Soriano out as closer, Doolittle close to returning

September 7, 2014

Washington Nationals – Rafael Soriano will be temporarily removed from the closer role and given a few days off to try and fix his mechanics. The Nats will go with a committee approach for now, most likely giving the first crack to Tyler Clippard, who could take the job and run with it if he converts his first couple of chances. Drew Storen is also a possibility.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Storen | Soriano.

Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle threw a bullpen session yesterday and said he felt good throwing all his pitches.  He is eligible to come off the DL Monday but will likely need a few more days before he returns.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Rookie John Holdzkom recorded a save yesterday, as the Pirates won the continuation of their suspended game on Friday.  Holdzkom, a 6-foot-9 right handed-reliever with an interesting back story, has been a pleasant surprise for the Pirates since getting called up, but he will not normally factor into the Pirates’ late inning plans at this point.

Hierarchy remains: Melancon | Watson | Hughes.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Kevin Jepsen, Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street and Joe Smith have both pitched three days in a row.
2. Brian Wilson/Brandon League, Los Angeles Dodgers – Kenley Jansen has pitched in two straight and four of the last five.  Wilson has also pitched in two straight but has only thrown 14 pitches in those 2 outings.
3. Joel Peralta, Tampa Bay Rays – Jake McGee and Brad Boxberger have both appeared in three straight games.

Mujica replaces Uehara as closer, Soriano to hot seat

September 6, 2014

Boston Red Sox — Edward Mujica will now close for the Red Sox, with Koji Uehara taking a few days off, then returning to a non-closing role to work through his struggles. If all goes well, Uehara will apparently close again by the end of the month.

Updated hierarchy: Mujica | Tazawa | Uehara.

Washington Nationals — Rafael Soriano blew his second straight save on Friday night.  When manager Matt Williams was asked about Soriano as closer, he said “We need to address it.” Soriano has really struggled since the All-Star break, with an ERA of almost 7.00.  If Williams decides to make a change we expect Clippard to get the first chance, but Storen is also an option as he has more closing experience.

Rafael Soriano to Hot Seat
Hierarchy remains: Soriano | Clippard | Storen.

Toronto Blue Jays — Casey Janssen blew another save last night.  He gave up three runs on five hits, while only recording one out.  After Aaron Sanchez got the save on Wednesday, it sounds like manager John Gibbons told Janssen that Sanchez would get the save opportunities when he is available.  Janssen then recorded the save on Thursday but wasn’t able to get it done yesterday.  He could still be in the mix for saves, and we will leave him there for now, but if Sanchez gets the next save chance and converts it, that should confirm a change.

Casey Janssen to Hot Seat
Hierarchy remains: Janssen | Sanchez | Cecil.

Kansas City Royals — Super set-up man Wade Davis picked up his first save of the season yesterday.  Davis struck out both batters that he faced with the tying run on second base.  Greg Holland got the day off, as he has a minor triceps issue, and if he misses more time, Davis should continue to see the save chances.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Davis | Herrera.

Houston Astros – Tony Sipp recorded his third save of the season last night, as he pitched two scoreless innings and struck out four batters.

Hierarchy remains: Qualls | Sipp | Fields.

Los Angeles Angels – Kevin Jepsen got the save in extra innings last night.   Huston Street and Joe Smith had already pitched so Jepsen was left to finish the game.  Jepsen lowered his ERA to under 2.00 for the season but still remains behind Street and Smith for save chances.

Hierarchy remains: Street | Smith | Jepsen.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays – It sounds like Sanchez could be the closer whenever he is available, and he hasn’t pitched in two days while Janssen blew the save last night.
2. Wade Davis, Kansas City Royals – Greg Holland is dealing with a triceps injury that the team is calling minor but if he can’t go today, Davis should get the call again.
3. Tyler Clippard/Drew Storen, Washington Nationals – The Nats could give Clippard or Storen a shot after Soriano blew the save yesterday.

Koji Uehara on the verge of being shut down

September 5, 2014

Boston Red Sox – After Koji Uehara’s latest meltdown — two solo HRs in three batters, resulting in a blown save and loss — the voices advocating for his shutdown are getting louder. One of those voices belongs to John Farrell, who had some ominous things to say about Uehara after the game. Nothing has been made official yet, and we will monitor the situation as it develops, but those desperate for a few down-the-stretch saves should look to Edward Mujica.

Hierarchy remains: Uehara | Mujica | Tazawa.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Edward Mujica, Boston Red Sox – Even if Uehara isn’t shut down, it’s unlikely he’d pitch back to back.
2. Pat Neshek, St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal has pitched in back to back games and four of five.
3. Kevin Quackenbush, San Diego Padres – Joaquin Benoit is still out.