August 6, 2013
Houston Astros — Houston’s bullpen situation isn’t getting any clearer. Monday night, Bo Porter played matchups in the ninth, using Wesley Wright to start the eighth, then summoning Josh Fields to face Mike Napoli with two outs. Fields, who was selected from Boston this offseason in the Rule 5 draft, struck out Napoli, then stuck around for the ninth; all he did there was strike out the side for his first career save. Although some on Twitter are ready to anoint him the new closer, we suspect this is just what an actual closer-by-committee approach looks like — note that Fields has a 6.00+ ERA, has allowed baserunners in six straight appearances, and pitched the eighth down a run on Sunday. Four strikeouts in four at-bats is quite a statement, though, and if Porter wants to return to a more conventional ninth-inning approach, Fields has a strong case. Hierarchy change: Josh Fields to Set-up, Chia-Jen Lo to 2nd in line.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated |
HOU | | Jose Cisnero | | Josh Fields | | Chia-Jen Lo | | Jose Cisnero | | 8/6/13 |
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Philadelphia Phillies — Antonio Bastardo was handed a 50-game suspension on Monday for his connection to performance-enhancing drugs. Justin De Fratus has been effective since mid-July, not allowing a run in his last six appearances — and the Phils will need him, with Mike Adams out until 2014 after shoulder surgery. Hierarchy change: Justin De Fratus to Set-up, replacing Antonio Bastardo.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated |
PHI | | Jonathan Papelbon | | Justin De Fratus | | Jacob Diekman | | Jonathan Papelbon | | 8/6/13 |
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Los Angeles Dodgers — Kenley Jansen got the night off, so Paco Rodriguez nailed down a strong two-inning vulture save in a tight game. No hierarchy change.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated |
LAD | | Kenley Jansen | | Paco Rodriguez | | Ronald Belisario | | Kenley Jansen | | 8/6/13 |
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Atlanta Braves — Jordan Walden did indeed grab a vulture save Monday with Craig Kimbrel unavailable. No hierarchy change.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated |
ATL | | Craig Kimbrel | | Jordan Walden | | Luis Avilan | | Craig Kimbrel | | 8/6/13 |
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Los Angeles Angels — Long-injured Ryan Madson got only as far as one single-A rehab appearance this year; it appears that this will be his second straight season out of the majors after the Angels released him on Monday. No hierarchy change.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated |
LAA | | Ernesto Frieri | | Dane de la Rosa | | Kevin Jepsen | | Ernesto Frieri | | 8/6/13 |
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Seattle Mariners — A triceps injury will shut down Stephen Pryor for the remainder of the year. No hierarchy change.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated |
SEA | | Danny Farquhar | | Oliver Perez | | Yoervis Medina | | Tom Wilhelmsen | | 8/6/13 |
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VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Cody Allen, Cleveland Indians — Chris Perez and Joe Smith have each pitched in three straight games.