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Romero leads all of baseball with 20 holds this season.
While the left-handed reliever has been valuable for leagues that have holds as a category, he's trended in the wrong direction since the beginning of June in yielding eight runs over 10.1 innings. Romero is the only trusted lefty reliever the Cardinals have, so he should continue to stay busy, though the impending free agent will be a trade candidate this month.
Romero was charged with a blown save after allowing a hit and striking out one over one inning during a 2-1 loss to Milwaukee on Wednesday. He allowed two inherited runners to score.
Starter Dustin May fired seven no-hit frames before giving up two hits to open the eighth, and Romero was called upon to escape the jam. The left-hander nearly did so unscathed, inducing a fielder's choice grounder and recording strikeout before a single and an error brought home two runs for Milwaukee. Despite the blown save, Romero has been cruising through his last 10 appearances, tallying six holds and allowing just one earned run while striking out 12 through 10.2 innings.
Romero took the loss in Sunday's game against the Mariners, serving up tiebreaking solo home run in the top of the ninth inning.
Romero initially had Rob Refsnyder struck out on a called strike three, but Refsnyder successfully had the call overturned and then proceeded to club his second home run of the season. After being unscored upon in his first 10 appearances of the season, Romero has yielded a total of six runs over 2.1 frames covering his last three outings. The left-hander has notched seven holds this season and will remain the Cardinals' primary left-handed setup man, despite the recent rough stretch.
Romero struck out one in a perfect inning to record his first hold of the season in Saturday's extra-inning victory over Tampa Bay.
The left-handed Romero was summoned in the eighth inning with a two-run lead and two lefty bats due up, but he wound up facing three righties after the Rays used a pair of pinch hitters. He needed 17 pitches to dispose of the Rays in order. Ryne Stanek has been used for both save chances for the Cardinals but has blown one opportunity and allowed six runners to reach base. Romero will continue to be used in high-leverage situations and get some save chances when the opposition has left-handed hitters due up, though the latter type of outings could be few and far between.
Romero is expected to be among the relievers in the mix to close games for the Cardinals this season, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.
Manager Oliver Marmol appears willing to let the team's closer situation "solve itself" rather than naming a go-to ninth-inning man before the season. Romero shared the closer job with Riley O'Brien down the stretch last season after Ryan Helsley was traded, and he finished with a 2.07 ERA and 55:29 K:BB over 61 innings. Goold writes of Romero that the Cardinals "still could trade the lefty for the right return," but the chances of a trade are significantly lower now than they were earlier in the offseason. In addition to Romero and O'Brien, Matt Svanson and Ryne Stanek are expected to receive consideration for closing duties.
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