April 18, 2015
New York Yankees — Joe Girardi might still call it a closer committee in the Bronx, but Andrew Miller is the one running all the meetings. Dellin Betances took care of business in the seventh and eighth last night before giving way to Miller, who earned his third save with three strikeouts.
Hierarchy remains: *Miller | Betances | Carpenter.
* = closer-by-committee
Chicago Cubs — Neil Ramirez left Wednesday’s game with right shoulder discomfort, and Friday’s MRI revealed inflammation, but no structural damage. Later that day, Joe Maddon went to Brian Schlitter with two on and a two-run lead in the seventh, and Schlitter immediately gave up the go-ahead home run — right after a would-be strikeout pitch that wound up leading to Maddon’s ejection. We might have gone to Jason Motte instead, but Maddon (correctly) noted that Schlitter is great at inducing ground balls (not to mention scatological puns). Three-run homers tend to weigh on the mind, however, and we think Motte will have the edge when the next late/close opportunity arrives.
Updated hierarchy: Rondon | Strop | Motte.
Texas Rangers — Tanner Scheppers, recovered from his sprained ankle, immediately returned to high-leverage work for the Rangers, holding on through a rocky eighth inning in relief of Shawn Tolleson. One place Scheppers won’t be used anytime soon is the Double-A Texas League, which fined and suspended him after he was ejected from a rehab appearance for throwing behind a batter in defense of a teammate.
Updated hierarchy: Feliz | Scheppers | Tolleson.
New York Mets — The Mets sent Rafael Montero down to the minors to stretch him out for a planned spot start on April 28; if the outing goes well, Montero could challenge Dillon Gee for the fifth starter role. Manager Terry Collins used the move to advocate a new roster format that would allow teams to deactivate players, as in the NFL and NBA. Jerry Blevins, who got the eighth-inning hold in Friday’s game, is in line for more high-leverage work.
Updated hierarchy: Familia | C.Torres | Blevins.
Boston Red Sox — Junichi Tazawa, who has yet to give up a run this season, has gained the edge over Alexi Ogando in the Boston bullpen.
Updated hierarchy: Uehara | Mujica | Tazawa.
Minnesota Twins — Brian Duensing is headed to the disabled list for the first time in his career, with a strained intercostal muscle. Paul Molitor sees fellow lefty Aaron Thompson, who pitched two scoreless innings in a tie game on Friday, sliding into Duensing’s role.
Updated hierarchy: Perkins | Fien | Thompson.
San Diego Padres — It’s been Dale Thayer, not Shawn Kelley, getting high-leverage work ahead of Benoit and Kimbrel for the Padres.
Updated hierarchy: Kimbrel | Benoit | Thayer.
Toronto Blue Jays – Things continue to be unsettled in the Jays’ pen; last night, Roberto Osuna pitched the fifth and sixth and Brett Cecil gave up three runs on two homers in the eighth. Miguel Castro continues to look like the best Toronto reliever to own — he pitched a scoreless ninth in the losing effort.
Hierarchy remains: *Castro | Osuna | Cecil.
*closer-by-committee
St. Louis Cardinals — Kevin Siegrist got a save for pitching the final two innings of a 5-1 win on Friday. And if you read this, you must really love bullpens.
Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Walden | Belisle.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Joba Chamberlain, Detroit Tigers — Joakim Soria got a late win on Friday and has now pitched on three of the last four days, and six of the last eight. Meanwhile, Detroit’s penchant for shutouts has left Joba with one appearance all year.
2. Carlos Torres/Jerry Blevins, New York Mets — Jeurys Familia (five outings in six days; 62 pitches) has to take a break sometime.
3. Casey Fien, Minnesota Twins — Glen Perkins has pitched in three straight and four of five.
