I think one of the reasons so many of the top closers are struggling this season is because they tend to be hard-throwing fly ball pitchers with little drama about what they rely on, and with these new happy fun baseballs, there has never been more risk relying on this style of pitching. Last season, with seemingly normal baseballs, three of the 11 hurlers to register 30 or more saves permitted double-digit home runs. Blake Treinen and Aroldis Chapman combined to allow four home runs, split evenly. This season, three of the 10 to save 24 games have already allowed 10 or more home runs, and several others are close. It is harder to be a successful closer than perhaps ever.
So it is that while many look at Atlanta Braves right-hander Mark Melancon as an odd fit to close games,