Mariners' McClendon on Rodney: 'He's our closer'

Fernando Rodney blew his third save of the season for the Seattle Mariners on Tuesday night, his ERA ballooning to 6.85 as he squandered his club's one-run lead in the ninth inning of an eventual 5-3 loss to the New York Yankees.

Despite Rodney's struggles this season, Mariners manager Lloyd McClendon said the ninth inning still belongs to the 38-year-old with the tilted hat.

"Rodney has struggled a little bit," McClendon told MLB.com's Greg Johns. "So has everybody else. But the fact is, he's our closer. We need him. We're going to need him to be successful. People talk very lightly about changing closers, and that's fine. But you have to have somebody to do it. You don't just throw anybody in the ninth inning and say, 'Well, let him do it.'"

Though Rodney has yet to lose his manager's support, the two-time All-Star doesn't at all resemble the pitcher who crafted a 2.85 ERA (128 ERA+) while notching 48 saves in 51 chances last summer.

Carson Smith, meanwhile, continues to bolster his case for some ninth-inning opportunities. The 25-year-old owns a sterling 1.17 ERA with a 0.74 WHIP over 24 appearances, allowing just one homer in 23 innings while posting the fifth-best strikeout rate (32.2 percent) among rookie relievers.

Still, McClendon doesn't believe Smith - or anyone else, for that matter - is ready to replace Rodney in the ninth inning.

"I don't have that guy right now," McClendon said. "I know people point to Carson Smith, but he's a young kid. We have to be careful with him, particularly with his innings and back-to-back-to-back (appearances). I'm not sure he can do that. I think his velocity goes down quite a bit. He's one of those young men that still doesn't have his man muscles, so to speak. He needs to mature and continue to develop."