PT TOMORROW: NL Central—Grilli struggles; another chance for Melancon

Pittsburgh Pirates

After being named the closer again on May 29, Jason Grilli (RHP, PIT) converted his first six save opportunities, before blowing one June 19. There was cause for concern prior to that, as he had a 6:5 K:BB ratio in that timeframe. Grilli surrendered a game winning home run in a tie game June 17, and is the owner of a 1.7 Cmd and 4.82 xERA on the year. Now, Manager Clint Hurdle has removed him from the closer role, at least temporarily.

Mark Melancon (RHP, PIT) converted 10 of 12 save opportunities while he served as the team's closer, after recording 16 saves a season ago. A 22 percent hit rate deserves some credit for his sub-2.00 ERA and 0.78 WHIP, but as recently noted by bullpen guru Doug Dennis, his skills have...

Almost!

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