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 WASHINGTON (AP) - Without a trusted option to protect a four-run lead in the ninth inning, Detroit manager Jim Leyland turned to closer Todd Jones on Monday in a non-save situation. Jones promptly gave up three runs, before getting Ronnie Belliard to ground out with runners on the corners to preserve a 9-8 victory over the Washington Nationals.
Afterward, Leyland and Jones had a difference of opinion on the near-meltdown.
"My job is to get outs, and I got them," said Jones, who has 17 saves in 21 opportunities but a 5.86 ERA. "You guys can laugh and make fun of the ERA all you want. But when that rubber hits the road, it goes through me and that's the way I want it."
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