Sean Doolittle and Arodys Vizcaino secure their closer jobs

August 5, 2017

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Our Donation Drive ends this weekend. As always, we are extremely grateful for your support!]

Washington Nationals — Sean Doolittle has emerged as the closer for the Nationals, having been used in that role every night he’s been available. Behind him, Brandon Kintzler pitched the seventh and Ryan Madson the eighth, his sixth straight scoreless appearance since he came to Washington. Dusty Baker says the team will “be nimble” with its bullpen roles and that the three main relievers might still appear in a different order, but we’re still going to drop Doolittle’s asterisk and swap the setup guys.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Madson | Kintzler.

Atlanta Braves — Arodys Vizcaino pitched a clean ninth inning to pick up his second straight save and, as promised, we’ll kick his asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: Vizcaino | Johnson | Brothers.

Detroit Tigers — With Shane Greene unavailable after pitching in three straight, it was Alex Wilson who faced the top of the order in the eighth before Bruce Rondon came on for his first save of the year. It was Rondon’s third straight scoreless appearance, although he benefited from a fortuitous bounce pass on a wild pitch. Rondon appears to be first in line for now, but he’s prone to disaster innings and could slip back quickly.

Updated hierarchy: Greene | Rondon | A. Wilson.

Toronto Blue Jays — The Blue Jays see Joe Biagini as a potential future starter, so they sent him down to Triple-A to get stretched out. Replacing Biagini in the bullpen will be Danny Barnes, back from a brief DL stint for a shoulder impingement.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Tepera | Barnes.

Los Angeles Angels — Cam Bedrosian’s ERA has tripled over the past month, and Mike Scioscia has suggested that his mechanics are still off as a result of his groin strain earlier this year. Blake Parker hasn’t allowed a run since July 8.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Parker | Bedrosian.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Archie Bradley — It’s been three in a row for Fernando Rodney.
2. Drew Storen — Both Raisel Iglesias (58) and Michael Lorenzen (64) have thrown a lot of pitches over the last three days.
3. Jake Petricka/Juan Minaya — Tyler Clippard has gone in two straight, including a two-inning, 27-pitch outing on Friday.
4. Anthony Swarzak — Corey Knebel has thrown two in a row (45 pitches) and three of four.

Sunday:
1. Jim Johnson/Rex Brothers — If Vizcaino pitches today, that’ll be two straight games and three of four.
2. Pat Neshek — Saturday would be three in a row for Greg Holland.
3. Blake Parker — And Bud Norris.

Amidst trade deadline chaos, Blake Treinen quietly taking over in Oakland

August 1, 2017

[EDITOR’S NOTE: We’re running our Donation Drive this week. As always, we are extremely grateful for your support!]

Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen picked up his first Oakland save last night, putting him firmly at the front of the team’s closer-by-committee. He’s allowed only one earned run and seven total baserunners (4 H, 3 BB) in 9.1 IP since joining the team, and is clearly the best reliever in the bullpen right now. If he converts his next opportunity, that might be enough for us to shed him of his asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Treinen | Casilla | Dull.
* = closer-by-committee

Texas Rangers – We thought Alex Claudio had seized control of the closer role in Texas, but last night he was summoned in a tie game in the 7th inning, which isn’t exactly the place you’d use your full-time closer. Claudio ended up pitching 2.2 innings and taking the loss after a balk-filled 9th. We’re slapping the committee tag back on here and will watch to see how Texas proceeds the next few days.

Updated hierarchy: *Claudio | Kela | Leclerc.

Cleveland Indians – Joe Smith is returning to the place where he enjoyed five years of success, as Cleveland reacquired him late Monday afternoon. Smith joins Bryan Shaw behind Cody Allen and Andrew Miller, giving the Indians an enviable group of late game relievers for their stretch run.

Hierarchy remains: Allen | Miller | Shaw.

Toronto Blue Jays – With Joe Smith gone, Roberto Osuna’s new handcuff is Ryan Tepera. Look for Joe Biagini to get a few more chances in the late innings as well.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Tepera | Biagini.

