Neftali Feliz converts his second chance

September 24, 2015

Detroit Tigers — One day after blowing both a save and a combined no-hitter, Brad Ausmus sent Neftali Feliz out to protect a three-run lead. This one went a bit better for the experienced closer, as he earned his second save with Detroit. While Alex Wilson will certainly get some of the opportunities going forward, this back-to-back work is enough to move Feliz to the head of the Detroit committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Feliz | Wilson | Hardy.

Baltimore Orioles — Zach Britton may begin playing catch today, but will probably be out until at least the weekend. He has been told he cannot injure himself further by pitching through the injury, but he will be less effective. While healthy, Britton is one of the best closers in the game, but Darren O’Day is worth a pickup if you are scraping for fantasy playoff saves, as he may have the 9th inning for at least the weekend, maybe even the rest of the year.

Hierarchy remains: Britton | O’Day | Brach.

Toronto Blue Jays — With the AL East race getting tighter, and Aaron Sanchez struggling in the past week, John Gibbons has said he will use other arms in the 8th inning ahead of Roberto Osuna. This could be Brett Cecil, who has assumed the job the past two times out, Mark Lowe or even the ageless LaTroy Hawkins. Cecil has been outstanding and will probably get the first look, but as a prominent lefty, he may be held out for situational matchups more than a traditional closer. It’s important to note that Sanchez hasn’t been removed, only placed in a competition at this point; but with a deep bullpen, and very little margin for error, the race for the roles leading up to the 9th is wide open.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Sanchez | Cecil.

Minnesota Twins — Last night, Glen Perkins gave up a pair of runs with the Twins up by four, but was able to hold on for the win. Immediately after the last pitch, he was ejected from the game by home plate umpire Dan Bellino for arguing about the strike zone. While this probably won’t lead to a suspension, Bellino is lucky he got away with only some yelling. Perkins is the team’s creepiest dancer, and may have unleashed his moves if he was provoked any further.

Hierarchy remains: Jepsen | Perkins | May.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Jairo Diaz, Colorado Rockies – John Axford got rocked for four runs on 20 pitches yesterday and could get the day off Thursday.
2. Darren O’Day, Baltimore Orioles – Zach Britton is unavailable until at least the weekend.
3. Luis Garcia, Philadelphia Phillies – Ken Giles has pitched in back-to-back games.

Alex Wilson nabs another save; Seattle’s bullpen in flux

August 6, 2015

Seattle Mariners – With a two-run lead and a man on first in the 8th inning, Carson Smith was summoned into the game. He was supposed to be unavailable, but was used for a single batter, and he got an inning-ending double play. After Joe Biemel took the first out of the 9th, Fernando Rodney was brought in to close the door. He imploded, giving up the tying runs and walking another hitter, then he was mercifully removed. Rodney had put together 5 scoreless appearances before this, but given how poor his overall year has been, he may not see many more chances. Smith’s usage in the 8th was odd, too, so Tom Wilhelmsen is someone to keep an eye on going forward in this mess of a bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Rodney | Wilhelmsen.

Colorado Rockies – So much for John Axford sneaking back in to the closer conversation in Colorado — he gave up 2 runs in the 7th inning last night, and was on the hook for the loss until Fernando Rodney blew the save. His ERA now sits at an ugly 4.59, after being at 0.47 through his first 20 appearances.

Updated hierarchy: *Kahnle | Miller | Betancourt.
* = closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers – After Blaine Hardy got the first two outs in the 9th, it was Alex Wilson who was called on to pick up the final one. He gave up a single, but got a fly out to end it for his 2nd save. Our favorite for the long term job, Bruce Rondon, struck out 2 in a scoreless 8th inning, but with Wilson picking up another save, he is close to kicking the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Wilson | Rondon | Alburquerque.
* = closer-by-committee.

Texas Rangers – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Sam Dyson was brought in to close out a one-run game. He worked around a leadoff single and a hit batsman to pick up his 2nd save of the year. With Texas having an off day today, look for Shawn Tolleson to resume closing this weekend.

Hierarchy remains: Tolleson | Dyson | Diekman.

