Ray’s Ramblings: Negatives – Loses & Blown Saves

We often celebrate the success of player in the game of fantasy baseball, but we also need, or at least some of us want, to celebrate the toilet bowl efforts as well. This will be a quick look at who picked up the loss or the blown save with the most frequency in 2022.

THE LOSS

Here are the worst of the worst at blowing games.

Name	Team	W	L	SV	G	GS	IP	K/9	BB/9	ERA	xERA	FIP	xFIP
Patrick Corbin	WSN	6	19	0	31	31	152.2	7.55	2.89	6.31	6.41	4.84	4.21
Madison Bumgarner	ARI	7	15	0	30	30	158.2	6.35	2.78	4.88	5.53	4.85	4.83
Marco Gonzales	SEA	10	15	0	32	32	183	5.07	2.46	4.13	4.59	5.05	4.88
Brad Keller	KCR	6	14	1	35	22	139.2	6.57	3.67	5.09	4.37	4.50	4.35
Aaron Nola	PHI	11	13	0	32	32	205	10.32	1.27	3.25	2.74	2.58	2.77
Miles Mikolas	STL	12	13	0	33	32	202.1	6.81	1.73	3.29	3.89	3.87	3.80
Hunter Greene	CIN	5	13	0	24	24	125.2	11.75	3.44	4.44	4.00	4.37	3.64
Cole Irvin	OAK	9	13	0	30	30	181	6.36	1.79	3.98	4.40	4.21	4.35
German Marquez	COL	9	13	0	31	31	181.2	7.43	3.12	5.00	4.49	4.71	4.02
Daniel Lynch	KCR	4	13	0	27	27	131.2	8.34	3.55	5.13	5.07	4.63	4.30
Kris Bubic	KCR	3	13	0	28	27	129	7.67	4.4	5.58	5.67	4.78	4.52
Erick Fedde	WSN	6	13	0	27	27	127	6.66	4.11	5.81	5.45	5.15	4.74
Adam Wainwright	STL	11	12	0	32	32	191.2	6.71	2.54	3.71	4.53	3.66	4.10
Mitch Keller	PIT	5	12	0	31	29	159	7.81	3.4	3.91	4.23	3.88	3.99
Frankie Montas	– – –	5	12	0	27	27	144.1	8.85	2.68	4.05	4.02	3.79	3.61
JT Brubaker	PIT	3	12	0	28	28	144	9.19	3.38	4.69	4.56	3.92	3.87
Robbie Ray	SEA	12	12	0	32	32	189	10.1	2.95	3.71	3.59	4.17	3.58
Alex Wood	SFG	8	12	0	26	26	130.2	9.02	2.07	5.10	4.00	3.76	3.41
Nick Pivetta	BOS	10	12	0	33	33	179.2	8.77	3.66	4.56	4.65	4.42	4.26
Zach Plesac	CLE	3	12	0	25	24	131.2	6.84	2.6	4.31	5.28	4.45	4.40
Joan Adon	WSN	1	12	0	14	14	64.2	7.65	5.43	7.10	6.01	5.11	5.06
Mike Minor	CIN	4	12	0	19	19	98	6.98	3.67	6.06	4.59	6.18	5.21

Patrick Corbin keeps pitching, and keeps struggling, because he has lost his slider and because of his salary (he made $23.4 million in 2022 and is owed almost $60 million the next two years). At least he didn’t lose 20 games. He lost 16 games in 2021.

Madison Bumgarner was second with 15 loses, tied with Marco Gonzales. From 2014-16 Madbum won at least 15 games each season. Remarkably, 2016 was his las season of 10 victories. Gonzales went from 10-6 last year to 10-15 this season.

Aaron Nola went 11-13, is pitching in the World Series, and had a 2.74 xERA and 2.77 xFIP. Yep, sometimes the loses aren’t deserved.

Three Royals show up with at least 13 loses: Brad Keller, Daniel Lynch and Kris Bubic. This is not good (scientific analysis).

Mike Minor has the distinction of being the only man in baseball with 12 loses who didn’t throw triple-digit innings. This was his third season of 12 loses. #IgnomiusAward

Name	Team	W	L	SV	G	GS	IP	K/9	BB/9	ERA	xERA	FIP	xFIP
Triston McKenzie	CLE	11	11	0	31	30	191.1	8.94	2.07	2.96	3.54	3.59	3.77
Kyle Freeland	COL	9	11	0	31	31	174.2	6.75	2.73	4.53	5.11	4.21	4.49
Jordan Lyles	BAL	12	11	0	32	32	179	7.24	2.61	4.42	4.94	4.40	4.40
Trevor Rogers	MIA	4	11	0	23	23	107	8.92	3.79	5.47	4.84	4.36	4.11
Gregory Soto	DET	2	11	30	64	0	60.1	8.95	5.07	3.28	4.08	3.59	4.59
Chad Kuhl	COL	6	11	0	27	27	137	7.23	3.81	5.72	5.31	5.26	4.78
Tyler Alexander	DET	4	11	0	27	17	101	5.44	2.23	4.81	5.42	4.99	4.77
Kevin Gausman	TOR	12	10	0	31	31	174.2	10.56	1.44	3.35	3.34	2.38	2.76
Blake Snell	SDP	8	10	0	24	24	128	12.02	3.59	3.38	3.19	2.80	3.21
Corey Kluber	TBR	10	10	0	31	31	164	7.63	1.15	4.34	4.00	3.57	3.92
Pablo Lopez	MIA	10	10	0	32	32	180	8.7	2.65	3.75	3.75	3.71	3.56
Johnny Cueto	CHW	8	10	0	25	24	158.1	5.8	1.88	3.35	4.02	3.80	4.38
Noah Syndergaard	– – –	10	10	0	25	24	134.2	6.35	2.07	3.94	4.43	3.83	4.29
Adrian Houser	MIL	6	10	0	22	21	102.2	6.05	4.12	4.73	4.94	4.21	4.64
Aaron Ashby	MIL	2	10	1	27	19	107.1	10.57	3.94	4.44	3.75	4.06	3.30
Zach Thompson	PIT	3	10	0	29	22	121.2	6.66	3.4	5.18	5.14	4.87	4.44
Mark Melancon	ARI	3	10	18	62	0	56	5.63	3.38	4.66	4.78	4.20	4.63
Glenn Otto	TEX	7	10	0	27	27	135.2	7.1	4.11	4.64	5.01	5.21	4.82
Wil Crowe	PIT	6	10	4	60	1	76	8.05	4.5	4.38	4.20	4.31	4.29
Jon Heasley	KCR	4	10	0	21	21	104	6.06	4.07	5.28	5.35	5.67	5.49
Josiah Gray	WSN	7	10	0	28	28	148.2	9.32	4	5.02	4.25	5.86	4.57

