Johnson struck out two in a perfect seventh inning Thursday to record his 10th hold of the season in a win over the Cardinals.
The former Rockies closer has been very effective in a setup role for Atlanta, posting a 2.12 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 23:4 K:BB through 17 innings with a win and six holds in 18 appearances. The NL East leaders have a deep bullpen, and Johnson would likely be behind A.J. Minter, Kirby Yates and others in the pecking order for saves should anything happen to Raisel Iglesias, but he's still producing deep-league fantasy value in his current role.
Atlanta acquired Johnson from the Rockies on Monday in exchange for Victor Vodnik and Tanner Gordon, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.
Johnson has offered a mixed bag for the Rockies this season, posting a 6.00 ERA and 1.85 WHIP but also striking out 58 batters across 39 relief innings. The 32-year-old boasts an 11.3 K/9 rate for his career, and clearly Atlanta wanted some of that swing-and-miss ability for their bullpen. Johnson should operate as part of the bridge to closer Raisel Iglesias.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Surrenders game-deciding homer
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Johnson (1-4) allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits to take the loss Saturday against the Tigers.
Johnson entered the game in the 10th inning with the score tied at 2-2. However, he served up a single and home run to the first two batters he faced. That snapped a five-appearance scoreless streak for Johnson, during which he maintained an impressive 9:2 K:BB across five frames. Justin Lawrence is seemingly the team's primary closer, though Johnson tallied a save Friday against the Tigers and could continue to see chances moving forward.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Picks up save
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Johnson allowed a hit and struck out one without walking a batter in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 8-5 win over the Tigers.
Johnson had yielded the bulk of recent save opportunities to Justin Lawrence, but the latter hasn't pitched since Wednesday. This was Johnson's fifth consecutive scoreless outing, and it earned him his first save since June 13. The right-hander has a 6.00 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 49:20 K:BB with 13 saves and two holds through 33 innings this season, but Johnson will likely remain in the late-inning mix despite his shaky numbers after being the closer for the first two months of the season.
Johnson struck out one while recording the final two outs of the 10th inning Tuesday to pick up his 12th save of the season in a 7-6 win over the Red Sox.
The right-hander was removed from the closer role last week after posting a brutal 18.00 ERA over six appearances in late May and early June, but with Jake Bird, Justin Lawrence and even Daniel Bard all having gotten the call in the first nine innings Tuesday, Johnson was the last man standing in the bullpen in the 10th and got the job done. None of the Rockies' other options for saves have been pitching particularly well lately -- Bird has a 7.20 ERA over his last eight appearances, while Lawrence has a 5.59 mark during his last eight -- so if Johnson can string together a few more effective performances, he could reclaim the job.
Rockies manager Bud Black announced Friday that Johnson has been removed from the closer role, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Johnson officially lost the job after blowing another save in brutal fashion Thursday afternoon against the Giants. He owns a wretched 7.50 ERA in 26 appearances (24 innings) this season, although most of that damage has come at Coors Field -- his road ERA is 2.89. Black named Justin Lawrence and Jake Bird as possible candidates to replace Johnson in the ninth-inning gig.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Closer role to be addressed
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Rockies manager Bud Black said after Thursday's 6-4 loss to the Giants that Johnson's status as the primary closer will be "addressed," Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Johnson was called into Thursday's game with the Rockies leading 4-3 in the top of the ninth inning and promptly gave up three earned runs on two hits and two walks while recording only two outs. He's blown two saves in the last week and his season ERA has risen to 7.50. Justin Lawrence, Jake Bird, Brent Suter and Brad Hand are among the other options at closer for Colorado. Daniel Bard could maybe even get another shot.
Johnson (0-2) blew the save and took the loss Thursday against the Diamondbacks. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
Johnson had the Diamondbacks down to their final strike before surrendering a double to Ketel Marte, followed by Corbin Carroll's walk-off base hit. It's Johnson's first blown save of the year despite his 6.85 ERA and 1.88 WHIP through 22.1 innings. While the 32-year-old righty has struggled, Daniel Bard has pitched to a 0.57 ERA. Johnson's grip on the closing job may be slipping.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Clean inning for save
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Johnson pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 10-7 win over the Mets.
Johnson melted down in a non-save situation in his last outing Thursday, but he responded well. He needed just six pitches (five strikes) to set down the Mets' 3-4-5 hitters. While pitching at Coors Field can lead to the occasional blow-up, Johnson has converted all 11 of his save chances this season. He's at a 6.23 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and 29:13 K:BB through 21.2 innings.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Blows four-run lead
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Johnson allowed four earned runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two across 0.2 innings Thursday against the Marlins.
Johnson entered the game in the top of the ninth inning with a four-run lead and served up a pair of two-run homers to blow the lead. He was ultimately bailed out by his offense in the bottom of the same frame, though the performance continued a shaky stretch for Johnson. Across his last 12 appearances, he's allowed at least one earned run on six occasions. On the other hand, he has tallied seven saves in that span and there is no sign that the Rockies are looking to move away from him as the closer at this point.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Allows run but secures save
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Johnson gave up a run on two hits and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Marlins.
Johnson gave up an RBI double to Jorge Soler, but he was able to protect the lead from there. While he doesn't have a dominant reputation, Johnson has converted all 10 of his save chances this season, including seven in his last nine appearances. He owns a 4.95 ERA, 1.70 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB through 20 innings this season.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Converts ninth save
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Johnson allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 5-3 win over the Marlins.
Johnson has converted six of his nine saves during May, though he's also allowed five runs over 8.2 innings this month. Monday marked his third straight scoreless outing. He has a 4.74 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 26:12 K:BB over 19 innings this season while working as the Rockies' primary closer.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Locks down eighth save
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Johnson picked up the save Wednesday against the Reds, striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.
Johnson relieved Riley Pint in the ninth inning, inheriting runners on second and third, coaxing a pop-out from Wil Myers before striking out Jose Barrero to end the game. Johnson is now 8-for-11 in save opportunities. He's managed to stave off Daniel Bard for the ninth-inning job despite a 5.29 ERA and 1.82 WHIP through 17 innings this season.
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Rockies' Pierce Johnson: Escapes with save
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Johnson allowed one run on two hits and a walk in one inning of work against the Reds on Monday. He earned a save but did not record a strikeout.
Johnson entered a 9-7 game in the ninth inning and flirted with danger. He gave up a two-out RBI single to Nick Senzel before closing out the one-run game with a pair of runners on base. Johnson has now converted all seven of his save opportunities despite a 5.51 ERA through 16.1 innings.