Toronto Blue Jays – In a two-run game — and with John Gibbons trying to give Roberto Osuna some extra rest — it was LaTroy Hawkins who got the call to close out the game against the team that drafted him way back in 1991. Hawkins converted, creating a couple fun stats: Hawkins became the 13th player in major league history to record a save against all 30 teams, and the save also meant the Blue Jays have had both the youngest and oldest pitcher in the league record saves for their team, which is the first time that has ever happened. Normally, this would’ve been Aaron Sanchez’s spot, but he had just begun a three-game suspension. Since the suspension is so short, we won’t mess around with the hierarchy, but you can leave Sanchez on your bench for a couple days.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. LaTroy Hawkins, Toronto Blue Jays – If Roberto Osuna needs any more time off, look for Hawkins to get another save chance.

Kevin Jepsen and Mark Lowe get dealt on Deadline Day

August 1, 2015

Colorado Rockies — As we predicted Friday morning, John Axford lost his job as Rockies closer after a string of five straight miserable appearances. Walt Weiss said that he had not yet decided who would take over, but name-checked Tommy Kahnle, Rafael Betancourt, and Justin Miller, who had six saves at AAA Albuquerque this season. A 7-0 loss to St. Louis on Friday night didn’t exactly clear anything up.

Updated hierarchy: *Kahnle | Betancourt | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith can breathe a little easier today; Mark Lowe, his most talented competition for high-leverage work, was sent to Toronto in a deadline deal. Fernando Rodney and his 5.57 ERA move up by default, with Vidal Nuno holding down second in line, at least until Charlie Furbush can return from the disabled list (biceps tendinitis) in mid-August.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Rodney | Nuno.

Minnesota Twins – Although the Twins have foundered as of late, losing 9 of 13 since the All-Star break, the team has hung onto the second wild card position. Their acquisition of Kevin Jepsen should help strengthen a suspect bullpen that has relied on the lackluster duo of Casey Fien and Blaine Boyer to bridge the gap to Glen Perkins. Joining Jepsen in high-leverage use will be erstwhile starter Trevor May, a rookie with swing-and-miss stuff.

Updated hierarchy: Perkins | Jepsen | May.

Tampa Bay Rays — After all the rumors, the only Tampa reliever to get dealt at the deadline was Kevin Jepsen, who will head to the Twins. Steve Geltz (45 K in 48.2 IP, 0.88 WHIP) returns to the hierarchy at second in line. Jake McGee coughed up a lead in the eighth Friday night, but his role should remain secure.

Updated hierarchy: Boxberger | McGee | Geltz.

Toronto Blue Jays — Seventh innings will be crowded at the Rogers Centre, with word that the Blue Jays acquired strikeout machine Mark Lowe from Seattle on Friday. We’ll wait and see where Lowe fits into the pecking order of second-tier relievers that includes LaTroy Hawkins, Bo Schultz, and Brett Cecil.

Hierarchy remains: *Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.
* = closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers — Bruce Rondon pitched the eighth inning on Friday in a road game, meaning that Alex Wilson was probably in line to get a second straight save chance if the Tigers had regained the lead.

Hierarchy remains: *Wilson | Rondon | Alburquerque.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Carter Capps, Miami Marlins — In his second straight day of work (and his second inning of the game), A.J. Ramos got rocked for four runs. Throwing 35 pitches means he’ll need Saturday off.
2. Tanner Scheppers/Keone Kela, Texas Rangers — Shawn Tolleson, fresh off being run over by Kela during BP, has pitched in three straight.
3. Jason Motte/Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs — Hector Rondon has kept busy since returning to the closer role, seeing work on three straight days.
4. Josh Fields, Houston Astros — Luke Gregerson has also gone in three straight, as has Pat Neshek, who took the loss on Friday night.
5. Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays — It’s possible that Sanchez gets the next Toronto save chance.
6. Rafael Betancourt/Justin Miller, Colorado Rockies — We’re not sure what Walt Weiss will do with his team’s next save chance.

