2014 – Page 42 – Closer Monkey

Houston’s committee is a real thing; Jose Veras struggles

April 7, 2014

Chicago Cubs – Rick Renteria might be saying he’s not worried about Jose Veras, but we’re just not sure that we believe him. Yesterday, Veras was summoned in a non-save situation and could only get two outs before being bailed out by Pedro Strop. So far on the year, the Cubs’ closer has allowed 3 ERs in 1.2 innings while walking 6 and hitting a batter. Veras appears to have some time to turn this around, but a few more bad outings and the Cubs may have to look to Strop, who has yet to allow a run in 3.1 innings so far. Jose Veras to Hot Seat.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
CHC		Jose Veras		Pedro Strop		Hector Rondon		Pedro Strop		4/7/14

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Cincinnati Reds – Manny Parra pitched the 8th inning for the Reds in a 1-run game on Sunday, and then, with two lefties due up in the 9th, stayed on and picked up his first career save. With Jonathan Broxton due to be activated as early as tomorrow, Parra probably won’t be getting many more opportunities, but the lefty is off to a fine start this season, having logged 4.2 scoreless innings. Hierarchy change: Manny Parra to 2nd in line, replacing Logan Ondrusek.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
CIN		J.J. Hoover		Sam LeCure		Manny Parra		Aroldis Chapman		4/7/14
		Aroldis Chapman (DL)		Jonathan Broxton (DL)		Sean Marshall (DL)

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Houston Astros – So, unfortunately, it looks like the Astros are serious about this committee thing. On Sunday, Chad Qualls was called upon to put out an Anthony Bass fire, and retired the final two hitters for his first save of the year. Of the three relievers that Bo Porter tapped to share the stopper role in Houston before the season started, it’s actually Matt Albers who has been the best — he’s thrown 4.2 scoreless innings with 6 strikeouts and 0 walks. But so far, Qualls and Josh Fields are the ones with one save apiece. We still like Fields the best of these three, as he’s been used only twice, and both times was given the keys to the 9th inning. But get used to seeing Qualls and Albers in the Vulture Save Watch indefinitely. Hierarchy change: Chad Qualls to Set-up, Matt Albers to 2nd in line.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
HOU		Josh Fields		Chad Qualls		Matt Albers		Josh Fields		4/7/14
				Jesse Crain (DL)

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Los Angeles Dodgers – J.P. Howell picked up his first hold of the year on Sunday. Should something happen to Kenley Jansen, we don’t think the Howell would be tapped for the 9th inning ahead of Chris Perez, but the lefty has been a key cog in the Los Angeles bullpen thus far. Three of his four appearances have come in the 8th inning ahead of Jansen. Hierarchy change: J.P. Howell to 2nd in line, replacing Brandon League.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2014 Closer	.	Updated
LAD		Kenley Jansen		Chris Perez		J.P. Howell		Kenley Jansen		4/7/14
				Brian Wilson (DL)

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New York Mets – Bobby Parnell will have Tommy John surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2014 season. As previously mentioned, Jose Valverde will close for the foreseeable future, while Kyle Farnsworth is the best bet to step in if Valverde falters. No hierarchy change.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
NYM		Jose Valverde		Kyle Farnsworth		Gonzalez Germen		Bobby Parnell		4/7/14
		Bobby Parnell (DL)

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VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Jared Burton, Minnesota Twins – Glen Perkins has pitched in back to back games and in four of the last five.
2. Chad Qualls/Matt Albers, Houston Astros – Due to recent usage, listed closer Josh Fields is probably the best bet for any Astros save chance today, but with a committee in place, anything could happen.

J.J. Hoover blows save, Adam Ottavino racking up Ks

April 6, 2014

Cincinnati Reds – J.J. Hoover blew his first save opportunity of the season yesterday, as he gave up a walk-off grand slam to Ike Davis. Jonathan Broxton should be activated from the disabled list on Tuesday and immediately take over as closer. No hierarchy change.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
CIN		J.J. Hoover		Sam LeCure		Logan Ondrusek		Aroldis Chapman		4/6/14
		Aroldis Chapman (DL)		Jonathan Broxton (DL)		Sean Marshall (DL)

Colorado Rockies – The Rockies went to Adam Ottavino in the 7^th inning last night protecting a 2 run lead. He proceeded to strike out the side in a scoreless inning and now has 8 Ks in 3 innings of work so far this season. Hierarchy change: Adam Ottavino to 2nd in line, replacing Boone Logan.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
COL		LaTroy Hawkins		Rex Brothers		Adam Ottavino		Rex Brothers		4/6/14

Philadelphia Phillies – Jacob Diekman pitched a scoreless 8^th inning yesterday with the Phillies up 2. He picked up his second hold of the season, and it looks like he will be used in the later innings ahead of closer Jonathan Papelbon. Hierarchy change: Jacob Diekman to 2nd in line, replacing Justin De Fratus.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
PHI		Jonathan Papelbon		B.J. Rosenberg		Jacob Diekman		Jonathan Papelbon		4/6/14
				Mike Adams (DL)

VULTURE SAVE WATCH

1. Sam Lecure, Cincinnati Reds — J.J. Hoover recorded 0 outs in blowing the save yesterday and could get the day off Sunday.

