September 12, 2013
Pittsburgh Pirates – Kyle Farnsworth picked up his first save of the season on Wednesday, on a night when Mark Melancon and Jason Grilli were unavailable. Farnsworth would have been far from our first choice, as the 37-year-old righty was out of a job just a few weeks ago. But his usage yesterday suggests Clint Hurdle will value his 9th inning experience on nights where his top two relievers can’t pitch. Hierarchy change: Kyle Farnsworth to 2nd in line, replacing Tony Watson.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| PIT | Mark Melancon | Jason Grilli | Kyle Farnsworth | Jason Grilli | 9/12/13 |
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Houston Astros – The ever-in-flux Astros bullpen went to Josh Zeid for the last out of the 8th inning on Wednesday, and then left him out there for the 9th, where he picked up his first career save. After a rough stretch in August, Zeid has only allowed four earned runs in his last 13 innings, which is good enough for a prominent role in Houston. Hierarchy change: Josh Zeid to Set-up, Kevin Chapman to 2nd in line.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| HOU | Josh Fields | Josh Zeid | Kevin Chapman | Josh Fields | 9/12/13 |
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San Francisco Giants – With Sergio Romo unavailable, Santiago Casilla got the save in his absence, as mentioned in the Vulture Save Watch. No hierarchy change.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| SF | Sergio Romo | Santiago Casilla | Javier Lopez | Sergio Romo | 9/12/13 |
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New York Yankees – David Robertson returned to action yesterday, pitching the 8th inning and picking up a win. Hierarchy change: David Robertson to Set-up, Shawn Kelley to 2nd in line.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| NYY | Mariano Rivera | David Robertson | Shawn Kelley | David Robertson | 9/12/13 | |||||
| Boone Logan (INJ) |
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Arizona Diamondbacks – David Hernandez, who returned earlier this month after being sidelined for much of August, pitched the 8th inning ahead of Brad Ziegler on Wednesday. With five scoreless outings since his return, Hernandez stands to see more high-leverage innings. Hierarchy change: David Hernandez to Set-up, Heath Bell to 2nd in line.
| . | Closer | . | Set-Up | . | 2nd in line | . | 2014 Closer | . | Updated | |
| ARI | Brad Ziegler | David Hernandez | Heath Bell | J.J. Putz | 9/12/13 | |||||
| J.J. Putz (DL) |
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VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. David Robertson, New York Yankees – Mariano Rivera has pitched in back to back games and three of four, throwing a total of 4.1 innings and 74 pitches.
