It seemed like Kenley Jansen would close out his 22nd straight save with a two strike count against Shohei Ohtani in the bottom of the ninth with two outs. However, Ohtani battled back drawing a walk, then stole second base during which an errant throw allowed him to move to third. A single by David Fletcher tied the game, then a single to right field by Ian Kinsler eventually scored Fletcher after a bobble and an overthrow to home let the winning run score. On the surface, it’s tough loss. Jansen owned not backing up home on the play which resulted in the winning run scoring, saying and I quote, “That’s my fault.” The blown save is Jansen’s first since April 17th when he fell to two-for-four in saves with an inflated 8.10 ERA. Since then, Jansen whittled his ERA down with a 1.06 ERA over 34 outings converting 21 straight saves, until last night.

However, when targeting a closer at Jansen’s average draft position, it’s to own an elite closer with strong ratios. Jansen’s accrued 23 saves so far this year but with a 2.40 ERA, 3.01 FIP and 0.97 WHIP. Very good, but not in the upper echelon of closers this season. Perhaps it’s his losing a tick off of his velocities on his fastball and cutter or it’s the cumulative effect of pitching in the postseason each of the last five years including into the World Series last season. He’s only blown three saves but the strikeout percentage drop of over 16 percent, Jansen’s swinging strike percentage decrease of almost six percent along with his contact allowed up over nine percent. Getting the All-Star break off could help Jansen but due to his peripheral statistics lagging compared to past performance, he will be fine going forward, just not his to his usual elite status from seasons prior. Read the rest of this entry »

Dull days in the unrelenting chase for saves rarely occur, Wednesday was no exception. Brandon Morrow owners breathed a collective sigh of relief seeing him record his 19th save on Wednesday giving up a hit with a strikeout. Morrow did not pitch on Tuesday after working 1.1 innings on Sunday to the dismay of the fantasy community. Returning from a mild back injury, it’s clear the Cubs will be handling Morrow with care. He only needed 19 pitches on Sunday retiring four of the five hitters he faced. But Pedro Strop notched the save on Tuesday, his second this year, in lieu of Morrow. As for Morrow, he’s converted 12 straight saves, 19 of 20 this year with a 1.40 ERA which underscores why fantasy owners want more. But, in deference to Morrow’s injury riddled past, the Cubs keeping him fresh and not committing to giving him a heavy workload could work out best in the long run no matter how frustrating. Plan accordingly.

With Seranthony Dominguez settling in as a more traditional one inning closer, or at least his owners hope, he received a much deserved day off on Wednesday. Dominguez locked down his fourth straight save on Tuesday but needed 28 pitches over 1.1 innings to do so. After Victor Arano pitched a clean top of the eighth, he stayed in for the ninth walking one and striking out three en route to his first major league save. Arano’s been scoreless his last five outings and could be in the periphery of saves in this type of scenario going forward as the Phillies try to make a push for the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry »

Predictably, Sam Dyson struggled as the interim closer with Hunter Strickland sidelined due to a self inflicted injury. With intriguing arms like Reyes Moronta, Tony Watson and Will Smith, the Giants had options for the ninth inning with better ratios and performance over the last month. Bruce Bochy opted for Will Smith in the ninth inning in Arizona for a chance to record his first save since April 13th, 2014. Smith responded with a clean inning and striking out two. Returning from a myriad of injuries, Smith’s been terrific this season and especially in June. His 0.75 ERA, 0.67 WHIP and 21 strikeouts to four walks punctuate how good Smith’s been over his last 12 innings.

Delving a bit deeper, Smith’s 24 swinging strike percentage along with a 47.8 O-swing percentage (chase rate) combined with his 56.7 percent contact allowed fuel his surge in June. On the season, Smith’s limited left-handed hitters to a .180/.200/.231 slash line in 10.2 innings with 18 strikeouts and right-handed hitters to a .071/.191/.103 average against with 15 strikeouts. If Smith remains the preferred option for Bochy going forward, both Tony Watson and Reyes Moronta will remain on the periphery of saves if Smith needs a break. Watson possesses closer experience and currently in the midst of a 13.1 scoreless inning streak spanning 14 outings. Moronta notched his fourth hold last night and has 11 strikeouts, three wins and a save with a 3.71 ERA his last 12 games. Read the rest of this entry »

Arizona did not deploy Brad Boxberger until the 11th inning for a save opportunity, but Boxberger failed to convert it for the second straight outing. Boxberger allowed an unearned run to score but it’s the three walks which raises eyebrows, not the end result. Leadoff walks never end well for closers and Boxberger started the inning with one to Gregory Polanco. Then he handed out a free pass to Josh Bell along with an intentional walk to Austin Meadows after a sacrifice bunt to load the bases. Had Jake Lamb made a better throw to home, perhaps it’s a moot point, but Boxberger’s walked five over his last six innings giving up three home runs and six earned runs in these appearances. As a result, Boxberger’s walk percentage has risen to 12.1 percent and his WHIP to an uncomfortable 1.37 through 26.1 innings.