2. Chad Qualls, Houston Astros — The Astros used all three members of their closer committee yesterday but Qualls threw the least amount of pitches so he could be used today if there is a save opportunity.

3. Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals — Greg Holland has pitched 2 days in a row and Wade Davis has appeared in 3 of the Royals last 4 games.

Mujica roughed up, Nate Jones to DL

April 5, 2014

Boston Red Sox — The Red Sox brought in Edward Mujica yesterday with the game tied in the 9th inning. Mujica ended up taking the loss after giving up 4 runs. Manager John Farrell has said that Junichi Tazawa and Mujica are “interchangeable,” but Tazawa has been used more often in the 8th so far, and has pitched better. Hierarchy change: Junichi Tazawa to Set-up, Edward Mujica to 2nd in line.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
BOS		Koji Uehara		Junichi Tazawa		Edward Mujica		Koji Uehara		4/5/14

Chicago White Sox — Nate Jones has been placed on the DL with a strained hip that is related to his injury during spring training. Robin Ventura has said that Daniel Webb and Maikel Cleto will see time in the later innings. Hierarchy change: Daniel Webb to 2nd in line, Nate Jones to DL.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
CHW		Matt Lindstrom		Ronald Belisario		Daniel Webb		Nate Jones		4/5/14
						Nate Jones (DL)

New York Mets — Jose Valverde picked up his first save of the season, and it was Kyle Farnsworth who pitched the 8th ahead of him. The back end of the Mets’ bullpen is far from set, outside of Valverde, but if Farnsworth can string together a couple good outings, he could solidify himself in the set-up role. Hierarchy change: Kyle Farnsworth to Set-up, Gonzalez Germen to 2nd in line

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
NYM		Jose Valverde		Kyle Farnsworth		Gonzalez Germen		Bobby Parnell		4/5/14
		Bobby Parnell (DL)

Miami Marlins — Brad Hand picked up a three-inning save last night, but he still does not factor into the Marlins late-inning bullpen plans moving forward. No hierarchy change.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
MIA		Steve Cishek		A.J. Ramos		Mike Dunn		Steve Cishek		4/5/14

Texas Rangers — Neftali Feliz is starting to get his velocity back in the minors. He was sent down over concerns that his velocity was down in spring training, but could be a guy to keep an eye on, if he can regain his stuff from a couple years ago, when he had 32 saves. No hierarchy change.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
TEX		Joakim Soria		Alexi Ogando		Neal Cotts		Joakim Soria		4/5/14

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Matt Albers and Chad Qualls, Houston Astros –– The Astros are going with a committee and, while we think that Josh Fields should see the majority of the save chances, Qualls or Albers could be called upon on any given night.
2. Shawn Kelley, New York Yankees — David Robertson is unavailable today after throwing in back-to-back games.

Nate Jones with injury troubles; movement in New York

April 4, 2014

Chicago White Sox — It was a bad day for White Sox relievers: Nate Jones walked the two men he faced in the seventh, Maikel Cleto let them score, Ronald Belisario gave up a tying home run in the eighth, and Matt Lindstrom blew the save and got tagged for the loss in the ninth. He remains on the Hot Seat, while Jones has had a recurrence of his spring training gluteal strain. There are no good options for Robin Ventura at this point, and he could certainly do worse than Belisario. Hierarchy change: Ronald Belisario to Set-up, Nate Jones to 2nd in line.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
CHW		Matt Lindstrom		Ronald Belisario		Nate Jones		Nate Jones		4/4/14

New York Mets — Jeurys Familia and Scott Rice each got smacked around on Thursday and, combined, they’ve retired precisely as many batters as they’ve allowed to score. Gonzalez Germen may have been the last reliever to make the team, but he’s been pretty effective, and we think he’d get the call over Familia, Rice, and Kyle Farnsworth if Jose Valverde falters. This is far from a theoretical exercise, as doctors have told Bobby Parnell he has only a 50-50 shot of avoiding surgery. Hierarchy change: Gonzalez Germen to Set-Up, Jeurys Familia to 2nd in line.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
NYM		Jose Valverde		Gonzalez Germen		Jeurys Familia		Bobby Parnell		4/4/14
		Bobby Parnell (DL)

