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Boston’s pen continued to struggle this week, once again reducing a masterful Chris Sale performance to a big fat No Decision. Since the start of the season, the Closer position has pretty much shifted from Ryan Brasier to Matt Barnes. The pair have looked shaky, in particular Barnes who often gave the impression of a baby deer staring at an oncoming 18-wheeler streaking down the interstate. Red Sox GM Dave Dombrowski’s closer by commission supplemented by nimble starting pitching implodes each time a starter makes his final walk from mound to dugout.
BOSTON RED SOX CLOSERS
Brandon Workman: 2 SV/3 SVO
Marcus Walden: 1 SV/2 SVO
Heath Hembree: 1 SV/2 SVO
Matt Barnes: 4 SV/8 SVO
Ryan Brasier: 6 SV/9 SVO
Total: 15 SV/24 SVO
I’ll save you the math and say that it’s 62.5% save rate. That’s a long ways from lights out and makes you wonder whether there’s any lights on.
On the other hand, San Diego Padres closer Kirby Yates leads the league in saves. His 23 SV/48 SO/0.06 ERA/0.86 WHIP puts him on pace for a career year barring injury. Here’s a look at what the remainder of the top closer landscape looks like at this point in the season. In a sign of just how miserable Boston’s late game pitching has been, Ryan Brasier still leads all Sox closers in saves. Dark Days in Beantown.
IMAGE SOURCE: Creative Commons