Closing Time: Dropping Folty, adding Forsythe

I hung in with the White Sox and Dodgers for most of Wednesday night, shocked at the lack of strikeouts (especially with Yu Darvish and Carlos Rodon pitching). I suppose the main reason I stuck around was to see how the Dodgers would Houdini the ending. Par for 2017, I was not disappointed.

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Chicago had three separate leads during the night, and still had a 4-2 edge in the ninth before the hosts flipped the switch. Baseball’s biggest juggernaut ripped off four straight one-out hits, capped by Yasiel Puig’s clothesline double up the gap. Queue up I Love LA, and celebrate (or whatever it is you do) good times.

Logan Forsythe had a ringing double in the middle of the rally, part of a 3-2-2-1 night. He chipped in Wednesday as well; a run, a single, a sac fly. Remember, this is someone who hit 20 homers in 127 games last year with Tampa Bay; this year’s mess has mostly been about injury. Forsythe is healthy now and owned in just a quarter of Yahoo leagues. Perhaps there’s something here.

The Dodgers as a whole can start dreaming about history. They’re a ridiculous 85-34, 18.5 games clear of the Rockies, 19.5 in front of the Diamondbacks. They’re on pace to win 115.6 games. Those 2001 Mariners will be watching with interest. I know the October tournament is the big thing everyone cares about, but there’s something cool about chasing history, too.

• It’s hard to fault Mike Foltynewicz for a blowup at Colorado. That place is lethal for a pitcher, especially in the summer. But when you total the last four Folty starts, you see jagged edges: 16.1 IP, 27 H, 20 R, 10 BB, 20 K. His ERA has risen almost a full run; perhaps he’s wearing down. He’s at 127 innings for the year; he’s never gone last 150.1 as a pro.

Folty and I had some good times this year, but I’ve cut the cord. At least his next two starts look reasonable enough, home turns against Seattle and Colorado (at a normal elevation, thankfully). For the moment, the shiny toys on the wire look more interesting than a slumping pitcher.

• Just about all of your major Rockies had a role in the 17-2 beatdown. Trevor Story hit a couple of home runs. D.J. LeMahieu scored four times. Jonathan Lucroy had a 4-3-2-0 line, reading like a glorious misprint.

Not so fast, Carlos Gonzalez owner. Cargo logged an 0-for-4, one run, nothing else to offer. He’s down to .236/.303/.350 for the year.

Remember, name players always come around, except when they don’t. Is Cargo playing through an undisclosed injury? He’s been barely playable at Coors (.760 OPS) and dreadful everywhere else (two homers, nine RBIs, .550 OPS on the road). Even against right-handed pitching, it’s a paltry .242/.318/.366.

I’d like to know what’s wrong with Gonzalez, but at this point I merely have to assume something is wrong with Gonzalez. It’s the middle of August, gamers. Why is this guy still owned in 69 percent of Yahoo leagues? There’s nothing nice about that number; it’s just foolish.

• I was on vacation for a week, so I missed a few things, like Juan Pierre’s birthday. Let me make up for that, and offer belated wishes. Check out my favorite new Twitter follow. Satisfaction guaranteed.

• Just when we though the Cardinals closing situation was a set-and-forget story, we have to reopen the case. Trevor Rosenthal was ineffective in Wednesday’s ugly loss to Boston, and eventually removed from the game. He’s dealing with right-arm tightness and is out indefinitely.

Many fantasy owners will look back to Seung Hwah Oh, and maybe that’s where Mike Matheny will go, too. But Tyler Lyons is the reliever I’m particularly interested in. Lyons is sitting on a 2.84 ERA and 1.11 WHIP, with 46 strikeouts in 38 innings. Over the last month, he’s been especially nasty — no earned runs, a 0.47 WHIP, and 17 whiffs in 10.2 frames. If nothing else, he’s headed to a more critical, important role. And maybe he’ll wind up with the ninth inning.

Lyons awaits your call, unowned in 96 percent of Yahoo leagues. I’ve scooped up a few shares, myself. At minimum, I’m expecting ratio-smoothing appearances. And if the odd win or a few saves come along for the ride, that’s a bonus.