Pete Parise is having the time of his life with the AAA Memphis Redbirds. Just one level away from the Major League St. Louis Cardinals, Parise has found himself as one of the main relievers in the farm system, with former Memphis closer, Jess Todd, being the Player-To-Be-Named-Later in the Mark DeRosa trade and Clayton Mortensen going to the Oakland A’s in the trade for Matt Holliday. Parise was thrown into important situations late in games before the trades, but now that Memphis lost Todd, Parise may have a more important role in the organization.
On Saturday night, Parise got his first opportunity to close the game. And close the game is exactly what he did. He picked up his first save of the season, pitching 1.1 innings without giving up a hit or walk. He struck out two. And unsurprisingly, the other two outs came on ground-balls. Parise is being called the “Lethal Weapon”. Let’s see if that nickname sticks.
Another note: Look for Parise to help out the Puerto Rican national team in the 2009 Baseball World Cup. He was officially invited to be a part of the team and accepted the offer. Competition begins in September and is sanctioned by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF). Parise and the Puerto Rican team will play in Barcelona, Spain.
