Jim Henderson -- Henderson worked the eighth inning last night ahead of Francisco Rodriguez, which was to be expected given manager Ron Roenicke's stated intention to let K-Rod get his 300th save before handing the job back to Henderson. Last night marked K-Rod's 299th save, which brings Henderson just one save away from regaining his job.
Heath Bell -- Bell collected his 13th save of the season last night, although he allowed yet another home run in the appearance--his fourth in as many games. Bell's 10.1 K/9 matches what he was doing in his heyday (2009-2010), and it may not be a coincidence that he's using his fastball the same amount as he did back then (the last couple seasons he relied on it much less frequently). His 2.95 xFIP is his best since 2007, but the unsettling recent surface results will likely put him back into a setup role once J.J. Putz returns. Putz is set to begin a rehab assignment today, so Bell's time in the role could be running short.
D.J. LeMahieu -- With Josh Rutledge struggling badly since his recall, the Rockies trotted out a new-look batting order last night. The primary beneficiary was D.J. LeMahieu, who batted leadoff with Rutledge moved from the top-third to the bottom-third of the order. Granted, Dexter Fowler sat out, but it seems unlikely that Carlos Gonzalez will bat second regularly, as he did last night. More likely, if Rutledge is indeed out of the leadoff/two-spot picture, we'll see Fowler leading off most days with CarGo third and LeMahieu getting more reps in the one-two rotation.
Shaun Marcum -- A favorite sleeper of mine coming into the year, Shaun Marcum, continued to scuffle last night, allowing five runs in 4.2 innings. He struck out 6 batters, but he also walked 4. His peripherals are right in line with what he's always done--7.7 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 4.06 xFIP--but his ERA is a miserable 5.78. While I have faith in his ability to make a turnaround, he may not have many more chances to with Zack Wheeler's emergence. With Dillon Gee on a hot streak, unless the Mets go with a six-man rotation, it'll be Marcum or Jeremy Hefner as the odd man out, and Hefner's numbers are prettier.
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