http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/645 Recent articles about Jose Valverde en-us Stay away from Mariano Rivera, Jonathan Papelbon, and Frankie Rodriguez. In fact, stay away from all the great closers - they just aren't worth it. Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:00:35 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290083 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/290083 Injuries have created new ninth inning situations in both Seattle and Atlanta. Brandon Morrow steps in for the Mariners while the Braves welcome back an old face who should step right into the closer role. Also, there is a shake-up at the top of the rankings in this week's Closer Report. Wed, 18 Jun 2008 13:42:29 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279463 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279463 Brandon Lyon hasn't given up a run since April 6. J.J. Putz suffered another injury, and Troy Percival is set to return. Find out where these three rank, and expanded middle reliever rankings in this week's Closer Report. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 16:04:22 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277332 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277332 Brandon Lyon hasn't given up a run since April 6. J.J. Putz suffered another injury, and Troy Percival is set to return. Find out where these three rank, and expanded middle reliever rankings in this week's Closer Report. Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:59:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277331 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/277331 John Smoltz lasted just one game before electing to undergo season-ending surgery. Rafael Soriano, coming off his own injury, takes over for the Braves who also await the return of Mike Gonzalez. Most other bullpen situations have stabilized for now, but some players will be prime candidates to be traded to contenders very soon. Find out who in this week's Closer Report plus rankings for middle relievers. Wed, 04 Jun 2008 14:07:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274414 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/274414 Joe Borowski makes his return to the Cleveland bullpen, and Salomon Torres has taken control of the situation in Milwaukee. Old stand-bys Trevor Hoffman, Billy Wagner, and Mariano Rivera are proving they still have it and John Smotlz could be poised to make his return as well. All that plus more in this week's Closer Report. Thu, 29 May 2008 15:19:18 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272173 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/272173 Last Night's Game I'm not going to harp on all the negative aspects of the game last night (Howard's fielding, Victorino's un-clutchness, Bruntlett's baserunning, etc.) Check out the comment section from yesterday's post to get a few fans' takes. I do want to make a few comments, though. - Adam Eaton pitched a fine game. Just because the Phils couldn't hit Cy Young candidate Brandon Backe doesn't mean that Eaton's 7 inning, 3 run performance wasn't any good. [Speaking of Backe, was that the first time the Phils ever saw a curveball?] - Jose Valverde has giant nuts. He got hit in the face with a liner, stayed in the game, and finished off the Phillies. That was probably the most impressive thing I've seen on a baseball field in a long time. I know none of us were rooting for him, but after the fact, you have to give major props to Valverde. - We've joked about Howard's ineptitude a lot lately, with things like the "Mendoza Watch" and such. But seriously, if Howard doesn't turn it around, the Phils are in major trouble. You can't have a black hole in the 4-hole and consistently score runs. And as Jacobin mentioned in the comment section, it's hurting Utley by allowing pitchers to pitch around him. Until Howard improves, Burrell needs to be moved up to fourth and Howard needs dropped. Sat, 24 May 2008 15:11:53 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270649 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270649 Amazing video. Jose Valverde of the Houston Astros took a line drive to the face, but shook it off and finished the game Friday night, picking up his NL leading 15th save. Check out the video. Sat, 24 May 2008 10:18:15 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270574 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270574 Houston Astros closer Jose Valverde was hit by a line drive — indirectly — off of the bat of Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz. The line drive hit his glove first, then hit the right side of his face. Fri, 23 May 2008 23:08:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270492 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/270492 The Tampa Bay (Don't Call Us Devil) Rays just got finished beating up on the Yankees taking the series 3-to-1. The win keeps Tampa a full game ahead in first place, and dropped New York into last in the AL East. So is this a changing of the guard? Several young pitchers made terrific starts including Chad Billingsley, Mike Pelfrey, and Aaron Laffey, and Jose Valverde continues his May dominance. Fri, 16 May 2008 13:57:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267700 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/267700 There are new closer situations in St.Louis and Milwaukee, and a pitcher in Philadelphia returns to the ranks of the elite. Get the lowdown on all the bullpen situations including new middle reliever rankings in this week's edition of the AccuScore Closer Report. Tue, 13 May 2008 17:17:41 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266582 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/266582 An injury sends Chad Cordero to the DL, John Smoltz will make his return in the bullpen, and Eric Gagne blows yet another save. See how it all shakes out in this week's AccuScore Closer Report. Tue, 06 May 2008 13:42:14 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263962 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263962 Continuing Dome-Dog's work of looking at what the numbers tell us about the Astros season so far. Mon, 05 May 2008 22:37:39 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263784 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/263784 Big name struggles and injury concerns are creating bullpen issues for several major league teams. AccuScore analyst Jonathan Lee has it all sorted out for you in this week's Closer Report. Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:13:12 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/253568 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/253568 In this daily column, we take a look back at the night that was in fantasy baseball highlighting the best/worst performances, emerging fantasy options and developing trends. Check out the Fantasy Baseball Happy Recap every weekday on FSE! Wed, 16 Apr 2008 09:56:51 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/239013 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/239013