May 3, 2019
Tampa Bay Rays – The Rays have been one of the best teams in baseball, but their closing situation is certainly one of the game’s most volatile. On Thursday, Diego Castillo came in to convert his fourth save. Three righties were due in the ninth, so manager Kevin Cash opted to go with his righty, Castillo. Lefty Jose Alvarado, who also has four saves this year, did not pitch and hasn’t gone since Sunday. Emilio Pagan (three saves) pitched earlier in the game, getting the last out of the seventh and the first out of the eighth. Save chances should continue to be plentiful, but who earns them will remain a bit of a wildcard.
Hierarchy remains: *Alvarado | Castillo | Pagan.
* = closer-by-committee
Kansas City Royals — After Ian Kennedy earned the first Royals save since April 13 on Wednesday, Wily Peralta was on the mound in a tie game in the ninth inning Thursday against the Rays. He allowed two runs for the second straight appearance, ballooning his ERA to 7.07 and WHIP to 1.71. Ugly. As recently as Monday, Ned Yost appeared to “remove the asterisk” for Peralta, essentially naming him closer, with Kennedy and Jake Diekman serving as setup men. Of course, this was before Peralta’s not-so-great week. Because those are the most recent comments from Yost about the situation, we’ll keep Peralta at the top, but Kennedy (1.15 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 21 Ks in 15.2 IP) is probably more rosterable at this juncture.
Hierarchy remains: *Peralta | Kennedy | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee
Boston Red Sox – The Red Sox have not fared so well out of the gate, earning ESPN’s only F- on the March/April report card. The team’s bullpen, even after losing Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly, has been a not-so-dim spot for the team, though. After scoreless innings by Brandon Workman and fireman Matt Barnes, all appeared to be well heading into last night’s ninth inning, with the Red Sox holding a 4-3 lead over the White Sox. Unfortunately, Ryan Brasier turned into a bit of a pumpkin as the clock neared midnight Thursday evening. After a runner reached base via an error with one out, Brasier allowed a single and then a three-run blast to earn his second blown save and first loss of the season.
Hierarchy remains: *Brasier | Barnes | Workman.
* = closer-by-committee
Chicago Cubs – In a procedural move to make room for Addison Russell on the 40-man roster, Brandon Morrow has been transferred to the 60-day injured list. Morrow suffered a recent setback. As of Tuesday, he wasn’t set to throw for another 2-3 weeks. He’s likely out for the entire first half, and maybe longer.
Hierarchy remains: *Strop | Cishek | Kintzler.
* = closer-by-committee
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Seth Lugo — Even though Edwin Diaz was off Thursday, he has still pitched in four of six.
Saturday:
1. Jared Hughes — A Friday appearance for Raisel Iglesias would be his third in five days.
2. Kyle Barraclough — After a 30-pitch save Thursday, another taxing outing Friday could lead to a day off for Sean Doolittle on Saturday.
