June 13, 2014
New York Mets — Jenrry Mejia was pulled from the game in the eleventh inning on Thursday with what the Mets later explained was back stiffness. Mejia has been injury-prone in his career; we should know more about the seriousness of this situation soon.
Hierarchy remains: Mejia | Familia | Black.
Baltimore Orioles – Ryan Webb picked up his ninth hold of the season on Thursday and did so against the meat of Toronto’s lineup in the eighth inning, his one blemish a double by Jose Bautista. Darren O’Day got the night off after a 21-pitch outing on Wednesday and Tommy Hunter is still the next-likely arm to get a save opp if O’Day and Zach Britton struggle, but Webb is proving himself to be a fourth option for manager Buck Showalter.
Hierarchy remains: Britton | O’Day | Hunter.
Houston Astros – Chad Qualls blew just his second save of the season and allowed his first run since April 19 before the Astros walked off winners in the 10th. Prior to that, Darin Downs earned a hold with an inning of work spanning the seventh and eighth frames. However, the southpaw faced three lefties and won’t be a major factor in the Astros’ late-inning plans.
Hierarchy remains: Qualls | Sipp | Fields.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Darren O’Day, Baltimore Orioles — Zach Britton has pitched in back-to-back days.
2. Jonathan Broxton, Cincinnati Reds — Aroldis Chapman has thrown 36 pitches over the last two days, including 21 on Thursday.
3. Tony Sipp/Josh Fields, Houston Astros — Chad Qualls has appeared on consecutive days and in three of the last four games.
4. Jeurys Familia, New York Mets — As noted above, Jenrry Mejia may be unavailable with an injury today.
