Saves and Steals: Nightmare in St. Louis
Trouble in the STL! Trevor Rosenthal had a terrible week, leading to widespread speculation of a possible demotion. No such move is imminent, but the ice is starting to thin. Meanwhile, out in LAla-land, Huston Street is doing his best impression of a men’s league pitcher. Seriously, take three mph off his stuff and he’d be an exact clone for a guy I faced two weeks ago.
Mets closer Jeurys Familia leads the league with 22 saves. A.J. Ramos has 21 while Kenley Jansen and Zach Britton have 20 apiece. Sam Dyson was the save leader over the last calendar week with a 4-for-4 performance.
Jonathan Villar still leads the league in stolen bases. He’s up to 25 on the season. Old man Rajai Davis is in second with 21 steals. Starling Marte gets the bronze with 20 swipes. Incidentally, Davis led the league with four steals over the last week. Six others snagged three in three attempts including Michael Taylor, Odubel Herrera, and speedy prospect Jose Peraza.
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Tier 1: Elite (5)
Aroldis Chapman, New York Yankees
Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Dodgers
Zach Britton, Baltimore Orioles
Craig Kimbrel, Boston Red Sox
Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals
Chapman struggled over three innings. He allowed a total of three runs including two solo home runs to the Twins last Saturday. The Yankees had a three run lead so Chapman was still credited with a save. The other run was allowed in a non-save situation. Overall, he notched two saves and four strikeouts. No need to worry.
Speaking of not worrying, Jansen rebounded from an iffy week by pitching five times and allowing just one hit. In five innings, he notched three saves, a win, and seven strikeouts.
Like Chapman, Britton wasn’t at his best. His first appearance was a save in which he coughed up a hit and two walks. He squeaked out of the jam without any damage. The Padres got to him last night, although it wasn’t exactly his fault. An error started a three run rally. Only one of the runs was earned. The Orioles were already losing that game.
Sticking with the general theme, Kimbrel had one of his worst outings of the season. He took the blown save loss on Monday. The White Sox plated two runs in two-thirds of an inning. Kimbrel pitched three other times during the week, and he didn’t allow a baserunner in those appearances.
Tier 2: Nearly Elite (6)
Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
Jeurys Familia, New York Mets
Hector Rondon, Chicago Cubs
Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates
David Robertson, Chicago White Sox
Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays
It’s been awhile since Osuna’s had a save opportunity. He was touched up for a solo home run in a maintenance game versus the Orioles. The score at the time was 13-2. He pitched once more in a non-save situation, recording a total of five strikeouts in just two innings.
Familia had a clean week – three innings, two saves, and no runs allowed. Melancon was similarly tidy in two innings (one save).
Rondon blew the save last Wednesday in what eventually turned into a Nationals extra innings win. The Cubs can afford to drop a game now and then. Rondon recovered with a four out save on Saturday.
A leadoff double and sac bunt did in Robertson on Sunday. He took the loss when he failed to protect a 2-2 tie. The stat line looks bad with two hits and two walks, but the free passes were of the intentional variety. A Jose Ramirez grounder scored the walkoff run. Robertson pitched well on three other occasions (three saves) and has now worked on three straight days.
On Saturday, Colome had his second truly bad outing of the season. With two on, two out, and the game tied at three runs, Joe Panik mashed a three-run tater. Colome pitched fine in his only other outing. These things happen occasionally. He still has a 1.76 ERA.
Tier 3: Good Veterans (5)
A.J. Ramos, Miami Marlins
Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals
Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians
Francisco Rodriguez, Detroit Tigers
Sam Dyson, Texas Rangers
Ramos continues to roll with two more saves and four strikeouts over three perfect innings. It’s nice to see a week without any free passes.
What an ugly week for Cardinals relievers – especially Rosenthal. Last Wednesday, Kevin Siegrist blew a save in the eighth inning. Rosenthal came in to pitch the ninth with the Cards trailing 2-1. He allowed three hits and a walk while recording just one out. Two insurance runs scored.
Rosenthal “earned” the blown save and the loss on Saturday when he coughed up two more runs without retiring a batter. He also pitched the last two nights, locking down two shaky saves. For now, he remains the top dog in St. Louis. Speculators should start grabbing shares of Kevin Siegrist and Seung-hwan Oh. Siegrist is probably first in line although Oh looks like the better pitcher.
The week was mostly positive for Allen. He allowed one run over four appearances with a save. The run resulted in a blown save vulture win. Most Roto owners will happily take a win over a save.
Dyson pitched particularly well, picking up four saves in four innings. The only drawback was the single lonely strikeout. We’ll overlook the lack of punch outs thanks to the otherwise productive week.
