Joaquin Benoit hits the disabled list

April 26, 2016

Pittsburgh Pirates – Colorado native A.J. Schugel came into the game hoping to hold the lead for Tony Watson and Mark Melancon, but pitched well enough that Clint Hurdle left him in after the Pirates scratched out a couple more runs. The 2.1 inning outing was Schugel’s first career save.

Hierarchy remains: Melancon | Watson | Feliz.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners have sent 38-year old reliever Joaquin Benoit to the 15-day DL with shoulder inflammation and recalled reliever Mayckol Guaipe. Last night, Joel Peralta slid into the 8th inning role, surrendering one run, but maintaining the lead and grabbing a hold. Based on recent usage and the fact that he throws about 110 mph, we anticipate that Tony Zych will get put into some high pressure spots while Benoit is away.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Peralta | Zych.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Mark Lowe, Detroit Tigers — K-Rod is off on emergency leave.
2. Nate Jones, Chicago White Sox — David Robertson has pitched in three straight.
3. Addison Reed, New York Mets — Jeurys Familia has pitched in back-to-back games and three of four.
4. Hunter Strickland, San Francisco Giants — Santiago Casilla has pitched in back-to-back games, including an effort that spanned two innings last night.
5. Junichi Tazawa/Robbie Ross, Boston Red Sox — Craig Kimbrel has pitched in two straight and three of four, while Koji Uehara has pitched in back-to-back games and rarely goes three in a row. Tazawa or Ross could get the 9th tonight.

Closer Hot Seat update: April 25, 2016

Welcome to our weekly Hot Seat column! Each week — usually on Mondays — we’ll update this space to give you an easy-to-reference guide on who might be closest to losing their jobs. Note that this isn’t necessarily a ranking of the best closers; rather, it’s a guide to job security.

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Latest update: April 25, 2016

It’s been a pretty solid year for bullpens so far, with only a few obvious and horrifying exceptions. Cincinnati’s a disaster and Oakland is unpredictable, but aside from Kevin Jepsen stumbling toward Glen Perkins’s pending return, ninth innings are looking better throughout the league. Arodys Vizcaino appears to have some more breathing room in Atlanta, and Shawn Tolleson had a three-save week. By right, Jake McGee’s five-run debacle on Sunday should have dropped him a tier, but without any sort of viable replacement in the queue, his leash is just as long. At the top, Kenley Jansen’s outstanding performance, combined with the parade of mediocres behind him at Chavez Ravine, moves him to the #1 position.

Hottest: In a committee or on the verge of losing their job right now.
30. Tony Cingrani/Caleb Cotham (Handcuffs: J.J. Hoover, Ross Ohlendorf)
29. Ryan Madson (Handcuff: Sean Doolittle)

Hot: Guys who could be in danger after their next blown save.
28. Kevin Jepsen (Handcuff: Trevor May; DL return: Glen Perkins)

Warmish: Two blown saves in a row and these players might be in trouble.
27. Alex Colome
26. Arodys Vizcaino
25. Francisco Rodriguez
24. Jeanmar Gomez
23. Santiago Casilla
22. Shawn Tolleson
21. Fernando Rodney

Cool: These players would have to blow 3 consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy.
20. Jake McGee
19. Jeremy Jeffress
18. Roberto Osuna
17. Steve Cishek
16. Hector Rondon
15. Luke Gregerson
14. Jonathan Papelbon
13. Mark Melancon
12. A.J. Ramos
11. Huston Street
10. David Robertson
9. Craig Kimbrel
8. Brad Ziegler
7. Cody Allen
6. Andrew Miller
5. Jeurys Familia
4. Trevor Rosenthal

Sub-zero: These players would have to blow 4+ consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy.
3. Zach Britton
2. Wade Davis
1. Kenley Jansen

Zach Duke looking sharp; was J.J. Hoover tipping pitches?

April 25, 2016

Chicago White Sox – Zach Duke had been used more like a LOOGY in the early going — he didn’t pitch a full inning in any of his first six outings — but he’s now had five straight outings where he’s gone an inning or more, including Sunday, when he pitched the 7th ahead of Nate Jones and David Robertson. Look to him as a possible source of holds going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Robertson | Jones | Duke.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Arquimedes Caminero picked up a save in the 13th inning on Sunday. Though he’s the reigning “best name in baseball” (having taken the title from Coco Crisp, who wrested it from Boof Bonser, who claimed it from Tim Spooneybarger, who won it from Quinton McCracken), Caminero does not factor in to the Pirates’ usual late inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Melancon | Watson | Feliz.

Cincinnati Reds – Finally, a glimmer of hope for those who have stuck with J.J. Hoover this whole time: the embattled former closer says he’s been tipping his pitches, and thinks he’s corrected the problem. He backed this claim up with a scoreless outing on Sunday, and could re-enter the mix for 9th inning opportunities if he can post a few more zeroes.

