RP Pitchers Help ERA and K's Wavier Wire

Fantasy Sports News RP Pitchers, Wavier Wire

Matthew Lutovsky
Pickup Lines June 27, 2008

It has been said again and again

You always will be able to find saves on the waiver-wire at some point during the season.
And it's true. Right now, there are six closers who were not expected to be in that position when the season started (Mike Gonzalez, Ryan Franklin, Brian Fuentes, Brandon Morrow, Jon Rauch and Salomon Torres ). And throughout the course of this season, mainly because of injury, four other closer situations have changed hands (Cleveland, Philadelphia, Tampa Bay and Toronto).

Currently, whether it's because of injury concerns, trade speculation or ineffectiveness, there are several ninth-inning situations, including those in Texas, Colorado, Atlanta, Seattle and St. Louis, that could be described as "unstable."

Because saves always are sought after -- and, apparently, available -- fantasy owners always should know which closers are struggling and which setup man are next in line for the ninth inning. A great reference tool is colleague Chris Bahr's weekly Inside Pitch column . There's a "Closer Watch" section and accompanying closer depth chart at the end of every column, and it's very helpful when you're searching for potential help in the saves department.
Of course, several of the premier middle relievers already will be on someone's team (Carlos Marmol, Heath Bell, perhaps even Taylor Buchholz), but many likely will be available.
As I've discussed before (both here and here), middle relievers are an important, often overlooked part of any fantasy team. They provide Ks and help to trim ERA and WHIP. When you find a good one who also happens to be a potential closer-in-waiting, consider it a bonus. Just ask owners who claimed Brandon Morrow even before J.J. Putz's elbow injury.
The key to picking up potential closers is timing. When a closer is on shaky ground, you should check out the game logs of whoever's next in line. If that guy has been pitching well lately, grab him. Hopefully, he'll either become the closer within a couple weeks, or he'll at least pitch well enough to help your team as a middle reliever. However, if he has been ho-hum lately, too, he isn't worth adding -- not even if the current closer is hanging by a thread. The last thing you want is Joel Zumaya walking three guys a night or Masa Kobayashi not striking anyone out while you wait for Todd Jones and Joe Borowski to implode.
It's also important not to jump the gun and pick up a middle reliever too early. Even if a middle reliever pitches well, many owners will grow impatient and drop him if he doesn't take over the ninth-inning duties. And you know what happens then -- he inevitably ascends to closer status a few days later.
With these thoughts in mind, let's take a look at the widely available closers-in-waiting with the most potential:

Eddie Guardado, Rangers. Despite manager Ron Washington's vote of confidence for C.J. Wilson , we suspect Wilson is only a blown save or two away from getting the hook. Enter Every(other)day Eddie, someone who's excelled as a closer in the past. Guardado has been scored upon in only one of his past 10 outings, and, unlike the past couple seasons, it doesn't look like he'll kill you in any categories. He isn't a big strikeout guy, but he could be a worthwhile investment.
Damaso Marte, Pirates. We don't think Matt Capps is going anywhere, but it's worth noting that he has blown three of his past five save opportunities. Regardless of what happens with Capps, Marte is worth a look. He has allowed only one run since June 1 (12.2 innings), and opponents are hitting only.119 against him in that span. Take away Marte's first two appearances this season -- he allowed six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning -- and here's his stat line: four wins, 1.70 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 39 Ks in 37 innings. That's worthy of a mixed-league add, especially when you remember how good he was last season.
Ryan Rowland-Smith, Mariners. Brandon Morrow appears set to be the Mariners' closer while J.J. Putz (elbow) is out, but Morrow recently had a back flare-up and was sidelined several days. The Mariners had two save opportunities while Morrow was out -- one was blown by Miguel Batista; the other was converted by Arthur Rhodes . Batista is out of the picture now, and had Rowland-Smith not been used earlier in the other game (partly because Felix Hernandez exited early with an injury), there's a good chance he would've gotten the call over Rhodes in the ninth as he had earlier this season. If Morrow gets hurt again (or is ineffective), Rowland-Smith would be a nice guy to have in reserve. Opponents are hitting only .210 off him, and he has K/9 ratio of 7.30.
Grant Balfour, Rays. Technically, Dan Wheeler is the current favorite to get saves if Troy Percival gets injured again, but owners shouldn't overlook Balfour, who closed for Tampa's Triple-A team before being called up on May 31. He had eight saves, a 0.38 ERA and 39 Ks in 23.2 innings for Durham, and since joining the big club, he's 2-0 with a 1.46 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 19 Ks in 12.1 innings. With numbers like that, we wouldn't be surprised if Balfour took over the ninth-inning duties if/when Percival goes down again. Either way, he's worth an add for those looking for a quality middle reliever.

