Rodriguez Ready for Finishing Touches

There are nights when being a setup man seems far more demanding than being a closer, when the setup guy has to get out of a two-on, no-out jam against the heart of the order in the seventh inning and throw a scoreless eighth, while the closer comes on with a clean slate to start the ninth.

That’s why success in the setup role is often a prelude to success as a closer -- see Mariano Rivera, Troy Percival, Francisco Cordero, Armando Benitez, et al -- and why the Angels are confident Francisco Rodriguez, perhaps the game’s top setup man in 2004, will make a smooth transition to ninth-inning specialist this season.

There is a unique pressure to closing games, though, the stress associated with being the last line of defense, and Rodriguez must learn to cope with it for an entire season as the 23-year-old takes over for Percival, who signed a two-year, $12-million contract with Detroit in November.

“Of course it’s different; it’s not the same as coming in during the seventh or eighth inning,” said Rodriguez, who joined the Angels for workouts Saturday after visa problems delayed the trip from his native Venezuela for two days.

“There’s more pressure. You have to concentrate, step up and do the job. It’s not going to be easy, but I’ll be prepared for every situation. I feel ready. I’m confident I can do the job.... I’ve been waiting all of my life for this opportunity, and now that I have it, I’ll work hard for it.”

From the moment he burst onto the scene with his electrifying 2002 postseason, Rodriguez seemed destined to become the Angel closer. The only question was when.

A two-year apprenticeship under Percival -- in which Rodriguez went 8-3 with a 3.03 earned-run average and 95 strikeouts in 2003 and 4-1 with a 1.82 ERA, 12 saves and 123 strikeouts in 2004 -- and a monthlong closing stint in place of the injured Percival last season were enough to convince the Angels Rodriguez was ready.

“There’s no reason Frankie shouldn’t do well as a closer,” Angel pitcher Jarrod Washburn said. “He was a dominant setup guy, he has dominant stuff, the right mental makeup, and he had the privilege of working with one of the best closers in the game for years.”

There was a perception Percival and Rodriguez were not close because the two did not socialize much in the clubhouse, but the heir apparent said the departing veteran left an indelible mark.

“Everything I learned from Percy was important,” Rodriguez said. “There wasn’t one specific thing. Hopefully, all the advice he gave me will help me become a better closer.”

Rodriguez threw about 23 innings of winter ball in Venezuela in preparation for this season -- half as much as he pitched there last winter -- and focused mostly on location and pitching inside.

He did not add any pitches to a repertoire that features a 95-mph fastball and wicked slider, and he has no plans to tone down the exuberance -- the fist pumps, the screaming, the leaping off the mound -- that fuels him.

“Emotions are part of my game, the way I pitch -- that’s the passion I have,” Rodriguez said. “As I get older, I might change, but right now, that’s the way I like to be on the mound.”

After a particularly animated display to punctuate a critical out against Detroit last August, Percival worried that Rodriguez’s antics might incite opponents.

“Age will take that out of him,” Percival said. “He’ll realize it may come back to haunt him if he does cartwheels off the mound.”

Angel Manager Mike Scioscia doesn’t mind the gymnastics.

“Dennis Eckersley was as exuberant as anyone throughout his whole career,” Scioscia said of the Hall of Fame closer. “It’s a high-pressure situation and a great sense of achievement when you close a game. Some guys handle it different -- it’s part of their individual personalities.

“Frankie is celebrating achievement; it’s not at the cost of the other team. There are ways of showing up other teams, and he never crosses that line.”