Despite a smaller slate on Thursday, relievers recorded three wins and four saves. Reed Garrett snapped his bullpen’s futility while securing his third save. Milwaukee used Elvis Peguero as the replacement in the ninth, while Trevor Megill worked on reducing the swelling in his pitching arm from his contusion versus the Cubs.
There was one transaction yesterday affecting a team’s leverage ladder and another will be announced today:
- Atlanta placed A.J. Minter on the 15-day injured list with hip inflammation.
- Oakland will place Lucas Erceg on the 15-day injured list today because of forearm tightness.
Our condensed and full game recaps cover Thursday’s high-leverage events of interest.
Closer CliffsNotes
American League
(RP | DET): Closing out a combined shutout, Tyler Holton fired 1.1 clean frames, striking out two during a win in Boston.
(RP | HOU): Finishing a combined shutout, Josh Hader turned in a scoreless ninth despite allowing two hits and recorded two strikeouts in a non-save outing.
(RP | KCR): Entering the sixth inning with a one-run lead, Chris Stratton allowed three hits, four earned runs, and two walks in two-thirds of an inning, resulting in his third loss and second blown save.
Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): James McArthur | John Schreiber | Chris Stratton
(RP | MIN): After an error extended his outing, Jhoan Durán recorded his ninth save despite allowing two unearned runs on a hit and a walk, preserving a one-run win over the Royals.
(RP | OAK): Perfection remains fleeting for relievers, and Mason Miller suffered his first blown save during an eventual loss in Tampa Bay. He allowed a game-tying solo home run in the ninth, and let the “place” runner score in the tenth on a sacrifice fly during his two-inning outing.
(RP | TBR): Benefiting from a walk-off rally, Richard Lovelady collected his first win after tossing a scoreless top of the 12th, issuing a walk and striking out one.
National League
(RP | ARI): Entering in the seventh, Ryan Thompson allowed a game-tying RBI single by Francisco Lindor, scoring an inherited runner. During the eighth, he gave up a go-ahead home run by J.D. Martinez, which resulted in his second loss and third blown save.
(RP | CHC): During a tied game in the bottom of the eighth, Luke Little issued two walks which resulted in an earned run and his first loss over his two-thirds of an inning.
(RP | MIL): Navigating around a one-out single, Elvis Peguero secured his first save of 2024, and the second of his career with a scoreless ninth, finishing a two-run win over the Cubs.
(RP | NYM): Closing a comeback win over Arizona, Reed Garrett navigated around a walk for a scoreless ninth and his third save.
(RP | WSH): Closing a two-run win in Atlanta, Kyle Finnegan recorded his 15th save, working a scoreless ninth while issuing a walk and striking out one.
Vulture Save Options for Friday, May 31
- Ryan Pressly (HOU): Hader has appeared in back-to-back contests, which puts the grizzled veteran in line for the save chance today.
- Jason Adam (TBR): Fairbanks has pitched in two straight, placing Adam on the radar for the vulture save.
- Jorge Alcala (MIN): I’m playing a hunch on this one, but he’s throwing gas. Durán has pitched in three of the last four and five of the last seven. Jax has also logged outings in three of the past four days.
Vulture Save Stashes for Saturday, June 1
- Austin Adams (OAK): Miller not only worked two innings on Thursday, he’s thrown 59 pitches over the previous three days. With Erceg on the injured list, Adams could get the vulture save.
American League – Full Recaps
Detroit Tigers – Preserving a combined shutout, Tyler Holton retired his four batters faced, two via strikeout in Boston. He threw 21 pitches (66.7 Strike%) and produced five whiffs (23.8 SwStr%). Alex Faedo stranded a runner in the seventh and logged a scoreless combined inning, yielding a hit and striking out one for his fifth hold.
This usage pattern implies Faedo belongs in the hierarchy.
Adjusted Hierarchy (match-up based): Jason Foley (HLR|PSS) | Tyler Holton | Alex Faedo
*An HLR/PSS means he’s the preferred save option, but will be used in the highest-leverage moment in games when necessary.
Houston Astros – In a non-save appearance, Josh Hader preserved a combined shutout by navigating around two hits and recording two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth. He threw 19 pitches (73.7 Strike%) and generated six whiffs (31.6 SwStr%). He finishes May with a robust 22 strikeouts against four walks while converting all five save chances with a 0.75 WHIP over 13.1 innings. Ryan Pressly fired a clean eighth, striking out one. Rafael Montero worked a clean seventh, striking out one.
Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): Josh Hader | Ryan Pressly | Bryan Abreu
Minnesota Twins – Appearing for the fifth time in seven days, Jhoan Durán held on for his ninth save. He issued a one-out walk, then Kyle Isbel reached on an error. After inducing a groundout, a runner advanced on defensive indifference, and Bobby Witt Jr. produced a two-RBI single. Durán closed out the win with a game-ending groundout but gave up a hit and a walk on 20 pitches (65 Strike%) with two whiffs. He’s allowed a run in five of eight outings and produced a 5:4 K:BB through seven innings. Griffin Jax secured his tenth hold, allowing a hit and striking out two in the eighth. Jorge Alcala fired a clean seventh, striking out two for his fourth hold. Caleb Thielbar collected his second win, stranding a runner and issuing a walk while recording an out in the sixth.
Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): Jhoan Durán | Griffin Jax | Caleb Thielbar
Oakland A’s – Taking over the bottom of the 12th with the “place” runner still on second base, T.J. McFarland gave up a walk-off RBI single by Richie Palacios, handing Tyler Ferguson his first loss. He logged 1.1 innings and allowed an unearned run while striking out one. Mason Miller suffered his first blown save, allowing a game-tying home run sandwiched between three strikeouts. Returning for the tenth, the “place” runner, José Caballero, stole third before Yandy Díaz drew a walk, and Miller allowed a sacrifice fly, tying the game once again. His final line was two innings with one hit allowed, two runs (one earned), and three walks while striking out four. He threw 32 pitches (23 strikes – 71.9 Strike%) and generated seven whiffs (21.9 SwStr%). Austin Adams notched his 13th hold, issuing a walk during a scoreless eighth. Scott Alexander tossed a clean seventh for his second hold.
Lucas Erceg was placed on the 15-day injured list with forearm tightness causing an adjusted hierarchy.
Adjusted Hierarchy (mostly linear): Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander
Tampa Bay Rays – Working around an intentional walk, Richard Lovelady pitched a scoreless top of the 12th and struck out one. He collected his first win courtesy of a walk-off in the bottom of the inning. Garrett Cleavinger tossed a scoreless 11th, striking out one. Pete Fairbanks allowed the “place” runner to score on an Abraham Toro single, a JJ Bledey double, and an intentional walk before inducing a double play and then recording a strikeout, preventing further damage. Phil Maton turned in a clean ninth, striking out one. Kevin Kelly stranded a runner in the seventh while retiring all four batters faced with two strikeouts.
Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): Pete Fairbanks | Jason Adam | Garrett Cleavinger
National League – Full Recaps
Arizona Diamondbacks – Stemming a rally, Kevin Ginkel stranded a runner while recording two outs, one via strikeout in the bottom of the eighth. Ryan Thompson suffered his second loss and third blown save, allowing three hits, including a go-ahead home run by J.D. Martinez. He also let his only inherited runner on a Francisco Lindor single in the seventh. Joe Mantiply was credited with his fourth hold, giving up a hit and an earned run while striking out one over two-thirds of the seventh. Justin Martinez tossed three scoreless frames, scattering three hits and walking one while striking out two.
Getting Ginkel right, and into the eighth inning would enhance this leverage ladder.
Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): Paul Sewald | Ryan Thompson | Joe Mantiply
Chicago Cubs – With a runner on and two outs, Tyson Miller was summoned during a tied contest but allowed a go-ahead, two-run home run by Gary Sánchez before striking out Sal Frelick. Luke Little was charged with his first loss, giving up an earned run and two walks over two-thirds of the eighth. Hayden Wesneski stranded a runner, striking out William Contreras in the seventh. Mark Leiter Jr. gave up two hits and an earned run while striking out one in two-thirds of the seventh. He’s allowed at least a run in three of his last four appearances.
Based on recent usage patterns, Wesneski enters the hierarchy.
Updated Hierarchy (mostly linear): Héctor Neris | Mark Leiter Jr. | Hayden Wesneski
Milwaukee Brewers – Converting his first save of the season and second of his career, Elvis Peguero turned in a scoreless top of the ninth despite allowing a one-out single by Dansby Swanson. He threw 13 pitches (9 strikes – 69.2 Strike%) and induced one whiff. Bryan Hudson collected his fourth win and incurred his first blown save. He gave up two home runs during his 1.2 innings and recorded a strikeout. This marks his second straight outing with a win, but he lost his modest seven-game scoreless streak. Joel Payamps gave up a hit and an earned run in a combined inning for his sixth save. His run scored on the first home run given up by Hudson.
Hierarchy remains (preferred save share with match-up-based set-up): Trevor Megill | Elvis Peguero | Bryan Hudson
New York Mets – Capping a come-from-behind win, Reed Garrett recorded his third save, working around a lead-off walk with two pop-outs and a groundout, preserving the one-run win. He threw 13 pitches (7 strikes – 53.8 Strike%) without a whiff. This outing snapped a three-game streak, allowing at least a run, and marked his first save in 11 days. Danny Young collected his second win, tossing a clean top of the eighth and striking out two ahead of his team’s go-ahead rally in the bottom of the frame. Adrian Houser logged two scoreless frames, issuing a walk and striking out two.
Adjusted Hierarchy (fluid roles): *Reed Garrett | *Jake Diekman | *Adam Ottavino
*= closer-by-committee
Washington Nationals – Save number 15 for Kyle Finnegan. He tossed a scoreless bottom of the ninth, issuing a walk and striking out one while preserving a two-run win over Atlanta. He threw 20 pitches (60 Strike%) and produced five whiffs (25 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in eight of nine games in May while converting six of seven save chances with 11 strikeouts against four walks over 9.2 innings. Hunter Harvey recorded his 17th hold, yielding a hit and striking out one in a scoreless eighth. Robert Garcia retired his only batter in the seventh, securing his seventh hold. Dylan Floro stranded a runner in the sixth and turned in a clean, combined inning while striking out two.
Hierarchy Remains (mostly linear): Kyle Finnegan | Hunter Harvey | Dylan Floro
Closer Monkey’s filthy sequence of the day awarded to Jorge Alcala, video courtesy of the Pitching Ninja.
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