Lyon is a Lamb
To this day it’s absolutely mind numbing that one of the first things Diamondbacks manager Bob Melvin did when 2007 Major-League saves leader Jose Valverde was dealt this past offseason, was to name Brandon Lyon the closer. The announcement was made in a way that suggested Lyon could commit treason, or admit to being a closet fan of the brief-lived ABC show “Are You Hot,” before the Diamondbacks would pull him from the closer role. Well, one thing that certainly isn’t hot is Lyon’s sketchy performance so far this season, as seen by the six hits (including two homers), four earned runs, and two blown saves over his first three innings of work.
Despite his struggles, management continued praising Lyon on Tuesday. “We have confidence in him,” Melvin told the Arizona Republic. “A couple of outings isn’t going to take away from the fact that this is a guy we expect to pitch the ninth inning for us. That’s the way it remains right now.” Even general manager Josh Byrnes got in on the action, adding that in “The first week, good or bad, the results get magnified. “He’s already had success in the ninth in his career and I’m sure he’ll pitch his way through it.”
I have a problem being anything but skeptical when it comes to Lyon. He did pick up a win over that stretch, but it’s becoming abundantly clear that time is running out to get your hands on Tony Pena at a discounted rate. I like extreme groundball pitcher Chad Qualls much more than either Lyon or Pena, but it’s highly unlikely that D-backs management wouldn’t give Pena a shot first once they realize Lyon isn’t the answer (Qualls only got a save last weekend because Lyon had already pitched). If you subscribe to the theory to get saves in the most cost efficient way possible, the window is closing on your opportunity to plug Pena onto your roster.
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