August 18, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — If Thursday’s game is any indication, Seung Hwan Oh is the most likely guy to grab saves in St. Louis with closer Trevor Rosenthal on the shelf. Oh was warming in the bullpen with the Cards up 7-5, but entered the 9th with an 11-5 lead, so there was no save chance to be he had. With the increased cushion, Oh allowed two runs before shutting the door. Lefty Tyler Lyons pitched the eighth inning ahead of Oh, and should get any save chances when Oh needs a breather. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are holding their breath as they brace for news about Rosenthal’s elbow. An MRI is scheduled for Friday.
Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Lyons | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee
New York Yankees — Aroldis Chapman threw a bullpen session Thursday and did not appear to show discomfort with his leg. As for now, he is not on the disabled list, but consider him day-to-day until further notice. Dellin Betances made the most of the save opportunity Thursday, shutting the door in the ninth on 11 pitches for his eighth save.
Hierarchy remains: Chapman | Betances | Robertson.
Minnesota Twins – An old friend was back in the bullpen for the Twins on Thursday. Glen Perkins made his long-awaited return from a 2015 surgery to reattach the labrum in his left shoulder. The 34-year-old said it felt like his major league debut again. For now, he’s obviously rusty (0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB in Game 1 of a doubleheader Thursday), but congratulations are due for his big league return. It’ll remain to be seen how he factors into the late-inning plans for the Twins, who are still competing for one of the Wild Card spots in the American League. In the nightcap, Matt Belisle closed the door for his third save.
Hierarchy remains: *Belisle | Rogers | Hildenberger.
* = closer-by-committee
Washington Nationals — Ryan Madson was placed on the disabled list Thursday because of a sprained finger. Shawn Kelley was activated to take his spot on the roster. It’s a big blow for the Nationals to lose Madson, who hadn’t allowed a run in nine innings of work with his new team. Expect Matt Albers, Enny Romero and perhaps Kelley to see more late-inning chances.
Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Kintzler | Albers.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Michael Lorenzen— Raisel Iglesias has thrown 53 pitches over two of the last three games.
2. Ryan Tepera — Roberto Osuna has gone in three of four, throwing 41 pitches.
3. Tyler Lyons — Seung Hwan Oh has pitched in two straight and could need some rest. He threw 28 pitches Thursday.
4. David Robertson — Dellin Betances has pitched in four of the last five days, while Aroldis Chapman may still need rest.
Saturday:
1. Brandon Kintzler — Sean Doolittle has pitched three of the last five days. Friday would make four of six.
2. Jose Leclerc — Alex Claudio hasn’t been that busy lately, but over his last three outings since Aug. 11, he has pitch counts of 35, 21 and 28 (Thursday). If he throws a lot in an appearance Friday, that’d be two straight stressful outings for him.