September 11, 2015
Minnesota Twins — Glen Perkins received a cortisone shot earlier this week, and tweeted yesterday morning that he “felt great” after doing “40 back bridges, 10 min on elliptical, 30 wall squats, 30 calf raises.” Perkins added that he intends to play catch on Saturday, which could lead to a return during your fantasy playoffs. Of course, he won’t be the closer immediately when he does return.
Hierarchy remains: Jepsen | May | Fien.
Milwaukee Brewers — Kyle Lohse has been in the league for 15 years, and through 400+ career appearances before this year, he never converted a save opportunity. He’s now 2-for-2 this year after protecting a one-run lead in the 13th inning last night. K-Rod had his own chance in the 12th, but allowed a run for a blown save (but also the win). Lohse does not and should never figure into the regular late-inning plans for the Brewers.
Hierarchy remains: Rodriguez | Smith | Jeffress.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Zach McAllister/Jeff Manship, Cleveland Indians — Cody Allen (65 pitches) and Bryan Shaw (64) have each pitched four of the last five days, and we could get a chance to see if McAllister or Manship is next up in this pen. We’re also rooting for this vulture save to give us an excuse to update the Indians for the first time in eight weeks.
2. Drew Pomeranz, Oakland A’s — Don’t get us wrong: Sean Doolittle is likely taking over the closer’s role for the rest of the season after recording his first save earlier this week. (He was so happy with the accomplishment that he was seen staying late to sign autographs for fans. Nice touch!) But until we see Doolittle convert a second straight save, or get any further confirmation from the A’s, keep an eye on Pomeranz too.
3. Jean Machi/Junichi Tazawa, Boston Red Sox — The Red Sox have actually played pretty well for about a month, so the save chances could keep on coming. But who will convert them? Leading a hodgepodge of options is Robbie Ross Jr., it seems. Look for Junichi Tazawa or maybe even Jean Machi to compete for interim manager Torey Lovullo’s trust, too.
