Baseball’s back, and so is Huston Street

July 18, 2015

Los Angeles Angels — After a Friday workout that included agility drills, a full warmup, and 14 pitches at game speed, Huston Street announced that he would be available to pitch on Saturday.

Hierarchy remains: Street | Smith | Gott.

Washington Nationals — A “barking” shoulder has landed new father David Carpenter on the disabled list, but Aaron Barrett, who returned from injury right before the break, should resume the primary seventh inning role for the Nats.

Updated hierarchy: Storen | Janssen | Barrett.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Kevin Siegrist, St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal was held out of the All-Star game due to overwork, and his first appearance of the second half required 39 pitches.
2, Bruce Rondon, Detroit Tigers — Joakim Soria threw 29 pitches on Friday.
3. Daniel Hudson/Oliver Perez, Arizona Diamondbacks — Brad Ziegler pitched two innings (26 pitches) in last night’s extra-inning game, and Hudson threw 27 pitches himself.

Jenrry Mejia returns from his PED suspension

July 7, 2015

Atlanta Braves — After a string of bad outings that culminated in an extra-inning disaster on Sunday against the Phillies, Nick Masset has been sent packing for Triple-A. Luis Avilan, who sports a sub-3.00 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 10 holds, enters the hierarchy to replace Masset.

Updated hierarchy: Grilli | Johnson | Avilan.

New York Mets — Jenrry Mejia returns from his 80-game Stanozolol suspension today; although he won’t challenge Jeurys Familia for the closer role, he should get his share of later-inning work.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Parnell | Mejia.

Washington Nationals — After the birth of his first child on Monday, David Carpenter will be out a few days on paternity leave. Matt Thornton and Blake Treinen could see increased usage in his absence.

Updated hierarchy: Storen | Janssen | Thornton.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Jim Johnson, Atlanta Braves — The last time Jason Grilli threw in back-to-back games, Jim Johnson got the next save opportunity.

Jeurys Familia will be out for the next few games

June 20, 2015

New York Mets — Jeurys Familia entered Friday night’s game with the team behind in the eighth, and exited with an apparent injury. After the game, Terry Collins called it a cramp, but Familia said it was “left groin tightness” that might keep him out for the next few days.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

New York Yankees — Since Chris Martin returned from the disabled list eight days back, he’s been hit hard, yielding five runs and eight hits in three appearances. As a result, the Yankees announced today that they and the big righthander will consciously uncouple, with New York moving on to young Brian Mitchell, and Martin riding the rails to Scranton to try his luck with the IronPigs of Lehigh Valley. Nobody said it was easy. But no one ever said it would be this hard.

Updated hierarchy: Betances | Wilson | Shreve.

Arizona Diamondbacks — Although Addison Reed has been fairly effective since being demoted, Chip Hale continues to use Daniel Hudson as his number two reliever.

Updated hierarchy: Ziegler | Hudson | Reed.

Toronto Blue Jays — Steve Delabar threw only three strikes on Friday, but they were enough to get the Blue Jays out of the eighth inning on their way to victory. Hitters have a paltry .100 average against Delabar, who has allowed only two earned runs in 15 appearances.

Hierarchy remains: Cecil | Osuna | Delabar.

Washington Nationals — Former Yankee David Carpenter has paid immediate dividends in the Nationals bullpen, giving the team four straight scoreless appearances — the most recent in the eighth inning ahead of Drew Storen on Friday night. The Nats, who became familiar with Carpenter during his successful tenure with their NL East foes in Atlanta, hope that he can regain some of his former glory.

Updated hierarchy: Storen | Janssen | Carpenter.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Bobby Parnell, New York Mets — Familia could be unavailable for at least the rest of the weekend.
2. Kevin Jepsen/Jake McGee, Tampa Bay Rays — You know the routine with these guys. Brad Boxberger has the last two saves, so it’s time to share the wealth.
3. Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays — Brett Cecil needed 32 pitches to get through Friday’s save.
4. Fernando Rodney, Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith is still in a committee.