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers picked up Tony Watson and Tony Cingrani at the deadline, giving them plenty of flexibility in the late innings. Watson is the more likely of the two to get late inning work, though we won’t bump Pedro Baez or Brandon Morrow out of their hierarchy positions yet.

Hierarchy remains: Jansen | Baez | Morrow.

Cincinnati Reds – With Tony Cingrani gone, Drew Storen returns to the Cincinnati hierarchy. Storen hasn’t been great lately (4.82 ERA in July), but the Reds aren’t exactly swimming in late-inning options right now.

Updated hierarchy: Iglesias | Lorenzen | Storen.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Despite moving on from Tony Watson, the Pirates weren’t selling by any stretch, as they also moved to acquire Joaquin Benoit from the Phillies. Benoit will take over Watson’s 7th inning role.

Updated hierarchy: Rivero | Nicasio | Benoit.

Philadelphia Phillies – With Joaquin Benoit gone, the Phillies don’t really have any major league caliber relievers left other than Hector Neris and Luis Garcia, so we’ll take our best guess and give Jesen Therrien the 7th inning job for now. The righty has only been in the bigs for a few days, but he had 9 saves in the minors.

Updated hierarchy: Neris | Garcia | Therrien. 

Arizona Diamondbacks – Longtime fan favorite David Hernandez returned to the Diamondbacks on Monday, where he will likely serve as a late-inning option along with Archie Bradley. Hernandez has enjoyed a fine year with the Angels to this point, sporting a 2.23 ERA over 38 appearances.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Bradley | Hernandez.

Los Angeles Angels – David Hernandez is now a Diamondback, meaning in the rare instances that the rebuilding Angels have a lead, they’ll probably look to Blake Parker more often.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Bedrosian | Parker.

Milwaukee Brewers – In one of the more minor moves of the day, the Brewers reacquired Jeremy Jeffress prior to the trade deadline. Jeffress doesn’t figure to supplant Jacob Barnes as the primary set-up man, but he’ll join Anthony Swarzak in bridging the gap in the 6th and 7th innings.

Hierarchy remains: Knebel | Barnes | Swarzak.

Houston Astros – For a time, the Astros seemed like the leaders in the Zach Britton sweepstakes, but they ended up standing pat. They did, however, have to put Will Harris back on the DL before he’d even made an appearance in the big leagues, meaning we welcome Luke Gregerson back to the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Giles | Devenski | Gregerson.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies already made their bullpen-bolstering move, adding Pat Neshek a few days ago, and as it turned out, the move couldn’t have come at a better time, as Jake McGee felt his back tighten up over the weekend and will need a short DL stint. Lefty Mike Dunn has settled in as of late (only 1 ER in 10 July appearances) and might get some matchup-based looks in the 7th and 8th in McGee’s absence.

Updated hierarchy: Holland | Neshek | Dunn.

Minnesota Twins – The Twins shipped Brandon Kintzler off, leaving the cupboard pretty bare when it comes to 9th inning options. The team hasn’t said much, and beat writers don’t have a good guess, so we’ll make split our bets on veteran Matt Belisle and 26-year-old righty Trevor Hildenberger. Belisle has been pitching the best as of late, with 13 straight scoreless outings, but durability is an issue, while Hildenberger had a strong outing Sunday and averages more than a strikeout per inning. Taylor Rogers seemed the best option as recently as a week ago, but he’s been hit around as of late (his last five appearances: 3 IP, 9 ER) and is probably in third place at the moment; however, if the Twins do employ a full committee, he could get the 9th when a lefty-heavy part of the lineup is due.

