Jeurys Familia won’t be a Met much longer

July 21, 2018

New York Mets — Robert Gsellman picked up a two-inning save against the Yankees on Friday night, as Jeurys Familia was held out of the game because a trade was close to finalized. Oakland is the most likely landing spot for Familia if the two sides can complete the deal. While trade negotiations can always fall apart, this move seems imminent, and you should grab Gsellman right now if he is available. Don’t be surprised when an alert hits later today that Familia has been traded.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Gsellman | Swarzak.

Cleveland Indians — Terry Francona indicated that after the trade to acquire Brad Hand, Cleveland will still use Cody Allen as the primary closer, but that matchups will determine who gets the ball on any given night. During Friday’s game, Hand was brought on to protect a three-run lead with one out and one on in the 7th, and he did his best Andrew Miller impression by immediately allowing a homer. Hand got out of the inning and stuck around for a single out in the 8th before the other new acquisition, Adam Cimber, finished up the frame for his first hold with Cleveland. After Allen blew the save in the 9th, Zach McAllister was next for Cleveland and gave up three straight singles before recording three straight outs for a self-imposed Houdini. Eventually, Dan Otero pitched a perfect 11th for his first save of the year. Despite all the fireworks, we believe that Francona will stick with his plan of using Allen as the closer most of the time while Hand will be used in high-leverage spots whenever the matchups are best, which may include the 9th.

Hierarchy remains: Allen | Hand | Ramirez.

Atlanta Braves — A.J. Minter pitched a perfect 9th on Friday to pick up his fifth save of the year. Minter has the last three saves for the Braves, and is close to kicking the asterisk of the Atlanta committee. Dan Winkler has still been effective, but has mostly seen the 8th inning in recent weeks. The Braves have not announced a timeline for Arodys Vizcaino’s return, making Minter the best option for saves in the near future.

Hierarchy remains: *Minter | Winkler | Carle.
* = closer-by-committee

Miami Marlins — Kyle Barraclough was out due to illness, so the Marlins turned to Javy Guerra to start the 9th inning with a five-run lead. He got an out, but left the bases loaded for Drew Steckenrider, who gave up a bases-clearing triple followed by a sac fly to make it a one-run game. Adam Conley then came in and shut the door for his first career save. Barraclough may be unavailable tonight as well and has been mentioned as a potential trade target, but as you can see in our trade deadline article, it will take a high price to pull Barraclough from the Marlins.

Hierarchy remains: Barraclough | Steckenrider | Ziegler.

Colorado Rockies — Adam Ottavino got the last out of the 8th inning and stuck around for the 9th to record his third save of the year. Wade Davis was recovering from an illness and had been sent back to the hotel prior to the game. Bud Black did not indicate how serious the illness was, so we expect Davis to be day-to-day going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Ottavino | McGee.

Kansas City Royals – With a four-run lead going into the 9th, the Royals brought out Wily Peralta to finish the game. Peralta stuggled, loading the bases before giving up back-to-back RBI groundouts. He then gave way to Brandon Maurer, who walked in another run but got a flyout to end the game and earn his first save of the year. Peralta had looked like he was ready to take the closer’s role for good, but we’ll see how the Royals proceed after last night’s struggles.

Hierarchy remains: *Peralta | McCarthy | Maurer.
* = closer-by-committee

Toronto Blue Jays – Tyler Clippard blew another save last night, giving up three runs thanks to two homers in the 9th. Ryan Tepera struck out the only batter he faced to get out of the inning with the score tied, and the Blue Jays won in extra innings. This is Clippard’s second straight blown save and and sixth of the year. With Seung Hwan Oh and Tepera both pitching well, it is hard to see how Clippard gets another save opportunity. However, we’ve said that in the past and he was still out there last night.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Tepera | Clippard.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Robert Gsellman/Anthony Swarzak — Jeurys Familia should be traded today, and Gsellman threw 44 pitches last night.
2. Drew Steckenrider — Kyle Barraclough is still recovering from an illness and may need another day off.
3. Adam Ottavino/Jake McGee — The same is true of Wade Davis. Ottavino threw 27 pitches last night, so he may get a breather as well.

Sunday:
1. Brad Hand — Cody Allen threw 28 pitches last night so another long outing could mean he gets Sunday off.

Luis Garcia gets save for Phillies while Brad Ziegler keeps giving up runs

May 27, 2018

Philadelphia Phillies – Seranthony Dominguez continued his scoreless streak and also recorded his first win after the Phillies took the lead in the bottom of the eighth.  Who got the call for the save in the ninth?  Luis Garcia, of course.  Garcia pitched a scoreless inning to pick up his first save of the season.  The Phillies are in full committee mode and have a number of options to close out games.

