Stowers 'found his groove' before All-Star Break
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NBC Sports
6 minutes ago
- NBC Sports
Fantasy Baseball Closer Report: State of saves at the All-Star break
In this week's Closer Report, we review the first half in saves across the closer landscape and take a look at which late-inning situations are worth monitoring with two weeks left until the trade deadline. Josh Hader - Houston Astros Hader gave up another home run in his last outing before the break, blowing a save against the Rangers. Six of the eight home runs he's allowed have come over the last month. With four runs allowed over his previous two outings, it pushed his ERA from 1.80 to 2.53. Still, those numbers show he had some room for regression, and he remains the top closer for fantasy purposes. Andrés Muñoz - Seattle Mariners Edwin Díaz - New York Mets Aroldis Chapman - Boston Red Sox Jhoan Duran - Minnesota Twins Emmanuel Clase - Cleveland Guardians Robert Suarez - San Diego Padres Muñoz gave up two runs to blow a save against the Yankees last Thursday, then bounced back with a clean inning in a non-save situation against the Tigers on Sunday before the break. Muñoz recorded just one save in June before locking down four saves in six days to start July. The 26-year-old right-hander enters the second half with 21 saves and a 1.50 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and a 46/14 K/BB ratio across 36 innings. Díaz, in his last outing before the break, converted a two-inning save against the Royals on Saturday, striking out one batter for his 19th save of the season to go with a 1.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 55/13 K/BB ratio across 38 innings. The 31-year-old right-hander is back dominating on the mound after missing the 2023 season and a disappointing 2024 in his first year back from injury. Chapman has actually been the best closer in baseball over the last month, leading all relievers by a wide margin with a 49% K-BB ratio since the start of June. He added two saves against the Rays before the All-Star break, striking out five batters over two scoreless innings, extending his scoreless outing streak to 18 games. Duran worked two outings against the Pirates before the break. He picked up a save on Friday, striking out two in a scoreless inning. He then took the loss on Sunday, giving up a run on three hits. The 27-year-old right-hander will take a 1.66 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 49/16 K/BB ratio with 15 saves over 43 1/3 innings into the second half. Both Duran and setup man Griffin Jax are expected to draw major interest at the trade deadline. Jax would make a capable closer should he land in a favorable situation or if the Twins decide to move Duran. Both relievers still carry three seasons of team control, so the team would likely need to come away with a significant trade package to make a move. Clase worked a scoreless inning to convert a save against the White Sox on Friday, then pitched two innings to come away with a win against Chicago on Sunday. The 27-year-old right-hander has converted 20 saves with a 2.91 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, and a 42/10 K/BB ratio across 43 1/3 innings. And in San Diego, Suarez worked a clean inning with one strikeout for a save against the Phillies last Thursday, then worked another perfect frame with a strikeout for his 28th save before the All-Star break. Mason Miller - Athletics Devin Williams - New York Yankees Trevor Megill - Milwaukee Brewers Félix Bautista - Baltimore Orioles Tanner Scott - Los Angeles Dodgers Will Vest - Detroit Tigers Emilio Pagán - Cincinnati Reds David Bednar - Pittsburgh Pirates Daniel Palencia - Chicago Cubs Camilo Doval - San Francisco Giants Ryan Helsley - St. Louis Cardinals Carlos Estévez - Kansas City Royals Jeff Hoffman - Toronto Blue Jays Pete Fairbanks - Tampa Bay Rays Kyle Finnegan - Washington Nationals Kenley Jansen - Los Angeles Angels Miller made three scoreless appearances in the days leading up to the break, including back-to-back saves against the Blue Jays. He appears to be getting back on track with eight consecutive scoreless outings. The 26-year-old right-hander now has 19 saves with a 4.04 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, and a 57/17 K/BB ratio across 35 2/3 innings. After giving up two runs against the Blue Jays on July 2, Williams went into the All-Star break with four straight perfect outings. He fell in line for a win last Thursday against the Mariners, then struck out two in a clean frame against the Cubs. Meanwhile, Megill did not make an appearance since the last column and remains at 21 saves with a 2.41 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and a 43/15 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings. Bautista pitched a clean inning against the Mets last Thursday for his 18th save. The 30-year-old right-hander has made an impressive return from Tommy John surgery, posting a 2.41 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, and a 48/20 K/BB ratio across 33 2/3 innings. In Los Angeles, Scott struck out two in a clean inning on Saturday for his 19th save, then blew an opportunity Sunday, giving up two runs against the Giants. The 30-year-old left-hander allowed five runs over his last four outings. Blake Treinen appears ready to be activated from the injured list out of the All-Star break and could figure into some save chances based on matchups. Vest blew a save in his only appearance this last week, uncharacteristically walking three batters against the Mariners on Sunday. Still, he's had a stellar first half, emerging as Detroit's primary closer with 15 saves, a 2.30 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and a 48/15 K/BB ratio across 43 innings. Pagán made back-to-back scoreless outings against the Rockies last week, picking up a win on Saturday before locking down his 20th win on Sunday. The 34-year-old right-hander has had an excellent season in Cincinnati, posting a 2.93 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and a 50/13 K/BB ratio across 40 innings. Bednar also pitched both days over the weekend, converting his 13th save Sunday against the Twins. Meanwhile, Palencia grabbed two more saves Saturday and Sunday with two scoreless outings against the Yankees. The 