Fantasy News

• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Another shaky ninth Wednesday

  Rotowire Apr 11, 2024

  Lawrence (0-1) took the loss Wednesday, giving up two runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning as the Rockies fell 5-3 to the Diamondbacks. He struck out one. It wasn't a save situation after Jake Bird had coughed up the tying run in the seventh, but Lawrence still fell apart in a high-leverage spot. The Colorado bullpen has been a disaster to begin the season, and Lawrence's 11.57 ERA and 5:4 K:BB through 4.2 innings has been a big part of that. Tyler Kinley (10.80 ERA, 5:7 K:BB in 5.0 IP) has arguably been worse though, so the door is open for a younger arm like Nick Mears (2.84 ERA, 8:5 K:BB in 6.1 IP with three holds) to move into a more prominent role.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Works eighth inning

  Rotowire Apr 9, 2024

  Lawrence allowed one walk and no hits while striking out two across a scoreless inning Monday against the Diamondbacks. Lawrence entered the game in the eighth inning to face the fourth, fifth and sixth batters in the Arizona lineup with the Rockies up by two. While he was effective, the team opted not to use him for two innings and thus bypassed him for a save chance. Lawrence has now turned in scoreless efforts in three of his four appearances this season, and he could continue to appear in the most high-leverage scenarios rather than exclusively in save situations.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Can't protect lead against Tampa

  Rotowire Apr 5, 2024

  Lawrence got charged with five runs (four earned) on five hits in only one-third of an inning Friday against the Rays. He wasn't fooling anyone, and most of the balls Tampa Bay batters put in play against Lawrence seemed to find holes. He avoided a blown save only because he entered the game to protect a four-run lead, and Lawrence was taken off the hook for a loss by a Ryan McMahon walkoff grand slam in the bottom of the ninth. The 29-year-old right-hander is still viewed as the nominal favorite to get saves for the Rockies, but performances like this won't help his tenuous job security.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Piling up strikeouts

  Rotowire Mar 16, 2024

  Lawrence has allowed three earned runs while maintaining a 9:1 K:BB across six innings in Cactus League action. Lawrence's ERA isn't particularly impressive, but he's held opponents scoreless in four of his six outings. He's also struck out at least one batter in each appearance. Lawrence is in competition for the closer role in Colorado with Tyler Kinley, and both pitchers have performed well this spring. That leaves things murky for the ninth-inning job to begin the season, though last season's usage -- 27 of Lawrence's 69 appearances began with runners on base, and he pitched multiple innings on 21 occasions -- suggests that the Rockies may prefer to utilize Lawrence in the highest-leverage situations rather than reserve him for the ninth inning.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Competing with Kinley at closer

  Rotowire Feb 16, 2024

  Lawrence and Tyler Kinley are competing this spring to become the Rockies' closer, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports. Manager Bud Black indicated that he plans to name one of the two relievers his closer prior to Opening Day. Lawrence's 11 saves in 2023 leads all returning Rockies relievers, but Kinley notched five saves in September. For fantasy purposes, this is one of the shakiest closer situations in baseball.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Takes seventh loss

  Rotowire Sep 4, 2023

  Lawrence (4-7) allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one across two-thirds of an inning to take the loss Saturday against the Blue Jays. Lawrence was unable to close out Saturday's win against the Rangers but was called upon again Sunday in a high-leverage chance. This time, he entered the game in the ninth inning with the score tied, but he surrendered three singles and a walk to take the loss. Lawrence has now allowed at least one earned run in five of his last seven appearances, and he has an 18.00 ERA and 3.33 WHIP across six innings in that span. It's possible the Rockies look to other options at closer, with Tyler Kinely being one potential alternative.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Can't convert save chance

  Rotowire Sep 3, 2023

  Lawrence allowed two earned runs on three walks and a hit while striking out one across two-thirds of an inning Saturday against the Blue Jays. Lawrence entered the game to start the ninth inning with a three-run lead but failed to convert the save. He allowed six batters to reach base, four of which came via either walk or a hit-by-pitch, and he was pulled with the bases loaded and a one-run lead still intact. Tyler Kinley ultimately came on to convert the save, and Lawrence's grip on the closer role could be in danger given he's allowed 14 earned runs across 18.1 frames and 18 appearances since the All-Star break.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Earns win in relief

  Rotowire Aug 27, 2023

  Lawrence (4-6) earned the win in Sunday's 4-3 victory over Baltimore. He struck out two over 1.1 perfect innings. Lawrence was called upon with two outs in the eighth to preserve a tie game. Once Colorado took the lead, he stayed on in the ninth to close out the victory. Lawrence had allowed eight earned runs in 2.1 innings over his previous three appearances, putting his role as closer on shaky ground. But this strong performance combined with his usage during a crucial juncture of the game suggests that he remains the Rockies' closer for the time being.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Strikes out side for save

  Rotowire Aug 15, 2023

  Lawrence earned a save over Arizona on Monday, striking out all three batters he faced in a perfect inning. Lawrence needed 15 pitches to punch out Christian Walker, Kyle Lewis and Jace Peterson to notch his 10th save. The righty reliever had blown three of his past five save chances coming in, though no other Rockies pitcher has picked up a save since prior to the All-Star break. With that in mind, Lawrence appears to be relatively secure in his role, and he's been solid overall this season with a 2.76 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 61:26 K:BB over 58.2 innings.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Hangs on for four-out save

