We Are Hot Chicks Wednesday: Middle Relief

This is one of those moments where you know, a good job has been done by the old self, and it's time to look forward to the cycles that will be. Sometimes they turn out okay, and other times, not so much. What we wish to examine today are examples of when, on the surface, things will turn out peachy, which is what every Major League Baseball front office and skipper have in mind when they enter the regular season, especially when it comes to pulling your starter, and going to the bullpen for extended assistance to get the job done.

On a larger scale, it's known as middle relief. They're people you can't go to every day for that so-necessary patch between your starter and your closer, but they are, ultimately, a crutch, a necessary cog in the one-win-at-a-time transmission called baseball. Let's examine.

April Gutierrez



One can kind of get a sense in spring training, but you're never certain of how good the stuff is until you're deep into April.

Britney Amber



And even then, it might require shedding a layer or two



of your pitcher arsenal.

Dana Allen



Then again, there are some units



you just have to keep around;



the mere sight of their name



reminds you of their stuff,



making you want to use them over and over and over again.

Heather Vandeven



And you've always got that reliever that you'll go to now and again, when your real talent needs rest.

Adriana Lima



And of course every bullpen has its horse.



The star that every team



and no team wants to face,



simply because their shit is that good,



but it'd be a great accomplishment to successfully work it.



At the end of the day, you're suprised



you haven't Tommy Johned the entire situation.

Jessi Jade Mrochko



One thing that's key for a bullpen is youth.



Sometimes a warm body might be all you need;



you just want to plug your business along with them in the action,



and you very well soon forget you have them around



until its time to make room for someone else.

JJ Summer



That's why the minor-league system is awesome.



Get what you need out of a body, ship it off,



and make room for the hottest thing available.



It's capitalism at its best,



only you can't find this project on any shelf.

Kerry Ann Cusumano



Sometimes you come across one you wanna keep around, but it'd be risky to do so,

Lela Star



so you try to sneak the talent into your facility,



though you know you're being watched.

Lindsay Marie



Sometimes you'll be successful, and others will want to make a bargain.

Manda Rae



Sometimes you might be down with that,

Nikki Ryann



other times you'll feel like passing.

Sharae Spears



Sometimes the folks you work with will get really excited about some talent,



and rush into things, which is fun.

Tiffany Selby



But one has to remember that these youths are delicate,



that they need time to blossom.

Veronica Ricci



And sometimes you'll have a freebie, a rule V if you will,



and you're certainly welcome to abuse the hell out of that score,



even in the worst of situations



that seem to never have a bright side.

Koa-Marie Turner



In every 'pen, is the setup talent, though.



This is who you go to for one thing and one thing only,



unless of course, you need to go to them for something else,



in which you'll want to be patient before you trot them out again.

This call to the bullpen brought to you by none other than Gorilla Mask and Daily Niner.