Ken Giles picked up the save Tuesday after going five days without pitching. He continues to be great when healthy, but It’s fair to wonder if he’ll ever be healthy again this season. If you own him, you may as well hold on now, but if you’re in a shallow league, I think you’d be justified in dropping him the next time there is even a whiff of an injury. Derek Law has three saves and a hold this month, and while his season-long numbers are still ugly, he hasn’t allowed an earned run in 12 consecutive appearances. The problem with Law is unless Giles actually goes on the IL, we’ll always wonder when Giles is going to return to take the next save chance.
Is it time to just ignore Atlanta’s bullpen the way we do with Baltimore or Seattle? It looked like Luke Jackson was the closer again after he picked up the save on Sunday, but two days later Jackson was the first reliever into the game with a four-run lead while Mark Melancon picked up his second save. Jackson’s save on Sunday was shaky, but it’s still shocking to see Melancon get the save opportunity after he allowed four earned runs on four hits in 0.1 innings Saturday. Melancon is my bet to get the next save chance, but I’d be pretty shocked if he remained the closer for the rest of the season.
It only took four months, but Emilio Pagán has emerged as the clear closer in Tampa Bay. He has four saves since Friday, and while the pace will almost certainly slow, I could easily see him getting a save per week the rest of the way.
It’s pretty insane the Mets are only two games back of the Cardinals for the second Wild Card, especially when you consider how poorly Edwin Díaz has pitched. Seth Lugo has basically usurped Diaz as the closer, but the Mets love using him for more than three outs, so he’s going to be unavailable more frequently and will sometimes enter a tie game in the eighth inning, like he did Saturday. I’d rather have Lugo than Diaz, but I doubt Lugo even gets five more saves the rest of the way.
It’s gone somewhat under the radar since he wasn’t a closer last year, but Archie Bradley ’s fall from grace has been as precipitous as any failed closer’s this season. He failed to get an out Wednesday in picking up a blown save, though we can probably forgive him for allowing a two-run homer to Nolan Arenado in Colorado. Bradley had been great prior to that outing, and I don’t think he’s losing his job anytime soon, but it’s hard to trust anyone with 4.82 BB/9.
I thought for sure Héctor Neris was going to blow the save against the Cubs Tuesday, even with Joe Maddon inexplicably letting Tony Kemp bat in the ninth inning of a one-run game. This is one of the reasons why it is important to watch the games. If you don’t trust a guy to close a game while you’re watching at the bar, you shouldn’t trust him with your fantasy team, either.
I was really going to try to avoid discussing José Leclerc this week, but I feel like I have to mention that Shawn Kelley has allowed five earned runs over his last two outings. Leclerc could easily walk three batters and blow the save tomorrow, but this is the safest he has looked in four months.
It’s another week with Taylor Rogers and Sergio Romo each earning one save. I would take a save per week from most closers, and I’m not prepared to drop Rogers, but it seems pretty clear Sergio Romo is not going away. You could make a strong argument Romo needs to be owned over guys like Seth Lugo .