Hector Rondon still looking like the Astros closer; Adam Ottavino returns from DL

June 15, 2018

Colorado Rockies — Ace reliever Adam Ottavino was activated from the disabled list on Thursday and should immediately return to his spot setting up closer Wade Davis.

Updated hierarchy: Davis | Ottavino | McGee.

Houston Astros — Pitching in a spot normally reserved for a well-rested closer on Thursday, Hector Rondon pitched a clean ninth inning with a four-run lead. Rondon hadn’t pitched since Sunday. Ken Giles had the team’s most recent save on Tuesday night, but Rondon was unavailable that night due to his recent workload. Rondon stays atop this uncertain committee, but expect GIles to get saves, too.

Hierarchy remains: *Rondon | Giles | Devenski. 
* = closer-by-committee

San Francisco Giants — After using Tony Watson in the seventh and eighth and Hunter Strickland in the ninth, the Giants handed the ball to Sam Dyson for a one-out save in the bottom of the 16th. Mark Melancon did not pitch, but may not yet be ready to go back-to-back.

Hierarchy remains: Strickland | Watson | Melancon.

St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks just keeps getting better. At first, the 21-year-old fireballer had uncharacteristically low strikeout numbers for someone throwing so hard. But now? He’s missing bats like a seasoned closer. He has piled up 12 strikeouts in just six June innings and his season K/9 is approaching 9.00.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Adam Conley — OK, hear us out. Kyle Barraclough, Drew Steckenrider and Brad Ziegler have each pitched in three of four. Of the three, Barraclough has thrown the fewest number of pitches (38) and had Wednesday off, so he could conceivably be available Friday. Conley has had more rest and picked up his second hold this week. Perhaps he’ll be trusted with the ball in the ninth?
2. Matt Barnes — Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly have appeared in three of the last four and four of the last six.
3. Kirby Yates/Craig Stammen — Even with Thursday’s off day, Brad Hand has pitched in four of six. Yates has, too, so Craig Stammen could be in line for an opportunity.

Saturday:
1. Tony Watson/Mark Melancon — Hunter Strickland and Tony Watson have pitched in two straight. If either pitches Friday they’ll likely be off on Saturday.
2. Joe Jimenez/Alex Wilson — Shane Greene and Joe Jimenez have each pitched in two straight.
3. Dan Winkler/AJ Minter — Same with Winkler and Arodys Vizcaino.
4. Dellin Betances/David Robertson — Betances and Aroldis Chapman have each pitched in two of three.

Bruce Rondon is relevant again, and watch out for Jose Castillo

June 14, 2018

Chicago White Sox — Nate Jones is headed to the disabled list with a mild forearm strain that Rick Renteria says is not code for an elbow problem. 24-year-old Jace Fry will ascend to the setup role, with perpetual would-be closer Bruce Rondon also in the mix for high-leverage work. In Detroit, Rondon struggled with his weight, his effort levels, and a general propensity for drama, but he could be remaking himself, and reaping the rewards of his considerable talent, in Chicago.

Updated hierarchy: Soria | Fry | Rondon.

Atlanta Braves — Arodys Vizcaino has been the only guy sniffing conventional save chances for Atlanta, so we’re going to drop his asterisk again. Behind him, Dan Winkler has been phenomenal, allowing an earned run in only 2 of his 29 appearances and striking out 12.5 guys per nine innings. Add Shane Carle and lefty A.J. Minter, and the Braves have had a surprisingly effective bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Vizcaino | Winkler | Minter.

Baltimore Orioles — Brad Brach appeared in the eighth on Wednesday night down five runs, but it was as an injury replacement for Richard Bleier, who hurt his shoulder. Don’t read too much into it, especially considering Zach Britton’s three-walk outing on Tuesday.

Hierarchy remains: Brach | Britton | O’Day.

San Diego Padres — Keep an eye on Jose Castillo, who struck out all four batters he faced last night — he’s a big 22-year-old lefty with a nasty slider, who sped through AA and AAA this season.

