May 17, 2018
Philadelphia Phillies — Gabe Kapler has declared war on your fantasy team and by-the-book bullpen management, treating the ninth inning of a three-run May matinee like the wild card playoff. Tommy Hunter and Luis Garcia split up the eighth, and after Edubray Ramos struck out the first two guys in the ninth on six pitches, it sure looked like he’d be in line for a second straight save. But Kapler liked Hector Neris’s splitter against lefty Chris Davis, so one groundout later, the Phillies had their win and nobody got the save. For as long as Kapler keeps this up, Phillies relievers will be trading at a discount.
Hierarchy remains: *Neris | Ramos | Dominguez.
* = closer-by-committee
St. Louis Cardinals — Greg Holland was ineffective in the eighth with a four-run lead, requiring Bud Norris, who makes $10 million less than Holland, to come in and lock down a five-out save. With a 6.17 ERA in 15 games, and only three appearances where he hasn’t allowed a baserunner, Holland might be falling behind 21-year-old fireballer Jordan Hicks (0.92 ERA, but 14 BB in 19.2 IP) in the Cardinal pecking order.
Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee
Pittsburgh Pirates — George Kontos’s struggles have earned him a demotion from high-leverage spots, but Clint Hurdle is happy with the many strikeout-heavy options he has in setup. We think former seventh-inning guy Michael Feliz, who grabbed an eighth-inning hold on Wednesday, is most likely to move up, followed by rookie Richard Rodriguez (27 K in 15.2 IP) and 25-year-old Kyle Crick.
Updated hierarchy: Vazquez | Feliz | Rodriguez.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Sergio Romo/Jose Alvarado — Alex Colome has pitched in three straight and four of five. Time to see who the Rays have in column B.
2. AJ Minter/Dan Winkler — Brian Snitker is always talking about getting these guys save chances, and with Arodys Vizcaino coming off four appearances in five days, now’s a great opportunity.
Friday:
1. Greg Holland/Jordan Hicks — Norris won’t go in three straight, especially when the first was a five-out save.
2. Kyle Barraclough — If Brad Zeigler pitches tomorrow, it’ll be his third straight appearance.
