April 30, 2019
Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox were up by 5 going into the ninth, but Hector Velazquez allowed three runners to reach, creating a save situation for Matt Barnes, who shut the door for his second save of the year. Ryan Brasier remains the preferred option here, while Barnes is doing well in his fireman role.
Hierarchy remains: *Brasier | Barnes | Workman.
* = closer-by-committee
Atlanta Braves – With AJ Minter and Luke Jackson both unavailable after pitching two straight, the Braves used just-acquired Jerry Blevins and rookie Jacob Webb to navigate the 9th. Webb picked up his first career save and has pitched 3.2 scoreless innings to start his major league career.
Hierarchy remains: Minter | Jackson | Winkler.
San Francisco Giants – The hard-throwing Reyes Moronta picked up his sixth hold of the season, pitching the 8th ahead of Will Smith. Moronta has ascended to an important role in this bullpen and should be a reliable source for holds going forward.
Updated hierarchy: Smith | Moronta | Melancon.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Jeurys Familia – Edwin Diaz has gone three straight.
2. Andrew Miller/John Gant – Jordan Hicks has gone in three straight.
3. Jace Fry/Aaron Bummer – Both Alex Colome and Kelvin Herrera have gone back to back and three of four, so someone weird is getting the save chance tonight if there is one.
4. Jared Hughes/Amir Garrett – Raisel Iglesias pitched 2 innings last night.
Tomorrow
1. Reyes Moronta/Mark Melancon – Will Smith and Reyes Moronta have gone in back to back games.