Hierarchy remains: *Neris | Ramos | Dominguez.
* = closer-by-committee

Miami Marlins – The Marlins called on their closer Brad Ziegler to pitch the ninth inning of a tie game, and it didn’t go well.  Ziegler took the loss, giving up three runs while only recording two outs.  Ziegler’s ERA is now 7.54, but he is also 9 for 9 in save chances.  It’s pretty hard for a closer to lose his job without blowing a save, but Ziegler has to be on the edge.

Hierarchy remains: Ziegler | Barraclough | Steckenrider. 

Cincinnati Reds — Jared Hughes got his second straight save chance since Raisel Iglesias got hurt, and although he made it very interesting by loading the bases with no outs, he was able to convert.  Hughes should continue to be the primary closer while Iglesias is out, but he has pitched in five of the past seven games and may need some rest.  David Hernandez got the eighth inning hold ahead of Hughes yesterday and could be an option, along with left Amir Garrett, if Hughes is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Hughes | Garrett | Hernandez.

Oakland A’s — The A’s placed Santiago Casilla on the DL with a sore right shoulder.  The A’s are hopeful Casilla doesn’t miss much time, but Lou Trivino and Yusmeiro Petit should fill in while he is out.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Trivino | Petit.

Cleveland Indians — Andrew Miller has returned to the DL, and has no timetable for return.  The Indians bullpen has really struggled this year, but Dan Otero got the job done on Saturday night by getting the last two outs of the eighth.  The Indians will likely continue to use the veteran righty in a late-inning role.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Otero | Olson.

New York Mets — The struggles continued for AJ Ramos on Saturday.  He entered the game in the fifth inning with the Mets down just one, but he gave up three runs and could not even finish the inning.  It’s hard to imagine the Mets using Ramos in any meaningful innings anytime soon.  Look for Seth Lugo to take his place in the 7th and 8th inning.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Gsellman | Lugo.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Matt Barnes – Both Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly have pitched in two straight and four of five.
2. Amir Garrett/David Hernandez – Jared Hughes has pitched in five of the last seven games.
3. Alex Colome – Edwin Diaz has appeared in two straight and four of the past five.
4. Dan Otero/Tyler Olson – Cody Allen has gone in back-to-back games and three of four.
5. Brandon Kintzler – Sean Doolittle has gone in two straight, including a five out save on Thursday.

Monday
1. Tony Watson – If Hunter Strickland pitches on Sunday, it will be three straight.
2. Robert Gsellman – The Mets play a doubleheader on Monday so Gsellman could get a shot if the Mets have save opportunities in both games, especially if Familia pitches on Sunday.
3. AJ Minter – The Braves are the other team in the doubleheader so Minter could see a save chance for the same reason listed above.

It’s committee time again in Atlanta

May 16, 2018

Atlanta Braves – Arodys Vizcaino allowed two runs in Tuesday’s ninth inning to blow a 2-1 lead for the Braves. After the game, Brian Snitker said that he has a few options for the ninth inning if he wants to keep everyone healthy and fresh. Vizcaino is still the favorite for saves, but with Snitker once again hinting at using AJ Minter or Dan Winkler in the ninth inning, we’re bringing back the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Vizcaino | Minter | Winkler.
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Angels – With two lefties leading off the eighth inning, Mike Scioscia called on Jose Alvarez to protect a 3-1 lead. Alvarez quickly loaded the bases for right-handed Jose Altuve. Instead of going to Cam Bedrosian, who was warming up, Scioscia stuck with Alvarez and Altuve cleared the bases with a double. After the game, Scioscia chalked it up to the Astros doing a good job in the batter’s box, and thought that Alvarez has good stuff against both lefties and righties. The other thing to note is that Jim Johnson pitched the ninth, and that was likely the plan if the Angels kept their lead as well. What is clear is that the path to the ninth inning is still full of intrigue, and that won’t be changing any time soon.

Hierarchy remains: *Anderson | Johnson | Bedrosian.
* = closer-by-committee

Cleveland Indians — Andrew Miller has not been great in his three appearances since returning from the DL. On Tuesday, he combined with Dan Otero to give up five runs and blow an 8-4 lead in the seventh inning. The Cleveland bullpen is a mess right now, but the club has no plans in the near future to fix that problem via trade. Cleveland will surely be in the market for another reliever at the trade deadline in July, but until then, it will have to hope that Miller regains his All-Star form and that he and his bullpen mates don’t get too overworked in the process.