It’s important to note, Boxberger’s only thrown 27.2 innings total across all levels in 2016 and 37 innings last year due to injuries. Fatigue could be a factor as the All-Star break looms. Arizona will let him continue in the role not wishing to increase arbitration to Archie Bradley, but in the midst of a pennant chase in the wide open National League West may eventually force their hand. Bradley’s only yielded one earned run in 10.1 innings in June despite his 4:4 K:BB in them. Yoshihisa Hirano‘s on a 21 game (18.1 inning) scoreless streak but mostly works in the seventh inning as a setup pitcher. Andrew Chafin’s also pitching well tossing 23 scoreless outings of his last 25 giving up only two earned runs his last 17.1 innings (1.04 ERA). Whether or not the Diamondbacks make a change remains to be seen, but Boxberger’s officially under watch as innings accrue. If the walks and home runs persist, he could be on the outside looking in for save chances in July. Read the rest of this entry »

Although Bruce Bochy listed Sam Dyson and Tony Watson as his “primary options” to close with Hunter Strickland headed to the disabled list, could Mark Melancon work his way into at least a time share? While it’s not out of the realm of possibilities, keep in mind Dyson worked the three previous games prior to last night so he received a much needed day off. Melancon stepped in to record his first save, one year and one day since his last one before missing the majority of last season. For one night, San Francisco’s blueprint went exactly as planned with Madison Bumgarner firing eight shutout innings and Melancon locking down the save. Read the rest of this entry »

For the skills over role consensu, Kyle Barraclough continues to thrive as the closer for the Marlins in spite of starting the season as the primary setup reliever. Barraclough notched his fifth save firing a clean ninth inning with two strikeouts in his fourth outing over the last five days. He’s yielded no runs his last 16 games spanning 15.2 innings and only allowed one hit in these appearances. During the season, Barraclough’s not given up a hit in 25 of his 32 outings and been scoreless in 28 of them. Although he’s battled control issues in the past, Barraclough’s 1.15 ERA and 0.80 WHIP suggest he’s settling into the role quite well. Just plan on Miami giving him a day off on Saturday if possible to keep him healthy going forward.

It feels like one step forward and two steps back with Felipe Vazquez this season. He did record his 13th save allowing a hit but striking out two, including Joey Votto, to secure a win for the Pirates on Friday night. On the surface, Vazquez has blown four of his last eight save chances with an ERA of 4.55 yet a FIP of 2.87, so which number should fantasy owners focus on? Vazquez has cut down his hard hit percentage allowed by 5.6 points. However, he’s traded ground balls for line drives. His underlying discipline statistics do not display complete erosion of his skills as his swinging strike percentage approaches his 2016 numbers, but owners drafted Vazquez for the upside he displayed in the first half of last year. Over the last 14 days, Vazquez has worked 5.1 innings with nine strikeouts against five walks with a 3.38 ERA and 2.53 FIP. Almost a encapsulation of his season so far with hints of upside paired with the high amount of walks. Perhaps he can turn this around like Kenley Jansen did in April, but it’s not for the risk averse. Read the rest of this entry »

With Jeurys Familia landing on the disabled list due to shoulder soreness, the Mets will need a new closer going forward. Of course, this takes into account the team has lost 12 of its last 14 contests and the bullpen owns a 7.22 ERA with nine losses within this rough stretch. Fantasy owners should look to Robert Gsellman who recorded the last save for New York last Sunday. Gsellman’s worked in high leverage this year with five holds and two saves under his belt along with winning five games. Over his last 17.2 innings, Gsellman’s held opponents to four runs for a tidy 2.04 ERA and his ability to get left handed hitters out could translate to success in the role. Add in starting pitcher eligibility in some formats as a sweetener along with reports the Mets will not rush Familia back until he’s ready and hope Gsellman can continue to be fantasy relevant as the anchorman in the Mets bullpen going forward. For those in deeper leagues, taking a flier on Anthony Swarzak also makes sense as he rounds into form back from stint on the disabled list.

