Anthony Swarzak picks up save with Familia sidelined

June 10, 2018

New York Mets – Anthony Swarzak picked up his first save of the season tonight, closing out a 2-run victory. Though Robert Gsellman has been the handcuff for Jeurys Familia all year — and Swarzak has only pitched a few innings all season long — it seems as if the latter will be the Mets stopper while Familia is out, as Swarzak was also used later than Gsellman on Saturday. Mickey Callaway didn’t confirm anything postgame, so we’ll keep an asterisk here for now until we’re certain, but for now, it seems like the veteran righty is the go-to guy.

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

Jordan Hicks and Hector Rondon record saves

June 10, 2018

St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks recorded his first career save yesterday.  Hicks and closer Bud Norris had both pitched in back-to-back games, but Norris had it a little tougher with the rain delay on Friday so he got the day off.  Norris is still the closer for now but this is becoming something to watch.  Norris was perfect in save chances through May but has already blown two opportunities in June.  Hicks, on the other hand, is pitching well and has seen an uptick in strikeouts in June.  After only recording 6 strikeouts in over 13 innings in April, he already has 8 strikeouts in only 4 innings in June.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala

Houston Astros — With the Astros clinging to a one-run lead on Saturday, they again turned to Hector Rondon to close it out.  Rondon converted the save chance and now has recorded each of the last two saves for the Astros.  Manager A.J. Hinch mentioned that they might set an Astros’ record for how many guys record saves this season.  He also said that he thinks Ken Giles will get save opportunities, but he is not going be afraid to use whoever is pitching well.  Giles stays at the top of the committee and Rondon slides into first in line based on his recent success.

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

San Diego Padres – For the second time already in June, it was Kirby Yates who got the ninth inning instead of Brad Hand.  Hand faced the 3-4-5 hitters in the Marlins lineup in the eighth inning for his third hold in his past five appearances.  That left Yates for the ninth and he converted his second save.  We aren’t ready to declare this a committee yet, but it’s clear the Padres aren’t afraid to use Hand before the ninth and Yates should continue to see saves in those situations.

Hierarchy remains: Hand | Yates | Stammen.

Chicago Cubs – The Cubs decided to give Brandon Morrow a second day of rest on Saturday, and they used Steve Cishek instead.  Cishek pitched a perfect ninth to pick up his second save of the season.  Brandon Morrow is still clearly the closer but with Cishek and Pedro Strop also pitching well, the Cubs have the luxury of giving Morrow more days off throughout the year.

Hierarchy remains: Morrow | Cishek | Strop.

Baltimore Orioles — Darren O’Day has been activated from the DL, and Zach Britton could be back as soon as tomorrow.  Even though O’Day was closing before he went on the DL, he will likely work in a set-up role for Brad Brach at this point.

Updated Hierarchy: Brach | O’Day | Bleier.

Tampa Bay Rays — Chaz Roe secured his first career save on Saturday.  Roe came on in the eighth inning with two on and two out and got Jean Segura to ground out.  Roe returned for the ninth and pitched a scoreless inning for the save.  Jose Alvarado was warming up so he likely would have come on for the save if Roe ran into any trouble.  This situation is still very unsettled so it will be hard to rely on any one guy for saves at this point.

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

Oakland A’s — Santiago Casilla has returned from the disabled list.  Casilla is an interesting case because he has not been used in a set-up role much this season, but when Treinen had an injury scare at the end of April, Casilla was the one who got the call as the closer.  He will likely not be a good option for holds but could still be an option to close when Treinen is not available.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Trivino | Casilla.

Cleveland Indians — Neil Ramirez came on in the eighth of a tie game yesterday and pitched two scoreless innings.  Ramirez has yet to allow a run in five appearances in June and with most of the Indians’ bullpen struggling, he seems to be gaining trust from manager Terry Francona.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Ramirez | Otero.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Joe Jimenez – Shane Greene has pitched in three straight games.
2. Neil Ramirez/Dan Otero – Cody Allen has pitched in two straight, and four of five.  Ramirez threw 30 pitches over two innings yesterday.
3. Justin Anderson – Blake Parker has pitched in two straight and three of four.
4. David Robertson – Aroldis Chapman has also pitched in two straight and three of four.

