Tommy Hunter sure isn’t making things easy to watch for O’s fans as he settles into his new closer role. On one hand, “Big Game” is 6/7 in save opportunities. On the other, he’s allowing baserunners at an alarming rate.
Hunter has now loaded the bases in each of his last two save opportunities before finally closing the deal. On Monday’s early game in Boston, he allowed an infield single, a double off the Green Monster, and an intentional walk before recording an RBI groundout and another groundout to win it. Luckily, he was protecting a two-run lead.
Last night in Toronto, he again loaded the bases with one out protecting a two-run lead. After striking out Juan Francisco on a nasty 3-2 curveball, Hunter allowed consecutive singles to Dioner Navarro, Colby Rasmus, and Brett Lawrie before inducing a game-ending 6-4-3 double play to earn his sixth save.
In the post-game show on MASN, even the always optimistic Rick Dempsey seemed bearish on Hunter, asking “Tommy Hunter, are you ever gonna have a clean inning?” Dipper then answered himself, saying “I don’t think so,” before stating that maybe we should start referring to Hunter as the new Don Stanhouse.
Stanhouse was the closer that Earl Weaver referred to as “Full Pack” for his ability to force Earl to smoke an entire pack of cigarettes when he was on the hill going for the save.
Again, Hunter’s 6/7 conversion rate so far isn’t bad. He should be 7/7, as his only blown save came on a Rasmus home run one pitch after the rookie third base ump was apparently afraid to end the game on a “close” check swing call. Aside from that, not only has Hunter not blown a save, but Tommy has not “gone boom” otherwise either, as Rasmus has the only home run off the Birds’ closer in 7.0 innings pitched.
Other than home runs allowed though, Hunter’s other numbers are far from stellar. He’s yet to work a full clean inning in a save chance, as his only save without allowing a baserunner came at Detroit on April 6 after Chris Tillman exited the game with one out in the ninth. In his other six chances, Hunter has allowed 10 hits in 6.0 IP. He’s struck out only four in those 6.0 IP, but fortunately has allowed just three earned runs (two of those coming in games where the Birds had greater than a one-run lead).
Per MASN’s Steve Melewski, lefties are hitting .313 (5/16) against him, while righties have been even better, at .417 (5/12).
Hunter is sporting an inflated WHIP of 1.57, while his ERA sits at 3.86.
All of those numbers are much worse than they were last year, when he dominated out of the pen as a set-up man for Jim Johnson. In 2013, Hunter allowed 71 hits in 86.1 IP for a WHIP of 0.985. Lefties hit .294 off him, while righties hit just .141.
Hopefully, Hunter’s numbers start to move to more along those lines. In the meantime, O’s fans will continue to chug the Pepto when we hear Coheed and Cambria blast out of the speakers.
This doesn’t help:
In case anyone was wondering: K-Rod currently is 9/9 in saves with a 0.00 ERA for the Brewers. 0.67 WHIP and 18 K's.
— Tim Anderson (@TimmyWade94) April 24, 2014
photo: Craig Landefeld