Owning Shane Greene can be frustrating. He’s held on to the closer role in Detroit, although tenuously at times, for 15 saves this season. On the other hand, he’s also lost three games and blown three saves due to his propensity to give up home runs (six in 30.1 innings). Last night, Greene allowed two hits, three earned runs and a walk after entering a tied game. He has converted his last five save chances in a row but seems to be working on borrowed time as the Tigers could trade him to a contender as the deadline approaches. With this in mind, Greene should continue his role in the ninth inning but Joe Jimenez is steadily closing the gap. Jimenez notched his first save last Sunday, has the superior strikeout to walk ratio, better ratios in ERA and WHIP through an increase in his swinging strike percentage while reducing hard contact this year. Those looking to stash for saves should roster Jimenez sooner rather than later in an effort to save in FAAB bids. Read the rest of this entry »

Owning Edwin Diaz can be a wild ride. After his hot start to the season, he’s allowed runs his last two appearances causing his ERA to rise from 1.59 to 3.03 as a result. Prior to this rough patch, Diaz pitched seven times in a 10-day stretch from May 20th through his four run implosion on the 29th. Recalling last year, Diaz did lose his mechanics and the closer role for a brief period. In spite of the recent struggles, Diaz has a 43.1 strikeout percentage and saves in 19 of his 22 chances this season and WHIP still below one (0.91). His new teammate, Alex Colome could help share the burden of high leverage since the Mariners attract close games.

Since joining the Mariners, Colome’s recorded two holds and a save retiring nine of 10 batters faced. Prior to joining Seattle, Colome had notched 10 consecutive saves for the Rays. Due to the patience the team has displayed in the past with Diaz, his owners should not panic. But continued struggles will put pressure on Diaz who should benefit from the tutelage of Colome and insurance he provides giving Diaz a much needed break from over usage patterns. Read the rest of this entry »

As bullpen usage continues to evolve, chasing saves could become even more difficult. For example, over the last seven games the Phillies have used three different pitchers in save opportunities. A week ago Saturday, Seranthony Dominguez notched the first major league save of his career. On Monday, Hector Neris returned to the ninth inning en route to his ninth save. Yesterday, Dominguez worked 1.1 innings, one out in the seventh and the eighth inning paving the way for Luis Garcia to pitch the ninth. Garcia yielded one hit and struck out one for his first save of the season. Four players on the roster have registered a save this month, including Edubray Ramos. Due to Philadelphia’s depth in the their bullpen, this could persist through the remainder of the season with other teams watching closely.

Losing Andrew Miller to the disabled list (knee inflammation) will continue to test the already fragile psyche of Cleveland’s bullpen. For one day at least, they rebounded to close out the Astros. Zach McAllister did give up a run during his 1.1 innings of work but held on for his third hold. Tyler Olson and Dan Otero shared the eighth inning with Olson getting one out and Otero pitched two-thirds of an inning. Cody Allen, the saving grace so far, notched his eighth save in a clean ninth inning with a strikeout. Allen’s made 18 scoreless appearances out of 22 this year and over his last seven games has worked 6.2 innings with a 2.69 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and seven strikeouts. He will be tested with a shaky bridge leading up to him going forward. Read the rest of this entry »

Drafting Alex Colome comes with inherent risk due to his sometimes volatile nature. Colome started the season giving up seven earned runs and 14 hits over his initial seven innings in eight outings resulting in two blown saves. His five losses leads the majors of all qualified relievers. However, Colome seemed to right the ship with a 1.84 ERA during his last 15 innings, including 10 consecutive saves with 17 strikeouts since April ninth. Many believed Colome would be traded to a contender, just not in May. However, Seattle bolstered its already strong bullpen by acquiring Colome to pitch in a setup role and provide insurance for Edwin Diaz along with necessary days off to keep him healthy.

Trying to predict how Kevin Cash will navigate high leverage innings in the near term seems impossible to do. The dreaded committee approach seems prudent to plan on with Chaz Roe, Jose Alvarado and Sergio Romo figuring in the mix. Roe’s struggled of late with a 6.75 ERA his last 12 appearances (six earned runs in eight innings) dating back to April 27th. HE has entered a Rays game in a tie or with a lead 19 of 24 times and in the seventh inning or later in 16 outings. Most fantasy owners would like to see Jose Alvarado ascend to the closer role due to his effectiveness this year along with his enticing fastball. Read the rest of this entry »