Closing Time: Koji Uehara hurt, Will Harris scuffling
Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel spin. If those lyrics were good enough for Paulie Walnuts, they’re good enough for us.
Brad Ziegler was merely a depth acquisition for the Red Sox earlier this month — the idea wasn’t for him to close in Boston, even with Craig Kimbrel hurt. Koji Uehara seemed up to the task. Alas, Uehara strained his right pectoral muscle at the end of Tuesday’s 4-0 victory over the Giants, and given that he’s 41 to begin with, a disabled list stint appears likely (and now it’s official, he’s on the 15-day DL).
Ziegler’s ownership tag dipped a bit after the trade back to the AL, so make sure he’s not floating around the wire. He doesn’t have the type of profile we generally look for in a closer — just 29 strikeouts in 41.1 innings, a 1.38 WHIP — but Ziggy can play the ninth. His handshakes are as good as anyone else’s, and he sure looks like the last man standing in The Hub at the moment. And at least the Red Sox are a winning club.
It might be time to consider some contingencies in Houston, too. Will Harris had a dream first half and it ended with a run as the Astros closer, but he’s had some missteps of late. The A’s rocked him for four runs in an appearance right before the break, and Oakland got to Harris on Tuesday, a pair of loud doubles to erase a ninth-inning lead. Coco Crisp missed a walk-off home run by a couple of feet (then ran the bases like Steve Lyons; oh well, nobody’s perfect).
This is not to sound an alarmist bell on Harris — a 1.80 ERA and 0.98 WHIP will play in any format, and he’s striking out a batter per inning. He was also this good, with similar ratios, in 2015. But keep in mind his front-door ERA has been significantly better than the peripherally-suggested one for the last two seasons, and if the Astros wanted to try someone else in the ninth, they have options.
I added some Luke Gregerson insurance in one league Tuesday night — with mixed feelings, as nobody hates handcuffing more than I do. But sometimes it’s the right move, and if nothing else, Gregerson’s zesty strikeout rate (almost 11) and WHIP (under one) will help in this particular innings-capped format. There’s some stand-alone value here, even if Gregerson doesn’t get his old job back.
• Marcus Semien was one of the heroes of Oakland’s walk-off win, stealing a couple of bases (one in the tenth) and eventually dashing home with the winning run, a heads-up play all the way. Semien was on second at the play’s origin, scoring on Josh Reddick’s innocuous infield single. I’m not sure Carlos Correa expected Semien to keep running in that spot.
Semien’s made some interesting strides in his second Oakland season. While he still strikes out a little more than you’d like, his walk rate has improved and his defense has improved significantly. He’s also sitting on 20 homers and nine steals (in ten attempts), which puts him on a 34-homer, 15-steal pace. And he’s still just 25. In keeper leagues, this is someone worth holding on, with two hands.
• It hasn’t been a fun year for buzzy pitching callups, but maybe Julio Urias is ready to make a splash. He’s coming back to the Dodgers and will start Thursday against Washington. The club feels like it has little choice, with the news that Clayton Kershaw will be out indefinitely.
Uriah has a 4.95 ERA and 1.54 WHIP for his eight MLB starts, though he’s also piled up 44 strikeouts over 36.1 innings. You’re probably going to get five or six innings in this spot. He’s at 78.1 professional innings for the year, and the Dodgers are going to be extra-careful with his 19-year-old arm.
