Fairbanks Is Done for Now, and the Closer Depth Behind Him Is Thin

Pete Fairbanks left Monday's loss feeling numbness in his throwing arm and was placed on the 15-day IL with nerve irritation. He signed a one-year deal to be Miami's late-inning answer, and for stretches this season he was exactly that. Now he's not available, and the depth chart behind him is Calvin Faucher and Lake Bachar — neither of whom has logged meaningful innings in this role.

The timing is bad in a specific way. The rotation has actually been better lately, allowing around three runs a game over the last 10, down noticeably from the prior stretch. That improvement should translate to more save opportunities, more close games in the seventh and eighth that need to be managed carefully. Instead, the bullpen is being asked to do more with less. John King, who figures into the bridge innings, has been getting hit hard recently — his ERA over his last five appearances has ballooned well above his season mark — which makes Fairbanks' absence land harder than it would on a healthier staff.

Miami is five back of the last wild card with 31 games left. The margin is narrow enough that the math still works, but it requires things to go right. Right now, the things going wrong keep multiplying: Meyer out, four arms on the 60-day IL, Hicks traded away at the deadline, and now the closer. The rotation is holding. The bullpen is the part that needs watching over the next two weeks.