Jim

Henderson

Henderson has posted a stellar 1.69 ERA and 56/22 K/BB ratio in 48 innings this season at the Triple-A level. He will operate as a middle reliever for the Brew Crew.

After parts of 10 seasons in the minors, Henderson just arrived in the majors for the first time on July 26. Now he looks to be the Brewers’ closer, at least until he blows one. He has a 10/1 K/BB ratio in seven innings for Milwaukee.

Both of the runs in the inning were charged to Parra. Henderson came on with two on and one out, surrendering an RBI single to Alfonso Soriano and an RBI bounce out before giving way to Axford to close it out. With as big of a mess as the Brewers’ bullpen is right now, it’s anyone’s guess who gets the call the next time a save opportunity arises. But Axford is probably the best bet.

Henderson has now allowed runs in four of his last six appearances, so his brief stint as the favorite for saves in the Milwaukee pen may be over. Of course, no one else is looking particularly trustworthy either. The Brewers’ preference would be for John Axford to win the job back.

Manny Parra opened the frame but allowed consecutive singles while recording only one out before Brewers manager Ron Roenicke turned it over to Henderson. Roenicke stated publicly earlier in the day that Henderson would continue to receive save chances, even after his blown opportunity on Wednesday. And he stuck by that.

Henderson blew another save Wednesday night against the Rockies and has now allowed five earned runs on 12 hits in 8 1/3 innings since his call-up. But the Brewers don’t have many better options at the moment with John Axford and Francisco Rodriguez also struggling mightily. It’s a big mess right now for fantasy owners.

Axford entered with a 3-2 lead and promptly walked the leadoff hitter. After pinch-runner Tyler Greene stole second base, he advanced to third on a wild pitch. Steven Pearce then singled home the tying run, took second on an error, and came around to score himself on an RBI single from Brian Bogusevic. With another Axford implosion, it looks as if Jim Henderson, who has converted both of his save chances, will now get a long look in the closer’s role.

Roenicke made the comments after John Axford blew his eighth save of the season in Friday’s loss to the Astros. “Henderson, he’s the one guy that’s throwing the ball good,” said Roenicke. “We’ll give the ball to him and see what happens there.” Henderson, who was just called up last week after spending 10 years in the minors, has a 1.29 ERA and 10/1 K/BB ratio over his first seven innings in the big leagues and notched saves in back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday. He’s officially a must-own in mixed leagues.

Henderson entered a 5-5 game in the bottom of the ninth and struck out all three batters he faced. But he imploded in the 10th. After allowing a leadoff single to Jose Altuve, Henderson then walked the next two hitters to load the bases before allowing a game-winning RBI single to Scott Moore. With as bad as the Brewers bullpen has been, it’s possible that Henderson will still be given a chance to succeed in the closer’s role. But he certainly won’t have a long leash now.

Henderson also struck out a batter. John Axford hurled 29 pitches on Tuesday and Francisco Rodriguez tossed 24. While those veteran relievers have struggled this year and Henderson is enjoying a minor breakout, Henderson should be looked at as no better than a third option for saves in Milwaukee’s bullpen at the moment. The Canadian right-hander posted a stellar 1.69 ERA and 56/22 K/BB ratio in 48 innings earlier this season at the Triple-A level and now has a 1.50 ERA over seven appearances for the Brewers.