New York Yankees — Adam Warren made an excellent debut in a high-leverage spot, before yielding to Shawn Kelley and new closer David Robertson. Hierarchy change: Adam Warren to 2nd in line, replacing Matt Thornton.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
NYY		David Robertson		Shawn Kelley		Adam Warren		David Robertson		4/4/14

Chicago Cubs — As predicted in Thursday’s Vulture Save Watch, with Jose Veras unavailable, Pedro Strop picked up the save. Veras had thrown 38 pitches after warming up five different times. No hierarchy change.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
CHC		Jose Veras		Pedro Strop		Hector Rondon		Pedro Strop		4/4/14

Jim Johnson hits the Hot Seat while Josh Fields picks up the first Houston save

April 3, 2014

Atlanta Braves – Jordan Walden might have the closing experience, but through two games of the 2014 season, David Carpenter is the one racking up the 8th inning holds — Carpenter has pitched the 8th in each of the Braves’ first two wins ahead of Craig Kimbrel. Hierarchy change: David Carpenter to Set-up, Jordan Walden to 2nd in line.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
ATL		Craig Kimbrel		David Carpenter		Jordan Walden		Craig Kimbrel		4/3/14

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Cincinnati Reds – J.J. Hoover’s run as the probably-closer will last for only one more week or so. Jonathan Broxton, who pitched in several spring games but started the season on the DL, is getting ready to make his debut, and should be back within a week. Bryan Price has already tapped the hard-throwing righty to close games once he gets settled in. No hierarchy change.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
CIN		J.J. Hoover		Sam LeCure		Logan Ondrusek		Aroldis Chapman		4/3/14
		Aroldis Chapman (DL)		Jonathan Broxton (DL)		Sean Marshall (DL)

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Boston Red Sox – Junichi Tazawa pitched the 8th inning on Wednesday night and has been mentioned alongside Edward Mujica as a possible fill-in at closer should Koji Uehara ever go down. We’re big Craig Breslow fans, but he seems destined to be stuck in middle relief this year in Boston. Hierarchy change: Junichi Tazawa to 2nd in line, replacing Craig Breslow.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
BOS		Koji Uehara		Edward Mujica		Junichi Tazawa		Koji Uehara		4/3/14

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Oakland A’s – After taking a loss on Monday, Jim Johnson came on for the save last night and gave up three runs to blow the save. Through two appearances, Johnson’s line is hideous: 1.0 IP, 5 ER, 5H, 3BB, 0 Ks. He’s making a lot of money to be the stopper in Oakland, and thus far, the A’s are still giving him their full support. But a few more outings like this one and they’ll have to turn elsewhere — most likely to hard-throwing lefty Sean Doolittle. Jim Johnson to Hot Seat.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
OAK		Jim Johnson		Sean Doolittle		Luke Gregerson		Ryan Cook		4/3/14
						Ryan Cook (INJ)

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Houston Astros – Josh Fields picked up the save for the Astros tonight, pitching a sterling 9th after Matt Albers threw a strong 1.1 innings ahead of him. Chad Qualls was nowhere to be found. Fields said for much of the spring that he wanted the job, and Bo Porter has already talked about using Qualls and Albers against lefties, suggesting Fields is the guy when there’s a righty-heavy ninth inning, which should be more often than not. Though this will probably still be a committee on paper, Fields now has the edge and has become the 4th middle reliever from our preseason top 15 to already ascend to a closer position. Hierarchy change: Josh Fields to Closer, Matt Albers to Set-up, Chad Qualls to 2nd in line.

	.	Closer	.	Set-Up	.	2nd in line	.	2015 Closer	.	Updated
HOU		Josh Fields		Matt Albers		Chad Qualls		Josh Fields		4/2/14
				Jesse Crain (DL)

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VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs – In blowing a save chance in the Cubs’ marathon win yesterday, Jose Veras threw 38 pitches. If he needs the day off today, Strop could get a save chance.
2. Rex Brothers, Colorado Rockies – LaTroy Hawkins threw 36 pitches in a shaky 9th inning yesterday, and might need the day off today.
3. Sean Doolittle, Oakland A’s – While Jim Johnson is still the closer, Bob Melvin hinted after last night’s blown save that there’s a chance Johnson needs a day off after throwing 29 pitches last night.

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