Barreling towards the last six weeks of the season, bullpens will continue to play a pivotal role in not only how the pennant races take shape, but which teams will qualify for the playoffs. Due to a combination of injuries and performance, Cubs relievers suffered a walk-off for the second straight game as noted by their beat writer: Read the rest of this entry »
It took a combination of four relievers for the Cubs to allow the Phillies to overcome a 5-0 deficit on Thursday night. The North Siders held that five-run advantage for seven-and-a-half innings, thanks in part to a superb start from Yu Darvish. Kyle Ryan took over in the bottom of the eighth inning and immediately found himself with runners on first and second base and no one out. He and Rowan Wick each got an out and were on the verge of stranding both runners — that is, until Corey Dickerson laced a single into right field that brought one run in. If not for Nicholas Castellanos‘ on-target throw to get Rhys Hoskins out at home, the Cubs’ lead would have been cut to 5-2.
Wick came back out for the bottom of the ninth with the Cubs still up by four runs. The Phillies got their second run as a result of a David Bote error and a pair of singles, all with one out. With the lead further reduced, Joe Maddon brought in Pedro Strop, who recorded the Cubs’ last save on Sunday versus the Reds. He would face only two batters, neither of whom he would retire. After allowing Roman Quinn’s RBI single and hitting Hoskins to load the bases, Strop gave way to lefty Derek Holland, who was charged with getting Bryce Harper out. He did not, in spite of having a .184/.268/.195 slash line against lefties entering the game. Harper hit a walk-off grand slam that gave Holland his first blown save of the season and left Strop with his fifth loss.
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Tuesday night’s game in Cleveland was rained out, but the visiting Rangers generated one of the bigger stories regarding closers. Chris Woodward told Levi Weaver of The Athletic that José Leclerc would continue to be the team’s closer, even after Shawn Kelley’s (biceps) activation from the IL. Kelley was officially activated on Wednesday morning, and he will join the Rangers’ cadre of setup relievers, which also includes Jesse Chavez, Rafael Montero and the recently-promoted Emmanuel Clase.
Aside from a pair of subpar performances last week, Leclerc has been generally solid over the past month, as he did not allow a run in any of his 10 other appearances. In those outings, he struck out 10 batters over 8.2 innings with no walks and two hits allowed. However, Leclerc also compiled a 35.3 percent Zone% and a 29.3 percent O-Swing% over the entire one-month stretch, so walks could still be an issue going forward.
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It’s been a rough ride recently for the Cubs in regards to injuries. Craig Kimbrel landed on the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation backdated to August fourth throwing the high leverage innings in flux. It seemed like Steve Cishek and his seven saves this year could be primed to close in the interim, but his usage on Monday night, nor performance, does not indicate he’s atop the bullpen hierarchy. Cishek entered with a four run lead in the top of the eighth inning serving up a lead-off double to Jurickson Profar before recording a strikeout of Chris Herrmann. Pinch-hitter Nick Martini hit a two-run home run off Cishek followed by a solo-home run by Marcus Semien. Cishek issued a walk to Robbie Grossman before being lifted. Read the rest of this entry »
In a largely boring night in Closerville, one of the more notable developments occurred in a non-save situation. Twins manager Paul Molitor decided to bring Brandon Kintzler in with a four-run lead in the top of the ninth against the A’s, and the closer got himself into a bases-loaded, no-out situation. Matt Joyce brought in a run with a single, keeping the bases loaded, but Kintzler prevented further damage by getting a force out at home, followed by a double play ball.
It’s not this near-meltdown that is significant, but rather the problems with Kintzler that this outing highlighted. Though he doesn’t profile as a typical closer, Kintzler has had success in the past due to good control and strong ground ball tendencies. He has had neither this season, at least not consistently. Meanwhile, he has allowed oodles of contact, sporting a 5.3 percent swinging strike rate.
This season I had an idea for a recurring column called The Chacon Zone that never materialized (tip of the hat to @sporer for the name). The column would have been aimed at avoiding a common pitfall that I’ve succumbed to many times myself, improperly valuing saves and subsequently chasing them at my own peril. At what point does a closer’s poor performance negate the value of an occasional save?
I hoped to identify relief pitchers whose contributions in non-save categories would outweigh the Tony Cingranis and Brad Zieglers of the world. For a variety of reasons, most notably a lack of time and unusually low bullpen volatility early in the season, I never followed through. I’m hoping to rectify that with this end-of-season yet inaugural (?) edition of The Chacon Zone.
This year’s MLB Amateur Draft started last night. With draft hype in the air, now’s a great time to highlight how great last year’s number-two pick has been. Also, saves are always of need in fantasy leagues, and a temporary committee closer is widely available and worth some attention from saves-starved gamers. Read the rest of this entry »
In the summer of 2009, Brandon Kintzler wasn’t a highly-touted prospect cruising through the Milwaukee Brewers’ farm system. He was just another former 40th-round pick, toiling through his third-consecutive season in the independent leagues and trying to catch the eye of any professional organization.
The Brewers fortuitously had a scout at the American Association’s All-Star Game in Grand Prairie, Texas, where they saw Kintzler pitch two scoreless innings for the North Division in which he struck out three and walked no one. The two sides quickly agreed on a contract, and just one season later at age-25, the right-hander made his major-league debut against the Chicago Cubs.
Although he began to turn heads in Milwaukee during the 2011 season, a season-ending arm injury set him back once again. Rehab proved difficult. He continued to feel discomfort in his elbow in spring training the following year, but all nerve tests and MRIs repeatedly came back clean showing no issues. Doctors eventually diagnosed him with a strained forearm. It took the majority of the season for him to regain his arm strength, but when he did, he worked his way back to the majors and appeared in 14 games in September and October.
The 2013 season found Kintzler completely healthy for the first time in almost two years, and he took full advantage. He posted a 2.54 FIP in 77.0 innings and eventually wiggled his way into the primary set-up role by the end of the campaign. The strikeout numbers are not what fantasy owners would prefer, as he only managed a 6.78 K/9 strikeout rate, but he induced a myriad of ground balls, kept the baseball in the ballpark and issued very few free passes. That resulted in a supremely effective, if unspectacular, season.
While fellow right-hander Jim Henderson possesses a firm grip on the closer’s role in Milwaukee, Kintzler is primed for a full season of high-leverage usage. He should handle the eighth inning for manager Ron Roenicke, and I’m expecting another season of significant success. It may even be fantasy-relevant success, too.
When possible, we try to avoid one-trick ponies in fantasy baseball. That’s why hitters like Mike Trout, Carlos Gonzalez and Andrew McCutchen are as valuable as they are — they’re balanced and typically contribute to each of the traditional five hitting categories. But when honing your search for the perfect middle reliever in your deep holds league, the task becomes a bit trickier. In order to get the best bang for your buck, you want to look for the middle reliever who can earn the scab win, grab a save when the anointed closer has the night off and posts eye-popping whiff rates.
Let’s take a look at the four middle relievers who currently have at least one hold with a K% of 30% or better and a fifth reliever you should be paying attention to.