Jeurys Familia, Juan Nicasio land on 10-day DL

June 9, 2018

New York Mets – Jeurys Familia landed on the 10-day DL with a shoulder injury. Mickey Callaway said that an MRI looked “pretty clean” and that he hopes that Familia will return as soon as he is eligible. Robert Gsellman will likely get the first crack at any gsave opportunities while Familia gsits out. Anthony (g)Swarzak, who was activated from the DL on June 5, will also be in the mix, with Callaway noting that the Mets will look to see who is available and who is coming up before deciding who will close. While this has the markings of a committee, we think Gsellman is clearly the best option, at least until Swarzak can get back into a rhythm.

Updated hierarchy: Gsellman | Swarzak | Sewald.

Seattle Mariners – The Mariners suffered a pair of injuries in the bullpen, as both Dan Altavilla and Juan Nicasio were placed on the 10-day DL. Nicasio’s injury isn’t expected to be serious, but In his absence James Pazos is likely to see an increased role. He has only given up one run in his last 22 appearances, although many of those have been in a LOOGY role. Another arm to watch is Chasen Bradford, who is riding an eight-game scoreless streak of his own. In addition, Nick Vincent is set to begin a rehab assignment this weekend and may be activated as early as Monday.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Colome | Pazos.

Chicago White Sox — Nate Jones pitched the 8th inning ahead of Joakim Soria for the third time in a row. The White Sox seem to be settling into regular bullpen roles again, as Soria has been excellent in the past couple of weeks. He is only a month removed from pitching in a mop-up role with an ERA close to 6.00, but three straight saves is hard to ignore. He’ll hold onto the asterisk for now, but Soria is clearly the guy to own on the South Side.

Hierarchy remains: *Soria | Jones | Fry.
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago Cubs – Pedro Strop got the last out of the 8th inning in a two-run game and returned for the 9th to pick up his first save of the year. Both Brandon Morrow and Steve Cishek had pitched in back-to-back games, and Joe Maddon opted to rest them on Friday.

Hierarchy remains: Morrow | Cishek | Strop.

St. Louis Cardinals — Bud Norris couldn’t hold onto a two-run lead in the 9th but snatched a win after the Cardinals retook the lead in the 10th. With Jordan Hicks and Sam Tuivailala having already pitched, the Cardinals turned to John Brebbia, who converted for his second save of the year. Brebbia, whose other save this year was of the three-inning variety, is now second only to Norris in saves for the Cardinals despite not normally factoring in the Cardinals’ late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

Los Angeles Angels – Blake Parker converted his third straight save opportunity and is now 6-for-7 on the year. Parker has run with the opportunity to lead the Angels bullpen, and while Mike Scioscia has a reputation for chaotic bullpen management, he does tend to stick with a player who is having a run of success. This is enough for Parker to kick the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: Parker | Anderson | Johnson.

Oakland A’s — With a four-run lead, Oakland turned to Lou Trivino with two men on and two outs in the 8th inning. He got a groundout to end the threat and then stayed in for the 9th after Oakland extended the lead to five. He pitched a clean ninth inning, and because he entered the eighth with the tying run on deck, he earned his first save of the year. Trivino has put together an excellent start to the year, and this appearance cements his spot as the primary setup man for Blake Treinen.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Petit.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Jared Hughes — Raisel Iglesias has pitched in three straight games and should get Saturday off.

