Can Cody Allen get on a roll for Cleveland?

July 28, 2018

Cleveland Indians — Cody Allen pitched in the 7th inning of a tie game last night and ended up getting the win. Allen, who faced the 2-3-4 hitters, has been struggling for the past couple of months (7.41 ERA since the start of June) and manager Terry Francona has indicated that he plans to mix and match with the late innings for now to try to “get [Allen] on a roll.” With the acquisition of Brad Hand, and with Andrew Miller returning from the DL soon, the back end of Cleveland’s bullpen is about to get very crowded. Francona has stuck with Allen through many ups and downs, and Friday was a solid outing, but the leash is definitely getting shorter.

Hierarchy remains: *Allen | Hand | Cimber.
* = closer-by-committee

Texas Rangers — The trade market for Keone Kela seems to be heating up, as the Rangers have continued to slide out of the playoff picture. The latest rumor has him going to Pittsburgh, where he probably sets up Felipe Vazquez, at least initially. This deal has been in the works for a couple of days, but with the trade deadline looming it may happen this weekend. If Kela is traded, we expect Jake Diekman to have the inside track for save opportunities, but it will certainly be a committee that also includes Jose Leclerc.

Hierarchy remains: Kela | Diekman | Leclerc.

St. Louis Cardinals – In a move that has been brewing since April, Greg Holland was designated for assignment yesterday, meaning the Cardinals paid him almost $200,000 for each out he recorded. He ended his time in St. Louis with zero saves, two holds and a 7.92 ERA. The Cardinals also DFA’d Tyler Lyons, sent Sam Tuivailala to Seattle and placed Brett Cecil on the DL in one of the biggest bullpen restructurings in recent memory. Bud Norris and Jordan Hicks remain the best options for the Cardinals, and we expect Luke Gregerson to see an increased role now that the path has cleared, though Mike Mayers did get a seventh-inning hold last night. Keep an eye on Dakota Hudson, who was called up in the flurry of moves. He will start in the bullpen and was having an excellent year in Memphis.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Hicks | Gregerson.

Boston Red Sox – With a two-run lead in the 7th inning, the Red Sox turned to Ryan Brasier to face the bottom of the Minnesota lineup. He gave up a run but earned his second hold of the year. Conspicuously absent from the late innings was Joe Kelly, who has given up eight runs in his last four outings. While Alex Cora has spoken highly of Brasier recently, we think Heath Hembree (four holds in his past six appearances) will take the 7th inning role from Kelly, at least for now. However, Brasier is an exciting young arm, and he may be a fixture for the Red Sox for years to come.

Updated hierarchy: Kimbrel | Barnes | Hembree.

Colorado Rockies — Adam Ottavino shut the door on Oakland last night to pick up his fourth save of the year. After the game, manager Bud Black said that Wade Davis was getting some extra rest after a couple tough outings against the Astros. We expect that Davis will be available today.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Ottavino | Oh.

Houston Astros — In an overnight trade, the Astros added Ryan Pressly from Minnesota. Pressly has been on a tear recently, riding a seven-game scoreless streak, and A.J. Hinch is impressed with his skills, even if he doesn’t know how he will use them just yet. Hinch may want to shake Pressly’s hand first, but we think Pressly jumps right into the hierarchy. Chris Devenski has been horrible lately, giving up eight runs without recording a single out over his past two appearances. Houston’s bullpen as a whole has bad recently, so they may not be done adding arms prior to the trade deadline.

Updated hierarchy: Rondon | McHugh | Pressly.

Minnesota Twins — The Twins traded Ryan Pressly to Houston last night. Pressly had been on a great run recently, but Minnesota is selling anybody it can at the moment. Look for Zach Duke and Matt Belisle to pick up the slack, at least until they find themselves traded as well. Also of note is the fact that Fernando Rodney, who had garnered interest from a few contenders, has not been sharp in his last two appearances. 

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Hildenberger | Duke.

Cincinnati Reds — Amir Garrett hurt himself covering first base on Friday night, but thankfully for him X-rays were negative and he is just day-to-day with a mild Achilles sprain.

Hierarchy remains: Iglesias | Hughes | Garrett.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Heath Hembree – Craig Kimbrel threw 33 pitches last night and Matt Barnes has gone back to back, leaving Hembree the best-rested option for Boston.
2. Trevor Hildenberger – Fernando Rodney has pitched in three straight and four of five.
3. Josh Hader – Corey Knebel has pitched in two straight and three of the last four.