Bobby Parnell returns; Jonathan Papelbon trade rumors heat up

June 12, 2015

Tampa Bay Rays — It was a bad seventh inning for the Rays bullpen Thursday night. Up 2-1, manager Kevin Cash went with Kevin Jepsen, who allowed the tying run before getting yanked. Brad Boxberger came into the game with men on first and third with one out and the 1-2-3 hitters due up for the Angels — arguably the highest leverage spot in the game, which is how Kevin Cash has said he’d handle Boxberger’s use in the past. Boxberger allowed an RBI groundout and an RBI double, allowing two inherited runs to score before he was pulled. Jepsen and Boxberger each recorded only one out, and the Rays went on to lose 6-2. With Boxberger’s recent ineffectiveness (6.1 IP, 5 ER since May 26) and his use in non-save situations, we’re going to slap the closer-by-committee tag back on Tampa for the time being.

Updated hierarchy: *Boxberger | McGee | Jepsen.

Chicago Cubs — Speaking of committees, manager Joe Maddon has employed one lately. Thursday night it was Hector Rondon’s turn again, as the righty picked up his 11th save. Pedro Strop pitched the eighth inning and Jason Motte was seen warming up and was ready to go if Rondon faltered in any way. Also of note, Maddon said newly signed reliever Rafael Soriano won’t get called up until after the All-Star break.

Hierarchy remains: *Rondon | Strop | Motte.

New York Mets — 14 months removed from Tommy John surgery, Bobby Parnell is finally back in the big leagues, albeit with diminished velocity. Parnell had been rehabbing for 30 days in the minors and, as a player with five years of major league experience, he had the right to veto an extended stay there. The Mets apparently didn’t ask him to stay on the farm, where he was torched for an 11.57 ERA in 14 innings between A and AA — an outcome he claims was the result of focusing on perfecting individual pitches during his outings. He’ll have to prove he can recapture his old form before he gets many high-leverage looks for the big club.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | C.Torres | Robles.

New York Yankees — Everything’s Not Lost in the Yankees bullpen after all with the Thursday return of righty Chris Martin. Martin had been sent to Triple-A late last month after his DL return so he could get “back on a roll,” according to manager Joe Girardi. Martin has one save and a 3.55 ERA in 12.2 innings for the Yankees this season.

Updated hierarchy: Betances | Shreve | Martin.

Philadelphia Phillies — You may notice a few dozen pickups of setup man Ken Giles on your preferred fantasy platform. That’s because the Phillies are ramping up trade discussions involving closer Jonathan Papelbon. Papelbon is due to make $8 million more this season, with a $13 million option for 2016 that will vest if he finishes 26 more games this year. The Phillies are reportedly calling contenders to let them know the team will eat some of Papelbon’s salary for this season and next in order to get a better return. The Blue Jays and Cubs reportedly have talked to the Phillies this month, with the Mariners, Rays, and Marlins possibly interested as well.

Hierarchy remains: Papelbon | Giles | Garcia.

Washington Nationals — Aaron Barrett had a tough outing and was saddled with the loss. Pitching in a tie game in the seventh inning, Barrett gave up a home run and threw a wild pitch before being pulled from the game during an at-bat with an apparent injury. After the game, manager Matt Williams said Barrett was “uncomfortable” on the mound and will need to be evaluated on Friday. We assume Barrett will be unavailable for at least the next game or two, so Blake Treinen moves into his role in the Nationals hierarchy. With Washington’s bullpen in disarray, the team also recently traded for Yankee washout David Carpenter.

Updated hierarchy: Storen | Janssen | Treinen.

