manager Tony La Russa met with reliever Jason Isringhausen before Monday’s game to talk about more than just Sunday’s ninth-inning mess. La Russa expressed an opinion that he said the night before and was about to offer publicly: Isringhausen is scuffling because he’s “distracted.” He’s thinking about the role he wants, not the role he has, La Russa suggested. He’s thinking about getting eight more saves, not the one at hand. “My two cents is, No. 1, he’s feeling good,” La Russa said. “He’s getting distracted by ‘What’s my role? I want to get eight saves.’ You can’t get distracted in this game. Tune out the distractions and get more consistent.” In the last couple weeks, La Russa has been reluctant to definitively discuss a plan for Isringhausen or how the Cardinals will close games. Ryan Franklin has done the... [read full story]