Closer Monkey

Category: Uncategorized

  • Shawn Kelley likely to close for Nationals

    April 19, 2017 Washington Nationals – Blake Treinen and his 7.11 ERA struggled again on Tuesday, recording only one out while walking two and giving up two hits. One of those walks brought in a run and led to Dusty Baker calling on Shawn Kelley to get the save. After the game, Baker said he is…

  • Brad Brach will close for the Orioles with Zach Britton on the DL

    April 16, 2017 Baltimore Orioles — Brad Brach should get the Baltimore save chances while Zach Britton spends time on the 10-day DL with soreness in his left forearm. Updated hierarchy:  Brach | O’Day | Givens.

  • No trust in Hector Rondon…yet

    April 5, 2017 Chicago Cubs — The Cubs are two games into their season and Hector Rondon’s name hasn’t been called yet. The Cubs never led on Sunday, but with a one-run lead on Tuesday, it was Koji Uehara and Pedro Strop serving as the bridge to Wade Davis. Joe Maddon wasn’t ready to panic this…

  • Top Middle Relievers 2017 – Holds Edition

    Predicting hold candidates is difficult because hold opportunities are largely a function of team success. Teams that have late leads can generate multiple holds per game, and dominant LOOGYs can rack up holds in a hurry. Further complicating things is the growing trend for managers to (correctly!) use their best arms in the biggest spots…

  • Top 15 Middle Relievers for 2017

    Below is a ranking of our top 15 middle relievers, based on their likelihood to get saves this season — not necessarily their skill level. As an example, Pedro Strop is a very good reliever who’s unlikely to get any save chances, because he’s stuck behind Wade Davis and Hector Rondon. So although Strop is a much better pitcher than a number of…