Kelvin Herrera begins his suspension; Edward Mujica demoted

May 8, 2015

Kansas City Royals — Reliever Kelvin Herrera’s combined suspensions were reduced to six games, a penalty he began serving on Thursday. He’s eligible to return next Wednesday. In the meantime, Luke Hochevar returned from the disabled list after a rough rehab assignment and pitched a scoreless sixth inning against Cleveland. Comeback kid Ryan Madson pitched the seventh inning, though, so he gets the edge in our hierarchy for now, with Herrera out and Hochevar (who hasn’t pitched on two straight days all season) still working his way back. Oh, and did we mention that Greg Holland got his first save since returning from the DL? It truly was a busy night for the Royals ‘pen.

Updated hierarchy: Holland | Davis | Madson.

Boston Red Sox — The Red Sox were off Thursday, but made two significant moves in designating former setup man Edward Mujica for assignment and firing pitching coach Juan Nieves. Mujica’s departure likely means the call-up of prospect Matt Barnes, who may begin in the Boston bullpen. Barnes throws hard, which is more than you can say about most of the Red Sox pitching staff. He could enter the late-innings mix in the coming weeks.

Hierarchy remains: Uehara | Tazawa | Ogando.

St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Walden will be out for 6 to 10 weeks with an injury to his pitching shoulder. Kevin Siegrist slides into the Cardinal hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Maness | Siegrist.

Los Angeles Angels — Given a 2-0 lead in the ninth inning Thursday night, Angels closer Huston Street coughed it all up, surrendering three runs to take the loss against his namesake. Street allowed four singles and a walk, but the winning run came only when the speedy Jose Altuve beat out a double play that would have ended the inning.

Hierarchy remains: Street | Smith | Morin.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Mike Morin/Fernando Salas, Los Angeles Angels — After his blown save, Huston Street has pitched on three straight days (as has his lieutenant, Joe Smith). If the Angels get a save chance, we might learn whether Fernando Salas has nosed ahead of Mike Morin to be second in line.
2. Chris Hatcher, Los Angeles Dodgers — Yimi Garcia is still the top option, but Chris Hatcher recorded a save this week, proving the volatility of the situation. Rehabbing closer Kenley Jansen wants to come back next week, but Don Mattingly reigned that in a bit. For now, we’re dealing with a committee situation in LA.
3. Seth Maness, St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal has pitched on 5 of the last 7 days, and could be due for a night off Friday. He was called into action last night when Maness and Kevin Siegrist ran into trouble in the ninth inning of a 5-1 game.

Jordan Walden hits the DL; Miguel Castro sent down

May 4, 2015

St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Walden has been placed on the disabled list with a biceps injury. Look for Seth Maness and Kevin Siegrist to carry more of the 8th inning load going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Maness | Siegrist.

San Diego Padres – Recently-recalled Kevin Quackenbush got his first hold of the year on Sunday, pitching the 7th inning ahead of Joaquin Benoit and Craig Kimbrel. Quackenbush might see more hold opportunities going forward, especially if Joaquin Benoit’s “dead arm” turns into something more significant.

Updated hierarchy: Kimbrel | Benoit | Quackenbush.

Toronto Blue Jays – Miguel Castro, Toronto’s de facto closer just a week ago, has been sent to AAA. It’s probably safe to cut bait on him at this point.

Hierarchy remains: Cecil | Osuna | Loup.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Seth Maness, St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal has pitched in three straight.
2. Dellin Betances, New York Yankees – Andrew Miller needed 32 pitches to get the save last night.

Dodgers’ closer committee changes, Seth Maness records save

April 26, 2015

Los Angeles Dodgers — Joel Peralta is experiencing “dead arm” and could be headed to the DL.  Peralta was the head of the Dodgers’ closer committee; it looks like Yimi Garcia could take his place while the Dodgers wait for Kenley Jansen to get back.  Chris Hatcher pitched the 9th protecting a four run lead on Saturday, and both he and Pedro Baez could still get looks as well.

Updated hierarchy: *Garcia | Baez | Hatcher.
*closer-by-committee

St. Louis Cardinals — Seth Maness recorded his first save of the season last night, as Trevor Rosenthal and Jordan Walden were given the night off.  Maness had three saves last season, and could continue to see save chances when the Cardinals’ closer and set-up man are unavailable.  Mitch Harris also made his major league debut yesterday for the Cardinals’ bullpen.  Harris spent five years in the Navy, where he would throw with the cook who was from the Dominican Republic.  Harris won’t factor into the Cardinals’ late inning bullpen plans, but that doesn’t mean the Monkey won’t be rooting for him.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Walden | Maness.

