July 3, 2013
Seattle Mariners – Eric Wedge said prior to Tuesday’s game that Tom Wilhelmsen was close to regaining his closer status, and that the righty would be given another outing or two in a set-up role, and if those go well, he’d return to his old job (Mariners closer, that is, not bartender). Wilhelmsen pitched the 9th last night in a 7-run game, throwing a clean inning, and seems to be, at most, one more decent outing away from returning to the role. It’s sad news for owners of Oliver Perez and Yoervis Medina, who over the past three weeks have picked up a whopping one save each. No hierarchy change.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| SEA | Oliver Perez | Yoervis Medina | Tom Wilhelmsen | Tom Wilhelmsen | 7/3/13 | |||||
| Stephen Pryor (DL) |
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Chicago Cubs – Following the trade of Scott Feldman, the Cubs announced that Carlos Villanueva would be headed back to the rotation. As Kevin Gregg draws interest from other teams, that makes Blake Parker an intriguing sleeper option for saves, come trade deadline time. He might be worth rostering in deeper leagues. Hierarchy change: Blake Parker to Set-up, James Russell to 2nd in line.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| CHC | Kevin Gregg | Blake Parker | James Russell | Kevin Gregg | 7/3/13 |
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Arizona Diamondbacks – Kirk Gibson told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that JJ Putz would be used in lower-leverage situations for the time being. Heath Bell will close for now, with David Hernandez behind him. Josh Collmenter was also mentioned as a candidate for more late-inning work. Hierarchy change: Heath Bell to Closer, David Hernandez to Set-up, JJ Putz to 2nd in line.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| ARI | Heath Bell | David Hernandez | J.J. Putz | J.J. Putz | 7/2/13 |
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VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Jim Henderson, Milwaukee Brewers – Ron Roenicke has said that he’ll use Francisco Rodriguez in 9th inning most of the time, but might also go to Jim Henderson based on match ups, and today might be a day where Henderson is especially likely to see a save opp, as K-Rod has thrown a total of 58 pitches over the last three days.
