Dylan Floro nabs Miami’s first post-deadline save; Hader on COVID IL

August 3, 2021

Philadelphia Phillies – Ranger Suarez, who was closing a few days ago, just got a start for the Phillies, who will transition him to the rotation now that they’ve got Ian Kennedy on board.

Updated hierarchy: Kennedy | Alvarado | Neris.

Miami Marlins – The first post-Yimi save in the Marlins bullpen went to Dylan Floro, who pitched a clean 9th while his ostensible competitor, Anthony Bender, worked the 7th. We’ll swap them in the hierarchy and see if this is the arrangement going forward before we remove the asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: *Floro | Bender | Bass.
* = closer-by-committee

Cleveland Indians – We’re flipping Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak in this hierarchy after Clase got the extra inning save and Karinchak pitched the 7th on Monday, but expect DeMarlo Hale to continue employing whatever matchup he feels is best going forward.

Updated hierarchy: *Clase | Karinchak | Shaw.
* = closer-by-committee

Milwaukee Brewers – Josh Hader is on the COVID IL. Devin Williams should get a bulk of the save chances while Hader is out, though Brad Boxberger could also be in the mix for the Brewers — and the latter got the save on Monday. Also, we’d be remiss if we didn’t give John Axford some love; the 38-year-old made his return to the bigs yesterday and promptly got hurt. We’re hoping it’s not serious and he can continue his comeback.

Updated hierarchy: *Williams | Boxberger | Suter.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today

1. Jose Alvarado – Ian Kennedy has gone back to back.

Tejay Antone returns from the IL

June 22, 2021

Cincinnati Reds – Tejay Antone was activated from the IL this morning and should reclaim a high-leverage position in Cincinnati’s committee. Given how short he was out, it should be safe to get him back into your lineup right away.

Updated hierarchy: *Sims | Antone | Hembree.
* = closer-by-committee

Toronto Blue Jays – With more than half of their projected opening day bullpen on the IL, the Blue Jays have made a couple moves in recent days in the hopes of holding things together. The more relevant, but less interesting, acquisition was Jacob Barnes, who struggled early in the season for the Mets but had a decent run of competence for the Brewers earlier in his career and could potentially crack the hierarchy if he starts off well in Toronto. But the move that made the Monkeys happy was the minor league contract they just gave to John Axford — now 38 and with a greying (whiting, even) beard — who popped up earlier this year when he pitched for the Canadian team in Olympic qualifiers. Suffice it to say we’re cheering for him to make it back to the bigs.

Hierarchy remains: *Romano | Chatwood | Mayza.
* = closer-by-committee


VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today

1. Bryan Shaw/Nick Wittgren – Emmanuel Clase has gone back to back and James Karinchak has gone three straight.

Tomorrow
1. Josh Sborz/Joely Rodriguez – If Ian Kennedy goes today, it’s back to back.
2. Seth Lugo – If Edwin Diaz goes today, it’s back to back.

Wade Davis and Kyle Barraclough will remain closers

August 4, 2018

Colorado Rockies — Wade Davis was given a lead for the second night in a row, and for the second night in a row he blew the save and took the loss in walk-off fashion. Last night it was a three-run homer by Eric Thames that handed Davis his 6th blown save of the year. It may not be his last blown save, though, as after the game Bud Black said that Davis will remain closer and that he will be fine. We’ll see just how long Black keeps his faith in Davis and his 5.09 ERA though, as Adam Ottavino pitched a clean 8th and has a sparkling 1.35 ERA. With the Rockies trying desperately to hang in the playoff race, Davis should be on a short leash.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Ottavino | Oh.

Miami Marlins — We thought Kyle Barraclough would lose his job as closer, but Don Mattingly has other ideas. Mattingly said before yesterday’s game that Barraclough will remain the closer, but that he will be “top-stepping” it in the dugout when Barraclough pitches until further notice. It’s still worth holding on to Drew Steckenrider, as it looks like another bad outing will seal Barraclough’s fate.

Hierarchy remains: Barraclough | Steckenrider | Conley.

Chicago White Sox — It’s looking more like names from a hat than a committee on the South Side of Chicago. Last night featured Jace Fry, Juan Minaya, Luis Avilan pitching in the 8th and 9th, failing to preserve a lead, then holding on to the tie to take it into extra innings. When the White Sox took the lead in the 10th, they turned to Hector Santiago (no holds and no saves before yesterday) to close the game out. He walked a batter but secured the win. This continues to be a committee, and it continues to be chaotic. If you need the saves that badly, you may as well pick some names out of a hat as well.

Hierarchy remains: ^Fry | Cedeno | Avilan. 
^ = closer by random selection

Cleveland Indians — Cleveland activated Andrew Miller from the 60-day DL on Friday. Miller went right to work, walking one and striking out one in a scoreless 7th inning that kept the game tied. Miller gives Cleveland three legitimate options at closer, so we’ll keep a close eye on how Terry Francona uses the trio.

Updated hierarchy: *Allen | Hand | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Dodgers – Erik Goeddel was placed on the 10-day DL with right lat inflammation and newly acquired John Axford was activated. We’ll slide Axford into the hierarchy for now and see if the Dodgers use him in any high-leverage spots during Goeddel’s absence.

