Closer Monkey | 2026
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Monkey Bytes; May 26
Saturday’s slate provided massive volume in the world of high-leverage relievers. It began with Jason Foley pitching in the eighth inning, operating as his team’s HLR facing the heart of the Blue Jays lineup, and Tyler Holton securing his first save of the season. Among the 15 games, there were 13 saves, three of which…
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Streaming for Holds and SOLDS; Week 10
Given the volatility of high-leverage roles and performances, many prefer streaming relievers in leagues with separate categories for holds or those that combine saves plus holds (SOLDS). With this in mind, here is a snapshot of the respective leagues with their leverage trends in chart form. American League Leverage Trends Link: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/3U0Dm/13/ AL Teams with…
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Monkey Bytes: May 25
Friday night’s slate featured José Alvarado suffering his first blown save and a meltdown in New York by Reed Garrett, fueling another late-inning comeback win for the Giants. For the good news, Jason Foley recorded a one-out save in Toronto, prompting an adjustment of his team’s bullpen hierarchy. Josh Hader turned in a third consecutive…
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Friday’s Five: High-Leverage Situations of Interest
This column will focus on paring down What to Watch For into five relievers or situations worth tracking in this weekend’s high-leverage events. Can Jhoan Durán fix his recent spike in home runs allowed? When will Edwin Díaz regain his closer role? Who emerges as the bridge reliever or more in the Cubs bullpen? Will…
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Monkey Bytes, May 24: A Wild Walk-off in Oakland, A Game-ending Interference Call, Game Recaps, and more
Size does not always matter, as illustrated by Thursday’s eight-game slate, which yielded plenty of high-leverage events of interest. There were five saves, a walk-off walk in Oakland, and an extra-inning contest in Cincinnati. All are covered in our condensed and full-game recaps. Closer CliffsNotes American League (RP | BAL): With two runners on and…
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