Hierarchy remains: Allen | Miller | Olson.

Seattle Mariners – Lefty James Pazos continued his strong 2018 on Tuesday with 13th straight scoreless outing, lowering his ERA to 1.13. He’s pitched the seventh inning in each of the last two games and is someone who should continue to get high-leverage opportunities. Pazos has 16 strikeouts and just one walk through 16 IP this year, and he has allowed just five hits over his last 13 appearances. The one person who should be worried is Juan Nicasio, who has been dreadful lately.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Nicasio | Vincent.

Detroit Tigers – Yesterday we listed Buck Farmer on our Vulture Save Watch. While he didn’t end up getting the save chance, he did play an important role in the Tigers’ 9-8 win. Ron Gardenhire made sure Farmer was warming up in the eighth as a ploy to make Cleveland think a righty was available, when in reality, the inning belong solely to lefty Daniel Stumpf. Chalk one up for the Vulture Decoy Watch!

Hierarchy remains: Greene | Jimenez | Farmer. 

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Joe Jimenez – Shane Greene has pitched in four straight games. He’s probably earned a night off.
2. Santiago Casilla – Blake Treinen has pitched in two straight and four of five, though the A’s do have Thursday off.
3. Nick Vincent – Edwin Diaz has pitched each of the last two days while Juan Nicasio has gone in three of four. Vincent had Tuesday off and is the most rested arm of the group.

Tomorrow
1. Juan Nicasio/Nick Vincent – If Diaz pitches today, that will be three straight. Nicasio, Vincent or even James Pazos could get a look depending on Wednesday’s usage.

 

It’s not always sunny in Philadelphia for Hector Neris

May 12, 2018

Philadelphia Phillies — Tommy Hunter has been excellent since his return from the DL, picking up five holds while bridging the gap to Hector Neris, who has been less than excellent of late. Neris allowed three earned runs to blow yesterday’s save, and he has two blown saves in his last four outings to push his ERA to 5.17. After Friday’s disaster, Gabe Kapler remained confident that Neris would overcome these recent struggles and that he’d be willing to use Neris tonight if necessary. We’ll keep a close eye on this to see if Neris can keep his job or if a committee of Hunter and Luis Garcia will rule the late innings in Philadelphia.

Updated hierarchy: Neris | Hunter | Garcia.

Los Angeles Angels — After pitching the eighth inning last night, Justin Anderson remained out for the ninth with a chance to pick up the save with the Angels clinging to a 4-2 lead. He allowed a leadoff home run and a double before ceding the chance to Jim Johnson and not Keynan Middleton. Johnson gave up a single and a sac fly to complete the blown save. After the game, Mike Scioscia said that he felt that Anderson had enough to get through the ninth, and when that didn’t work, he liked the matchups with Johnson. Where was Keynan Middleton in all this? Presumably resting, as he threw 22 pitches in his return from the DL on Thursday. Scioscia also probably wanted to give Johnson a night off as well before being forced to use him. We still think Middleton will eventually get the ninth all to himself, but it’s clear Scioscia is monitoring his workload right now.

Updated hierarchy: *Middleton | Johnson | Anderson.
* = closer-by-committee

Cleveland Indians — As expected, Andrew Miller returned from the DL and was immediately thrown into the 7th inning of a one-run game. He walked the first batter he faced, struck out two in a row and then gave up the go-ahead home run to Salvador Perez. Getting Miller back is a boost to the struggling Indians bullpen, despite last night’s results. Meanwhile, Tyler Olson is headed to the paternity list, leaving Dan Otero, Evan Marshall or Zach McAllister to perhaps pick up a hold in Olson’s absence.

Updated Hierarchy: Allen | Miller | Olson.

Milwaukee Brewers — As we mentioned yesterday, Josh Hader was brought in to close out a one-run lead and  complete a Brewers comeback. Corey Knebel had pitched the last two days and Craig Counsell had said he was going to ease Knebel back to the ninth inning. We’ll see how Knebel gets used this weekend, but we expect him to be closing games sooner rather than later.

Hierarchy remains: Knebel | Hader | Jeffress.

Cincinnati Reds – Amir Garrett picked up a hold last night, pitching five clean outs ahead of Raisel Iglesias. Garrett has been more of a long reliever for the Reds and has been talked about as a starting pitcher for them, but this is his fourth hold on the season and he is the best arm in the Reds bullpen behind Iglesias. This is enough to bring him into the hierarchy, but be aware that he could become a spot starter at any time.

Updated hierarchy: Iglesias | Hughes | Garrett.

