Shawn Tolleson on thin ice in Texas

May 18, 2016

Texas Rangers — Shawn Tolleson blew his fourth save of the season on Tuesday, but despite a 9.20 ERA, Jeff Bannister did not want to make a reactionary decision. Tolleson is clearly on the thinnest of ice, however, and Sam Dyson is even closer to taking over the 9th inning for the Rangers.

Hierarchy remains: Tolleson | Dyson | Diekman.

Colorado Rockies — Carlos Estevez converted his fifth straight hold on Tuesday while Chad Qualls has not pitched since a blown save on May 11. Estevez, who has closing experience from over two decades ago, has allowed just two hits and one earned run in his last six appearances.

Updated hierarchy: McGee | Logan | Estevez.

Seattle Mariners — Joaquin Benoit has been activated from the disabled list and rejoined the Mariners in Baltimore on Tuesday night.

Updated hierarchy: Cishek | Benoit | Peralta.

Houston Astros — Tony Sipp stumbled his way into an extra-inning save after Luke Gregerson’s third blown save of the season. Sipp is not a prominent factor in the Astros’ late-inning plans. Meanwhile, Ken Giles looked strong with a pair of strikeouts in the seventh inning to preserve a tie game.

Hierarchy remains: Gregerson | Harris | Giles.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Sam Dyson, Texas Rangers – Shawn Tolleson may get the night, or the next few weeks, off.
2. John Axford, Oakland Athletics – Ryan Madson blew his first save of the season on Tuesday and has pitched in three straight games while Axford had last night off after two straight outings.
3. Nate Jones, Chicago White Sox – David Robertson only threw 21 pitches on Tuesday and has seen little work of late, but last night’s performance was two innings.
4. Ross Ohlendorf, Cincinnati Reds  – Tony Cingrani needed 33 pitches yesterday in a blowout loss, though he managed to strike out two and walk only one without giving up a run.
5. Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Melancon has pitched each of the last three days.

John Axford getting some 8th inning looks

May 17, 2016

Oakland A’s – For the second straight night, John Axford got the 8th inning ahead of Ryan Madson, earning his sixth hold of the year. Sean Doolittle was used to finish off the 7th inning and seems to have slipped further down the Oakland hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Axford | Doolittle.

Los Angeles Angels – The Vulture Save Watch raised its batting average a few points when Fernando Salas picked up the save in place of a resting Joe Smith.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Salas | Alvarez.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Kyle Barraclough, Miami Marlins – Both AJ Ramos and David Phelps have pitched in three straight.

Closer Hot Seat: May 16, 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: May 16, 2016

Cincinnati continues to be a dumpster fire for relief pitching, but Tony Cingrani has edged his way into the lead — a couple more saves and he might kick the committee label which would elevate him from “committee leader” to “terrible closer.” Elsewhere, the closers to watch are Kevin Jepsen, Shawn Tolleson, and Steve Cishek, all of whom have had rough stretches. Jepsen is probably the most vulnerable, as he’s got Trevor May breathing down his neck and Glen Perkins is on the mend. Tolleson, meanwhile, has lost the feel for his change-up, which has made him less effective, and Cishek has quickly fallen back to earth after a surprising start to the year.

Hottest: In a committee or on the verge of losing their job right now.
30. Tony Cingrani (Handcuff: Ross Ohlendorf)

Hot: Guys who could be in danger after their next blown save.
29. Kevin Jepsen (Handcuff: Trevor May; DL return: Glen Perkins)
28. Shawn Tolleson (Handcuff: Sam Dyson)
27. Steve Cishek (Handcuff: Joel Peralta, Joaquin Benoit [DL])

Warmish: Two blown saves in a row and these players might be in trouble.
26. Santiago Casilla
25. Jeanmar Gomez
24. Luke Gregerson
23. Alex Colome

Cool: These players would have to blow 3 consecutive saves for their jobs to be in jeopardy.
22. Cody Allen
21. Fernando Rodney
20. Jeremy Jeffress
19. Francisco Rodriguez
18. Ryan Madson
17. Arodys Vizcaino
16. A.J. Ramos
15. Roberto Osuna
14. Joe Smith
13. Jake McGee
12. Hector Rondon
11. Jonathan Papelbon
10. Mark Melancon
9. Brad Ziegler
8. Jeurys Familia
7. Craig Kimbrel
6. Aroldis Chapman
5. Trevor Rosenthal
4. Wade Davis
3. David Robertson

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

Sam Dyson, bullpen linebacker

May 16, 2016

Texas Rangers – Though Rougned Odor stole all the headlines for his right cross to Jose Bautista, Sam Dyson was a hero (or villain, depending on your perspective) in his own right for treating us to this perfect form tackle of Russ Martin. Adding insult to injury, Dyson also retired Martin to end the game, picking up his second save of the year in the process. With Shawn Tolleson struggling, Dyson is a great speculative add if you have the roster space.

Hierarchy remains: Tolleson | Dyson | Diekman.

Detroit Tigers – Alex Wilson got the 8th inning ahead of Francisco Rodriguez on Sunday, picking up his fourth hold of the season. He got a brief look at closer last year down the stretch, and could factor in again on nights when K-Rod needs a break.

Updated hierarchy: Rodriguez | J.Wilson | A.Wilson.

San Francisco Giants – Over his last 8.2 innings, Hunter Strickland has only allowed 1 run, lowering his ERA from 5.40 to 3.18 and establishing himself as a reliable option in the Giants bullpen. Yesterday, he got the 8th inning in a tie game and earned the win. Josh Osich continues to pitch very effectively but has largely been used as a LOOGY in recent weeks, so he drops down behind Strickland for now.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Gearrin | Strickland. 

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Fernando Salas, Los Angeles Angels – Joe Smith has pitched in three straight.
2. Koji Uehara, Boston Red Sox – Craig Kimbrel has pitched in three straight.
3. Chasen Shreve, New York Yankees – Traditionally, Joe Girardi has abstained from using any reliever for three straight days before the All Star break, which might put him in a hole tonight, as Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, and Dellin Betances have all gone in back-to-back games. But if he holds form, they could all get the night off, making Chasen Shreve a candidate for a save.