Arizona Diamondbacks
After a couple of bad outings last week (three runs, five base runners, and one home run over two innings), Brad Boxberger only pitched one shutout inning over the last week with no save chances. Boxberger has two blown saves in 16 chances this season. Archie Bradley extended his scoreless run to 7.1 innings with six saves. Yoshihisa Hirano hasn’t allowed a run since May 5th, which is a stretch of 14.2 innings with 14 Ks.
Atlanta Braves
The Braves haven’t created many save chances in June leading to Arodys Vizcaino only pitching two shutout inning this month with one win and one save. Vizcaino is 11-for-13 in save conversions with no runs allowed over his last six innings with eight Ks. Dan Winkler saw his 16.1 inning shutout streak end on June 6th when he allowed a run and two hits over one inning. Winkler has 1.03 ERA on the year with 37 Ks over 26.1 innings. A.J. Minter looked much better over his last 4.1 innings (one run and one hit with no walks and seven Ks).
Baltimore Orioles
Zach Britton returned from the DL on Monday, but he pitched in a none save situation in his first appearance with some wildness (three walks in one inning). It may take him a week or so to work his way into the 9th inning. Brad Brach blew his second save in 12 chances last week when he allowed three runs and five base runners over one-third of an inning. Brach has a 2.13 ERA over his last 12.2 innings with eight walks and 12 Ks. His days in the 9th inning are numbered. Darren O’Day returned from the DL over the last week leading to two shutout innings with no hits or walks and four Ks.
Boston Red Sox
Craig Kimbrel struggled on his last outing (two runs, one hit, and two walks over one inning). Kimbrel has been successful in 21 of 23 save tries with a 2.48 ERA and 42 Ks over 29 innings. Joe Kelly pitched 2.2 shutout innings over the last week with three Ks. Matt Barnes has a 1.20 ERA over his last 15 innings with 19 Ks.
Chicago Cubs
Last week Brandon Morrow had his worst outing of the year on June 6th when he allowed two runs, three base runners, and one home runs over one-third of an inning. Morrow has one blown save in 16 chances. Steve Cishek has 1.10 ERA and 0.67 WHIP over his last 16.1 innings with 23 Ks. The Cubs hope to have Carl Edwards back shortly after missing the last two weeks with a shoulder injury.
Chicago White Sox
Joakim Soria seized the closing job for the White Sox over his last 3+ weeks. Over this stretch, he has five successful saves with no runs allowed over 10.2 innings with 12 Ks. Soria failed in two of his 11 save opportunities in 2018. Nate Jones tossed no runs over his last 2.2 innings with three Ks after his disaster outing on June 5th (four runs, four base runners, and one home run over two-thirds of an inning). Bruce Rondon has a 1.80 ERA and 21 Ks over his last 15 innings.
Cincinnati Reds
It appears that Raisel Iglesias still has an underlying injury. Over his four outing since returning the DL, he allowed two runs, five base runners, and one home run over four innings with five Ks and no save chances. Iglesias is 9-for-11 in save conversions with a 2.33 ERA and 33 Ks over 27 innings. Jared Hughes hasn’t allowed a run over his last 19.1 innings with 13 Ks, one win, and four saves. David Hernandez posted a 0.84 ERA over his last 10.2 innings with nine Ks.
Cleveland Indians
Failure still lies in Cody Allen’s arm. Over his last five appearances, Allen gave up five runs, six base runners, and three home runs over four innings with seven Ks, two losses, and three saves. Cody has one failed save in 13 tries. Cleveland hopes to have Andrew Miller back this week after tossing in a bullpen on Monday. Oliver Perez hasn’t allowed run over 3.2 innings with four Ks since being called up from the minors.
Colorado Rockies
Wade Davis started to take on water over his last four outings (four runs, six base runners, and one home run over 3.1 innings with six Ks). Davis has a loss, two saves, and one blown saves over his last four games. Wade has 20 saves in 23 chances on the year. Adam Ottavino should be activated from the DL this week after 2+ weeks with an oblique injury. Jake McGee allowed one run over his last six innings with no walks and six Ks.
Detroit Tigers
Over his last 11 innings, Shane Greene has a4.91 ERA and nine Ks while earning five saves in six chances. On the year, Greene is 15-for-18 save conversions with some risk in his ERA (4.02). Joe Jimenez looks closer-worthy over his last 14.1 innings (0.63 ERA and 21 Ks). Louis Coleman struggled in his last three games (three runs and six base runners over 2.1 innings).
