July 30, 2022
Cincinnati Reds – Hunter Strickland was placed on the bereavement list Friday, and the Reds bullpen lost their second game in a row, with Buck Farmer giving up 4 runs pitching in a tie game in the 9th. With Luis Castillo already traded, it is possible the Hunter Strickland will be the next Red out the door, and it may be a good time to take a flyer on Alexis Diaz. Diaz has the best ERA and WHIP in the bullpen by a significant margin, and even if Strickland returns to the closers spot it may just be temporary as the Reds look to the future.
Updated hierarchy: *Diaz | Hoffman | Sanmartin
Philadelphia Phillies – With Brad Hand and Seranthony Dominguez already having pitched, and Corey Knebel resting from an appearance Thursday, the Phillies turned to Connor Brogdon when they took the lead in the 10th inning. Brogdon pitched a perfect inning for his first save of the year. The entire Phillies bullpen has been excellent lately, and Brogdon has been a solid contributor, but he isn’t normally in line for saves in this committee.
Hierarchy remains: *Dominguez | Hand | Knebel.
* = closer-by-committee
Cleveland Guardians – With a 3 run lead going into the 8th inning, the Guardians turned to Trevor Stephan. Stephan struck out 2 for his 5th hold on the year, and now has recorded 7 straight scoreless appearances. Meanwhile, Eli Morgan has given up runs in 3 of his last 5 appearances and seems to have slipped behind Stephan in the hierarchy. Clase is still an elite closer, but if you’re looking for a handcuff, it looks like Stephan is the better option.
Updated hierarchy: Clase | Stephan | Morgan.
Vulture Save Watch:
- Felix Bautista (BAL) — Jorge Lopez has pitched in 3 of the last 4, while Bautista got the night off last night.
- Josh Staumont (KC) — Scott Barlow has pitched in back to back games including 35 pitches last night.
- Dominic Leone/John Brebbia (SF) — The entire Giants hierarchy has pitched in back to back games, but Camilo Doval has thrown 39 pitches, while Leone and Brebbia have kept their pitch counts low.
For Sunday:
- Evan Phillips (LAD) — Craig Kimbrel threw 29 pitches last night, and another outing could earn him a rest on Sunday.
- A.J. Minter (ATL) — Same for Kenley Jansen who threw 26 pitches last night.
- Trevor Stephan (CLE) — Emmanuel Clase has pitched in 3 of the last 4, but has been efficient
- Brad Hand (PHI) — Today would be 3 in a row for Seranthony Dominguez, but he has only thrown 14 pitches over the last 2 days.
- Wandy Peralta (NYY) — Today would be 3 of 4 for Clay Holmes.