Sunday:
1. Nate Jones/Jace Fry — Everyone in Chicago’s hierarchy has pitched in three of the last four, so whoever pitches on Saturday may not be available Sunday.
2. Dan Otero — If Cody Allen pitches on Saturday, that would be back-to-back and four of five.
3. Jake McGee — Wade Davis was rested on Friday, but if he pitches today it will be four of five for him.
4. Justin Anderson — If Blake Parker pitches today, it will be back-to-back and three of four.
5. David Robertson — Same for Aroldis Chapman.
6. Steve Cishek/Pedro Strop — Brandon Morrow got Friday off, but if he has a taxing outing on Saturday, he may get another day off Sunday since that will have been three of four.
7. Alex Colome/James Pazos — Edwin Diaz threw 20 pitches yesterday. He shouldn’t need a day off Sunday unless he has another truly taxing outing. If Colome pitches Saturday, that would be three straight appearances for him.
8. Josh Fields — An appearance today would be Kenley Jansen’s third in a row.
9. Jordan Hicks — Same for Bud Norris.
10. Alex Wilson — And for both Shane Greene and Joe Jimenez.

Jeurys Familia placed on DL

June 8, 2018

New York Mets – Jeurys Familia was placed on the disabled list this afternoon retroactive to yesterday. Robert Gsellman is the best bet to close in his place, with Anthony Swarzak also potentially receiving consideration.

Updated hierarchy: Gsellman | Swarzak | Sewald.

Brad Brach struggles, but the big birds will soon fly home

June 8, 2018

Baltimore Orioles — Pitching in a third straight game Thursday, Brad Brach appeared to run out of gas, coughing up three runs to push the game into extras. Don’t worry, though; reinforcements are (slowly) on the way! Darren O’Day struck out the side Thursday at Class A Frederick and will continue his rehab stint for a few more days. Trade chip Zach Britton should be back June 15, assuming back-to-back appearances on Sunday and Monday go well. There has been some talk about making Britton a starter, but he’ll likely return to the back of the bullpen right away, for as long as he stays in Baltimore.

Hierarchy remains: Brach | Bleier | Givens.

Houston Astros — Ken Giles allowed a run Thursday for the third time in his last five appearances (5 ER, 4 IP), ballooning his ERA to an unsavory 5.40. Should this continue, expect Chris Devenski, Hector Rondon and Brad Peacock to compete for save chances.

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

Detroit Tigers — Alex Wilson nailed down the final two outs of the seventh inning Thursday in his return from the disabled list. He should fit back into the team’s late-inning structure right away.

Updated hierarchy: Greene | Jimenez | Wilson. 

Los Angeles Dodgers — Just as quickly as he was sent down, Pedro Baez is back with the big club after Tony Cingrani was placed on the disabled list. Baez pitched the third and fourth innings Thursday in a bizarre 8-7 win in which the Dodgers used a franchise-record nine pitchers! Don’t sleep on Erik Goeddel, who hasn’t allowed a run since joining the Dodgers in May. He pitched in a tight spot in his first appearance for LA (earning a win with a scoreless eighth inning on May 19) and earned his third hold Thursday night. Goeddel, Baez, and Josh Fields should be the favorites for holds in front of Kenley Jansen moving forward.

Updated hierarchy: Jansen | Fields | Goeddel.

Oakland A’s — Santiago Casilla could be activated from the disabled list as early as Friday. He should move into his “everyman” bullpen role right away and compete for save chances if Blake Treinen needs a breather.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Petit.

St. Louis Cardinals — Greg Holland began a rehab assignment on Thursday, tossing a scoreless eighth inning (two walks, no strikeouts) for the Memphis Redbirds. He won’t compete for saves upon his return and would need a string of several solid, high-leverage appearances to join the conversation. Speaking of saves, Bud Norris nailed down his 12th of the season Thursday night and has a firm grip on the closer’s role.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Jake McGee — Wade Davis has pitched in three straight and four of five, tossing 79 pitches!
2. Mychal Givens — Brad Brach and Richard Bleier have each pitched in three straight games.
3. Archie Bradley/Yoshihisa Hirano — There’s some chance Brad Boxberger gets a second straight night off.

Saturday:
1. Jared Hughes — Raisel Iglesias has pitched in two straight.
2. Steve Cishek — So has Brandon Morrow.
3. Kyle Crick — If Felipe Vazquez pitches Friday, it’ll be three of four for him.
4. Tony Watson — Same for Hunter Strickland.