Updated hierarchy: Jansen | Alexander | Axford.

Toronto Blue Jays – Ken Giles made his debut with the Blue Jays on Friday, allowing two hits, one earned run and striking out three in the 9th inning of a 7-2 victory. John Gibbons said that Giles will eventually close for the Jays, but not before getting his feet wet in a low-leverage situation first. Giles is worth grabbing if he’s still available, as Ryan Tepera’s days leading the Jays’ committee seem to be numbered.

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

Chicago Cubs — Pedro Strop got the 9th yesterday in a three-run game. He struggled, letting a pair of runs score, but he did record his sixth save of the year and fourth in a row since Brandon Morrow hit the DL. Strop is the only Cub that has seen a save opportunity since Morrow’s injury, and CJ Edwards, Steve Cishek and Brandon Kintzler all pitched ahead of him last night. It’s safe to say that Strop is the lead arm in the bullpen and we will kick the asterisk while Morrow is sidelined.

Hierarchy remains: Strop | Edwards | Cishek.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Adam Ottavino — Wade Davis has pitched in two straight, three of four, and five of seven, including 28 pitches last night. Adam Ottavino has also pitched in back-to-back games, but has limited his pitch count.
2. Jose Alvarado/Ryne Stanek — Sergio Romo has pitched four in a row, while Alvarado has pitched in three of four.
3. Jeurys Familia — Blake Treinen threw 30 pitches over two innings in a tie game last night and may get the day off.

Sunday:
1. Brad Brach –Today would be three in a row for A.J. Minter, although he’s kept his pitch count low.
2. Trevor Hildenberger/Addison Reed — Today would be two straight and three of four for both Fernando Rodney and Trevor Hildenberger. We expect that either one would be unavailable if they pitch today.

Pedro Strop, Brad Hand, and Anthony Swarzak each earn a save

July 26, 2018

Chicago Cubs — Another save opportunity for Pedro Strop moves him to the top of the Cubs’ pecking order. Brandon Morrow is not expected to return anytime soon, so if the Cubs fail to add a big-name reliever, Strop may be able to make the job his own.

Updated hierarchy: *Strop | Edwards | Cishek.
* = closer-by-committee

Cleveland Indians — Both of the Indians’ recent bullpen acquisitions came up big on Wednesday. Adam Cimber induced a double play in the eighth and Brad Hand finished the inning with a strikeout. After Cleveland scored twice in the bottom of the inning, Hand stayed on to finish the game and earn his 25th save and first for the Tribe. It’s still Cody Allen’s job; this was just one of those situational matchups Francona warned about. With Neil Ramirez’s recent struggles, however, we’ll slide Cimber into the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Hand | Cimber.

New York Mets — The Mets used Robert Gsellman in a tight spot in the seventh, leaving Anthony Swarzak to pick up his second save of the season with an impressive two-inning appearance. Swarzak is better than his numbers suggest (though not nearly as good as his contract suggests), and if Gsellman is going to be used in high-leverage spots before the ninth, Swarzak could grab some more save opportunities. Over the long-long-term, however, advanced stats suggest you might want to look into Bobby Wahl (subscription).

Hierarchy remains: *Gsellman | Swarzak | Lugo.
* = closer-by-committee

Tampa Bay Rays — When the recently returned Johnny Venters replaced Sergio Romo to start the ninth inning of a one-run game against the Yankees yesterday, it looked like the Rays might be easing back into some kind of committee mode. Until, that is, one took a closer look at third base, where the Rays had stashed Romo while Venters retired lefty Greg Bird. With Bird out of the way, Romo jogged back to the mound to pick up the save and deliver a most unusual box score.

Hierarchy remains: Romo | Alvarado | Stanek.

Toronto Blue Jays — The Blue Jays have traded Seung-Hwan Oh to Colorado. Replacing him in the middle innings should be a combination of Aaron Loup, John Axford, and maybe even Jaime Garcia.

Updated hierarchy: *Tepera | Clippard | Loup.
* = closer-by-committee

Colorado Rockies — We expect newly-acquired Seung-Hwan Oh to shore up the seventh inning for the Rockies. Oh might not be “The Final Boss” anymore, but he’s still a pretty tough one: think Mouser or Bald Bull.

Updated hierarchy: Davis | Ottavino | Oh.

Texas Rangers — We accurately predicted a Jose Leclerc vulture save opportunity last night, but the young righty couldn’t capitalize, giving up two runs on a Khris Davis home run to set up Blake Treinen instead.

Hierarchy remains: Kela | Diekman | Leclerc.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Pat Neshek — Seranthony Dominguez has gone in three of four (27 pitches yesterday) and Victor Arano has pitched in two straight.
2. Ryan Madson — Kelvin Herrera hasn’t thrown many pitches, but he’s worked in three of four games.

Friday:
1. Jose Alvarado — Romo threw 32 pitches on Wednesday.
2. Lou Trivino — Blake Treinen has gone in two straight.

