Archive for fantasy holds

With Steve Cishek going on the 10-day IL with hip inflammation on Saturday, the Cubs are without four of the relievers in the back end of their bullpen. Kyle Ryan has been on the bereavement list since Friday, and Craig Kimbrel (knee) and Brandon Kintzler (pectoral) are both on the IL. However both Kimbrel and Kintzler could be back by this weekend.

In the meantime, who’s left to get saves? Pedro Strop, who served in the role before the Kimbrel came on board, pitched a scoreless ninth inning against the Reds with a 6-3 lead on Sunday, picking up his 10th save. David Phelps, who recorded the Cubs’ previous save on Aug. 5, got the win in this contest, as his 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth inning preceded Kris Bryant’s go-ahead three-run homer in the top of the seventh. Sandwiched in between Phelps and Strop was Rowan Wick, who got his second hold as a result of pitching two scoreless innings. It would seem that any of the three could collect saves this week, as well as Ryan, who will be eligible to return on Monday.
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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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The Mets were hardly in need of a closer during Sunday’s 13-2 win over the Pirates, but on a day full of reliever drama, they were the biggest story in terms of closer news. After Sunday’s game, Mickey Callaway said to reporters, “I don’t think we can lock ourselves into one thing,” and in this context, the “thing” was the team’s closer. The incumbent, Edwin Díaz, has allowed at least one run in each of his last four appearances, so that has opened the door for the primary setup reliever, Seth Lugo, to at least enter the saves mix. For now, Díaz and Lugo are listed in the closer grid as co-closers with Lugo designated in the lead role.

While Díaz — one of last season’s elite closers — has had his ups-and-downs throughout the season, two of this season’s best closers faltered on Sunday. Kirby Yates blew his third save in 35 tries in the Padres’ 11-10 loss to the Dodgers, as he gave up Max Muncy‘s walk-off two-RBI double in the bottom of the ninth. Yates was also charged with his third loss, though he may have been spared that fate if not for a fielding error by Luis Urías that allowed Alex Verdugo to be safe at second base on Corey Seager’s fielder’s choice, just before Muncy’s double. The one earned run that Muncy drove in was the first allowed by Yates since June 23 and just the sixth he has allowed all season.
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When the Braves acquired Shane Greene and Chris Martin ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline, there didn’t seem to be much mystery as to how they would be used. Given Luke Jackson’s struggles in closing out games for the Braves and Greene’s success as the Tigers’ closer, it would have been an upset for the latter reliever to be used as anything but a closer. It also was a natural fit for Martin, who racked up 12 holds (and four saves) with the Rangers, to set Greene up. On Thursday, Brian Snitker confirmed that Greene will, in fact, be his closer, and Martin will be his primary setup reliever.

What was less clear was how Snitker might use Mark Melancon, who was just acquired from the Giants. While Melancon was typically the fifth option in a deep Giants bullpen, the Braves’ manager indicated that he could pitch the seventh inning in addition to other situations. This suggests that Jackson won’t see much action in hold situations, much less as a fill-in closer when Greene is unavailable. During his recent three-week slump, Jackson allowed nine runs on 11 hits (including three homers) and four walks over six innings. Still, there were some positives, such as a 15.0 percent SwStr% and a 60.0 percent ground ball rate, which were right in line with his season-to-date numbers. Despite these impressive skill indicators, there is not much point in rostering Jackson, even in holds leagues.
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The closer grid will likely look much different on Thursday, but for now, Felipe Vázquez, Alex Colomé, Raisel Iglesias, Ken Giles, Edwin Díaz and Shane Greene, among other potential trade candidates, have yet to switch teams.

The Mets did not shy away from using Díaz on Tuesday night, as he came in to protect a 2-1 lead over the White Sox in the bottom of the ninth inning. He was wild from the start, walking Ryan Goins on five pitches and, two batters later, he plunked James McCann on the shoulder. Both runners advanced on a wild pitch, and then Goins scored on Tim Anderson’s sacrifice fly. The Mets ultimately prevailed in the 11th inning, after Colomé shut them down in the 10th inning.
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The anticipation is over. Greg Holland is out as the Diamondbacks’ closer.

Torey Lovullo told reporters on Sunday morning that he was making a change, though he did not rule out reinstalling Holland back in the role in the future. In the meantime, Lovullo will employ a closer committee consisting of Yoan Lopez, Yoshihisa Hirano, Archie Bradley and Andrew Chafin. Given the potentially temporary nature of this arrangement and the lack of a clear primary option, this situation can be avoided by owners in most fantasy formats.
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Maybe when Wade Davis gets lit up by the Dodgers, it’s a good thing.

A little less than a year ago — on Aug. 9, 2018, to be exact — Davis was charged with a loss against the Dodgers after giving up home runs to Chris Taylor and Brian Dozier in what was the latest in a series of poor outings. The Rockies’ closer made some tweaks to his mechanics, and over the rest of the season, he gave up only one run and was 11 for 11 in his save opportunities.
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Several normally-reliable closers blew saves on Tuesday night. Neither Ken Giles nor Will Smith got saves, but the former picked up a win against the Indians, and the latter pitched a pair of scoreless innings versus the Cubs. Given how the night went for other top closers, Giles’ and Smith’s fantasy owners should feel fortunate.

The slugfest between the Yankees and the Twins was rough on starters and relievers alike, and both team’s closers blew a chance at a save. Initially, it looked as if Taylor Rogers was going to put an end to the scoring — and the game. With just six pitches, he set down Gleyber Torres and Giovanny Urshela, and then he got a 1-2 count on Mike Tauchman. Rogers missed on his next three pitches, putting Tauchman on first base. His first pitch to Aaron Hicks was right down the middle, and the Yankees’ center fielder deposited it in the Yankees’ bullpen, turning an 11-10 deficit into a 12-11 lead.
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The Rangers have not had a save opportunity since June 27, including in Sunday’s loss to the Astros. Yet Shawn Kelley, who had not pitched in a game in nine days, was warming up to enter the game with a three-run deficit in the eighth inning with two outs. Kelley felt soreness in his right biceps while throwing his warmup pitches and exited the game before throwing an official pitch. He is now expected to undergo an MRI.

Given that the Rangers have gone close to a month without a save opportunity, it’s hard to get a handle on what Chris Woodward’s preferences might be for handling save situations if Kelley has to miss time. Also, with the Rangers having lost seven games in a row and falling in the wild card standings, we can’t count on any particular reliever still being with the team on the other side of the July 31 trade deadline. However, it is highly unlikely they would trade Jose Leclerc, who signed a four-year, $14.75 million contract back in March, and it is also hard to see them dealing Chris Martin, who won’t be arbitration eligible until 2021.
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Thursday’s schedule did not produce many notable performances from closers, but it did produce one from a possible future closer. Nathan Eovaldi made his first appearance for Triple-A Pawtucket, and he pitched a scoreless inning. He struck out the side but also issued a walk.

This would appear to be the only rehab appearance Eovaldi is going to make. He has already joined the Red Sox, who are in Baltimore for their weekend series, and he could be activated as soon as Saturday. While earlier reports had suggested that Eovaldi was going to be used as the Red Sox’s closer, Alex Cora has only specified that he plans to use the converted starter in high-leverage situations. Eovaldi’s imminent activation might not mean it’s the end of Brandon Workman’s recent run as the team’s primary closer. Matt Barnes and Heath Hembree, who have combined for six saves, may still figure into saves situations as well.
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