Joe Barlow reeled off three saves this past week and has four total now since returning from his IL stint in late August. With that being the good news, it’s not exactly encouraging that he has only been able to strike out one batter over those six innings of work after having a 32.3% K rate over his first 16.2 innings pitched. After having a 13.8% SwStr rate in those first 16.2 innings, that number dropped to 4.5% over his last six outings. He should be able to hold off Spencer Patton and remain as the Rangers closer for the rest of the year, but the upside may remain limited given the disappearance of his swing-and-miss stuff, as well as the team he plays for.
Notes
- After his four-run meltdown last week, Giovanny Gallegos has gone on to rip off four straight scoreless outings and four straight saves. Despite reports of a potential committee to replace Alex Reyes in the ninth, Gallegos has gone on to pick up the team’s past six saves and hopefully finishes the season in the role.
- Mychal Givens has had an up and down start to his Reds career, but he continues to be the favorite for saves. After failing to record a save from Aug. 21 through Sept. 3, Givens now has three saves over the past ten days while the competition (Michael Lorenzen, Lucas Sims) continues to be inconsistent.
- Ian Kennedy had another poor showing this past weekend, but it sounds as if manager Joe Girardi will stick with him still despite how well someone like Héctor Neris has been pitching as of late. It’s tough to completely give up on Kennedy, as the Phillies’ schedule is very easy to end the year, so just monitor how this plays out as one more blown save and/or loss could result in a change.
- David Bednar hasn’t been placed on the IL (yet) but it feels like something that could very well happen on Tuesday. Bednar is dealing with side discomfort, which if it’s an oblique injury there’s just no reason for him to pitch again this year for a Pirates team with nothing to play for. Chris Stratton should fill in, but is far from a must-roster player.
| Rank | Pitcher | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Josh HaderT1 | - |
| 2 | Liam Hendriks | - |
| 3 | Ryan Pressly | - |
| 4 | Raisel Iglesias | - |
| 5 | Kenley JansenT2 | +1 |
| 6 | Edwin Díaz | -1 |
| 7 | Aroldis Chapman | - |
| 8 | Emmanuel Clase | - |
| 9 | Jordan Romano | - |
| 10 | Will Smith | - |
| 11 | Jake McGee | - |
| 12 | Mark Melancon | - |
| 13 | Giovanny GallegosT3 | +5 |
| 14 | Scott Barlow | +1 |
| 15 | Drew Steckenrider | +UR |
| 16 | Mychal Givens | +6 |
| 17 | Joe Barlow | +2 |
| 18 | Andrew Chafin | +3 |
| 19 | Gregory Soto | -2 |
| 20 | Andrew KittredgeT4 | - |
| 21 | Kyle Finnegan | +2 |
| 22 | Ian Kennedy | -6 |
| 23 | Dylan Floro | +1 |
| 24 | Alex Colomé | +2 |
| 25 | Rowan Wick | +3 |
| 26 | Carlos Estévez | +1 |
| 27 | Adam Ottavino | -2 |
| 28 | Tyler Clippard | +1 |
| 29 | Chris Stratton | +UR |
| 30 | Cole Sulser | - |
| Rank | Pitcher | Team | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Paul Sewald/Diego Castillo | Seattle | With Castillo back, expect a three-man committee for save chances |
| 2. | Nick Anderson | Tampa Bay | Anderson is back while the rest of the bullpen had issues this past week |
| 3. | Matt Barnes | Boston | Ottavino’s role is still in flux, and Barnes should be back this week |
| 4. | Héctor Neris | Philadelphia | Neris has been awesome over his last 25+ IP, while Kennedy has struggled |
| 5. | Sergio Romo | Oakland | With Trivino out, expect some sort of committee with Chafin and Romo |
| 6. | Michael Lorenzen/Lucas Sims | Cincinnati | Givens has the last couple of saves here but still tough to say he’s “locked in” |
| 7. | David Bednar | Pittsburgh | Out with side discomfort, it’s up in the air how much he pitches the rest of the year |
| 8. | Michael Fulmer | Detroit | Fulmer continues to be a right-handed complement to Soto on occasion |
| 9. | Luis García | St. Louis | Gallegos is coming off a great week, but Schildt originally stated a committee |
| 10. | Anthony Bender | Miami | Struggled a bit in August, but he still has more overall upside than Floro |
Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Justin Paradis (@JustParaDesigns on Twitter)