May 2, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Sergio Santos (21) walks off the field after the game against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park. Pittsburgh won 6-5. (Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports)
The Toronto Blue Jays have removed the struggling Sergio Santos from its closer role.
Sergio Santos also removed from closer's role. Closer by committee for now, with Cecil (but not tonight) and Loup prime picks
— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) May 3, 2014
Looking at Santos’ numbers is a scary proposition. In 12 appearances, he owns a record of 0-2 with a gaudy ERA of 10.61. He’s served up 12 hits in 9.1 innings (11.2 H/9) and allowed 11 runs. He has whiffed 17 opponents, but has also walked 9. His WHIP of 2.250 doesn’t exactly scream closer either. Neither does a BAA of .316. Nor does a 5-for-8 in save situations. And don’t forget that 3 of the 12 hits he’s allowed have left the yard.
But we all know (or should know) that a bad outing or two can mess with a reliever’s stats. But permitting three runs in 25% of his appearances has proven too much. Add those 6 earned runs in his last full inning of work doesn’t exude confidence from the bench.
As Davidi notes, Jays manager John Gibbons is electing the seemingly never popular among the fanbase “closer by committee” route. If this is the route Gibbons truly pursues, it will be a matchup basis unless an arm from his pen simply becomes too impressive to keep from holding the role down on a permanent basis.
The mentions of Brett Cecil and Aaron Loup are due to the fact that the duo own a save each and are the only other relievers to record a save this season.