Hierarchy remains: Hand | Yates | Stammen.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Bruce Rondon — Joakim Soria and Jace Fry have each pitched in three of four and four of six.
2. Craig Stammen — Like we told you yesterday, Wednesday’s work by Brad Hand and Kirby Yates gave them each four outings in five games. Stammen was held out, possibly for a save chance on Thursday.
3. Joe Kelly/Matt Barnes — Craig Kimbrel might need a second day off after throwing 56 pitches in two days.

Friday:
1. Joe Kelly/Matt Barnes — If Kimbrel pitches Thursday, he’ll be off Friday.
2. Drew Steckenrider — A Kyle Barraclough appearance would be three out of four.
3. Alex Colome — Edwin Diaz pitched in three straight from Sunday to Tuesday.
4. Chaz Roe/Jose Alvarado — Same with Sergio Romo.

Just when you thought Ken Giles was out, they pull him back in

June 13, 2018

Houston Astros – After Hector Rondon’s string of three saves in five days, the Astros turned to Ken Giles to get the final three outs of Tuesday’s win. Rondon was reportedly unavailable after his recent usage, giving Giles a chance to pick up his 11th save in 11 tries. Not only has Giles not blown a save chance but he also hasn’t allowed a run in any of those 11 opportunities. We’ll keep Rondon at the top of the hierarchy for now, but don’t be surprised if Giles gets another save chance and moves back to the front of the line.

Hierarchy remains: *Rondon | Giles | Devenski. 
* = closer-by-committee

Tampa Bay Rays – We mentioned yesterday that Sergio Romo was most likely to see a save chance when he isn’t starting, and last night that very situation presented itself. Romo locked down a 4-1 lead in the ninth inning to pick up his second save of the year. Romo remains the arm to own in Tampa.

Hierarchy remains: *Romo | Roe | Alvarado.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Yankees — It’s time to talk about how good Dellin Betances has been lately. On Tuesday, Betances ran his scoreless streak to eight innings thanks to a pair of strikeouts. Betances has been lights out over the past month, allowing just one hit and recording 13 strikeouts over his last eight appearances. More importantly, he has issued just five walks in that span, including none over his last five games. The way Betances is pitching, it’s hard to believe Aaron Boone would look to anyone else to get a save if Aroldis Chapman is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Chapman | Betances | Robertson.

Baltimore Orioles – Zach Britton made his first appearance of the season on Tuesday, getting the seventh inning with the Orioles trailing, 6-2. Britton showed some rust, walking three of the first four hitters he faced, but he battled back and got some good fortune along the way to finish the 26-pitch inning with no hits allowed and one strikeout. In other good news for the Orioles, Darren O’Day completed his second straight two-strikeout appearance on Tuesday.

Hierarchy remains: Brach | Britton | O’Day.

Philadelphia Phillies – Gabe Kapler called upon Tommy Hunter to protect a 4-1 lead in the eighth, and Hunter delivered. The Phillies’ bullpen is still a bit unsettled, but it’s safe to say Hunter is ahead of Hector Neris at this point. 

Updated Hierarchy: *Dominguez | Ramos | Hunter. 
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Dodgers — In just his second appearance of the season, Daniel Corcino pitched the final three innings of the Dodgers’ 12-5 victory over Texas to pick up his first career save.

Hierarchy remains: Jansen | Fields | Goeddel.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Alex Colome – Edwin Diaz has pitched in three straight games.
2. Matt Barnes/Joe Kelly – Craig Kimbrel has thrown 71 pitches over the past four days, including 56 over the last two games. Joe Kelly and Matt Barnes have also gone in three of the last four, but Barnes is the only one who has not thrown in back-to-back games.
3. Drew Steckenrider – Kyle Barraclough has pitched in back-to-back games and has yet to throw in three straight this year.
4. Chaz Roe/Jose Alvarado – Sergio Romo has pitched in three straight games. Kevin Cash could play matchups in the late innings or he could just flip a coin. Nothing will surprise us.