Toronto Blue Jays – All three members of the Blue Jays’ hierarchy contributed to a blown save on Saturday.  Roberto Osuna struck out the first two batters of the 8th inning protecting a one-run lead, but was pulled after he gave up a single to Evan Longoria.  Brett Cecil came on and gave up a single to the only batter he faced.  Finally, the Blue Jays brought in Miguel Castro.  Castro gave up back-to-back doubles, allowing both inherited runners to score, along with one of his own.  Cecil took the loss while Castro got the blown save, his second of the season.  Manager John Gibbons continues to say he will use his relievers situationally, instead of a traditional closer.

Hierarchy remains: *Castro | Osuna | Cecil.
*closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers – Tom Gorzelanny picked up his first hold of the season yesterday, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings before closer Joakim Soria came on to pitch the 9th.  With Al Alburquerque struggling, Gorzelanny could see more action in the later innings.

Updated hierarchy: Soria | Chamberlain | Gorzelanny.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Joe Smith, Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street has appeared in three straight games.
2. Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Melancon has pitched three days in a row.
3. Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants – Santiago Casilla blew the save yesterday and has pitched in four out of the last five days.
4. Edward Mujica, Boston Red Sox – Koji Uehara has pitched in two straight and hasn’t pitched in three straight games so far this season.
5. Pedro Baez/Chris Hatcher – Los Angeles Dodgers – With Joel Peralta injured, the Dodgers’ committee becomes a little more unsettled.

Joe Nathan out for year; Mark Melancon picks up save despite continued low velocity

April 24, 2015

Detroit Tigers – Former closer Joe Nathan, the active leader in saves and the second-oldest player in the AL, is out for the season with a torn UCL in his pitching elbow. Nathan suffered the injury on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Toledo on Wednesday morning. Although Nathan will require a second Tommy John surgery, he insists that he will return to pitch another day. Joakim Soria, with 5 saves in 5 chances this season, should be secure in the closer role from this point forward. Ian Krol, meanwhile, got sent to the minors to work on his delivery, which will likely lead to more holds opportunities for Al Alburquerque.

Updated hierarchy: Soria | Chamberlain | Alburquerque.

Colorado Rockies — John Axford, back from dealing with his son’s snake bite, earned his second save of the season on Thursday, shutting down the Padres in the 9th. After the game, regular closer Adam Ottavino said that he had asked for the day off due to “usual pitcher soreness.” All indications are that Ottavino is fine and will remain the closer moving forward, but Axford will play an important role as well. In other news, former closer LaTroy Hawkins has been placed on the DL with tendinitis in his biceps. This is Hawkins’s final season in what has been a $47 million career; his next appearance in one of our updates may be as part of a front office.

Updated hierarchy: Ottavino | Axford | Betancourt.

Los Angeles Dodgers — LA continues to have the most volatile closing situation in the league. On Thursday, after Chris Hatcher and Joel Peralta had already pitched, Pedro Baez got the chance at his first career save, but promptly coughed up the one-run lead, allowing a leadoff single and a game-tying triple. Although Baez managed to strand that runner on third, the Dodgers went on to lose 3-2 against the Giants. The Baez move, which puzzled the great Vin Scully, shows how wide-open things are now in the Dodgers’ ninth. The uncertainty should end soon, with Kenley Jansen scheduled to begin a rehab assignment next week.

Hierarchy remains: *Peralta | Hatcher | Baez.
*closer-by-committee

New York Yankees — Andrew Miller picked up his AL-leading sixth save Wednesday; Miller, who has not allowed a run, has 15 strikeouts in 7 games this season. Joe Girardi hasn’t confirmed that Miller is the full-time closer, but we’re sure enough to remove the committee asterisk. Dellin Betances, meanwhile, has overcome his early control issues and allowed only one walk in his last five appearances. He’ll be the guy should Miller falter or get hurt.

Hierarchy remains: Miller | Betances | Carpenter.

Kansas City Royals — On Saturday, injured closer Greg Holland will be evaluated by team doctors, who will decide when he can begin a throwing program. Holland has not thrown a baseball since feeling discomfort in his pectoral muscle, but said he “feels a lot better.” He’s eligible to return from the DL on May 3, but it will take longer if his evaluation goes poorly. Wade Davis has done a fine job filling in for Holland, and he picked up the save Thursday night after a wild night in Chicago, where a bench-clearing brawl led to five ejections.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Herrera | Frasor.