Updated hierarchy: *Belisle | Hildenberger | Rogers.
* = closer-by-committee

Washington Nationals – Brandon Kintzler adds to a cadre of veterans the Nationals have assembled over the last few weeks. Sean Doolittle has done a great job so far — nabbing another save last night before Kintzler got to town — but GM Mike Rizzo wouldn’t name a full-time closer after the trade. We think Doolittle keeps the job and Kintzler is first in line for chances if the lefty falters, but will leave the committee tag on until things are certain.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Kintzler | Madson.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Mets – Addison Reed  is headed to the Red Sox in exchange for three minor leaguers. AJ Ramos takes over as closer for the Mets, while Jerry Blevins and Paul Sewald continue to be the team’s main source of holds.

Updated hierarchy: Ramos | Blevins | Sewald.

Boston Red Sox – Addison Reed fills a big need for the Red Sox, who have struggled to bridge the gap to Craig Kimbrel on several occasions this year (including their last game). Reed still retains a good deal of value in Holds leagues, as he’s likely to rack up 8th inning chances in Boston.

Updated hierarchy: Kimbrel | Reed | Barnes.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Brad Brach – Zach Britton, who is still an Oriole, has gone three straight.
2. Brandon Kintzler – Sean Doolittle has gone in back to back games and has yet to pitch in three straight all season.
3. Jesen Therrien – Hector Neris and Luis Garcia have gone three straight. Buy us a coke if we actually get this one right.

Tomorrow
1. Brandon Kintzler – See above. If Doolittle does go today, he’ll be off tomorrow.
2. Santiago Casilla – If Blake Treinen gets a save today, we’ll probably give him the full time job, but it’ll be three straight appearances.

Mike Minor becoming an intriguing trade target

June 20, 2017

Kansas City Royals – Mike Minor got into a bit of a mess in the 8th inning last night, allowing two hits and a walk before getting himself out of it with a big strikeout. It was the lefty’s 8th hold on the season, and it came against the Red Sox, a team that might be employing him by the end of July. If Minor is traded, then from a fantasy perspective, it’s unlikely that he’ll be very interesting for the remainder of 2017. But if he stays in Kansas City, there’s a good case to be made that he, and not Joakim Soria, should inherit the closer role from Kelvin Herrera, should Herrera be dealt. We’ll keep an eye on his usage going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Herrera | Soria | Minor.

Texas Rangers – Matt Bush’s recent struggles continued last night, as he blew the save and took the loss against the Blue Jays. In his past seven outings, Bush has allowed 7 runs (6 earned) in 6.1 IP, vaulting his ERA from 0.96 to 2.88, and you won’t find much sympathy for him on Twitter. Keone Kela (20 Ks in his last 12.2 IP) and Jose LeClerc (14 Ks in his last 6.1 IP) are lurking.

Updated hierarchy: Bush | Kela | LeClerc. 

Toronto Blue Jays – Joe Smith was placed on the disabled list yesterday. Set-up roles in the Blue Jays bullpen have been a bit nebulous all season, but with Smith on the shelf, our best guess for 8th inning duties is Ryan Tepera, with Danny Barnes spelling him when necessary.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Tepera | Barnes. 

Los Angeles Dodgers – For two months, Josh Fields toiled in obscurity, racking up strikeouts and posting awesome ratios while mostly pitching when the game wasn’t especially close. But maybe the Dodgers knew something we didn’t, as Fields started to unravel when he was given higher-leverage opportunities, and yesterday, the Dodgers sent him down so he could work out the issues. In a corresponding move, Sergio Romo returns to the bullpen, and will make his way on to the hierarchy if he can prove he’s effective again.

Updated hierarchy: Jansen | Baez | Avilan.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Keone Kela – Matt Bush has gone back to back games, including a 28-pitch blown save yesterday.
2. Drew Storen – Raisel Iglesias has gone back to back games and hasn’t gone three straight all year, while Michael Lorenzen is likely unavailable after pitching 2 innings yesterday, his second straight day of work.

