May 25, 2016
Houston Astros — Don’t look now, but Ken Giles has “figured things out” to the tune of eight straight scoreless appearances, including last night when he protected a 2-2 tie in the 8th inning. Will Harris extended his own scoreless appearance streak to 18 games on Tuesday as he continues to impress, but with Giles pitching like the guy the Astros traded for in the offseason, we think the former Phillies closer will be the first choice for a save when Luke Gregerson is unavailable.
Updated hierarchy: Gregerson | Giles | Harris.
Milwaukee Brewers — Will Smith began his minor-league rehab assignment on Tuesday and, if all goes well, he should join the Brewers at the end of team’s next homestand, which concludes on June 1. Meanwhile, current closer Jeremy Jeffress picked up his 12th save last night.
Hierarchy remains: Jeffress | Thornburg | Blazek.
Boston Red Sox — This is our third update on the Boston bullpen this season. All three have been about Carson Smith, who underwent Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2016 season. We promise the fourth update on the Red Sox this season will not be about Carson Smith.
Hierarchy remains: Kimbrel | Uehara | Tazawa.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Bryan Shaw, Cleveland Indians – Cody Allen has thrown 19 pitches in each of the last two games.
2. Justin Wilson, Detroit Tigers – K-Rod has pitched in two straight games and three of the last four.
3. Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals – Wade Davis needed 32 pitches to earn the save last night.
4. Xavier Cedeno, Tampa Bay Rays – Alex Colome has tossed just 23 pitches over the last two days, but he did pick up a six-out save on Tuesday and may get Wednesday off.