Mesa, Arizona
It’s impossible to start this column without a brief moment to pause and look around America. The Marlins have a viral outbreak on their hands, and the MLB season lies in the balance. I am not a doctor or scientist. Maybe they can figure out how to make this all work, maybe they can’t. And hopefully, other sports will learn from baseball’s mistakes. To be fair, I don’t have great answers, or good answers. Maybe I don’t even have the right questions.
Sports are the toy department, and fantasy sports are a toy department within a toy department. It’s a place for fun and action and community and something to root for. I am going to write the usual baseball wrap below, with some levity and with some silliness. It’s what I do. But I wanted to acknowledge the gravity of the moment and the seriousness of the time before I delved into stuff like blown saves and waiver-wire pickups.
Let’s try to stay positive and find proactive solutions, in the world. And hopefully, we’ll have a world without constant anxiety, soon enough. I appreciate everyone who is a part of our community. Keep sending your dog photos, your little pieces of good news, your wins. It helps. – pianow
The three-run save is one of the cushiest parts of the closer gig. It’s a perk, it’s a treat. Come in for the ninth, get three outs before they have a monster rally against you, walk off triumphantly. Pretty much any capable MLB arm can convert this assignment, most of the time.
Alas, Craig Kimbrel didn’t have those facilities Monday. He threw 34 pitches at the Reds in the ninth, and only 13 hit the zone. Four walks, one hit batter. Mercifully, David Ross yanked Kimbrel and brought in Jeremy Jeffress to finish up (two outs, one strikeout, 12 pitches). Close the books, Chicago escapes with an 8-7 victory.—AFP