Edward Mujica to close in Oakland; new committee in Toronto

July 29, 2015

Oakland A’s – While still unconfirmed that he subscribes to Closer Monkey, A’s manager Bob Melvin made sure Edward Mujica will remain at the top of our hierarchy, saying before the game that Mujica will close following the Tyler Clippard trade. Mujica’s experience was the main factor in Melvin’s decision. Drew Pomeranz will remain in a set-up role, but Melvin also mentioned he can be used in multiple situations out of the bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Mujica | Pomeranz | O’Flaherty.

Toronto Blue Jays – Prior to Tuesday’s tilt, manager John Gibbons stated that Roberto Osuna and Aaron Sanchez will share the 8th and 9th innings, while newcomer LaTroy Hawkins and Bo Schultz will split the 6th and 7th innings. Hawkins made his Toronto debut on Tuesday with the Jays trailing, and since Toronto lost, it remains a mystery as to who will get the first crack at a save between Osuna and Sanchez.

Updated hierarchy: *Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.

* = closer-by-committee

Philadelphia Phillies — The Phillies finally dealt away Jonathan Papelbon yesterday, clearing the 9th inning for longtime heir apparent Kenneth Giles, who earned his first save of the season last night. Giles first turned heads at the major league level in 2014, when he posted what was one of the best seasons for a reliever in the game (1.18 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 64 Ks in 45.2 innings). He hasn’t been quite as dominant this year, but early-season nagging injuries may have played a role. We’re guessing he’s already owned if your league is even remotely deep, but if not, he’s a must add. We expect he’ll be the closer in Philadelphia for a good while. Luis Garcia got the 8th on Tuesday, and he’ll join Jeanmar Gomez and occasionally Jake Diekman as the bridge to Giles.

Updated hierarchy: Giles | Gomez | Garcia.

Washington Nationals — Jonathan Papelbon was officially traded to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. This is bad news for Drew Storen owners, as Papelbon said he would only waive his no-trade clause if he was going to continue to close games on the other side. Papelbon, for all his general repulsiveness, is still a very good closer. With a strong Washington team behind him, he’s among the favorites to lead the league in saves the rest of the way. Storen, meanwhile, becomes one of the best middle relievers in baseball.

Updated hierarchy: Papelbon | Storen | Janssen.

Chicago Cubs – Jason Motte had a much better appearance yesterday than he did on Monday, but his clean inning of work was in a 7-2 loss. After the game, Joe Maddon was asked about Hector Rondon, and Maddon indicated that not only could Rondon win the job back, but that he anticipates Rondon will do just that. Maddon then praised Pedro Strop while acknowledging that Rafael Soriano “is still not on the top of his game.” What does this mean for Motte? We’ll keep him at the top of the heap for now, but Rondon is closing in fast.

Updated hierarchy: Motte | Rondon | Strop.

New York Mets – Tyler Clippard made his Mets debut on Tuesday and recorded the final three outs of a 4-0 win. His addition came at the perfect time for the Mets, as Jenrry Mejia was suspended for 162 games due to PED use. This means that Bobby Parnell will get the majority of the seventh-inning holds going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Parnell. 

Cincinnati Reds – Aroldis Chapman pitched the 9th in a non-save situation after the Reds took a 4-0 lead in the top half of the frame. That’s normally not newsworthy, but Chapman may not be pitching for the Reds much longer. Both the Diamondbacks and the Giants are reportedly interested in Chapman, with Arizona’s GM confirming that the D-Backs are “going down that path.” If Chapman does move, J.J. Hoover is our most likely candidate to take over the closer’s role.

Hierarchy remains: Chapman | Hoover | Badenhop.

New York Yankees — Adam Warren picked up a three-inning save as the Yankees crushed the Rangers, 21-5. He does not factor into the Yankees’ late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Miller | Betances | Wilson.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Hector Rondon, Chicago Cubs – Jason Motte has pitched in back-to-back games, and as mentioned above, Rondon may win the job soon enough.
2. Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays – Sanchez and Roberto Osuna will be sharing the 8th and 9th innings.