Hierarchy remains: *Cingrani | Cotham | Ohlendorf.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Pat Neshek, Houston Astros – Luke Gregerson threw 2 innings last night, while Ken Giles has pitched in back to back games (including a 33-pitch loss yesterday).
2. Jake Petricka, Chicago White Sox – David Robertson, Nate Jones, and Zach Duke have all pitched in back to back games, meaning we have to reach all the way off of the hierarchy for this one. If Chicago’s top three get a rest, look for Petricka to get the save chance.
3. Joe Blanton, Los Angeles Dodgers – Another big reach here, but Kenley Jansen has gone four of five and so has Chris Hatcher, while Pedro Baez and Luis Avilan have pitched in three straight.

 

Tony Cingrani moves to top of Reds’ committee

April 24, 2016

Detroit Tigers — Francisco Rodriguez has been placed on the emergency family medical leave list.  It’s unclear how long K-Rod will be out but Mark Lowe and Justin Wilson will see save changes while he out is gone.

Hierarchy remains: Rodriguez | Lowe | J. Wilson.

Cincinnati Reds — Blake Wood pitched pretty well yesterday, throwing 1.1 scoreless innings.  However, the fact that he was brought on in the 5th inning with the Reds losing would suggest he isn’t likely to see any save chances soon.  Caleb Cotham, who had a 0.00 ERA coming into the night, pitched in the 7th and 8th innings and gave up five baserunners and two earned runs, so that’s not helping his chances of securing save opportunities.  Tony Cingrani got the last out of the 8th and then stayed on for a scoreless 9th to finish off a Reds’ blowout victory.  Since he pitched the best and latest in the game, we will move Cingrani to the top of the committee. Also, Wood drops off the hierarchy and we will throw Ross Ohlendorf on there for now (mostly because we like his old-school delivery).  The Reds bullpen is still a mess, and it will take some time to sort out roles, so we will continue to monitor usage and any comments from manager Bryan Price.

Updated hierarchy: *Cingrani | Cotham | Ohlendorf.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Fernando Salas, Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street and Joe Smith have both pitched in three straight.
2. David Hernandez, Philadelphia Phillies – Jeanmar Gomez has pitched in two straight and three of the last four.
3. Ross Ohlendorf, Cincinnati Reds – Tony Cingrani is the only lefty in the Reds’ bullpen so if he is needed before the 9th, Ohlendorf might get the call since Caleb Cotham threw 41 pitches yesterday.

Blake Wood becoming key in the Reds’ brutal bullpen

April 23, 2016

Cincinnati Reds — J.J. Hoover is having a very rough April. Even a relatively low-pressure outing, down three in the ninth, turned into a four-run, five-hit implosion. It’s unclear whether Hoover will still be on the team through the weekend, but we have to believe he’s not sniffing any save chances for a while. Blake Wood and Ross Ohlendorf should move up accordingly.

Updated hierarchy: *Cotham | Cingrani | Wood.
* = closer-by-committee

Colorado Rockies — Miguel Castro joined Jason Motte on the disabled list Friday, caused by inflammation in his right shoulder. It ain’t pretty, what’s left behind Jake McGee in the Rockies pen: new set-up guy Chad Qualls has a 6.35 ERA, Justin Miller averages two baserunners an inning, and Christian Bergman is giving up hits to everyone he doesn’t strike out. We’ll give the slot to lefty Boone Logan for now, but callup Gonzalez Germen could make it his before long.

Updated hierarchy: McGee | Qualls | Logan.

Oakland A’s — Although Bob Melvin says Oakland still has a closer committee, Sean Doolittle allowed two inherited runners to score before Ryan Madson earned save number seven with a perfect ninth. The A’s have been keeping their bullpen busy, with nine saves in their ten wins.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Doolittle | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee

Atlanta Braves — It doesn’t look like much of a committee in Atlanta either. Jason Grilli’s only save was of the vulture variety, and he came in on Friday night with the Braves down three in the eighth.

Updated hierarchy: Vizcaino | Grilli | Johnson.

Kansas City Royals — With Joakim Soria struggling, the Royals used Luke Hochevar in the seventh and Kelvin Herrera in the eighth, in a two-run game. Soria has earned enough goodwill to keep his slot through this one snub, but we’ll be watching to see who gets the next high-leverage eighth.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Soria | Herrera.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Bryan Shaw, Cleveland Indians — Cody Allen didn’t take Friday off, but Saturday could be a different story. He’s now thrown 41 pitches in two days.
2. Joaquin Benoit, Seattle Mariners — Steve Cishek has gone in three straight.
3. Neftali Feliz, Pittsburgh Pirates — Both Mark Melancon and Tony Watson had lengthy outings on Friday night. Melancon also pitched on Thursday.
4. Joe Smith/Fernando Salas, Los Angeles Angels — Huston Street has pitched in two straight (37 pitches).