Closer Monkey

Tag: Fernando Abad

  • Sean Doolittle is almost back to save Oakland’s bullpen

    August 15, 2015 Oakland A’s — Edward Mujica pitched the seventh and eighth innings with Oakland down two runs, and after the A’s tied the score, Fernando Rodriguez pitched the ninth. As the game stretched on, Drew Pomeranz worked the eleventh and twelfth, then suffered an apparent elbow injury in the thirteenth. The good news is that Sean Doolittle pitched…

  • 2015 AL West preview

    March 6, 2015 Houston Astros — Houston bolstered its bullpen again this offseason, bringing in ex-A Luke Gregerson (3 years, $18.5 million) and dubious All-Star Pat Neshek (2 years, $12.5 million) to challenge incumbent Chad Qualls, the oldest player in Astros camp, for the closer role. We think Gregerson has the edge over Qualls, Neshek, and Josh…

  • Joe Nathan to Hot Seat; Ryan Cook returns

    June 4, 2014 Detroit Tigers — Hometown hero RoboCop threw out Tuesday’s first pitch; even his bounced eephus looked good up against the offerings of closer Joe Nathan, who yielded four runs in one-third of an inning to raise his ERA to 6.86. Nathan’s reduced velocity and deteriorating command has put Brad Ausmus in a difficult position: stick with his $10 million man, who reports feeling “damn good,” or give…

  • What the hell is going on in Houston?

    May 30, 2014 Oakland A’s – With $10 million invested, the A’s really want Jim Johnson to succeed — or at least be a usable reliever. But after giving up 2 runs in the 7th inning of a close game on Thursday afternoon, Johnson’s ERA sits at 6.55. The A’s season is exactly 1/3 over,…

  • More trouble in Oakland; Robertson back in the Bronx

    April 23, 2014 Oakland A’s — Luke Gregerson was one strike away from his fourth save of the year; instead, he blew his second in less than a week, and took the loss. Meanwhile, Fernando Abad continued his scoreless streak by picking up two outs in the eighth, and Jim Johnson was warming up as the winning…