  Rotowire Aug 6, 2023

  Lawrence allowed a hit and two walks while striking out one over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the save in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Cardinals. Lawrence also hit a batter as he loaded the bases with two outs in the eighth inning, but he escaped the jam on a Paul Goldschmidt flyout. In the ninth, Lawrence walked Nolan Arenado before retiring the next three batters. This was Lawrence's first outing since his blown save versus the Padres last Monday. He's now 9-for-12 in save chances, but there's been a few nervy outings in the mix lately. For the season, he has a 2.89 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 57:26 K:BB through 56 innings.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Takes blown save

  Rotowire Aug 1, 2023

  Lawrence allowed a run on three hits and struck out one over 1.2 innings to take a blown save in Monday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Padres. Lawrence escaped a jam he inherited from Daniel Bard in the eighth inning, but he proceeded to give up a solo home run to Trent Grisham in the ninth. This was Lawrence's second blown save in his last three outings, which could be bad news for his ability to retain the closer role. The right-hander is 8-for-11 in save chances with eight holds, a 2.96 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 56:24 K:BB through 54.2 innings overall.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Earns save Sunday

  Rotowire Jul 30, 2023

  Lawrence struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 2-0 win over the Athletics. Lawrence suffered a blown save in his last outing Tuesday versus the Nationals, allowing four runs (three earned) in one inning. The right-hander has largely avoided blow-ups like that this year, allowing multiple runs in just five of his 45 appearances. Tuesday's mess was his lone misstep in July -- he's kept runs off the board in his other nine innings this month while settling in to head the Rockies' closer committee lately. Lawrence owns a 2.89 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 55:24 K:BB through 53 innings with eight saves and eight holds this year.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Picks up seventh save

  Rotowire Jul 23, 2023

  Lawrence picked up the save in Saturday's 4-3 victory over the Marlins, allowing one walk over a scoreless inning. Lawrence entered the game with a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and got Joey Wendle to ground out to open the inning before issuing a free pass to Yuli Gurriel. The right-handed reliever quickly made up for the walk, however, forcing Jon Berti to ground into a double play on the first pitch of the next at-bat to end the contest. It marked Lawrence's seventh save this season and his seventh straight appearance in which he did not allow a run.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Earns sixth save

  Rotowire Jul 18, 2023

  Lawrence picked up the save Tuesday against the Astros. He struck out one over a clean inning. Lawrence notched his sixth save of 2023 on Tuesday, taking the mound for the Rockies in the ninth and turning in a perfect inning. Though he's been losing some high-leverage work to Daniel Bard lately, Lawrence has been far and away the more effective option, having given up one earned run since June 13 (13 appearances) compared to Bard's six (12 appearances) in that same span. However, there won't be many save opportunities for either player considering the Rockies own the worst record in the National League.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Notches fifth save

  Rotowire Jun 29, 2023

  Lawrence picked up a save against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three batters over 1.1 innings. Lawrence entered in the eighth inning with two outs, two on and Colorado clinging to a two-run lead. He allowed a Freddie Freeman RBI single and walked Will Smith to load the bases but got J.D. Martinez to strike out to end the threat. Lawrence then returned for the ninth and had a much smoother frame, retiring the side in order to secure a save. He appears to be settling in as Colorado's closer with three saves over the past six days.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Picks up fourth save

  Rotowire Jun 25, 2023

  Lawrence allowed a run on three hits and a walk with no strikeouts in one inning but earned the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Angels. It wasn't pretty, but Lawrence induced a double play to erase one hit and got Luis Rengifo to ground out with runners on first and second. This was the first earned run charged to Lawrence since June 7. He's up to four saves, including a pair during this weekend series versus the Angels. For the season, he's at a 3.02 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 41:20 K:BB with seven holds and a 3-3 record through 41.2 innings. He appears set to continue seeing late-inning chances.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Working high-leverage spots

  Rotowire Jun 14, 2023

  Lawrence allowed two walks across 1.2 scoreless innings Tuesday against the Red Sox. Lawrence entered the game in the seventh inning with runners on second and third and one out. He got out of that jam with a pair of groundouts and also pitched a fairly uneventful eighth inning. Lawrence appeared to be the team's primary closer after Pierce Johnson lost his grip on the role, though he's entered the last four games in high-leverage spots -- rather than traditional save situations -- and has also worked multiple innings on two occasions. That usage suggests manager Bud Black won't reserve Lawrence for the closer role, though he could still pick up occasional saves.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Wild in win

  Rotowire Jun 12, 2023

  Lawrence (3-3) allowed one run (none earned) on one hit and two walks to earn the win Sunday against the Padres. Lawrence entered the game in the top of the ninth inning with the score tied at 3-3. He wasn't hit hard but struggled with his command by allowing a run to score on a wild pitch. While he was rewarded with a victory, Lawrence has stumbled since taking over as the presumptive closer in Colorado, as he's allowed four runs (three earned) across his last 5.1 frames while maintaining only a 4:3 K:BB.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Possible waiver wire pickups

  Rotowire Jun 12, 2023

  The Rockies have a new closer. We're not sure who it is yet, but Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post has confirmed that Pierce Johnson and his 7.20 ERA are out of the role -- and not a moment too soon. There's a case to be made for moving last year's closer, Daniel Bard, back into the role. He's been effective since returning from a bout with the yips that first cropped up in the World Baseball Classic. But the Rockies' most trusted reliever all year has been Lawrence, who got a chance to work the ninth, with Johnson working the eighth and Bard the seventh, in a one-run loss Saturday. If saves are scarce in your league, he's the prime target.

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• Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Candidate for closer gig

  Rotowire Jun 9, 2023

  Rockies manager Bud Black said Friday that Lawrence is a candidate to take over the closer role, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports. Lawrence has struggled in his last two outings, but the door is open for him to grab a larger share of the save opportunities in Colorado with Pierce Johnson out as closer. Black also mentioned Jake Bird as a consideration for ninth-inning duties.

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