September 9, 2016
San Francisco Giants – The Giants were off Thursday, but that didn’t stop some beat writers from writing off closer Santiago Casilla, who has struggled recently. While he’s certainly on the hot seat, there’s still no word on whether he’s off the job. Sergio Romo or even Joe Nathan would be candidates to lead what would likely be a closer-by-committee should Casilla get the ax.
Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Romo | Nathan.
Pittsburgh Pirates — Setup man Neftali Feliz will be unavailable through the weekend due to a muscular issue in his right arm. He hasn’t pitched since last Saturday. In the meantime, expect Felipe Rivero, Juan Nicasio and Antonio Bastardo to fill up the back end of the bullpen behind Tony Watson.
Hierarchy remains: Watson | Feliz | Rivero.
Colorado Rockies – The Rockies activated Jason Motte from the 15-day disabled list. He had been on the DL since late July with a rotator cuff strain. We’ll monitor how Walt Weiss uses Motte (5.66 ERA) in the coming days.
Hierarchy remains: Ottavino | Logan | Estevez.
St. Louis Cardinals — Former closer Trevor Rosenthal (forearm) and injured starter Michael Wacha are expected to rejoin the Cardinals bullpen next week for the playoff push. Rosenthal has thrown two bullpen sessions recently, while Wacha threw one Wednesday and felt no pain. It was the first time Wacha threw on the side since being shut down with a shoulder injury Aug. 9.
Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.
New York Mets — The Mets signed veteran quarterback Tim Tebow to a minor league deal Thursday. The former Heisman Trophy winner joins a number of Mets cash cows after inking a deal that nets him a $100,000 signing bonus.
Updated hierarchy: Bonilla | Madoff | Tebow.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. David Hernandez, Philadelphia Phillies – OK, hear us out. The Phils’ top three relievers, Jeanmar Gomez, Hector Neris and Edubray Ramos, have all pitched in three of four and four of six. If Philadelphia has a ninth-inning lead Friday and Gomez needs a rest, Hernandez could get a chance.
2. Santiago Casilla, San Francisco Giants – Will Santiago Casilla get the next save chance? If so, will he have a short leash? Lots of questions. No answers yet.