25-year-old right-hander has been a breakout in the first half, recording a 1.57 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, and a 39/11 K/BB ratio over 34 1/3 innings. In San Francisco, Doval worked around a hit and a walk to convert a save against the Dodgers on Friday, then tossed a scoreless inning in a non-save situation on Sunday. Doval's walk issues and lower strikeout rate this season continue to make him a volatile closer. Still, he's generally gotten the job done since taking back the ninth-inning role. Helsley took a loss on Saturday, giving up a run on two hits against the Braves. He bounced back on Sunday with a scoreless inning for his 19th save of the season to go with a 3.27 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, and a 36/14 K/BB ratio over 33 innings. Estévez struck out two in a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Mets on Friday, then fell in line for a win despite giving up two runs on Sunday. Meanwhile, Hoffman broke a nine-game scoreless streak with three runs allowed against the Athletics on Friday to give him a 5.03 ERA over 39 1/3 innings at the break. In his only appearance this week, Fairbanks blew a save and took the loss with two runs allowed against the Red Sox on Friday. The 31-year-old right-hander has a 2.75 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and a 31/15 K/BB ratio across 36 innings. Finnegan also blew a save and took a loss, giving up three runs against the Brewers on Saturday. And in Anaheim, Jansen picked up a win with a scoreless inning of work against the Diamondbacks on Friday. Matt Strahm/Orion Kerkering - Philadelphia Phillies Kevin Ginkel - Arizona Diamondbacks Robert Garcia - Texas Rangers Strahm picked up a save for the Phillies on Sunday against the Padres, his sixth of the season. No saves out of Arizona over the weekend. Ginkel, Kendall Graveman, and Kyle Backhus could all figure into the saves mix. And the Rangers went without a save to close out the first half. Garcia did take a loss with a run allowed against the Astros on Saturday. Calvin Faucher/Ronny Henriquez - Miami Marlins Grant Taylor - Chicago White Sox Seth Halvorsen/Victor Vodnik - Colorado Rockies Last week's column touched on the trade speculation surrounding Minnesota relievers Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. While it would be a surprise to see both relievers traded by the deadline, it may not hurt to take a look at who could step up in their place. Louis Varland has been the next reliever down in the high-leverage order. The 27-year-old right-hander has made the transition from starter to reliever this year and has been incredibly effective, posting a 1.81 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and a 43/11 K/BB ratio across 44 2/3 innings. And when healthy, Brock Stewart has flashed some strikeout upside over the last three seasons. The 33-year-old veteran right-hander's 29 1/3 innings so far are the most he's pitched since 2017. He's posted a solid 2.45 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, and a 38/10 K/BB ratio. The Angels remain in the Wild Card mix at four games behind at the All-Star break. But if they fall further behind over the next couple of weeks, we could see veteran closer Kenley Jansen on the move. His departure could open the door for Reid Detmers to step into the closer role. Despite the speculation that he could move back into a starting role, he'll reportedly continue to work out of the bullpen, where he's been most effective. The 26-year-old left-hander had a rough stretch in early May but has posted a 1.24 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 29 innings since May 9.
Boston Globe
an hour ago
- Boston Globe
MLB All-Star Game has slight drop in viewers despite having its first swing-off
Major League Baseball and the players' association made the change in 2022 amid concerns about running out of pitchers because hardly anyone throws more than an inning in the game anymore. The game was decided by having three batters from each league take three swings each off coaches in what was baseball's equivalent of soccer's penalty-kicks shootout. Advertisement Baseball continues to have the best ratings for an event featuring All-Stars. The NHL did not have an All-Star Game this year, while the NBA's averaged 4.7 million on TNT. The NFL's Pro Bowl games, a series of skills competitions and flag football, also averaged 4.7 million on ABC. Monday night's
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Liberty Superstar Makes History Against Caitlin Clark-less Fever
Liberty Superstar Makes History Against Caitlin Clark-less Fever originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Indiana Fever faced the conference-leading New York Liberty on Wednesday, falling 98–77. They were without star guard Caitlin Clark, who missed her tenth game of the season due to her third injury this year. Before this season, Clark had never missed a game in her college or professional career. However, her second WNBA season has been plagued by injuries, limiting her to 12 appearances, in which Indiana has gone 7-5. Clark has averaged 16.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 8.8 assists this season, which are slightly underwhelming numbers considering the impressive rookie year she had. With the All-Star Game approaching and Clark serving as a team captain, her availability remains up in the air. On the other hand, New York's superstar saw Wednesday's matchup as an opportunity to make history at Barclays Center. Liberty forward Breanna Stewart led the charge, scoring 24 points on 66% shooting, adding 11 rebounds and seven assists. With this performance, Stewart, who's been in the league since 2016, now has the third most 20-point games in WNBA history. Wednesday's victory marked New York's fifth 20-point victory of the season, extending their lead for the most such wins in the WNBA this year. The Liberty won three straight and four out of their last five heading into the All-Star break, in which Stewart and guard Sabrina Ionescu will be representing them. They will face the Fever once again after the break on Tuesday, seeking their fourth consecutive victory in a relatively tight Eastern Conference. This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jul 17, 2025, where it first appeared.
