May 30, 2013
Atlanta Braves – Jordan Walden returned from the DL to pitch a scoreless inning on Wednesday. Though Cory Gearrin and Luis Avilan have pitched well in their roles as the 8th inning triage team, Walden’s experience would have to throw him into immediate consideration for saves should anything happen to Craig Kimbrel. Hierarchy change: Jordan Walden to 2nd in line, replacing Luis Avilan.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| ATL | Craig Kimbrel | Cory Gearrin | Jordan Walden | Craig Kimbrel | 5/30/13 | |||||
| Eric O’Flaherty (DL) |
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Chicago Cubs – Reports emerged yesterday that Kyuji Fujikawa will undergo Tommy John surgery. He can safely be dropped in any non-keeper league. No hierarchy change.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| CHC | Kevin Gregg | Carlos Marmol | James Russell | Kevin Gregg | 5/30/13 |
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Toronto Blue Jays – With many of their top relievers injured, the Blue Jays on Wednesday called up their AAA closer, Neil Wagner, and immediately thrust him in to a big spot. Wagner, 29, a hard-throwing righty, pitched the 7th and 8th innings in a 3-run game before giving way to Casey Janssen. He allowed only one hit and struck out two. Wagner’s stats in AAA are very impressive (20.1 IP, 0.89 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, 13 saves, and 32 Ks/8 BBs), and the lack of (healthy) closing experience in the Toronto bullpen puts him immediately in the conversation if Janssen’s recent shoulder complaints turn into something real. Hierarchy change: Neil Wagner to 2nd in line, replacing Brett Cecil.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| TOR | Casey Janssen | Steve Delabar | Neil Wagner | Sergio Santos | 5/30/13 | |||||
| Sergio Santos (DL) | Darren Oliver (DL) |
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VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Trevor Rosenthal, St. Louis Cardinals – Edward Mujica has pitched in four straight.
2. Joel Peralta, Tampa Bay Rays – Fernando Rodney has pitched in three straight and four of five.
3. Sean Doolittle/Ryan Cook, Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour has pitched in three straight. Sean Doolittle has gotten the 8th lately, but he’s pitched 4.1 innings over the past four days, and might be rested tonight as well, meaning a possible save opp for Ryan Cook.
4. Jared Burton, Minnesota Twins – Glen Perkins has pitched in three straight.
5. Hector Ambriz, Houston Astros – Jose Veras has pitched in three straight.
