July 4, 2016
Minnesota Twins – Following a scoreless 9th inning yesterday, Brandon Kintzler now has four saves to Fernando Abad’s one. Abad has also struggled recently, having allowed 6 ERs in his last 5.1 innings. Kintzler is inches from kicking his asterisk and could make appealing trade bait for teams looking to add some help.
Hierarchy remains: *Kintzler | Abad | Pressly.
* = closer-by-committee
St. Louis Cardinals – Seung Hwan Oh picked up his second save in as many days on Sunday, and has been the clear choice for the Cardinals following Trevor Rosenthal’s demotion, despite Mike Matheny’s reluctance to name him the primary closer. The Cardinals are still hoping that Rosenthal can return to the role soon, but until then, Oh will get the fast majority of chances.
Updated hierarchy: Oh | Broxton | Rosenthal.
Washington Nationals – Jonathan Papelbon was activated from the DL this morning and will resume closing immediately. Shawn Kelley did a serviceable job in his place, but didn’t do nearly enough to raise a discussion about the role going forward.
Updated hierarchy: Papelbon | Kelley | Rivero.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Melancon has pitched in three straight.