June 19, 2014
New York Mets — Terry Collins pulled closer Jenrry Mejia with two outs and a man on in the ninth to gain a platoon advantage against streaking lefthander Matt Adams. Journeyman Dana Eveland induced a groundout and earned his first save in nine years. This is the sort of flexible, open-minded, matchup-based approach to the ninth that should be celebrated from a manager. Unless you’re a Mejia owner, in which case Terry Collins is a real jobbernowl.
Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.
Minnesota Twins — With Glen Perkins sidelined with a bad back, Casey Fien got the call for a save opportunity in the tenth in Boston, only to give up consecutive home runs to lose the game. Perkins, who blamed himself for the loss, expects to be available on Thursday.
Hierarchy remains: Perkins | Fien | Duensing.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Edward Mujica/Andrew Miller, Boston Red Sox — Koji Uehara has pitched on four of the last five days.
2. Daniel Webb/Zach Putnam, Chicago White Sox — Ronald Belisario was used for a five-out save on Wednesday and Daniel Webb is the best rested of the team’s high-end relievers.
3. Drew Storen, Washington Nationals — Rafael Soriano and Tyler Clippard have been used a lot recently.
4. Shawn Kelley, New York Yankees — A longshot, but David Robertson and Dellin Betances have gone in two straight, and Adam Warren pitched two innings on Wednesday.