Mujica, Pomeranz could close in Oakland; Hawkins traded to Toronto

July 28, 2015

Toronto Blue Jays – The Rockies completed a mega-trade in the wee hours this morning that sent All-Star shortstop Troy Tulowitzki and veteran set-up man LaTroy Hawkins to the Toronto Blue Jays for shortstop Jose Reyes, reliever Miguel Castro, minor leaguers, and cash. While the shortstops will get the headlines this morning, we know you care only about how this trade affects the bullpens! LaTroy Hawkins will provide the Jays with a much needed arm in one of the league’s sketchiest pens. It is unclear right now exactly how John Gibbons plans to use him, but our best guess is that he’ll be a 7th inning guy who picks up a few holds now and again.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies picked up Miguel Castro in the Troy Tulowitzki deal, and given the state of their bullpen, he might get summoned to the big leagues soon. For now, though, we suspect that LaTroy Hawkins’s absence means more holds for Rafael Betancourt and Tommy Kahnle. Keep an eye on Betancourt in particular, who has come around as of late, having allowed only one run in his last nine innings pitched; he’s becoming an appealing alternative to closer John Axford, who destroyed his trade value by allowing 12 ERs in his last 11 innings. Axford blew the save last night after the Rockies staged a big rally to take the lead in the top of the 9th.

Updated hierarchy: Axford | Betancourt | Kahnle.

Chicago Cubs – Beginning on May 16, Jason Motte had a terrific run that saw him give up just 1 run in 21 appearances, pushing him to the front of the closer-by-committee in Chicago. But after winning the full time job, he’s been more hittable, and has now allowed 13 hits in his last 6.1 innings. Last night, he was yanked before recording an out after giving up a home run, single, and double. (After Motte was pulled, Rafael Soriano didn’t fare much better, allowing a home run to Carlos Gonzalez.) There’s been no indication that Joe Maddon will revert to a closer-by-committee, but he’s more the type to just do it, and tell the media of his plans later. Either way, we recommend a long look at Hector Rondon, if he’s available in your leagues; he’s allowed only 1 earned run in his last 25 innings.

Hierarchy remains: Motte | Rondon | Soriano.

Seattle Mariners – After taking the loss last night, Carson Smith has now had two outings and two losses since we removed his asterisk. As mentioned yesterday, the guy who he might have competition from now, though, is Mark Lowe. Lloyd McClendon favorite Fernando Rodney still lurks, as well.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Lowe | Rodney.

San Francisco Giants – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Santiago Casilla got a night off after pitching back to back games, allowing Sergio Romo to pick up the save.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Romo | Strickland.

Arizona Diamondbacks – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Brad Ziegler got the night off after pitching three in a row, meaning Daniel Hudson got the keys to the 9th inning. As NOT predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Hudson blew the save, and Andrew Chafin ended up nabbing a 1-out save in the 10th. So close yet so far.

Hierarchy remains: Ziegler | Hudson | Hernandez.

Kansas City Royals – Quick, who has more saves since July 19 — Joe Blanton or Aroldis Chapman? If you guessed Chapman, you’re wrong! If you guessed Blanton, well, you’re also wrong. They’re tied. They both have two. I guess this exercise was stupid.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Davis | Herrera.

Oakland A’s – Tyler Clippard has been traded to the Mets. As mentioned earlier, we believe Edward Mujica is probably the best bet for saves in Oakland at the moment. Drew Pomeranz could also factor if the A’s continue to reconsider shifting him to the rotation, and one A’s beat writer believes Eric O’Flaherty is a possibility. We will follow this situation closely to see if the A’s anoint someone specific.

Updated hierarchy: *Mujica | Pomeranz | O’Flaherty.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Mets – The Mets’ acquisition of Tyler Clippard won’t displace Jeurys Familia, who has been one of the best closers in the game this year. It will, however, cut into hold opportunities for Jenrry Mejia and Bobby Parnell, as Clippard figures to be the 8th inning guy going forward. On the off chance that the playoffs matter in your fantasy league, know that the Mets likely made this move because they know they won’t have Mejia should they make it to October — he’s barred from postseason play this year as part of his earlier PED suspension.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Mejia. 

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Mark Lowe, Seattle Mariners – Carson Smith has taken losses in back to back appearances and has pitched in four of the last five games.
2. Jake Petricka, Chicago White Sox – David Robertson threw 33 pitches last night (46 in the last two days) and Zach Duke has gone three straight.