Colorado Rockies — LaTroy Hawkins was activated from the disabled list and immediately pitched against the Marlins Thursday, allowing two hits and picking up a strikeout in a scoreless inning with the Rockies down six. Let’s see Hawkins get some work when the Rockies have the lead before we bring him back into the hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: Axford | Oberg | Brown.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Jake McGee, Tampa Bay Rays — Brad Boxberger has pitched in two straight games and has had a rough time of it the last few weeks. Look for McGee to get the next save opportunity if Boxberger (a) needs rest or (b) enters in a high-leverage spot earlier in the game.
2. Pedro Strop/Jason Motte, Chicago Cubs — Hector Rondon got the save chance Thursday night, but Motte was warming in the 9th just in case. The closer situation is still kind of murky, so keep an eye on Motte and Strop.
3. Jonathan Broxton, Milwaukee Brewers — Francisco Rodriguez has pitched in four of the last six games for the Brewers, who are suddenly winning games. If K-Rod needs a break Friday, look for Jonathan Broxton to get the opportunity.

Kenley Jansen mysteriously unavailable for Dodgers

June 4, 2015

Los Angeles Dodgers – Kenley Jansen was unavailable to shut down a two-run game in the 9th, and that proved to be costly as Adam Liberatore, Yimi Garcia, J.P. Howell and Chris Hatcher all combined to blow the lead and take the loss. Jansen refused to talk to media after the game, but a team spokesman said Jansen wasn’t feeling well, and manager Don Mattingly would only add that it came up during the game. Rick Sutcliffe, who was part of the broadcast team, even “sent prayers” to Jansen and the Dodgers. Jansen has a history of heart trouble, but it doesn’t appear to be the issue here and he may even be available Thursday. There’s certainly more to the story and hopefully Jansen or the team sheds more light on the subject Thursday. For now, Jansen remains a closer that will be closely monitored.

Hierarchy remains: Jansen | Hatcher | Garcia.

Tampa Bay Rays – Brad Boxberger was brought in with two outs in the 8th to protect a lead, which he did, but then blew the save in the 9th inning. He picked up the win after the Rays scored in the 10th, and Steven Geltz secured up his second save of the year with Jake McGee and Kevin Jepsen having already pitched. Boxberger has been excellent, despite a recent rough stretch, and his primary competition, Jake McGee, was used in the 7th inning last night, so his job is probably safe for now.

Hierarchy remains: Boxberger | McGee | Jepsen.

New York Yankees — David Carpenter was designated for assignment when the Yankees activated Masahiro Tanaka. Meanwhile, Chris Martin has begun a rehab assignment in AAA. Chasen Shreve moves into our hierarchy for now; he has been seeing more high-leverage situations, and seems to have the trust of Joe Girardi. However, an intriguing dark horse is Jacob Lindgren, a 22-year-old fireballer who was done nothing but strike out hitters since he turned professional. His four innings of work are too small to make the crowded Yankees hierarchy, but he has been electric in the early part of his career.

Updated hierarchy: Miller | Betances | Shreve.

Chicago Cubs – Travis Wood was brought in for the 6th inning with the Cubs down by three, and  he promptly gave up a run and was yanked after getting only one out. It seems that his 5.44 ERA has finally caught up to him, and that he won’t be seeing the late innings until he straightens himself out. Jason Motte has been excellent recently, putting together seven straight scoreless appearances, including two holds and a win.

Updated hierarchy: Rondon | Strop | Motte.

Arizona Diamondbacks – Brad Ziegler got another clear save chance last night, and converted, despite giving up a home run. Addison Reed pitched a clean 8th inning before him, but Ziegler continues to get the save opportunities. We’ll keep the asterisk for now, since Reed has pitched well ahead of Ziegler, but the committee seems to be fading in Arizona.

Hierarchy remains: *Ziegler | Reed | Hudson.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Addison Reed, Arizona Diamondbacks – Brad Ziegler has pitched in back-to-back games and you just never know with Chip Hale.
2. Chris Hatcher, Los Angeles Dodgers – If Kenley Jansen is still unavailable, Hatcher may get a chance.
3. Ken Giles, Philadelphia Phillies – Jonathan Papelbon has pitched three of the last four days.
4. Kevin Siegrist, St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal has thrown in three of the last four games.