Mauricio Cabrera catching on in Atlanta

July 8, 2016

Atlanta Braves – Closer Arodys Vizcaino was unavailable Thursday after a rough outing Wednesday (1 IP, 2 ER, blown save, 21 pitches). In his place during an 11-inning affair against the Cubs? It was the recently called up Mauricio Cabrera, who pitched a clean 11th inning for his second save. With Vizcaino on the trade block, Cabrera could be the closer of the future in Atlanta.

Updated hierarchy: Vizcaino | Johnson | Cabrera.

San Francisco Giants – Giants setup man Cory Gearrin has been placed on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right shoulder… or if we’re being honest, it appears to be an extended of period of rest for Gearrin through the All-Star break. Manager Bruce Bochy admitted as much, saying, “It was going to be a few days (off) so we placed him on the DL to get this cleared up.” Bochy added that Gearrin should be back when eligible to come off of the DL.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Romo | Strickland.

Detroit Tigers – Bruce Rondon wasn’t available to pitch Thursday due to an illness. There was no word on whether he’ll be available Friday. Meantime, the Tigers surely needed him, as the bullpen yielded three runs in a loss to the Blue Jays.

Hierarchy remains: Rodriguez | J.Wilson | Rondon.

Kansas City Royals – Would-be closer Joakim Soria pitched the eighth inning with a 2-0 deficit and allowed a Nelson Cruz homer. This certainly did not lend any clarity on the Royals closing situation, especially after Kelvin Herrera’s recent rough outings.

Hierarchy remains: *Soria | Herrera | Hochevar.
* = closer-by-committee

St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal pitched in the eighth inning of a 5-1 win over the Pirates, recording two outs in a clean outing. It’s a good sign for the demoted closer, but we’ll wait to slide him up in our hierarchy until we see more evidence that Mike Matheny is trusting him again.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Broxton | Rosenthal.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Addison Reed, New York Mets — Jeurys Familia has pitched in two straight and three of the last four.
2. Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals — Who will get the first call for a save chance? Will it be Herrera or Joakim Soria?