Brad Keller and Andrew Kittredge form a Cubs late-inning committee after Palencia hits the IL, creating a two-headed path to saves with fireman duties sprinkled in. Dennis Santana remains the Pirates’ closer, and JoJo Romero with Riley O’Brien share Cardinals late-inning leverage, offering mixed saves and holds as playoff rosters tighten. Ranger arms Shawn Armstrong and Phil Maton are splitting saves, with Trevor Megill’s looming return for Milwaukee reshaping the back end. In deeper leagues, Arizona’s bullpen shows leverage ladder activity behind Woodford, Saalfrank, and Thompson.

Dodgers drop a 9-7 decision in Pittsburgh as the Pirates capitalize on eight walks and two big first- and sixth-inning rallies. Clayton Kershaw weathered a four-run first but then shut down Pittsburgh for five innings, while LA’s offense, boosted by Shohei Ohtani and Andy Pages homers, couldn’t string rallies together. Edgardo Henríquez struggled in relief, and Dennis Santana closed out the ninth for the Pirates. Ohtani is set to debut at PNC Park against Braxton Ashcraft in the next meeting.

The Cardinals walked off for a 7-6 win in Busch Stadium after Alec Burleson lined a 1-1 slider over center off Dennis Santana, snapping a Pirates rally in the ninth. Earlier, Spencer Horwitz plated Ronny Simon with a first-inning groundout, and Nathan Church added a second-inning sac fly to pull the Cardinals level. For fantasy players, Burleson’s late power injects upside in deeper formats, while Santana’s hiccup could tilt bullpen roles going forward.

Week 22 fantasy closer updates center on clear saves and opportunistic pickups. Dennis Santana locksthe Pirates’ ninth inning, turning in two saves and shrugging off a midseason stumble as his job looks safe for fantasy purposes. Jose A. Ferrer stepped in for Washington with three saves in four appearances, signaling a likely closer-by-committee trend at the Nationals down the stretch. Randy Rodriguez still carries upside in San Francisco, showing the ceiling for saves when the Giants can run his arc. Victor Vodnik has grabbed two saves in Colorado, offering a viable late-inning option in the Rockies bullpen.

Deeper-league intrigue runs through Reid Detmers in Los Angeles, JoJo Romero in St. Louis (alongside Riley O’Brien sharing ninth-inning duties), and Calvin Faucher in Miami as Anthony Bender’s season-ending tibia injury clears room for late-inning opportunities. Raisel Iglesias posted five saves on the week, a reminder that the closer role can swing fast. Hunter Gaddis and Tanner Scott emerge as hot-handed back-end options, while bullpen dynamics in Texas and Arizona intensify as teams chase late wins and playoff positioning.