HOUSTON -- John Rocker has lost his job as the closer for the Cleveland Indians after getting hit hard yet again, and Bob Wickman will resume finishing games.

	John Rocker has had five straight poor outings with two blown saves.

Rocker failed to hold a 6-5, eighth-inning lead Monday night, allowing four earned runs and five hits in a 10-8 loss. He is 2-4 with an 8.31 ERA since Cleveland acquired him from Atlanta on June 22 and has blown two of four save chances.

"What we're going to do with John Rocker right now is try to get him back to where he was," Indians manager Charlie Manuel said Tuesday. "We're going to work him in where we can get him some quality work, whether it's behind in the game or three, four, five, six or seven runs ahead.

"For a few days, I'm going to try to keep him out of pressure game situations if possible. I hope I don't get into a place where I have to use him. I'm not afraid to use him. I think that he's been around long enough. I think this is just something he's going through."

Wickman had 15 saves in 17 chances before the arrival of the controversial Rocker, who started a national furor after the 1999 season when he denigrated New Yorkers, immigrants, homosexuals and others in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

"Maybe it's just a coincidence," Atlanta pitcher Greg Maddux said.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig suspended Rocker for all 45 days of spring training last year and the first 28 days of the regular season and fined him $20,000, but the players' association filed a grievance and arbitrator Shyam Das cut the suspension to 14 days and the fine to $500.

Manuel thinks Rocker, who has refused to speak with the media since June 29, is still reeling from the trade.

"With everything that has developed in the last month in his life, I think the kid is going through a stressful time," Manuel said. "The more I'm around him and the more I get to talk to him, I think there's a process that he's going through right now.

"I think he was very surprised that he got traded. Before that he was going through a tough time in Atlanta. Then coming over here was new to him.

"Everything about the whole thing is new to him -- the city, his teammates, his manager, his coaches. At the same time, he is new to us. I think he definitely might be trying too hard at times."