Fantasy Fare: The closer you get ...

Joel ColombySam Dyson of the Rangers has done nothing short of melt down in his first three appearances this season. (The Associated Press)We’ve played just two weeks and already the closer carousel is revving up. The Phillies got it going by removing Jeanmar Gomez, who was on a short leash to begin with, after just three appearances. The right-hander had given up three homers in just 4.1 innings which would account for his bloated 12.46 ERA. And while everyone felt Hector Neris would inherit the role, the Phils — in a move which appears to be dictated by contractual considerations — are giving first shot to 39-year-old Joaquin Benoit, who has 51 career saves and is throwing effectively in the early going. Neris, however, is clearly the best reliever the Phils own and should still take over at some point. Deep in the heart of Texas, Rangers’ Sam Dyson hasn’t been officially removed from the ninth inning but, having produced two blown saves and 11 earned runs in three outings, it may already have happened. However, with the Rangers bats pounding out 30 runs in the past five games, they haven’t found themselves in a ninth-inning save situation since his meltdowns. Jose Leclerc was credited with a save on Wednesday, but he came on in the eighth with Texas up 6-3, then stuck around for the ninth after his teammates tacked on two more runs. Jeremy Jeffress was the presumptive next in line, and may still be, but Leclerc (with a 7-0 K-BB ratio in 5.1 scoreless innings early on) and veteran Tony Barnette are both throwing better and are also in the closer mix, as is hard-throwing Matt Bush once he gets off the DL.

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