Arodys Vizcaino activated from the DL

July 4, 2018

Atlanta Braves — Arodys Vizcaino was activated from the DL on Tuesday and will return to his role as the Braves closer. Manager Brian Snitker did say that he plans to be careful with Vizcaino for the rest of the season and won’t push him a lot. He also said that he feels like he has three closers because of how A.J. Minter and Dan Winkler pitched during Vizcaino’s absence. We’ll remove the committee tag, but expect Minter and Winkler to be in the mix for saves if the Braves play a lot of close games.

Updated hierarchy: Vizcaino | Minter | Winkler.

Toronto Blue Jays – John Axford nearly got the final six outs on Tuesday, as he pitched the eighth inning of a tie game and started the ninth after Toronto took a two-run lead. Axford retired the first two batters he faced in the ninth, but a single and a walk moved manager John Gibbons to call on Tyler Clippard to record the final out. Axford’s performance earns him a spot in our hierarchy. We’ll also keep Seung Hwan Oh at the top of the committee, as it’s likely Gibbons wanted to rest Oh after three appearances in four days.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Clippard | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago Cubs — Brandon Morrow earned a second day off on Tuesday after Sunday’s four-out save. With Morrow unavailable, Joe Maddon turned to Steve Cishek in the eighth before handing the ball to Pedro Strop in the ninth for the save. Cishek was filthy against the heart of the Tigers’ order, but we’ll edge Strop ahead of Cishek in the hierarchy based off of yesterday’s usage.

Updated hierarchy: Morrow | Strop | Cishek.

Texas Rangers — Chris Martin was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock before Tuesday’s tilt, but Jeff Banister made it clear that the move had nothing to do with Martin’s performance. Martin must remain optioned for 10 days unless another player moves to the DL. That could happen very soon, as Tony Barnette suffered a right shoulder sprain on Tuesday and will have an MRI on Wednesday. Jose Leclerc has pitched well this year and should see more high-leverage work in Martin’s absence.

Updated hierarchy: Kela | Diekman | Leclerc.

Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays grabbed a 9-4 lead against the Marlins in the 16th inning and turned to catcher Jesus Sucre to lock up the win. He allowed the first three batters to reach, followed by a sac fly in what turned out to be quite a unique at-bat. Jose Alvarado then entered to finally end things and pick up his third save of the year. Sergio Romo had pitched a scoreless 10th and 11th, throwing 42 pitches in the process, which means Alvarado has a good chance to get his second save of the day.

Hierarchy remains: *Romo | Alvarado | Roe.
* = closer-by-committee

San Diego Padres — Kirby Yates went on paternity leave Tuesday and will likely be back on Friday. We also learned after Tuesday’s game that Brad Hand was unavailable due to a family matter, but he is expected to be back on Wednesday.

Hierarchy remains: Hand | Yates | Stammen.

Houston Astros – Hector Rondon notched a four-out save on Tuesday. He has allowed just one earned run over his last 18 appearances and owns a 1.44 ERA with 40 total strikeouts in 31.1 IP this season. Safe to say at this point that the closer’s role firmly belongs to Rondon.

Hierarchy remains: Rondon | Giles | Devenski.

Boston Red Sox – Tyler Thornburg will be activated today, which means he will be in the majors for the first time in 2016. The righty was projected to be a big part of the Boston bullpen when the Red Sox acquired him prior to the 2017 season, but those expectations have since been tempered. Still, it will be interesting to see if Thornburg can pitch himself into the late-innings conversation. If he does, it will certainly be a big boost for the AL East leaders.

Hierarchy remains: Kimbrel | Kelly | Barnes.

VULTURE PILOT WATCH
Today
1. Russell Casse – Casse hasn’t factored in the U.S. military’s war plans since he fought in Vietnam, but the Air Force is desperate for anyone who can fly a plane. He has seen mostly low-leverage crop dusting work of late, but if Casse can overcome his struggles with alcoholism, he may end up saving the world.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Dellin Betances – Aroldis Chapman has pitched in three straight games.
2. Jared Hughes – Same goes for Raisel Iglesias.
3. Jose Alvarado – As we mentioned above, Sergio Romo threw 42 pitches yesterday and has now appeared in four of five.
4. Brad Ziegler – Kyle Barraclough and Drew Steckenrider have both pitched in three of four. Ziegler has gone in two straight, but has only thrown 14 pitches over that time.

Tomorrow
1. Jace Fry/Bruce Rondon – If Joakim Soria pitches today it will be two straight and three of four. Jace Fry has pitched in three of four, so if he also gets the ball on Wednesday then it’s likely he gets a day off as well.
2. Ken Giles – Hector Rondon threw 35 pitches in a four-out save on Tuesday, so depending on his usage today he could see a day off on Thursday.
3. Drew Steckenrider/Brad Ziegler – If Barraclough gets the ball today, he should have Thursday off. Same goes for Steckenrider.
4. Jeremy Jeffress – Corey Knebel enters Wednesday having pitched two straight. Josh Hader threw 36 pitches in three innings of work on Tuesday, so he may get another day of rest.
5. Alex Colome – Edwin Diaz will have pitched in two straight and four of his last five with a Wednesday appearance.