The Giants’ end of game pitching issues are well documented. San Francisco leads the league in blown saves with 29. That’s a save percentage of 57.97, which ranks third worst in the majors. Nine times the Giants have taken a lead into the 9th inning, and ended up losing the game.
At this point one thing is clear: the Giants don’t have a strong closing option on their roster right now.
It’s unclear exactly when Santiago Casilla lost his job as the Giants’ closer, but him hearing boos on the way to the mound before blowing his 9th save back on Sept. 17 tells you all you need to know.
Now the Giants are left scrambling for a solution with 11 games remaining and two playoff races hanging in the balance. What follows is a breakdown of the imperfect options that Bruce Bochy could turn to going forward, ranked from best to worst:
Derek Law
There is little doubt that Law is the Giants’ closer of the future after he’s been their best reliever this season (2.06 ERA) in limited action. Bochy mentioned that Law would be in the picture as a potential closing option moving forward, but has been hesitant to throw him in the mix upon his return from a right elbow strain that kept him on the shelf for over two weeks.
Law not only makes the most sense from an ability standpoint, but also to get some big game experience under his belt before he likely takes over the role full time next season. The variable here is whether or not Bochy feels Law is healthy enough to lean on in high stress situations. After all, another injury to Law could leave the Giants with the same problems that have plagued them all year heading into 2017. Whether he is given the role full time or not, there is little doubt that Law will be given a chance to show what he can do in the 9th inning before 2016 is all said and done.
Sergio Romo
Romo was stellar as the closer Tuesday night, facing the minimum three batters while striking out two in a surprisingly drama-free ninth inning. Other than Casilla (and the 41-year-old Joe Nathan), Romo has the most experience in the closer role of anybody on the Giants roster, even if last night was the first time he’s been used in a save situation all season. Romo is having a nice year, and remains especially valuable against right-handed batters, who are hitting .174 against him this season. That number, however, balloons to .261 against left-handed hitters, and when Romo’s slider is not working, he has a tendency to hang pitches that can lead to disastrous results.
When Romo is on he’s great, and he’s proven over his career that he has the disposition to pitch in the ninth inning. Consistency has always been Romo’s issue, especially in recent years, and the way things have been going for the Giants at the end of games, a more stable solution might be necessary.
Use a starter
Duane Kuiper said Tuesday morning on KNBR that Jeff Samardzija could be a possible option at closer for the Giants in the postseason, if Bochy would be comfortable moving to a three-man rotation of Madison Bumgarner, Johnny Cueto and Matt Moore. (This obviously assumes a healthy Cueto.) Samardzija began his Major League career as an effective reliever for the Chicago Cubs, posting a 2.28 ERA in 26 appearances in his rookie year. That was eight years ago, however, and Samardzija was used primarily as a setup man.
The other option would be Matt Cain, who has had an extremely rough 2016 from both a performance and health standpoint. Cain also has very little experience coming out of the bullpen, but has put together three consecutive strong relief appearances, allowing just one hit in 3 and a third innings. Perhaps Cain is finally close to 100 percent and he is starting to regain some of the form that has been slipping for the last three years, or maybe he’s just pitched well in an extremely small sample size. Regardless, the benefit of slotting a Cain or Samardzija into the closer role is that it won’t impact the roles of the relievers, even if those haven’t exactly been defined 151 games in.
Closer by committee
With Casilla struggling, Bochy said he’d be employing a closer by committee approach, something he has since backed away from following two instances where multiple pitchers played a part in blown saves against San Diego and Los Angeles. Last week, Bochy admitted to overthinking and talked about the importance of defined roles.
“I’ve tried to mix it up, where something can work, and to be honest, and that hasn’t gone well,” Bochy told Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News. “Guys in the bullpen like to know their roles, but to add to that, those are earned, too. We felt we had to go more creative with matchups. Whether they put more pressure on guys going out there because they thought they might face one hitter, I can’t answer that.”
This would seem to imply that Bochy is going to try to at least stick with defined roles moving forward, to try and provide some stability in a bullpen that has been unstable all year. The question of course is who can fill those roles, and whether or not anybody is reliable enough to earn a consistent spot.
Hunter Strickland
Once considered to be the Giants’ closer of the future, Strickland has continued to struggle in late game situations in 2016. On paper, Strickland looks like an ideal closing option, with an impressive 3.24 ERA and a 98 mile per hour fastball, but the 27 year old seems to be at his worst in close games, blowing five of the eight save opportunities he’s found himself in this year. Strickland looks to be best suited to a set-up role, though Bochy hinted last week that he will be in the mix with Romo and Law for save opportunities.
Santiago Casilla
After it was clear that the boo-birds affected him following his ninth blown save, it’s a safe bet that we’ve seen the last of the once-reliable right-hander in a game-deciding situation. It’s important to remember that Casilla has been a valuable member of all three World Series teams, even if he’s been the easy scapegoat for the Giants’ second-half woes this year. Just don’t expect to see Casilla getting another chance to close for the Giants considering his extended slump.