Taiwanese pitcher Kuo takes lead in best setup man poll

Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taiwanese baseball pitcher Kuo Hong-Chih has taken a solid lead in an online poll on Major League Baseball's website asking fans to name this year's best setup man. As of 8 p.m. Monday Taiwan time, the Los Angeles Dodgers' Kuo had garnered 34 percent of the votes, the most among the six choices given. He was followed by Arthur Rhodes of the Cincinnati Reds, who had 20 percent, with Daniel Bard of the Boston Red Sox ranking third with 15 percent. Scott Downs of the Toronto Blue Jays, Luke Gregerson of the San Diego Padres and Matt Thornton of the Chicago White Sox received 10 percent, 9 percent, and 9 percent, respectively. Kuo's lead in the poll is not surprising because his numbers have been outstanding all year. The 29-year-old left-handed reliever has a 3-1 record with four saves, 17 holds and an ERA of 0.88 in 39 appearances. Even more indicative of how well he's pitched, Kuo's WHIP -- walks plus hits surrendered per inning -- is only 0.80, with 1.00 considered excellent. He has been so effective that Dodgers' manager Joe Torre recently installed him as a closer in place of Jonathan Braxton, who has struggled recently. In his first outing since the switch, Kuo shut down the Atlanta Braves in the ninth inning of a 2-1 victory to pick up the save. Kuo was voted by the fans on Major League Baseball's website at the 2008 Setup Man of the Year. (By Hsiao Pao-hsiang and Fanny Liu) Enditem/ls

Taiwanese pitcher Kuo takes lead in best setup man poll Taipei, Aug. 16 (CNA) Taiwanese baseball pitcher Kuo Hong-Chih has taken a solid lead in an online poll on Major League Baseball's website asking fans to name this year's best setup man.
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