June 9, 2017
Pittsburgh Pirates — The Pirates lost 7-1 Thursday, so we got no more clarity on the team’s bullpen situation. Late Wednesday night, manager Clint Hurdle mentioned that he has given some “serious thought” to making Juan Nicasio his closer, essentially calling Felipe Rivero his Andrew Miller for being the team’s relief ace but not its saves leader. As for Tony Watson, who should be available Friday, he’s still the team’s closer. For now.
Hierarchy remains: Watson | Rivero | Nicasio.
Kansas City Royals — Kelvin Herrera had another disastrous outing Thursday, getting charged with four runs while recording one out after entering a 1-1 game. His numbers now look quite ugly (5.55 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 7 HR allowed), but reports this week suggest there’s interest on the trade market (no word on whether that has changed given the recent struggles). Either way, Joakim Soria could be worth a speculative add as Royals fans wonder why they can’t get nice closers like Greg Holland or Wade Davis.
Hierarchy remains: Herrera | Soria | Minor.
Colorado Rockies — Setup man Adam Ottavino says he’s ready to return, and the expectation is that he’ll be activated from the disabled list as early as Friday. The move isn’t official yet, but it’s coming.
Hierarchy remains: Holland | McGee | Rusin.
Minnesota Twins — Matt Belisle (7.52 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) may be in his manager’s good graces again. He has recorded holds in two Twins wins this week, coming on to induce Albert Pujols into an eighth-inning double play in one game and retiring the side in the seventh inning Thursday with a tidy eight pitches. Tyler Duffey has also picked up high-leverage holds over the last week and has better numbers (3.30 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.30 K/9). Expect both of them to help get the ball to Taylor Rogers and Brandon Kintzler when the Twins have a lead.
Hierarchy remains: Kintzler | Rogers | Duffey.
Philadelphia Phillies – Pat Neshek is likely to get a bunch of save opportunities between now and the trade deadline but maybe not after that, as the veteran fully expects to be traded to a contender. He’ll be OK with that as long as he doesn’t return to the Astros. While he’s happy in Philly, it is still rebuilding, so holding on to Neshek doesn’t make much sense for the Phillies or him. Stay tuned.
Hierarchy remains: *Neshek | Neris | Gomez.
* = closer-by-committee
Houston Astros – The Astros have called up top pitching prospect Francis Martes. It’s not clear what his long-term situation looks like (for some, he projects as a starter), but he’s going to get work in the team’s bullpen out of the gate. The high-leverage looks will probably be few and far between for Martes (who actually has struggled recently in the minors), but in the recent past, top prospects have excelled in bullpen situations — Adam Wainright and Chris Sale, to name a few — before making the journey to being a full-time starter.
Hierarchy remains: Giles | Harris | Devenski.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Michael Lorenzen — Dynamic closer Raisel Iglesias has pitched in two straight and three of the last four (and going further back, he’s gone in five of the last seven).
2. Joakim Soria/Mike Minor — Kelvin Herrera struggled mightily Thursday and has gone in three of the last four days (46 pitches). Soria has a similar workload, but has thrown fewer pitches in that stretch (31) and could still be available. If he needs a breather, too, look for Mike Minor to get a shot if the situation calls for it.
Saturday:
1. Danny Farquhar — Before Wednesday, Alex Colome hadn’t pitched since the previous Wednesday, but he has now worked in two straight. Given the prior time off he’s probably available Friday, but an appearance then would almost certainly mean rest for him Saturday.
2. Derek Law — Mark Melancon threw 31 pitches and allowed two runs (but got the win) in Thursday’s outing. Another stressful outing Friday would likely mean an off day for him Saturday.
3. Brad Hand — Brandon Maurer also had a stressful outing Thursday, allowing four runs without recording an out in a 15-3 loss. He threw 24 pitches, and any outing Friday may lead to rest for him Saturday.
4. A bunch of Twins — Brandon Kintzler has gone in two straight (26 pitches). A Friday outing would likely mean an off day Saturday. If Taylor Rogers also pitches Friday, Matt Belisle or Tyler Duffey could get a look.
5. Felipe Rivero/Juan Nicasio — An outing for Tony Watson Friday would be his fourth game in six days, and he hasn’t pitched so well lately. Felipe Rivero has been dynamite, but he has been busy lately, too.