Houston Astros
Hector Rondon picked up three saves over the last week while improving his scoreless run to 9.1 innings with 13 Ks. Rondon delivered 77 saves over three seasons with the Cubs, which gives him a chance to steal the job long term. After allowing three runs and five base runners over two innings in none save situations, Ken Giles threw 2.2 shutout innings with four Ks and a save in his last two games. As bad as he may appear in ERA (4.76), Giles doesn’t have a blown save in 11 tries in 2018. Chris Devenski has 2.25 ERA over his last eight innings with ten Ks. I expect the closing job to be fluid for the Astros over the next month.
Kansas City Royals
Kelvin Herrera allowed a game-tying home run and his first two walks of the year in his last outing on June 12th leading to his second blown save in 16 opportunities. Herrera has a 1.20 ERA over his last 15 innings with ten Ks. Kevin McCarthy struggled in his two of his last four games (six runs and nine base runners over 3.2 innings). Tim Hill has a 3.72 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over his last 9.2 innings with 12 Ks.
Los Angeles Angels
The closing job for the Angels appears to be more stable over the last week or so. Blake Parker has a save in each of his last four games. Over his last 18.2 innings, Parker has 0.96 ERA and WHIP with six saves. Blake has one blown save in eight chances. Justin Anderson has a 1.50 ERA and 13 Ks over his last 12 innings with two saves, but he issued 12 walks. Jim Johnson has been a liability over his last 11.2 innings (5.40 ERA and 1.37 WHIP).
Los Angeles Dodgers
After a nice run to correct his bad start to the year, Kenley Jansen allowed two runs and five base runners over his last five innings with three Ks. Jansen is 15-for-17 in save chances with a 2.73 ERA and 31 Ks over 29.2 innings. Josh Fields has a 5.68 ERA over his last 6.1 innings with three Ks. Pedro Baez pushed his ERA (3.50) back into a favorable area after allowing two runs over his last nine innings with eight Ks, but his WHIP (1.50) remains in a poor area.
Miami Marlins
Kyle Barraclough extended his shutout streak to 13.2 innings with seven Ks. He’s been sharp since taking over the last closing job (no runs, no hits, and no walks over four innings with three Ks). Drew Steckenrider threw the ball great over his last nine innings (no runs and three hist with ten Ks). Brad Ziegler hasn’t allowed a run over his last 5.1 innings with five Ks.
Milwaukee Brewers
Corey Knebel doesn’t have a save chance since May 30th. Over the last two weeks, he pitched two shutout innings with three Ks. Knebel has five saves in seven opportunities. Josh Hader saw his 15.1-inning scoreless run end in his last outing on June 11th when he allowed a run and three base runners over 1.2 innings with two Ks. Hader has a 1.22 ERA over 37 innings with 70 Ks in 37 innings. Jeremy Jeffress has 0.33 ERA over his last 27.1 innings with 28 Ks.
Minnesota Twins
Over his last 6.1 innings, Fernando Rodney allowed three runs and eight base runners with seven Ks and four saves. Rodney is 14-for-17 in save chances with a 3.13 ERA and 2 Ks over 23 innings. Addison Reed may have pitched himself out of the 8th inning after allowing a run in four of his last six outings. Over this span, Reed gave up four runs, 11 base runners, and three home runs. Trevor Hildenberger pitched great of his last 12.1 innings (no runs and eight hits with ten Ks).
New York Mets
Jeurys Familia landed in the DL last weekend with a bum right shoulder after allowing four runs and 13 hits over seven innings. The Mets expect him back in a couple of weeks. Anthony Swarzak returned from the DL last week. Over three innings of work, Swarzak allowed a run over three innings with four Ks while earning the last save in New York. Robert Gsellman pitched well enough to earn saves after tossing six shutout innings with one hit and seven Ks.
New York Yankees
Aroldis Chapman has two failed saves in 15 opportunities. He has a save in seven straight games with no runs allowed over his last 5.1 innings with nine Ks. Dellin Betances extended his scoreless run to eight innings with one hit and 13 Ks. David Robertson has a 0.91 ERA over his last 7.2 innings with ten Ks.
Oakland A’s
Blake Treinen has 14 saves in 16 chances with no runs over their last 10.2 innings with 14 Ks. Lou Trivino picked up a save over the last week while posting a 2.04 ERA over his last 17.2 innings with 11 walks and 17 Ks. Emilio Pagan improved his shutout streak to 8.1 innings with five walks and eight Ks.
