September 18, 2017
Cincinnati Reds – Raisel Iglesias got a second day off after throwing 42 pitches on Friday, so Michael Lorenzen got his second save with a clean 9th inning. He remains Iglesias’s handcuff going into the season’s final two weeks.
Hierarchy remains: Iglesias | Lorenzen | Shackelford.
Oakland A’s – Chris Hatcher finished off the seventh and then pitched a clean 8th inning ahead of Blake Treinen on Sunday. We don’t know for certain that he’d get the save chance if Treinen needs a night off, but given his success since coming to Oakland (2.81 ERA over 16 IP), he’s now a better bet than Santiago Casilla, who has mostly been pitching in losses.
Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Hatcher | Casilla.
Texas Rangers – After a solid 7th inning from Keone Kela, Matt Bush came out for the 8th inning, but immediately got into trouble, allowing a solo HR and a base hit. Jake Diekman came on and bailed him out, then stayed on for the 9th to earn his first save of the season. Committee leader Alex Claudio is still the go-to lefty in this pen, but this was a very nice outing for Diekman, who throws hard and could be in the mix for holds next season.
Hierarchy remains: *Claudio | Barnette | Bush.
* = closer-by-committee
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Jeurys Familia – With AJ Ramos having gone twice in a row and the Mets playing for nothing, they might give Jeurys Familia a crack at the 9th inning tonight.
Tomorrow
1. Jeurys Familia – See above. If AJ Ramos goes tonight, it’ll be three straight.
2. Brad Brach – Zach Britton threw 1.1 innings last night and could get a day off if he has another long outing tonight.