Jason Isringhausen, Cardinals. Wait, that has to be a typo, right? No, it's not. The Cardinals have not indicated that Isringhausen will be back in the closer's role any time soon, but his recent success (1.04 ERA, 1.27 WHIP over 8.2 innings since being activated) combined with Ryan Franklin's blown save on Thursday should get the wheels turning. Isringhausen likely won't be getting the call in the ninth for at least a couple weeks -- and, because he isn't a big strikeout guy, won't provide much in the meantime -- but owners should be prepared to grab him at some point. It's no secret that Tony La Russa likes Isringhausen and prefers veterans in important roles.

Doug Brocail, Astros. OK, the Astros probably invested too much into Jose Valverde to suddenly relieve him of his closer duties, but I can't shake the feeling that he is due for a demotion. True story: I have Valverde on one of my teams, and I actually cringe whenr I see the Astros leading by three or fewer runs heading into the ninth. Basically, I'd actually prefer if one of my closers didn't get save opportunities because I'm scared to death Valverde is going to get lit up. That's not a good sign.
If I'm that worried, you can bet the Astros aren't exactly feeling secure, either. Brocail would step in for Valverde if something happens, and he'll likely do a good job. Currently, he's doing enough to provide relief for any fantasy team. His K/9 is significantly higher than it has been the past two years (7.51 this year compared to 5.05 and 6.04 in '07 and '06, respectively), so don't let last year's lackluster strikeout totals dissuade you from giving Brocail a shot.

A few other waiver-wire tips from around the league:

Elijah Dukes is the second-most popular pickup in SN leagues this week (777 adds), but he's still owned in only 37 percent of leagues. Dukes has been performing at a mixed-league level over the past 30 days (.323, 15 runs, three homers, 14 RBIs, six SBs), but it should be noted all three of his homers have come at home, and he's slugging over 100 points better at Nationals Park. Washington is set for a seven-game road trip starting Monday, so beware of a power decline next week. ...
Don't look now, but Jim Edmonds is on fire. He's hitting .298 with 10 runs, six homers and 21 RBIs since joining the Cubs. And with Alfonso Soriano, Reed Johnson and Kosuke Fukudome all injured, you can bet he's going to keep seeing regular at-bats. However, like Dukes, Edmonds' power seems reserved for home games (all six of his Cubs' homers have come at Wrigley), so don't be surprised to see a decline in production when Chicago starts a 10-game road trip on Friday. Included in that trip are four games at San Francisco and three in Edmonds' old town of St. Louis. ...

We know he's 45, but Jamie Moyer deserves to be owned in more than 39 percent of SN leagues. The guy has been awesome over the past 30 days (3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP), and he even struck out nine in his most recent start. One cause for concern, though: Moyer pitches considerably better on the road, and only one of his three scheduled pre-break starts come away from Citizens Bank Park. And that's in Texas. ...

Don't sleep on Twins 3B Brian Buscher. Since his returning to the Twins on June 14, he has hit .417 with 10 runs, a homer and 13 RBIs. He's not going to give you a ton of power -- which many owners want from a CI -- but a nice average and solid run production isn't out of the question. Grab him while he's on a hot streak. ...

Another Twin fantasy owners should take notice of is SP Kevin Slowey. In his past three starts, Slowey is 2-0 with a 1.35 ERA and 0.90 WHIP. He also has 16 Ks in that span, showing there's more to his game than impeccable control. Home runs still will be a concern, but if he can continue limiting baserunners the way that he has lately, Slowey is worth an add.

Associate editor Matt Lutovsky is a fantasy baseball expert for Sporting News