Tomorrow
1. Addison Reed – If Fernando Rodney gets the ball today it will be two straight and three of the last four.
2. Edubray Ramos – Same goes for Seranthony Dominguez.
3. Kirby Yates/Craig Stammen – If Brad Hand pitches today, that will two straight and four of the last five. The same goes for Yates, so Stammen may be a dark horse to vulture a save on Thursday.
4. Matt Barnes/Joe Kelly – If Kimbrel does get the ball today, Barnes or Kelly should see Thursday’s save chance depending on who is more rested. If all three are unavailable, Brandon Workman or Brian Johnson would be potential candidates.

Zach Britton returns, will try to pitch his way to a contender

June 12, 2018

Baltimore Orioles – Zach Britton was activated from the disabled list yesterday. He will be eased back into the closer role — a decision punctuated by the fact that the Orioles failed to use him at all in a 12-inning loss to the Red Sox — but he should eventually get there, as Baltimore has openly declared that he’s going to be showcased as trade bait. We’ll start him off at the first in line spot, with the understanding that he’ll likely ascend relatively soon.

Updated hierarchy: Brach | Britton | O’Day.

Tampa Bay Rays – This is still easily the most unsettled bullpen in baseball, but last night, the Rays went to Sergio Romo in the 9th with a four run lead. On days when he’s not randomly starting, he seems to be the most likely candidate to get a save chance — though Chaz Roe, Jose Alvarado, and several others could always be on hand to mix in.

Updated hierarchy: *Romo | Roe | Alvarado.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Alex Colome – Edwin Diaz has gone back to back and three of four.

Tomorrow
1. Josh Hader – Corey Knebel threw 25 pitches yesterday; another long outing and he should get Wednesday off.

Anthony Swarzak moves to the top of the Mets committee

June 11, 2018

New York Mets – Robert Gsellman got 6 big outs for the Mets last night, but it was Anthony Swarzak who got the ball in the 9th inning — the second straight game that he’s pitched after Gsellman. It wasn’t the most inspiring outing, as Swarzak walked a batter before inducing a game ending line-drive-double-play, and Swarzak only has 5.1 big league innings this year, having been on the shelf for most of the season. But he seems to be Mickey Callaway’s preferred option right now, and could get a few more chances in Jeurys Familia’s absence.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Gsellman | Sewald.
* = closer-by-committee

Houston Astros – Hector Rondon picked up another save on Sunday — his third in five days. It happened rather quickly, but Rondon is now the most likely reliever to get the ball in the 9th inning in Houston. We do expect Ken Giles and Chris Devenski to still mix in from time to time.

Updated hierarchy: *Rondon | Giles | Devenski. 
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago White Sox – Speaking of things that happened quickly, Joakim Soria now has a veritable death grip on the closer role on the South Side, having nabbed 4 saves in 6 days. Quite a turnaround for a guy who was in danger of being DFA’d earlier this season. We’re removing his asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: Soria | Jones | Fry.

Washington Nationals – Brandon Kintzler was placed on the DL yesterday with a strained forearm. Ryan Madson should be Sean Doolittle’s primary handcuff in Kintzler’s absence, but look for the Nats to also mix and match with Sammy Solis, Tim Collins, and Shawn Kelley.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Madson | Solis.

Cincinnati Reds – After throwing three straight Wednesday through Friday, the Reds elected to give Raisel Iglesias a second straight day off — probably a smart move given his recent return from the DL. In his stead, Jared Hughes pitched the final two innings for the save, his fourth of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Iglesias | Hughes | Garrett.

Philadelphia Phillies – Bullpen Chaos Theory continued its run of moderate success on Sunday, as Seranthony Dominguez and Luis Garcia combined for 8 of the final 9 outs before Garcia gave way to Tommy Hunter, who needed two pitches to record his first save of the season. This bullpen remains wide open.

Hierarchy remains: *Dominguez | Ramos | Neris. 
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Nate Jones – Joakim Soria has pitched in four of the last six, throwing 68 total pitches.

Tomorrow
1. Alex Colome/James Pazos – If Edwin Diaz and/or Alex Colome go tonight, it’ll be back to back and three of four.
2. Craig Stammen – If Brad Hand and/or Kirby Yates go tonight, it’ll be three straight.