Closing Time: Drew Storen takes over
Rafael Soriano did everything he could to lose the Washington closing job. And now Drew Storen is doing everything he can to run away with it.
Storen was just about perfect en route to a couple of saves Sunday and Monday, working two clean innings and striking out five. Dominant, resonating outings can force the hand of a manager. And Storen's overall work adds to the case: he's carrying a 1.31 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 48 innings, with a tasty K/BB clip (44 strikeouts, 11 walks). That's a profile that can succeed in any role.
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The Nationals had other names to consider when Soriano expired - Tyler Clippard, notably - so Storen wasn't a slam dunk 48-72 hours ago. He sure looks like one now, however. He's still unowned in 77 percent of Yahoo leagues; let's get to work on fixing that.
-- Koji Uehara has become the biggest type of fantasy problem: a player that's too good to drop and not trustable enough to play. But maybe it's time to drop him anyway, move on with our roto lives.
Mind you, Uehara is a terrific closer when healthy, no doubt on that. He was a cornerstone in Boston's 2013 championship run, and he was a lockdown stopper for much of this season. But Uehara started to get fatigued in the middle of August, and he's been batting practice over his last six games (14 H, 10 R, 4 HR). It doesn't make sense for the Red Sox to risk the 39-year-old down the stretch.
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Full disclosure, the club still holds out hope that Uehara might pitch again this year. There hasn't been an official shutdown notice. But if you have just one fantasy spin to take in the Boston bullpen to finish up the year, Edward Mujica has to be the choice. He recorded the team's most recent save (Saturday against Toronto) and has been steady in the second half (1.40 ERA, 1.14 WHIP). The Chief is still available in 76 percent of Yahoo leagues.
-- While the Red Sox can afford to look to next year, the Athletics need to get their primary stopper back on the mound as soon as possible. Temporary closer Eric O'Flaherty blew a save opportunity at Chicago on Monday, and the A's wound up losing the game in extra innings.
There's a reasonable chance we might see Sean Doolittle (intercostal strain) by the end of the week. He threw 20 pitches off a mound Monday, with no reported problems, and he's set to face live hitters in a couple of days. Doolittle last pitched on Aug. 23; the slumping A's are 4-11 since.