Baltimore Orioles — Brad Brach picked up the second straight save for this committee, pitching the last out of the eighth before returning for the ninth. Brach is definitely the leader of this committee and with a couple more strong showings he may win the job outright.

Hierarchy remains: *Brach | Givens | Bleier.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Tommy Hunter/Luis Garcia — Hector Neris may get a night off just based on usage. He’s pitched three of four and five of the last seven.
2. Jared Hughes — Raisel Iglesias has pitched each of the last three days and four times over the last five days.

Saturday:
1. Tommy Hunter/Luis Garcia — If Neris pitches Saturday and actually does well, he’ll still need a day off for sure on Sunday.
2. Kyle Barraclough/Drew Steckenreider – A third straight appearance for Brad Ziegler on Saturday should earn him an off day Sunday. If Barraclough also gets the ball on Saturday, that will be two straight outings for him.
3. Ryan Madson — Sean Doolittle will have pitched in three straight games if he goes on Saturday.

Does Ken Giles still have a puncher’s chance of keeping closer’s job?

May 4, 2018

Houston Astros — A save situation presented itself to Astros manager AJ Hinch on Thursday, but this time he used Will Harris with the team leading 5-3 over the Yankees. Harris did not deliver, loading the bases before departing. Brad Peacock then allowed a two-run single to tie the game and a fielder’s choice to give New York the lead and the win. Nowhere to be found was Ken Giles, who hasn’t been seen on a mound since he punched himself walking off of it. After the game, Hinch indicated he didn’t use Giles because he thought “Harris could get those guys out due to matchups.” Chris Devenski, who was well-rested, pitched a clean eighth but did not stay out for the ninth. For now, we’ll keep Giles atop this committee, with Devenski, who has been dynamite this year, lurking.

Hierarchy remains: *Giles | Devenski | Peacock.
* = closer-by-committee

Cleveland Indians – Andrew Miller could be activated from the disabled list this weekend, and good, because Cleveland’s bullpen (aside from Cody Allen) has had a rough go of it without him. After allowing a game-tying two-run shot in Game 1 of Thursday’s doubleheader and a single the following inning, Nick Goody left the game with elbow inflammation and was placed on the DL. As for who hands the ball to Allen while Miller is still out? Let’s give Dan Otero a shot to help Tyler Olson – who allowed a go-ahead grand slam Thursday – get the job done in the late innings. Zach McAllister and his 9.00 ERA may factor in as well.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Olson | Otero. 

Atlanta Braves — It turns out that Shane Carle is okay and will likely be available on Friday after suffering a finger/forearm “stinger” that seemed pretty ominous at the time.

Hierarchy remains: *Vizcaino | Minter | Carle.
* = closer-by-committee

Milwaukee Brewers — Corey Knebel is throwing for the Biloxi Shuckers these days as he continues to work his way back from injury. Pitching against the Jumbo Shrimp in a seafood battle for the ages on Thursday, Knebel tossed a scoreless inning. Milwaukee hasn’t missed a beat without Knebel – they have the second-best bullpen ERA in the big leagues. Josh Hader has been electric in Knebel’s stead and may not relinquish the closer’s gig right away — if at all — when Knebel returns.

Hierarchy remains: *Hader | Jeffress | Albers.
* = closer-by-committee

San Francisco Giants — Mark Melancon (forearm) is expected to throw a bullpen session this weekend, which is a positive step. He has been only throwing on flat ground during the rehab process. Meanwhile, Will Smith walked one and struck out two in his scoreless 2018 debut on Wednesday.

Hierarchy remains: Strickland | Watson | Dyson.

Tampa Bay Rays – Welcome back to the major leagues, Jonny Venters! He hasn’t pitched since the 2012 playoffs, when Hall of Famer Chipper Jones was still active. Venters, now 33, underwent an incredible 3.5 Tommy John surgeries to get to this point, and the lefty specialist has allowed just one hit in 2.1 innings since his call-up.

Hierarchy remains: Colome | Romo | Alvarado.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Nick Vincent — Closer Edwin Diaz and setup man Juan Nicasio have each worked in three straight and four of five.
2. Josh Fields — Kenley Jansen has pitched in three straight games.

Friday:
1. Brad Keller — A Friday appearance would be Kelvin Herrera’s third in four days.
2. David Robertson — Aroldis Chapman has pitched in two of three and three of five. He can go Friday, but that would likely mean a day off on Saturday.
3. Ryan Tepera — Entering today’s game, Roberto Osuna has pitched in three of the last four days, but with a relatively light workload (34 pitches). Tepera could spell him Saturday if need be.