June 25, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals announced that Jordan Hicks has a torn UCL and will likely miss the rest of the season. John Gant and Carlos Martinez are the two relievers who could inherit the job. The Cardinals’ president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said that Gant would be the one to step in to the role, so we’ve shifted our expectations and will give him the nod for now, but will see how the Cardinals adapt in the week ahead before we consider removing the asterisk.
Updated hierarchy: *Gant | Martinez | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee
Colorado Rockies – Wade Davis pitched a 1-2-3 inning last night for his second save since returning from the IL, but count us among those who are still concerned about his recent performance. Since returning, he’s posted a 9.82 ERA, a 2.32 WHIP over 7.1 innings, and he has struck out six batters against five walks. Perhaps most concerning of all is that his velocity is down, suggesting that his poor performance isn’t just bad luck. Scott Oberg might be worth a roster spot if he’s available in your league.
Hierarchy remains: Davis | Oberg | Shaw.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today/tomorrow
1. Tyler Clippard – Brad Hand has gone in four of five and Nick Wittgren pitched two innings last night.
2. Archie Bradley – Greg Holland has pitched in back to back games.
Tomorrow
1. Zack Britton – Aroldis Chapman threw 25 pitches last night; another long outing and he’ll likely be off Wednesday.
2. Scott Oberg – If Wade Davis goes tonight, it’ll be back to back and three of four.
