When it felt like David Bednar was turning the corner with three scoreless outings, he had a rough outing against the Twins on Thursday. He allowed three hits, five earned runs, and two walks over one-third of the sixth. He threw 26 pitches (12 strikes – 46.2 Strike percentage) and induced one whiff:
His velocities aligned with past results, but his command was the culprit. He has five strikeouts against three walks over 4.1 innings this spring, but this outing spiked his WHIP (2.31).
Here are his pitches from Statcast’s illustrator:
And his pitch result chart:
Through five appearances this spring, he has thrown 86 pitches and 51 strikes (59.3 Strike percentage). He needs to hone his four-seam command, but fantasy managers will monitor this closely.
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Edwin Díaz
Making his third spring appearance, Edwin Díaz tossed a scoreless top of the fifth, giving up a hit and striking out one on 18 pitches (66.7 Strike percentage) with three whiffs (16.7 swinging strike percentage). He has a 2.57 WHIP with four strikeouts against three walks across 2.1 innings. It cannot be ignored, but his last fastball was clocked at 92.3 miles per hour:
For perspective, he averaged 97.11 miles per hour last March:
His manager does not seem concerned per this note from Anthony DiComo on “X,” and this may be an outlier, but fantasy managers will track this closely.
Trevor Megill
Hanging on for his second hold, Trevor Megill navigated around three hits for a scoreless bottom of the second courtesy of a runner being thrown out at home. He threw 18 pitches (11 strikes – 61.1 Strike percentage) without a whiff:
Here are his pitches using Statcast’s illustrator:
Although it was not his last pitch, his velocity chart also shows a dip in this contest:
After five games, he’s posted a 1.71 WHIP with four strikeouts against three walks over 4.2 innings. He remains a risky play at his current price point, so enter with eyes wide open.
Jason Adam
One day after an implosion by Robert Suarez, Jason Adam was handed a three-run lead at the bottom of the ninth. He struggled with his command, resulting in a blown save. He allowed a lead-off double, uncorked a wild pitch, hit a batter, and served up a game-tying three-run home run. After recording a strikeout, he was removed. He threw 22 pitches (50 Strike percentage) and induced three whiffs (13.6 swinging strike percentage):
Although his velocities remain down, they increased slightly compared to his previous outing. His struggles in this contest can be attributed to his command:
After three scoreless appearances this spring, he’s allowed multiple runs in consecutive games. He has four strikeouts against one walk, but his WHIP has risen from zero to 1.00. It’s too early to panic, but a strong finish this spring may ensure save chances sooner rather than later in San Diego.
Closer CliffsNotes
Arizona Diamondbacks
With their game postponed on Thursday, the closer competition gets a respite. But, in this post by Alex Weiner for Arizona Sports, Torey Lovullo remains undecided about who his closer will be.
Projected Hierarchy: *Justin Martinez | *A.J. Puk | *Kevin Ginkel
*= camp competition for closer
St. Louis Cardinals
Putting a potential damper on the late-season save upside for Ryan Fernandez, the Cardinals signed a veteran for high-leverage work. This may not affect Fernandez if Phil Maton works as the highest-leverage right-handed reliever until the trade deadline, and the team moves him and Ryan Helsley. Based on lineup pocket match-ups, plan on Maton and JoJo Romero pitching in the seventh and eighth innings.
Projected Hierarchy: Ryan Helsley | JoJo Romero | Phil Maton
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