Pittsburgh Pirates — With his velocity still down, embattled Pirates closer Mark Melancon managed to shut down the Cubs 1-2-3 in the ninth inning Thursday, finishing with a strikeout of über-prospect Addison Russell. Melancon’s cut fastball hovered in the 85-90 mph range, down from the low-to-mid-90s range he reached for most of last season. Melancon remains Pittsburgh’s primary closer, but his seat ought to be feeling very warm…

Hierarchy remains: Melancon | Watson | Hughes.

Texas Rangers — Rangers manager Jeff Bannister will use Tanner Scheppers in lower-leverage situations for the time being after some rough outings. Bannister likes the righty’s stuff, so don’t be surprised to see Scheppers return to the eighth-inning role soon.

Updated hierarchy: Feliz | Tolleson | Scheppers.

Toronto Blue Jays – Liam Hendricks was ineffective in a 7-2 game, creating a save situation for Blue Jays committee head Miguel Castro. Castro made things even more interesting by giving up a three-run homer, but escaped with a fly out and a strikeout to end it. This poor outing notwithstanding, Castro remains the most likely closer on any given day.

Hierarchy remains: *Castro | Osuna | Cecil.
*closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Roberto Osuna/Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays — Castro has pitched in two straight games and leads a committee, so Osuna or Cecil could see a chance Friday.
2. Chris Hatcher/Paco Rodriguez, Los Angeles Dodgers — It’s a closer-by-committee system until Jansen returns. It could be Hatcher’s turn on Friday, or they could turn to Rodriguez, one of the few relievers who didn’t pitch for the Dodgers last night.
3. Ernesto Frieri, Tampa Bay Rays — Manager Kevin Cash has made it clear that he’ll use his best reliever, Brad Boxberger, in the most important moments of a game, sometimes earlier than the ninth inning. This is a wise move for the Rays, but a headache for fantasy owners. Kevin Jepsen has pitched in two straight, so keep an eye on Frieri.
4. Jordan Walden, St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal has pitched in two straight games and could be in line for a night off Friday.
5. Jonathan Broxton, Milwaukee Brewers — Save opportunities are few and far between for the bad Brewers, but closer Francisco Rodriguez has pitched in two straight games (and on three days out of four). Look for Broxton to fill in if K-Rod needs a breather.

Jerry Blevins injured; Neftali Feliz knocked around

April 20, 2015

New York Mets – Jerry Blevins broke his forearm fielding a comebacker on Sunday, and will likely miss at least the next month or two. Vic Black, meanwhile, had a setback in his recovery, meaning the Mets will have to rely on Alex Torres and Buddy Carlyle in the 7th inning going forward. Bobby Parnell can’t get back soon enough.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | C.Torres | A.Torres.

Texas Rangers – It wasn’t exactly a banner night for the Texas bullpen, which saw its top three relievers get knocked around in a late game collapse against the Mariners. Shawn Tolleson pitched the 7th and fared the best, only allowing one run on two hits. Tanner Scheppers got the 8th and only recorded one out while surrendering three runs. Then, summoned for a five-out save, Neftali Feliz allowed two inherited runners to score in the 8th, then two more of his own in the 9th. Since everyone looked bad in this one, Feliz shouldn’t have too much to worry about yet. But with his peripherals looking shady, another blown save could land him on the Hot Seat.

Hierarchy remains: Feliz | Scheppers | Tolleson.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Jared Hughes picked up his fifth hold of the season on Sunday, which places him among the league leaders. Though Arquimedes Caminero has the better raw stuff, Hughes has been excellent so far this year, so we’ll nudge him into the hierarchy, while acknowledging that he and Caminero are essentially neck and neck behind Mark Melancon and Tony Watson.

Updated hierarchy: Melancon | Watson | Hughes.

San Diego Padres – Joaquin Benoit picked up his first save of the year on Sunday. Craig Kimbrel was unavailable after pitching back to back nights and three of four. Score another one for the Vulture Save Watch.

Hierarchy remains: Kimbrel | Benoit | Thayer.

St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Walden picked up the save on Sunday night. After the game, Mike Matheny said that Trevor Rosenthal has had a high workload in the early going, and that he wanted to give him two consecutive days off. Walden, tied for the league lead in holds, remains the handcuff.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Walden | Belisle.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Chad Qualls, Houston Astros – Luke Gregerson has pitched in back to back games.