B.J. Ryan hasn't had a good first week, and that's an understatement. He's now appeared in two games and looked pretty awful. In his first outing, he blew a save by allowing a game-tying Brandon Inge home run. His second time out should have been a nice, leisurely way to get himself on track. He had been spotted a four run lead, thanks to Roy Halladay and the Jays' bats. Plus, he was facing the bottom of the scuffling Indians' batting order. Ryan walked three hitters and allowed a single. He also mixed in a double-play ball, so Mark DeRosa came to the plate with the bases jacked and 2 outs. DeRosa doubled in three, cutting the Blue Jays lead to 5-4. Ryan was promptly removed from the game.
Jason Frasor replaced Ryan and was able to strike Victor Martinez out. Disaster averted for the Jays, but not Ryan. Cito Gaston had already hinted before the season that Scott Downs had a chance to compete with Ryan for closing duties.
All Downs has done so far this season is work three spotless outings, all resulting in holds. He's thrown 2 1/3 innings and only allowed 1 hit. He hasn't given up a walk or run, but has struck out 4. This isn't a fluke, either. Downs had a 2.17 ERA in 2007 and lowered it even further to 1.78 last season.
While Gaston may not make an official or permanent change any time soon, there is reason to anticipate some save chances floating Downs' way in the very near future. Go grab him in larger leagues -- before Gaston has the chance to make a real decision -- where you need save help. He's not going to hurt you in ERA and WHIP, either.
If you have Ryan, it's not necessarily time to dump him outright, but you better have other options in mind. This hasn't been an encouraging start to the season, especially considering his team is 5-1.