Philadelphia Phillies
The Phillies tried to give Luis Garcia the closing job in a couple of games over the last week, but he allowed six runs and nine hits over his last three innings with five Ks. Seranthony Dominguez struggled in two of his last three games (three runs and six base runners over 4.1 innings with six Ks), but he did pick up the last save for Philadelphia. Edubray Ramos hasn’t allowed a run over his last nine innings with eight Ks. Hector Neris has a 8.31 ERA and 2.31 WHIP over his last 4.1 innings with eight Ks. The closing job for the Phillies should stabilize over the next couple of week with Dominguez owning the best skill set.
Pittsburgh Pirates
Felipe Vazquez looked better over his last three games (no runs or hits over 3.1 innings with five Ks). Vazquez is 11-for-15 in save conversions with failure in his ERA (4.21) and WHIP (1.44). Edgar Santana pitched poorly over his last 5.2 innings with no walks and five Ks. Kyle Crick blew up in two of his last four games (four runs and seven base runners over 2.1 innings).
San Diego Padres
Over his last 13.2 innings, Brad Hand has a 0.66 ERA with 19 Ks and nine saves. Hand has two failed saves in 22 chances. Kirby Yates earned two saves over his last five games. He tossed six shutout innings over this period with five K to lower his ERA to 1.00. Craig Stammen allowed three runs over his last 5.1 innings with no walks and seven Ks.
San Francisco Giants
Hunter Strickland is 13-for-15 in save tries with no runs allowed over his last six innings with five Ks. Mark Melancon gave up one run over four innings with five Ks since returning from the DL while his fastball (91.2) is well below his best season in 2013 (94.3). Sam Dyson ended his eight-inning shutout run after allowing two runs over two-thirds of an inning in his last game.
Seattle Mariners
The save machine in Seattle regained his form over his last six games leading to six straight saves with no runs allowed over 6.1 innings with eight Ks. Edwin Diaz leads the majors with 25 saves in 28 opportunities with 58 Ks over 36 Innings. Alex Colome struggled in two of his last four games (three runs and five base runners over three innings with one K). Juan Nicasio landed on the DL with a knee injury after getting beat for three runs and four base runners in his last outing while failing to record an out.
St. Louis Cardinals
Bud Norris has two wins, two saves, and two blown saves over his last five games while showing job loss risk. Norris has a 9.00 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over his last four innings with seven Ks. Jordan Hicks is trending toward the ninth inning after pitching six shutout innings with one walk, 12 Ks, and one save. Nicks is a must own now if a Fantasy owner invested in Norris. Over his last seven games, John Brebbia didn’t allow a run over 6.1 innings with eight Ks.
Tampa Bay Rays
Sergio Romo pitched 4.2 shutout innings over his last five games with four Ks and one save. His ERA (5.19) and WHIP (1.42) don’t have closer value, especially when adding in an 87 mph fastball. Jose Alvarado pitched poorly over his last nine games (six runs and 18 base runners over 12.1 innings with 15 Ks) just when it appeared he was in line for saves. Jonny Venters lost his way when the clueless Rays decided to pitch him in the first inning against the Nationals (five runs and five base runners over one-third of an inning). Chaz Roe may be the closest to the 9th after tossing 9.2 shutout innings with two hits and ten Ks.
Texas Rangers
Over his last four innings, Keone Kela allowed two runs and four base runners leading to a loss and three saves. Kela remains perfect in his 14 saves chances. Jake Diekman improved his scoreless run to 6.1 innings with seven Ks. Chris Martin has a 1.35 ERA over his last 6.2 innings with five Ks. Jose Leclerc has a 1.13 ERA and nine Ks over his last eight innings.
Toronto Blue Jays
Ryan Tepera picked up three saves over his last six games after allowing two runs and ten base runners over eight innings with seven Ks. Seung Hwan Oh pitched 2.2 shutout innings with oven Ks over the last week. Tyler Clippard pitched better over his last 4.1 innings (one run and eight Ks), but he looks to be on the outside looking in for saves. Roberto Osuna owner should have clarity on his situation after his court date on June 18th.
Washington Nationals
Sean Doolittle has one blown save in 17 chances with a 1.57 ERA and 40 Ks over 28.2 innings. Doolittle pitched a complete game shutout with ten Ks over his last nine innings. Ryan Madsen allowed one run over his last 8.2 innings with 11 Ks. Brandon Kintzler landed on the DL with a right forearm issue. Justin Miller has been special since being called up from the minors (nine scoreless innings with one hit, no walks, and 17 Ks).
Are you a Die-Hard Fantasy Football Player? CLICK HERE to Start Your Road to the 2018 Fantasy Football World Championships.