Tomorrow
1. Ryan Tepera – If Roberto Osuna goes today, it’ll be three straight.
2. Nick Vincent – If Edwin Diaz goes today, it’ll be three straight.
3. Joakim Soria – If Kelvin Herrera goes today, it’ll be three straight.
4. Kyle Barraclough – If AJ Ramos goes today, it’ll be back to back and three of four with a high pitch count.
5. Keone Kela – See above. If Bush goes today, he’ll definitely be off tomorrow.
6. Michael Lorenzen/Drew Storen – See above and monitor usage for who will be available for the Reds tomorrow.

Michael Lorenzen pitching well in Cincinnati

May 23, 2017

Cincinnati Reds — Michael Lorenzen got the eighth inning ahead of Raisel Iglesias on Monday, and has allowed only one run in his last 12.1 IP. Drew Storen has been solid on the season as well, though less consistent in May (5 ER in 7 IP), and his last six appearances have come with the Reds either losing or tied. It’s possible he’s still Iglesias’s handcuff, given his prior closing experience but, for now, we’ll give the nod to Lorenzen.

Updated hierarchy: Iglesias | Lorenzen | Storen.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. David Hernandez — Bud Norris has gone in back-to-back games and threw 35 pitches yesterday.
2. Adam Warren — Dellin Betances and Tyler Clippard have both gone back-to-back; Joe Girardi tends to shy away from using relievers in three straight games before the All-Star Break.

Wednesday:
1. Arodys Vizcaino/Jose Ramirez — Jim Johnson, Vizcaino, and Ramirez all pitched yesterday and have gone in three of four. Anyone who goes tonight is likely out tomorrow; monitor the game to see who’ll be available.
2. Michael Lorenzen — If Raisel Iglesias goes today, it’ll be back-to-back and four of five.
3. Chris Devenski/Will Harris — If Ken Giles goes today, it’ll be three straight.

Carlos Torres picks up a vulture save for Milwaukee

May 20, 2017

Milwaukee Brewers — Corey Knebel got the night off after pitching in four of the last five games, but it was Carlos Torres who got the save opportunity over Jacob Barnes. Barnes has pitched the eighth in the last three games where all of the Milwaukee hierarchy has been available, so we still see him as Knebel’s main understudy. Both Barnes and Torres had pitched a lot recently going into last night’s game; Craig Counsell may have preferred to put the miles on the veteran.

Hierarchy remains: Knebel | Barnes | Torres.

Arizona Diamondbacks — With Arizona up 10, they handed the ball to Randall Delgado for the last three innings and he picked up a cheap save. You know the routine: send us proof ([email protected]) that you started him yesterday. The first person to respond gets free Closer Monkey Premium, and the next three get to sponsor an email!

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Bradley | Hoover.

Minnesota Twins — Taylor Rogers pitched a perfect ninth inning for the Twins, his sixth straight scoreless appearance. Rogers has 11 holds on the year, tied for second behind Adam Ottavino in all of baseball. His usage still suggests lefty specialist — he’s thrown only 53 pitches over his last eight appearances combined — but he could push Matt Belisle for vulture opportunities in what has been a very poor bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Kintzler | Belisle | Rogers.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Drew Storen — Raisel Iglesias threw 16 pitches last night and 31 on Wednesday. With Bryan Price reluctant to use relievers on back-to-back days, Storen may get any save opportunity today.
2. Joakim Soria — Kelvin Herrera has thrown 42 pitches over the last two days.
3. Trevor Rosenthal — Seung Hwan Oh has thrown 56 pitches over three days.
4. Sam Dyson — Matt Bush has pitched back-to-back and in three of four, while Keone Kela threw 32 pitches yesterday (2 IP).

Sunday:
1. Tommy Kahnle — David Robertson went two innings on Friday; a Saturday appearance will earn him a day off.
2. Arodys Vizcaino — Jim Johnson has pitched in three of four, so he’ll likely get Sunday off if he pitches today.
3. Hansel Robles — Addison Reed has gone in two of three (43 pitches).
4. Danny Farquhar — Alex Colome has pitched in three of four.
5. Matt Barnes — Craig Kimbrel has gone in three of four.