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Sometimes, you make the playoffs in your home fantasy baseball league every season since its inception 17 years ago. Other times, you make it 16 years in a row and then actually miss the playoffs the 17th year by two games in the standings. I wonder how that feels, I'm asking for a friend...
This week, baseball's hardest throwing closer got hurt, committees around the league continued doing committee things, and one of two pitchers who still hasn't allowed a home run this year went on the injured list. We'll take a closer look at that and more in this week's report!
Be sure to also keep an eye on our Fantasy Baseball Closer Depth Charts for saves, holds, and bullpens. They will be updated daily or sometimes even more often throughout the 2024 baseball season.
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Weekend Quick Hit Closer Updates
-Tyler Holton picked up a save this weekend in a game where Jason Foley wasn't available because he'd pitched in two in a row.
-Luke Weaver got his second save and Yankees manager Aaron Boone heavily implied they may not officially name a closer any time soon.
-Edwin Uceta earned his third save for the Rays. Manuel Rodriguez remains the highest leverage guy in that bullpen, but he won't always be kept waiting for save situations.
-Lucas Erceg leads all of baseball in saves + holds (SOLDS) since the All-Star Break, with 16. He has nine saves and seven holds.
-Emmanuel Clase is the saves leader for the second half, with 15 so far.
-Evan Phillips had a really rough day on Saturday, coughing up five earned runs while getting only one out. That won't help anyone's ratios.
Fantasy Baseball Waiver Wire Pickups for Saves
Jesus Tinoco, Miami Marlins (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)
Declan Cronin, Miami Marlins (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)
Anthony Bender, Miami Marlins (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)
The Miami Marlins had one of the league's best closers in Tanner Scott until the trade deadline. Once Scott was shipped off to the Padres, the Marlins mixed and matched for a while until Calvin Faucher settled into the ninth inning and pitched more than well enough to keep the role.
Faucher landed on the injured list this week with a shoulder impingement, leaving the Marlins with yet another committee approach for now. Jesus Tinoco, Declan Cronin, and Anthony Bender have been handling leverage innings when they come up, and one of them should end up picking up any Marlins saves.
Each guy is available in almost every league, but it's a complete toss-up as to who will work his way into the role. Desperate fantasy managers can close their eyes and pick one of these guys and maybe get lucky.
Declan Cronin ran into some trouble in the top of the seventh, but Anthony Bender comes up big out of the 'pen to K Manny Machado and maintain Miami's two-run cushion.
7-5 MIA, B7 pic.twitter.com/FjJDglsJIq
— Nate Karzmer (@NateKarzmer) August 10, 2024
Hunter Strickland, Los Angeles Angels (Rostered in 2% of Leagues)
Jose Quijada, Los Angeles Angels (Rostered in 1% of Leagues)
The Angels bullpen is in a similar position to the Marlins bullpen, as mentioned above. They had a closer, they traded their closer, they had a guy take over the role, and now that guy is hurt. Ben Joyce landed on the IL this week with shoulder inflammation.
The Angels' committee approach seems more likely to be a two-headed monster compared to the three-headed one in Miami. Still, both of the guys expected to see save chances in Anaheim are guys who are available in almost every fantasy league right now.
Hunter Strickland has settled into a leverage role and has been pitching well, and Jose Quijada is only 16 innings into his 2024 season, but he's allowed just two runs so far.
JOSE QUIJADA IS FIRING 🔥@Angels | #RepTheHalo pic.twitter.com/OUGC6qn6Nf
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 4, 2024
More Bullpen and Closer News
New York Yankees
Clay Holmes has been removed from the closer's role in the Bronx, and yet he still found a way to add to his league lead in blown saves, suffering his 12th in the seventh inning of a game this week. Luke Weaver has been used the most like a closer, although Tommy Kahnle and Jake Cousins are still seeing significant leverage innings.
Luke Weaver's 2Ks in the 11th. pic.twitter.com/WG6Rp8I0JV
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 12, 2024
Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are somewhat suddenly Wild Card contenders, and Jason Foley is heating up just at the right time. The closer committee leader in Detroit has 22 saves and has allowed no earned runs since August 14, saving seven games in that span with 10 strikeouts and four walks in 11 1/3 innings.
Jason Foley, 101mph ⛽️ pic.twitter.com/WiyezuGkFD
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 4, 2024
Short Relief - Other Bullpen News
-Jordan Montgomery earned the first save of his career by throwing 37 pitches and getting the final nine outs of a blowout win.
-Edwin Diaz earned the 223rd save of his career by throwing one pitch.
-Since August 26, three pitchers have saved six games: Emmanuel Clase (okay, yes of course), Kirby Yates (oh, that's kind of interesting), and ... Tyler Kinley (what?!).
-Michael Kopech pitched his way into and out of a rough outing this week and earned another save. He's been a totally different guy since the trade.
-Andres Munoz pitched well and looked sharp in an outing this week, but it had been a week since he'd last pitched and workload concerns could limit his fantasy value going forward.
-Declan Cronin has faced 281 batters this season and has yet to allow a home run. He and his teammate, Calvin Faucher, remain the only pitchers with 50+ innings pitched and no home runs allowed.
-We have a tie for the league lead in saves, with both Emmanuel Clase and Ryan Helsley at 44. Kyle Finnegan takes the bronze with 36.
-On the holds leaderboard, we have Bryan Abreu up top on his own with 34, followed by Andrew Kittredge, Hunter Gaddis, and Yennier Cano each with 32.
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