Tomorrow
1. Lou Trivino – Blake Treinen was rested last night, but if he pitches today that would be four of the last five games.
2. Kyle Crick – Today would be two straight and three of four for Felipe Vazquez

Brandon Maurer and Scott Alexander best-positioned in KC

September 9, 2017

Kansas City Royals — The Royals announced Friday afternoon that Kelvin Herrera was being removed from the closer’s role, and his performance in that night’s game didn’t cause any regrets. Brought in with the team down a run, he gave up two extra-base hits that eventually yielded two more runs. As we told you yesterday, Ned Yost mentioned Brandon Maurer, Mike Minor, and Scott Alexander as potential replacements. We still think Maurer is the favorite, but Alexander has an impressive 15-game scoreless streak going, and has become a bit of a specialist at finishing innings that other pitchers have started, earning three saves in the process. Mike Minor has been a reliable eighth-inning arm, and has put up solid numbers, but he seems to be behind Maurer and Alexander for the moment.

Updated hierarchy: *Maurer | Alexander | Minor.
* = closer-by-committee

Minnesota Twins — Matt Belisle pitched a perfect ninth inning for his seventh save. Belisle has pitched very well since taking over as the head of the Minnesota committee, and has gotten the last five save chances for the Twins. That’s enough for us to remove the asterisk, as it seems that Belisle will be the closer for the team’s playoff push. Backing him up should be Trevor Hildenberger, who has set up the last three outings.

Updated hierarchy: Belisle | Hildenberger | Rogers.

St. Louis Cardinals — Things are wide open in the Cardinals bullpen, and the newly acquired Juan Nicasio is right in the thick of it. His first appearance for the team found him successfully protecting a three-run lead against the Pirates, who traded him to the Phillies in a bizarre salary dump on August 31, only to see him moved to a fellow playoff contender. Nicasio hasn’t given up a run in eight outings (in three different uniforms), and though he won’t be eligible to pitch in the playoffs, he could play a big part getting the Cardinals there.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Lyons | Nicasio.
* = closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers — Daniel Stumpf pitched the last two outs of the seventh inning to snag his sixth hold and lower his ERA to a tidy 2.90. Meanwhile, Joe Jimenez saw his ERA balloon to 12.83 after giving up five runs in his last outing. Detroit seems happy with Shane Greene’s work as the closer, but it’s clear they don’t trust Jimenez to get the ball to him at this point.

Updated hierarchy: Greene | Wilson | Stumpf.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Brandon Kintzler/Ryan Madson — Sean Doolittle has pitched in back-to-back games and four of the last five. Brandon Kintzler has also gone in two straight, leaving Ryan Madson comparatively rested.
2. Taylor Rogers/Tyler Duffey — Belisle and Hildenberger have each gone in three straight. Rogers has pitched in three of four himself, so the Twins might call on Tyler Duffey — or, if they’re desperate, Glen Perkins.
3. Chris Devenski — The Astros have a doubleheader today and Ken Giles blew last night’s save.
4. Santiago Casilla — It’s the same doubleheader for Oakland, and Blake Treinen pitched an inning on Friday.

Sunday:
1. Anthony Swarzak — If Corey Knebel pitches today, it’ll be two straight and three of four.
2. Alex Wilson — Same with Shane Greene.
3. Nick Vincent — And Edwin Diaz.

Oh likely to get first crack at saves with Rosenthal injured

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.

Juan Minaya likely to lead chaotic White Sox bullpen after Clippard trade

August 14, 2017

San Francisco Giants – Mark Melancon had his first outing since being activated from the DL, pitching a scoreless inning in the second game of the team’s doubleheader. Sam Dyson picked up the save in game one. The Giants plan to ease Melancon back in to the closer role, so we’ll ease him up the hierarchy, and are guessing he’ll have at least one or two more appearances before he moves back to the 9th inning.

Updated hierarchy: Dyson | Melancon | Strickland.

Miami Marlins – Brad Ziegler got the day off on Sunday, but Junichi Tazawa ended up staying in his traditional 8th inning role, allowing Odrisamer Despaigne to pick up his first career save. We’re guessing this was a one-off opportunity, and that it’s unlikely that Despaigne plays much of a role in the late innings going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Ziegler | Tazawa | Steckenrider.

Minnesota Twins – Matt Belisle got knocked around on Saturday, so the Twins gave him the day off Sunday and went to Trevor Hildenberger, who got the final four outs of the game and picked up his first save. That’s enough for us to return the Twins to committee status; the team is in hot pursuit of a Wild Card, so don’t look for them to stay particularly loyal to any pitcher who isn’t doing the job.

