Archive for Fantasy relievers

Pedro Strop is close to returning for the Cubs, but will he also return to the ninth inning? Because nothing is ever easy in fantasy baseball, the answer is not clear.

Joe Maddon has stated previously that he does not have to go with a single closer, yet he has leaned heavily on Steve Cishek in Strop’s absence. Still, that should raise some doubt about whether Strop will have save opportunities all to himself when he comes back from his IL stint for a strained left hamstring. His return could happen in a matter of days, as he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday and then may rejoin the team without having to go on a rehab assignment.
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The ground ball has been Luke Jackson’s best friend this season, and on Tuesday night it was his worst enemy. Jackson is one of only two qualified relievers to have a ground ball rate above 70 percent (Zack Britton is the other), and that had helped him to compile a 2.31 ERA with six saves heading into the Braves’ series in San Francisco. He was called on to protect a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning on Tuesday night, and he began predictably enough by getting Evan Longoria to hit into a groundout. Then Brandon Crawford stung a line drive for a single, but Jackson struck out Steven Duggar to get on the cusp of his seventh save.

That’s when the parade of ground ball singles began. Kevin Pillar and Pablo Sandoval both got base hits on grounders that had xBAs of .250 and .090, respectively. Pillar’s single scored Crawford, and then both Pillar and pinch-runner Mac Williamson scored on a Joe Panik grounder that just eluded the outstretched glove of Ozzie Albies, giving the Giants a walk-off win.
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Even for a 10-game slate, Thursday wasn’t a very eventful day for closers or for relievers in general. The most interesting development may have been the Twins’ promotion of 32-year-old righty Austin Adams. That created the possibility of dueling Austin Adamses in their series against the Mariners. On Thursday night, neither Adams made an appearance in the Twins’ 11-6 victory.

The Twins’ summoning of Adams actually was an important development, as he replaced Trevor Hildenberger on the team’s active roster. Hildenberger was demoted to Triple-A Rochester late on Wednesday, shortly after retiring only one of four batters he faced in the ninth inning against the Angels. He had an effective first month of the season, and despite struggles in early May, Rocco Baldelli used him in some high leverage situations. However, Hildenberger had allowed seven runs over his last three appearances covering 2.1 innings.
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Kyle Hendricks couldn’t quite finish out his gem of a start on Tuesday night against the Reds. When he walked Nick Senzel to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning, Joe Maddon turned to Kyle Ryan to keep the Cubs in front, 3-1. Ryan retired Joey Votto, but with right-handed Eugenio Suarez coming up next, Maddon called on Steve Cishek once again for the save. Ryan departed despite having held righties to a .233 wOBA this season and even though left-handed Jesse Winker was due up after Suarez.

Cishek is clearly Maddon’s top choice for save situations, and he cemented his position at the top of the Cubs’ bullpen hierarchy by getting both Suarez and Winker out.
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Remember when Joe Maddon had said that virtually every reliever in his bullpen could get a crack at some saves, with Pedro Strop (hamstring) on the IL? I’m starting to get a little skeptical.

Steve Cishek pitched a perfect ninth inning to close out the Cubs’ 4-1 win over the Brewers on Sunday night, and he has been Maddon’s choice to pitch in both save opportunities that have arisen since Strop sustained his injury. Maddon did show an openness to use other relievers in a closer-type situation on Saturday, when he summoned Brandon Kintzler and Kyle Ryan to pitch the top of the ninth in a 1-1 tie (with Cishek coming in for the 10th inning). However, it is looking clear that Cishek is Maddon’s preferred choice to close in Strop’s absence. For now, I am still designating the Cubs’ situation as a committee.
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The mystery of the Cubs’ bullpen usage from Tuesday night was solved on Wednesday. The team placed closer Pedro Strop on the IL with a strained left hamstring, which helps to explain why Joe Maddon went with Steve Cishek in the top of the ninth inning in a 2-2 game with the Marlins.

Maddon turned to Cishek for an actual save situation on Wednesday, but only after Kyle Ryan started off the top of the ninth to face switch-hitter Neil Walker, whose 14 plate appearances against lefties had produced one single this season. Ryan departed after allowing Walker’s second single against southpaws this season, so Cishek came in and still needed three outs to preserve a 2-1 lead. A Starlin Castro single, a wild pitch and a Miguel Rojas RBI groundout later, Cishek was tagged with his first blown save of 2019. The Cubs ultimately prevailed in 11 innings with Carl Edwards Jr. getting the win.
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Apparently if you get the save against the Blue Jays, they name the building after you. So probably because the portion of the Jays’ lineup that was due up against the Twins called for a lefty reliever, rather than a righty, their home park is not called Parker Centre.

With the Twins up 3-0 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, Rocco Baldelli summoned Taylor Rogers to handle Justin Smoak (.216 Avg, .135 ISO versus lefties), the right-handed Randal Grichuk (.317 Avg, but a .122 ISO vs. LHP) and Rowdy Tellez. The choice nearly backfired, as Grichuk singled and then Rogers stayed in to face Vladimir Guerrero Jr. after retiring Tellez. Guerrero singled, putting runners on the corners, but Rogers induced a Billy McKinney grounder to end the game.
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I’m sorry, Luke Jackson, wasn’t sure you were for real.

But you sealed the Braves’ Sunday win.

Now you’re at the head of the closer grid.

This is why I write fantasy columns and not parody songs.
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The stakes were high for Nicky Delmonico when he came up in the bottom of the ninth with runners on the corners and one out on Thursday night. The Red Sox were clinging to a 4-3 lead, but the normally-reliable Ryan Brasier was on the mound. Delmonico got the better of Brasier, lofting a slider on the outer third of the plate just beyond the outstretched glove of Jackie Bradley Jr. and into the seats.

While Brasier had entered the game against the White Sox having allowed only two runs over 13.2 innings (to go along with six saves), both runs had come on solo homers. Delmonico’s shot left Brasier with his first loss and second blown save, and his profile may suggest that homer-proneness could be a chronic issue. He has a career 36.9 percent ground ball rate, and he also draws a lot of swings in the strike zone with a career 75.2 percent Z-Swing%.
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Heading into Tuesday night’s game with the Pirates, Jose Leclerc had not pitched in a high-leverage situation in nine days. His two most recent appearances occurred in blowouts, as he tried to work out the command issues that had plagued him for much of the season. Chris Woodward ended Leclerc’s sabbatical from closing on Tuesday night, deploying him in a save situation, as the Rangers held a 3-0 lead going into the top of the ninth.

Leclerc had actually been highly effective against righties this season, holding them to a .130 Avg prior to Tuesday, but to shut down the Pirates, he had to run the gauntlet of switch-hitting Bryan Reynolds and Cole Tucker and left-handed Adam Frazier. He did not retire any of them, and Frazier’s single scored Reynolds, cutting the Rangers’ lead to two runs. Leclerc was on the verge of getting out of the jam, striking out Starling Marte and Gregory Polanco in succession, but Josh Bell (another switch-hitter) laced a game-tying double into left center. Fortunately for Leclerc, Bell unsuccessfully tried to extend the double into a triple, so he avoided further damage.
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