May 27, 2017
Los Angeles Angels — Bud Norris hadn’t pitched since Monday, so Mike Scioscia called on him in the eighth inning of a game the Angels trailed by five. And, naturally, because these are the Angels, he left the game with a right knee injury. The good news for LA is twofold: Norris is supposedly day-to-day, and both Huston Street and Cam Bedrosian are almost ready to return from the disabled list. Street should be back first (eligible Thursday), but if both he and Bedrosian are healthy come mid-June, we’d give the edge to Cam. If Norris does miss any time before June, we expect David Hernandez and Blake Parker to split save chances. Hernandez has been lights-out with the exception of one bad outing on May 16, while Parker strikes out more than 1.5 batters per inning.
Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hernandez | Parker.
Toronto Blue Jays — Jason Grilli has been a major disappointment in Toronto this year. His ERA is an ugly 7.20, he hasn’t been locating his slider, and he’s been relegated to low-leverage situations. Filling in at the back of Toronto’s bullpen has been Ryan Tepera, who has yet to give up a run in May (15 IP, 17 K). Tepera struggled in April, but seems to have found his footing, pitching with a late lead in his last two outings. Look for him to be the long-shot option for saves going forward.
Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Smith | Tepera.
Oakland A’s — Santiago Casilla gave up a run in a non-save situation, bumping his ERA to 4.91 on the year. Meanwhile, Ryan Madson picked up his sixth hold in a perfect eighth inning, lowering his ERA to a tidy 1.86. Casilla hasn’t been terrible, but his K rate is down from the past two years, and he’s walking more batters than normal. With Madson pitching so well behind him, Casilla may be on a shorter leash, making Madson a solid speculative add.
Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Madson | Axford.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. David Hernandez — Bud Norris has a right knee injury.
2. Jacob Barnes — Corey Knebel blew the save Friday and has gone in two straight.
Sunday:
1. Archie Bradley — Fernando Rodney has gone in three of four.
2. Ryan Madson — Santiago Casilla has pitched in two of three (51 pitches).
3. Chris Devenski/Will Harris — Ken Giles has gone back-to-back.
4. Danny Farquhar — Alex Colome got four outs last night and has gone in two of three.