MLB creates sticky situation by cracking down on pitchers' grip tactics midseason
MLB is finally doing something about the doctoring of baseballs, and it has led to quite a mess, Ben Verlander writes.JUNE 26, 2021
SERGIO ROMO
With substance checks in full swing, pitchers league-wide are less than pleased - The Boston Globe It took just two days of substance checks for frustrations to boil over, with Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo among those annoyed with the orde...
JUNE 24, 2021 • BOSTONGLOBE.COM
Sergio Romo ready to strip for foreign substance checks Major League Baseball's latest decree that every pitcher is to be checked for foreign substances at some point in time with their outing, us...
JUNE 23, 2021 • WHITECLEATBEAT.COM
Perspective | Keep your pants on! MLB has time to get new rules under control, but must act now. Baseball jumped into this sticky situation. It needs to find a measured way to get out.
JUNE 23, 2021 • WASHINGTONPOST.COM
Sergio Romo Yanks His Pants Down During Umpire Inspection He wasn’t in the mood to get checked for sticky stuff.
JUNE 23, 2021 • SI.COM
A's Sergio Romo drops his pants, throws gear during umpire's substance inspection
Oakland Athletics reliever Sergio Romo was another pitcher who appeared to be upset over umpires checking him for grip-enhancing substances...JUNE 23, 2021 • FOXNEWS.COM
Athletics' Sergio Romo one-ups Max Scherzer, drops pants during substance check Sergio Romo is yet another pitcher that isn't a fan of MLB's new foreign substance checks.
JUNE 23, 2021 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM
Athletics' Sergio Romo pulls down pants during substance check Sergio Romo is yet another pitcher that isn't a fan of MLB's new foreign substance checks.
JUNE 23, 2021 • SPORTINGNEWS.COM
Sergio Romo dropped his pants mid-game when approached by umpire about sticky substance (Video) Sergio Romo dropped his pants mid-game when approached by umpire about sticky substance. On Tuesday Max Scherzer was not so happy to be chec...
JUNE 23, 2021 • FANSIDED.COM
Max Scherzer, Sergio Romo Melt Down During Foreign Substance Inspections Max Scherzer and Sergio Romo freaked out while being inspected for foreign substances.
JUNE 23, 2021 • THEBIGLEAD.COM
Athletics' Sergio Romo Basically Took Pants Off During Substance Check Oakland Athletics reliever Sergio Romo was the latest pitcher to get irked by MLB's newly enforced substance checks.
JUNE 23, 2021 • NESN.COM
Max Scherzer lets MLB world know exactly how he feels about substance checks
Max Scherzer was checked for sticky substances three times Tuesday, and he was none too pleased. Here's how the MLB world reacted.JUNE 23, 2021
Extends streak, grabs hold Romo secured his fifth hold in a win over the Angels on Monday, firing a scoreless third of an inning during which he allowed one hit and recorded a strikeout.
Impact Romo fired six of his seven pitches for strikes in yet another sharp performance, one that extended his scoreless-appearance streak to seven games and 5.1 innings -- a stretch in which he hasn't issued a walk. The veteran reliever's ERA is down to 5.66 after hitting 12.79 back on April 21, but he's allowed six hits in his last four appearances and his career-worst 1.55 WHIP remains cause for concern.
JUNE 15, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Marked improvement in recent weeks Romo has pitched to a 2.84 ERA and 1.03 WHIP while generating a 14:5 K:BB and three holds over the 12.2 innings covering his last 15 appearances.
Impact The veteran right-hander has lowered his season ERA well over six full runs from 12.79 to 6.16 during that stretch, which dates back to April 25. Additionally, three of the four earned runs he surrendered in the sample came in a May 23 outing against the Angels, underscoring how consistently effective he's been otherwise. The improvement was drastically needed after Romo, an offseason acquisition aimed at replacing the departed Joakim Soria, opened the season by allowing at least one earned run in five of his first seven trips to the mound.
JUNE 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
The sky is not falling with Sergio Romo It is easy to point the finger at Sergio Romo. The former All Star closer had been signed to fill a key spot in the Oakland A's bullpen, cap...
MAY 24, 2021 • WHITECLEATBEAT.COM
Gets third hold Romo secured his third hold in a win over the Twins on Sunday, firing 1.1 scoreless innings during which he issued a walk and recorded two strikeouts.
