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The Pressure Cooker: Closer Commentary
With the game on the line…here’s the pitch!
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by Keith Giordano * July 31, 2009
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 Crazy things are happening in closer-land these days. With the trade of George Sherrill to the Dodgers, his value takes a huge hit. While Jonathan Broxton has not been as stellar as he was early in the year (thanks to a slightly injured toe) his job is not seriously threatened by Sherrill’s presence. The big winner in this whole situation is Jim Johnson. Weeks ago, I wrote that he was a quality reliever that could take the job over even if Sherrill was not traded. With this trade, it is now his job to lose.
As an owner of both Heath Bell and Leo Nunez, the trade talks to the Marlins have scared me silly. Bell has been awesome this season, and the Padres are looking to cash in on his success by trading him for prospects. Leo Nunez has done a pretty good job while filling in for Matt Lindstrom, but the fact that the Marlins are looking for a better guy shows that they do not that the faith in either he or Lindstrom to hold it together over the home stretch of the season. Talks between the two clubs have slowed, but be aware that either team (or both) could make a trade that seriously affects the value of their current closers.
 What the hell has happened to Matt Capps? Over the last two weeks he has an ERA of 5.70 and a WHIP of 2.36. Certainly, the current state of the Pirates is part of the problem, since they have only gotten him one save opportunity during that span. However, Capps is supposed to be a reliable reliever. I do not expect any sort of change to be made in the 9th inning unless they make yet another bad trade.
Scott Downs has also been struggling. He has not been the same pitcher since returning from a sprained toe. Cito Gaston has said that Downs will remain in the closer role, but Downs has blown both of his save opportunities during the last two weeks with an ERA over 13. I expect him to right the ship, but if he doesn’t do it soon Gaston will have no choice but to look elsewhere.
ONE INNING WONDERS
The table below represents the relevant stats of the Closers, their key setup men, and save conversion rate. We do not include a fantasy ranking column at this time, especially since the Closer role is so volatile and can change from week to week. The players are sorted first by the number of saves, then by ERA for those with the same number of saves. In that way, you can compare and evaluate the Closers against each other based upon their relevant fantasy statistics.
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BULLPEN DEPTH CHART
STATS THROUGH April 20, 2009
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Closer
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S
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BS
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ERA
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WHIP
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K
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CR%
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Key Setup
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Fuentes, Brian RP ANA
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30
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4
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4.29
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1.32
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37
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88%
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J. Speier
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Nathan, Joe RP MIN
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29
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3
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1.55
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0.79
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49
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91%
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M. Guerrier
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Rivera, Mariano RP NYY
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29
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1
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2.08
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0.83
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49
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97%
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B. Bruney
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Papelbon, Jonathan RP BOS
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26
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3
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2.05
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1.36
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45
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90%
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T. Saito
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Street, Huston RP COL
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26
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1
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2.49
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0.92
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50
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96%
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R. Betancourt
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Wilson, Brian RP SF
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26
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4
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3.11
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1.14
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51
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87%
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M. Valdez
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Aardsma, David RP SEA
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25
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2
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1.64
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1.11
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58
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93%
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A. Rhodes
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Bell, Heath RP SD
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25
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1
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2.01
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1.07
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48
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96%
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C. Meredith
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Broxton, Jonathan RP LA
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24
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3
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2.83
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0.92
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74
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89%
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G. Sherrill
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Franklin, Ryan RP STL
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23
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2
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1.36
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0.88
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30
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92%
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K. McClellen
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Cordero, Francisco RP CIN
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23
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1
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1.79
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1.12
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33
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96%
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D. Weathers
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Hoffman, Trevor RP MIL
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23
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2
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1.80
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1.07
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23
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92%
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T. Coffey
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Rodriguez, Francisco J. RP NYM
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23
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3
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2.12
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1.20
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48
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88%
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B. Parnell
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Jenks, Bobby RP CHW
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22
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4
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4.33
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1.33
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37
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85%
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S. Linebrick
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Gregg, Kevin RP CHC
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21
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3
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3.35
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1.26
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49
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88%
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C. Marmol
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Rodney, Fernando RP DET
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21
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0
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3.64
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1.29
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38
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100%
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B. Lyon
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Capps, Matt RP PIT
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20
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2
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6.15
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1.78
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27
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91%
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J. Chavez
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Lidge, Brad RP PHI
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20
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6
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7.11
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1.79
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41
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77%
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R. Madson
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Qualls, Chad RP ARI
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18
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4
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3.38
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1.17
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34
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82%
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T. Pena
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Soria, Joakim RP KC
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17
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2
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1.52
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0.94
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37
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89%
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J. Cruz
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Soriano, Rafael RP ATL
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15
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2
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1.88
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0.90
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65
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88%
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M. Gonzalez
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Wood, Kerry RP CLE
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14
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4
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4.93
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1.38
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39
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78%
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C. Perez
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Bailey, Andrew SP OAK
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13
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4
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2.25
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1.03
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68
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76%
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B. Ziegler
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Howell, J.P. RP TB
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11
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5
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1.81
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1.01
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60
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69%
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G. Balfour
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Valverde, Jose RP HOU
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11
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4
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2.63
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1.13
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31
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73%
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L. Hawkins
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Wilson, C.J. RP TEX
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11
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2
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2.80
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1.27
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43
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85%
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F. Francisco
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Downs, Scott RP TOR
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9
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3
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3.18
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1.21
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36
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75%
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J. Fasor
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Nunez, Leo RP FLA
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8
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3
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3.91
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1.22
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44
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73%
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M. Lindstrom
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MacDougal, Mike RP WAS
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6
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1
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4.55
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1.84
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13
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86%
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J. Bemiel
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Johnson, Jim R. RP BAL
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2
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3
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3.17
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1.24
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35
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40%
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C. Ray
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+
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Not completely healthy or injured
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T
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Temporary Replacement
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The following relievers (no starts) have vultured some wins:
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WIN VULTURES – YTD
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Player
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W
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L
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S
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BS
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ERA
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WHIP
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