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

Atlanta Braves – Jose Ramirez picked up his 20th hold of the season yesterday. Lately, he’s been pitching mostly in games the Braves have been losing, which is weird given his stellar numbers, but at any rate, we welcome him back to the hierarchy and think he could be an option for saves should anything happen to Arodys Vizcaino.

Updated hierarchy: Vizcaino | Johnson | Ramirez.

Los Angeles Angels – After seemingly falling out of the race with a 9-13 record in July, the Angels have been red hot all month (10-3) and currently hold the second AL Wild Card. But when it comes to closing out games, their relief corps will sorting things out on a night to night basis. Cam Bedrosian should continue to be Mike Scioscia’s choice when rested, but the Angels are being very cautious with his usage — stunningly, he has pitched on consecutive days only TWICE all season. So with Bedrosian getting the day off Sunday after pitching Saturday, it was Keynan Middleton who got the save, with Blake Parker and Yusmeiro Petit handling the 7th and 8th, respectively. Outside of Bedrosian, roles are pretty fluid in Anaheim.

Hierarchy remains: *Bedrosian | Parker | Middleton.

Chicago White Sox — The White Sox traded Tyler Clippard to the Astros late Sunday night. For now, we like Juan Minaya (21 Ks vs 7 BBs, 5 ERs in his last 17.1 IP) to head a committee that also includes Jake Petricka and Aaron Bummer, but be warned that describing this bullpen as a “patchwork” is an insult to whatever you normally use to patch your shit up.

Updated hierarchy: *Minaya | Petricka | Bummer.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Chris Devenski – Ken Giles pitched 2 innings (22 pitches) last night. He’s probably fine for tonight, but the Astros have a 12-game division lead and might choose to play it cautious.

Tomorrow
1. Chris Devenski – See above.
2. Joe Smith/Bryan Shaw – If Cody Allen goes today, it’ll be three straight.
3. Dellin Betances – If Aroldis Chapman goes today, it’ll be back to back and three of four.

Matt Belisle with another scoreless ninth; watch for the return of Glen Perkins

August 10, 2017

Minnesota Twins — Yeah, Matt Belisle struck out the side for his third scoreless ninth in four days, and his sixteenth straight appearance without an earned run. Sure looks like the closer to us. Glen Perkins should be back next week, but probably won’t challenge for the job right away.

Updated hierarchy: Belisle | Rogers | Hildenberger.

Colorado Rockies — Even though Wednesday’s game went 12 innings, Bud Black managed to rest Greg Holland and Pat Neshek. Jake McGee pitched in the eighth and ninth, and Tyler Chatwood made his first appearance since being moved to the bullpen, picking up his first save in five years. Chatwood is the only pitcher this season with both a save and a shutout, and he’s the first guy to do it since — *drum roll* — Matt Andriese in 2016. That answer is kind of a letdown, I’ll be honest with you.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Neshek | McGee.

Chicago Cubs — The Cubs are being careful with the 42-year-old Koji Uehara, putting him on the disabled list to recover from his neck strain. Meanwhile, CJ Edwards has been struggling (23.62 ERA in August), and Joe Maddon is talking about using him in a lower-leverage setting to get him back on track. Pedro Strop and Brian Duensing should benefit.

Updated hierarchy: Davis | Wilson | Strop.

Philadelphia Phillies — Not only did Hoby Milner earn his second straight eighth-inning hold on Wednesday, but Pete Mackanin specifically mentioned that Milner would get more late-inning opportunities over the last seven weeks of the season. Luis Garcia hasn’t appeared in a game since picking up his second straight loss on August 4, but given the great season that preceded this week, we’ll wait for confirmation before moving him around.

Updated hierarchy: Neris | Garcia | Milner. 

St. Louis Cardinals — Brett Cecil has been used mostly in long relief lately, but Zach Duke is keeping the seventh inning in the two first names family. On the field at Busch, a stray cat inspired Yadier Molina to hit a grand slam off Peter Moylan — the first homer attributable to an animal since Mr. Ed took Sandy Koufax deep in 1963.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Oh | Duke.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Luis Garcia — We may find out if Garcia is available, because Hector Neris won’t be (four of five).
2. Nick Vincent — Edwin Diaz has gone in three of four (56 pitches).
3. Taylor Rogers/Trevor Hildenberger — Belisle has also appeared in three of four.

Friday:
None, but try any of the guys listed above if their closer pitches again today.