On April 24 the Cardinals led the Diamond Backs 3-1 after six good innings from starter Kyle Gibson. After that, JoJo Romero threw a scoreless seventh, Andrew Kittredge threw a scoreless eighth, and Ryan Helsley threw a scoreless ninth.
The Cardinals next played on April 26, against the Mets. Miles Mikolas threw 5.2 decent innings, and the Cards were up 4-2 when JoJo Romero came in to close the sixth; he stayed to throw a scoreless seventh, Kittredge followed him with a scoreless eighth, and Helsley closed the game 1-2-3 with two Ks.
You'll never guess what happened today. Starter Sonny Gray allowed four runs (one earned) over six innings and left the game with the Cardinals up 6-4. Romero threw a scoreless seventh, Kittredge blanked the Mets in the eighth, and Helsley tiptoed around two singles and a walk to clean up the game in the ninth.
I've never seen anything like that before: three relievers laying down three-fold domination in three straight games. They're not Mike Marshall and won't be able to pitch every game like this forever, but it's been a thing of loveliness while it has lasted.
The stark beauty of the three Cardinal relievers matches Tinker-Evers- Chance in grace while bettering them in value: these Cardinals get nine outs in one block, not two.
And they've been dominating like this all year. After tonight, Romero and Kittredge are both tied for the MLB lead in holds with ten apiece in 27 games - for comparison, the MLB leader last year tallied 31 holds all season. Helsley's save today ties with him Robert Suarez and Clay Holmes for the MLB lead in saves, with 9. Romero-Kittredge-Helsley have ERAs, respectively, of 1.23, 0.75, and 1.80.
Ryan Helsley's been dominating for a few years now with a fastball that goes up to 104 and a killer slider, so his success is no surprise. He had a 1.25 ERA in 2022 and a 2.45 mark last year - he's just going about business as usual this year. (I have him on three of my four fantasy teams.) Romero and Kittredge have considerably less impressive pedigrees, unsurprising given that they're middle relievers.
JoJo Romero is a solidly built mustached man, now 27 years old, born in Camarillo, California. JoJo started out with the Phillies, compiling a 7.89 ERA in 25 games over his three years with them before the Phillies traded him to the Cardinals for the walk-averse Edmundo Sosa mid-way through 2022. JoJo was up and down between the Cardinals and the AAA Memphis Red Birds last year, but pitched great for the Cardinals: in 36.2 innings, he k'd 42, walked 10, and gave up just a single solitary homer, good for a 3.68 ERA and 2.22 FIP. Unusually for a reliever, JoJo throws a fairly even mix of four different pitches: Sinker, slider, changeup, and four seam fastball. JoJo is the sole lefty of the trio.
Andrew Kittredge has spent the last seven years with the Tampa Bay Rays, with whom he's been good but injury-prone. He was an all-star in 2021 with an 1.88 ERA and eight saves, but combined to throw just 31.2 innings over the last two years. Like Romero (215 pounds) and Helsley (235 pounds), Kittredge is a big dude: 6'1", 230 lb. Kittredge relies mostly on his sinker and slider; as with JoJo, he throws a four seam fastball but it's his least-used pitch. "Kitt" is 34, the old man of the group.
I don't know how well the Three Great Men of the Cardinals bullpen will hold up over the rest of the season. Even if they continue to pitch well there's no way they can sustain their current furious rate of saves and holds, which is made possible only by the Cardinals having won an obscene amount of close games. Out of the Cardinals' thirteen wins, they haven't won by more than four runs in a game a single time, and in one of their two four-run wins, the April 24 game which they won 5-1, the Cardinals were only winning by three until the ninth so Romero and Kittredge still got holds. In other words, twelve of the Cardinals' thirteen wins have provided opportunities for holds. That's insane.
Anyway: good luck to JoJo, Kitt, Helsley, and all who have them on their fantasy teams.
The Cardinals next played on April 26, against the Mets. Miles Mikolas threw 5.2 decent innings, and the Cards were up 4-2 when JoJo Romero came in to close the sixth; he stayed to throw a scoreless seventh, Kittredge followed him with a scoreless eighth, and Helsley closed the game 1-2-3 with two Ks.
You'll never guess what happened today. Starter Sonny Gray allowed four runs (one earned) over six innings and left the game with the Cardinals up 6-4. Romero threw a scoreless seventh, Kittredge blanked the Mets in the eighth, and Helsley tiptoed around two singles and a walk to clean up the game in the ninth.
I've never seen anything like that before: three relievers laying down three-fold domination in three straight games. They're not Mike Marshall and won't be able to pitch every game like this forever, but it's been a thing of loveliness while it has lasted.
The stark beauty of the three Cardinal relievers matches Tinker-Evers- Chance in grace while bettering them in value: these Cardinals get nine outs in one block, not two.
And they've been dominating like this all year. After tonight, Romero and Kittredge are both tied for the MLB lead in holds with ten apiece in 27 games - for comparison, the MLB leader last year tallied 31 holds all season. Helsley's save today ties with him Robert Suarez and Clay Holmes for the MLB lead in saves, with 9. Romero-Kittredge-Helsley have ERAs, respectively, of 1.23, 0.75, and 1.80.
 |
| Ryan Helsley |
Ryan Helsley's been dominating for a few years now with a fastball that goes up to 104 and a killer slider, so his success is no surprise. He had a 1.25 ERA in 2022 and a 2.45 mark last year - he's just going about business as usual this year. (I have him on three of my four fantasy teams.) Romero and Kittredge have considerably less impressive pedigrees, unsurprising given that they're middle relievers.
 |
| JoJo Romero |
JoJo Romero is a solidly built mustached man, now 27 years old, born in Camarillo, California. JoJo started out with the Phillies, compiling a 7.89 ERA in 25 games over his three years with them before the Phillies traded him to the Cardinals for the walk-averse Edmundo Sosa mid-way through 2022. JoJo was up and down between the Cardinals and the AAA Memphis Red Birds last year, but pitched great for the Cardinals: in 36.2 innings, he k'd 42, walked 10, and gave up just a single solitary homer, good for a 3.68 ERA and 2.22 FIP. Unusually for a reliever, JoJo throws a fairly even mix of four different pitches: Sinker, slider, changeup, and four seam fastball. JoJo is the sole lefty of the trio.
 |
| Andrew Kittredge |
Andrew Kittredge has spent the last seven years with the Tampa Bay Rays, with whom he's been good but injury-prone. He was an all-star in 2021 with an 1.88 ERA and eight saves, but combined to throw just 31.2 innings over the last two years. Like Romero (215 pounds) and Helsley (235 pounds), Kittredge is a big dude: 6'1", 230 lb. Kittredge relies mostly on his sinker and slider; as with JoJo, he throws a four seam fastball but it's his least-used pitch. "Kitt" is 34, the old man of the group.
I don't know how well the Three Great Men of the Cardinals bullpen will hold up over the rest of the season. Even if they continue to pitch well there's no way they can sustain their current furious rate of saves and holds, which is made possible only by the Cardinals having won an obscene amount of close games. Out of the Cardinals' thirteen wins, they haven't won by more than four runs in a game a single time, and in one of their two four-run wins, the April 24 game which they won 5-1, the Cardinals were only winning by three until the ninth so Romero and Kittredge still got holds. In other words, twelve of the Cardinals' thirteen wins have provided opportunities for holds. That's insane.
Anyway: good luck to JoJo, Kitt, Helsley, and all who have them on their fantasy teams.
