Hunter Strickland’s rough ride to the end

We’ve given Hunter Strickland enough guff over the course of the season, so this isn’t an attempt to single him out. He does stand out as the most obvious negative regression candidate on the entire roster, and that’s largely because of an in-season split created by an inability to control his temper.

In nine games since returning from the disabled list stint as the result of a broken hand, Strickland’s workload has been all of 8.1 innings, but his ERA is a rough 7.56 with 10 runs allowed (7 earned), including 2 home runs and an opponents’ OPS of .981. That’s on a BAbip of .250, which suggests that he’s gotten lucky with those results.

He began the season as the team’s closer, a visible…