John Axford placed on personal inactive list

June 30, 2015

Colorado Rockies –John Axford was placed on the personal inactive list Tuesday night in order to take care of things at home, though thankfully it seems as if his son, who was bit by a rattlesnake earlier this year, is fine. The Rockies bullpen has been a mess, so there’s no obvious successor in Axford’s absence, which by rule must last a minimum of three days. That means Walt Weiss will either default to a veteran (LaTroy Hawkins or Rafael Betancourt) or someone who has been pitching pretty well over the past week or so (LaTroy Hawkins or Scott Oberg). With Hawkins the only player on both of those lists, he’s probably the best add if you only have room for one reliever. We’d rank them Oberg and Betancourt after that, with lefty Boone Logan also factoring in if they decide to employ a committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Hawkins | Oberg | Betancourt.
* = closer-by-committee.

Youngster Trevor Gott off to a hot start; Jenrry Mejia due back soon

June 30, 2015

Los Angeles Angels – Baby-faced phenom Trevor Gott has pitched in 8 games for the Angels so far this year and has yet to give up a run. The 22 year-old right-hander has earned a number of high-leverage assignments since his June 13 call-up from Triple-A Salt Lake City. Expect Mike Scioscia to give the kid a chance to earn more holds in the coming weeks.

Updated hierarchy: Street | Smith | Gott.

New York Mets – A week from today, Jenrry Mejia will be eligible to return from his 80-game suspension. Given the uncertainty in the Mets bullpen behind Jeurys Familia, Mejia will likely be tapped for some late-inning work and could be a source of holds almost immediately.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Trevor Gott/Fernando Salas, Los Angeles Angels – Huston Street and Joe Smith have now pitched in three straight, which means Closer Monkey newcomer Trevor Gott gets his first save opportunity. Fernando Salas, who was once a closer for the Cardinals, is also a possibility.
2. Will Smith, Milwaukee Brewers – Aging closer Francisco Rodriguez has been used a lot lately and has pitched in two straight (44 pitches). Will Smith has also gone in back-to-back games, but has thrown 10 fewer pitches and has shown his ability to pitch three straight, having done so four times already this season. (Yesterday, he also made a better joke about his name than we ever have.)