March 29, 2019
Minnesota Twins — We begin with perhaps the most volatile bullpen situation in the big leagues. Game one of 162 proved just that, with lefty Taylor Rogers nailing down the final four outs for the first Twins save. We expected Rogers to content for some late-inning holds, but speculatively, we have to add him to the hierarchy to see if he ascends to the chief role in the 9th. First-year manager Rocco Baldelli remained vague after the game, which means this bullpen remains up in the air heading into tomorrow.
Updated hierarchy: *May | Parker | Rogers.
* = closer-by-committee
Philadelphia Phillies – Last year, the Phillies seemingly had no assigned roles for any of their relievers, and the offseason signing of David Robertson was expected to solidify things a bit. Nope! Robertson began warming before the eighth inning with Philadelphia hanging onto a 6-3 lead and the heart of the Braves order due up. By the time Robertson entered, though, his team had a 7-run lead. Still, in came Robertson, who allowed a couple of hits but was able to escape the eighth inning unscathed. Based on this “relief ace” usage alone, we have to institute an asterisk for this closing situation. For those of you with roster space, and if he’s still available, maybe consider adding Seranthony Dominguez.
Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Dominguez | Neris.
* = closer-by-committee
Cincinnati Reds – New manager David Bell did promise to use his best reliever (Raisel Iglesias) in the most pivotal situations of the game, even if they come before the ninth inning. That approach can make the closer tough to predict on any given night. Sure enough, Iglesias opened the eighth inning. He allowed a homer but was held in for the ninth, so perhaps a save was in order after all? Not today. After allowing two walks, Iglesias (1.1 IP, 1 ER) was pulled in favor of Amir Garrett and finally David Hernandez, who picked up the one-out save. Jared Hughes, who figured to be first in line behind Iglesias for saves, got the last out of the sixth inning. Because Iglesias appeared to be headed toward a save, we’ll keep him at the top, but this situation is also pretty fluid and bears some watching.
Hierarchy remains: Iglesias | Hughes | Hernandez.
Kansas City Royals — The Royals held a 5-0 lead in the ninth inning, but they sure made things interesting. Wily Peralta got the first shot in a non-save situation, allowing a single and a walk before inducing a pop-up and getting pulled. Jake Diekman set up a save chance for someone else by allowing a walk, a hit-by-pitch and a fielder’s choice groundout to make it 5-2. Kevin McCarthy made it 5-3, leaving Brad Boxberger to record the game’s final out for his first save as a Royal. Boxberger should be in line for a chunk of save chances moving forward, but Peralta and others promise to lurk until Boxberger can run away with the job.
Hierarchy remains: *Boxberger | Peralta | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee
New York Mets – Opening Day went just about as well as any Mets fan could imagine after a big offseason. Robinson Cano homered. The newly re-signed Jake DeGrom was lights-out in six innings. And new acquisition Edwin Diaz closed things out in the ninth for his first save. As expected, he was set up by old friend Jeurys Familia. Seth Lugo pitched a clean seventh, so we’ll slide him into the second-in-line role for now.
Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Familia | Lugo.
Milwaukee Brewers – As expected, Josh Hader was given the first save chance out of the beleaguered Brewers bullpen, and he converted, looking dynamite in the process (2 IP, 4 Ks, 0 ER). Converted starter Junior Guerra made a tight game tighter, allowing a run in the seventh, much to the chagrin of a famous former houseguest. Former closer Corey Knebel, who was originally expected to compete for saves this year, began the season on the shelf and may be considering surgery. A decision about how to handle his partially torn UCL is expected Friday. Stay tuned.
Hierarchy remains: Hader | Barnes | Albers.
Atlanta Braves – As expected, AJ Minter was placed on the injured list to begin the year, and the Braves appeared to have missed him on Opening Day. The bullpen allowed seven runs after the fifth inning in a 10-4 loss to the Phillies. Some expect Minter to compete for saves when he returns, but Arodys Vizcaino could secure his hold on the job while Minter is sidelined.
Hierarchy remains: Vizcaino | Venters | Sobotka.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
N/A
Saturday:
1. Jacob Barnes — Josh Hader threw two innings on Opening Day, and if he pitches again on Friday, the Brewers may not want to use all of his bullets so early in the year, especially with their bullpen in such disarray.