Impact Romo now has generated six scoreless outings in his last seven trips to the mound, a stretch during which he's posted two holds, a 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 11.6 K/9 across seven innings. The veteran reliever has been able to whittle his season ERA almost in half from 12.15 to 6.59 in the process, much more closely resembling the reliable late-inning asset he's proven to be the majority of his career.
MAY 17, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Adames, Brosseau hit HRs as Rays beat A's 4-3, avoid sweep
Willy Adames hit a three-run homer in the fifth, Mike Brosseau added a tiebreaking drive the following inning and the Tampa Bay Rays held off the Oakland Athletics 4-3 to avoid a s...MAY 9, 2021 • ASSOCIATED PRESS
Demonstrating improvement Romo, who fired a perfect ninth inning in a loss to the Orioles on Saturday, now has four straight scoreless appearances.
Impact The modest but encouraging stretch is noteworthy, considering the veteran reliever has lowered his ERA over four full runs (12.79 to 8.38) during that span. Romo opened the season and his Athletics tenure by giving up nine earned runs across his first seven trips to the mound, and manager Bob Melvin's decision to afford him some confidence-building low-leverage opportunities recently seems to be paying dividends.
MAY 2, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Struggles with consistency persist Romo, who fired a scoreless one-third of an inning in a loss to the Orioles on Sunday, had posted an 18.90 ERA over the 3.1 innings covering his previous four appearances.
Impact The veteran reliever's tenure in Oakland has been nothing short of disappointing thus far, with Romo managing only two scoreless appearances prior to recording the final out of the seventh inning Sunday. Romo has otherwise given up multiple earned runs on three occasions and a run apiece in two other appearances, leading to a 12.15 ERA and 2.25 WHIP across 6.2 innings. As those numbers imply, the 38-year-old is underperforming across the board, but particularly when it comes to missing bats -- Romo's middling 10.8 percent strikeout pales in comparison to the 26.3 percent figure he's averaged over the prior five seasons.
APRIL 26, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Oakland A’s get positive outing from Sergio Romo At the end of the day, it was just one out. However, for Sergio Romo and the Oakland A's, that could be much more. Romo was summoned from th...
APRIL 26, 2021 • WHITECLEATBEAT.COM
The top 35 Major League Baseball players over age 35
Ranking young players is easy. Jake Mintz does the real work, bringing us his 35 favorite over-35 MLB players, from Miggy to Max.APRIL 23, 2021
Gets first hold Romo fired a perfect eighth inning in a win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, recording one strikeout.
Impact Tasked with protecting a narrow 6-5 lead, Romo came through with a quick 11-pitch frame that served as a bridge to current closer Lou Trivino in the ninth. Romo is projected to remain in a setup role behind Trivino as Trevor Rosenthal undergoes an extended recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and Tuesday's effort was especially encouraging in that it was the first time in four trips to the mound Romo didn't give up a run.
APRIL 14, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Not settling in well Romo, who allowed two earned runs on one hit over two-thirds of an inning in a win over the Astros on Saturday, now has a 9.82 ERA across his first 3.2 innings of the season.
Impact Romo has now given up at least one hit in each of his four appearances and at least one run in three straight outings while posting a 2:3 K:BB thus far. Manager Bob Melvin had recently intimated Lou Trivino was the top candidate for save chances while Trevor Rosenthal recovers from recent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, and Romo's early body of work only serves to validate the decision to keep the veteran away from the highest-leverage situations for the time being.
APRIL 11, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Not primary candidate to close Romo doesn't appear to be a primary candidate for closing duties during the prolonged absence of Trevor Rosenthal (shoulder), Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.
Impact Instead, manager Bob Melvin mentioned Lou Trivino as a possible top option for ninth-inning duties in the wake of the news Rosenthal will miss multiple months after undergoing surgery. While Trivino has allowed one earned run over 5.2 innings across four appearances to start the season, Romo has given up a run in back-to-back outings and issued a walk in all three of his trips to the mound thus far. Although he apparently won't be the primary candidate for the job, Romo's 134 career saves and experience in high-leverage scenarios could well earn him occasional ninth-inning opportunities on days when Trivino or left-hander Jake Diekman is unavailable.
APRIL 9, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
Scoreless frame Friday Romo gave up one hit and one walk while recording zero strikeouts in a scoreless eighth inning Friday against the Astros.
Impact The A's were trailing 6-4 when Romo entered the game, so it wasn't the highest leverage moment. However, Jake Diekman gave up three runs (two earned) in the ninth inning, so this is still a very fluid closer situation with Trevor Rosenthal (shoulder) on the injured list.
APRIL 3, 2021 • ROTOWIRE
