Marlins manager Don Mattingly wasn't willing to firmly commit to Brad Ziegler as his closer after Wednesday's 3-2 loss to the Padres and suggested Barraclough would likely be first in line to save games if a change is made at the back of the bullpen, Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald reports. "You talk about leverage situations. Do you want your best guys pitching against the best part of the order? Or do you want [Barraclough] to pitching somewhere else?" Mattingly said, regarding his decision on how to deploy Barraclough going forward.
Ziegler retired only one of five batters he faced Wednesday to blow his first save in 10 chances this season, but the 38-year-old's 0-5 record and 7.83 ERA better illustrates how unreliable he has been in big spots this season. Despite righting the ship to some extent in the second half last season, Ziegler still finished with a 4.79 ERA and 1.55 WHIP in 47 innings, so the groundball specialist didn't enter the current campaign with much job security. In the aftermath of Ziegler's latest blowup, it appears the Marlins may finally be ready to consider other options in the ninth inning, with Barraclough and Drew Steckenrider both representing more dependable, higher-upside alternatives. Since Steckenrider endured a brief rough patch earlier in May, Barraclough likely has the inside edge on closing should Ziegler be pulled from the role. Barraclough has supplied a 1.48 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and has struck out 27 batters in 24.1 innings this season.