Triston McKenzie basically pulled an Aaron Nola.

Gregory Soto, Mark Melancon and Will Crowe deserve a special nod as relievers with at least 10 loses. They threw 60.1, 56 and 76 innings respectively. Soto had nine loses the previous three years. Melancon had never lost more than five games. Crowe lost eight games last year, but he did throw 40 more innings in 2021.

Joan Adon was some kinda special going 1-12. Soto tied with Aaron Ashby for the second fewest victories with two, amongst the 10 loss crew. Guys with three wins include: Bubic, Melancon, JT Brubaker and Zach Thompson.

THE BLOWN SAVE

You gotta be pretty good to be trusted by your manager enough to be on this list, or so the theory goes of course. You could just have pitched very poorly.

Name	Team	IP	TBF	W	L	ERA	G	SV	HLD	BS
Taylor Rogers	– – –	64.1	274	4	8	4.76	66	31	4	10
David Robertson	– – –	63.2	264	4	3	2.4	58	20	3	8
Brad Boxberger	MIL	64	268	4	3	2.95	70	1	29	7
Matt Bush	– – –	54.1	223	2	3	3.31	59	3	18	7
Kenley Jansen	ATL	64	260	5	2	3.38	65	41	0	7
Tanner Scott	MIA	62.2	289	4	5	4.31	67	20	4	7
Emilio Pagan	MIN	63	274	4	6	4.43	59	9	7	7
Jordan Romano	TOR	64	258	5	4	2.11	63	36	2	6
Jorge Lopez	– – –	71	298	4	7	2.54	67	23	1	6
Joe Mantiply	ARI	60	243	2	5	2.85	69	2	22	6
Giovanny Gallegos	STL	59	235	3	6	3.05	57	14	12	6
Kendall Graveman	CHW	65	285	3	4	3.18	65	6	27	6
Griffin Jax	MIN	72.1	290	7	4	3.36	65	1	18	6
Colin Poche	TBR	58.2	245	4	2	3.99	65	7	23	6
Wil Crowe	PIT	74	324	6	10	4.38	59	4	16	6
Ian Kennedy	ARI	50.1	232	4	7	5.36	57	10	10	6
Hansel Robles	BOS	24.2	111	1	3	5.84	26	2	7	6
Brock Burke	TEX	82.1	328	7	5	1.97	52	0	9	5
Clay Holmes	NYY	63.2	260	7	4	2.54	62	20	7	5
Collin McHugh	ATL	69.1	272	3	2	2.6	58	0	17	5
Paul Sewald	SEA	64	242	5	4	2.67	65	20	8	5
Wandy Peralta	NYY	56.1	223	3	4	2.72	56	4	9	5
Reynaldo Lopez	CHW	63.1	247	6	4	2.84	60	0	9	5
A.J. Puk	OAK	66.1	281	4	3	3.12	62	4	20	5
Jesse Chavez	– – –	68.1	286	4	3	3.56	59	0	10	5
Ryan Tepera	LAA	57.1	232	5	4	3.61	59	6	17	5
Craig Kimbrel	LAD	60	260	6	7	3.75	63	22	2	5
Ryan Thompson	TBR	42.2	181	3	3	3.8	47	3	10	5
Matt Strahm	BOS	44.2	193	4	4	3.83	50	4	12	5
Aaron Loup	LAA	58.2	260	0	5	3.84	65	1	18	5
John King	TEX	51.1	222	1	4	4.03	39	0	8	5
Taylor Clarke	KCR	49	203	3	1	4.04	47	3	10	5
Rowan Wick	CHC	64	294	4	7	4.22	64	9	4	5
Chris Stratton	– – –	61	270	10	4	4.28	59	2	8	5

Taylor Rogers leads baseball as the only man with 10 blown saves. Remarkably, he saved 31 games for two teams.

The number two man with eight blown saves also pitched for two teams in David Robertson.

Another two-teamer, Matt Bush, tied with Brad Boxberger (a teammate), with seven blown saves. It’s not great when you save four games but have 14 blown saves like that duo did. Boxberger was the only player in baseball with more than six blown saves who had just a single victory. The 1/6 guy was Griffin Jax. If we drop things down to five blown saves, we find Brock Burke and Collin McHugh. Neither of those two fellas had a save. Oh yeah, Reynaldo Lopez also went 0/5 as did Jesse Chavez and John King.

Aaron Loup was the only man in baseball with no victories who had five BS.

Previous mentioned Burke and Jax, along with Clay Holmes, were in the exclusive seven victory, five BS crowd, but the leader in those two categories was Chris Stratton who had five BS outings as well as a whopping 10 victories.

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