Saturday’s slate was rife with high-leverage events, including Aroldis Chapman nailing down his fifth save of the season and first since July 11, filling in capably for David Bednar. Across the 15-game slate, five relievers recorded a win and 11 secured saves. Before delving into the condensed game recaps, here are some observations for three relievers.
Three Takeaways
- Chapman nails down his first audition: With David Bednar working in non-save outings, Aroldis Chapman continued his strong second half, securing his first save since July 11 with a clean ninth while striking out two. Since the All-Star break, he ranks third among all qualified relievers in K-BB percentage (37.5), first in SIERA (1.44), 17th in WHIP (0.76), and 23rd in swinging strike percentage (16.9). Perhaps the most impressive part of his success is that he’s attacking hitters and throwing more strikes (70.8 strike percentage in the second half). It’s tough trusting the volatile southpaw, but he’s on a heater, as his rolling chart displays:
- The “Airbender” and elevated pitch counts: The good news is that he’s been scoreless over his last three appearances and recorded three saves. However, Devin Williams has needed at least 25 pitches in three of his previous four games while issuing six walks against six strikeouts with a 51.5 strike percentage. No reliever can maintain a 30 percent walk rate and remain successful. This may be a blip, especially given his missed time during the season and a condensed buildup ahead of his return. Still, it’s worth monitoring efficiency for a reliever returning from a back injury.
- Muñoz and home runs: Suffering his sixth loss and third in his last six outings, Andrés Muñoz gave up Mickey Moniak’s walk-off home run on a 1-2 count with a slider in the strike zone. He’s served up three home runs in this rough patch among his five hits allowed over his last 5.1 innings. He’s also recorded ten strikeouts versus four walks, putting his walk percentage at 16 against his last 25 batters faced. With his team struggling, he only converted one save in three opportunities in August. He’s also logged a heavy workload, securing seven saves requiring four or more outs this season. His next save will mark his first 20-save season, but fantasy managers will monitor his finish in September closely along with tracking his velocities:
Closer CliffsNotes for August 31
- Justin Martinez (ARI) was summoned with two runners on and one out during a tied game at the top of the ninth. He recorded an out and allowed a two-RBI bloop single by Tommy Edman. Ryan Thompson suffered his fourth loss. He allowed three hits and two earned runs while striking out one during his combined inning of relief.
- Hierarchy remains: Justin Martinez | A.J. Puk | Ryan Thompson
- Craig Kimbrel (BAL) took over a tied game at the bottom of the eighth and suffered his fifth loss, allowing two hits and two earned runs while striking out one in Colorado.
- Hierarchy remains: Seranthony Domínguez | Yennier Cano | Cionel Pérez
- Porter Hodge (CHC) notched his third save with a scoreless ninth, navigating around a one-out single and a walk with consecutive strikeouts. He’s been scoreless over his last 11 appearances with 19 strikeouts versus five walks and recorded two wins and two saves in his last five contests.
- Updated Hierarchy: *Porter Hodge | *Jorge López | Drew Smyly
- *= closer-by-committee
- Tyler Kinley (COL) capped a two-run rally and secured his eighth save with a scoreless ninth against the Orioles. He allowed a walk and recorded all three outs via strikeout. He finished August with a win and converted three of four save opportunities while posting a 16:3 K:BB over 12.2 innings.
- Hierarchy remains: Tyler Kinley | Angel Chivilli | Justin Lawrence
- Tyler Holton (DET) preserved a one-run win over the Red Sox, working around a walk while tossing a scoreless top of the ninth. He’s recorded three saves since August 6 and has been scoreless in nine of his last 11 appearances with ten strikeouts against one walk.
- Updated Hierarchy: *Jason Foley | *Tyler Holton | Shelby Miller
- *= closer-by-committee
- Ryan Pressly (HOU) closed out a three-run win for his third save with a scoreless ninth. He allowed a hit and recorded one strikeout against the Royals. He’s been scoreless in both outings since his activation, with a win and a save.
- Hierarchy remains: Josh Hader | Ryan Pressly | Bryan Abreu
- Ben Joyce (LAA) navigated around a hit batter and a single for a scoreless top of the ninth while striking out one. He collected his second win on a walk-off home run in the bottom of the inning. He finished August with this win, three saves, and two holds with 11 strikeouts versus four walks over 10.1 innings.
- Hierarchy remains: Ben Joyce | Hunter Strickland | José Quijada
- Evan Phillips (LAD) shut the door on his 18th save with a clean bottom of the ninth, preserving a two-run win in Arizona. He’s been scoreless over eight of his last nine appearances, converting three of four save chances with 12 strikeouts against one walk. He was the only reliever to not appear during Friday’s impromptu bullpen contest.
- Hierarchy remains: *Michael Kopech | *Evan Phillips | Anthony Banda
- *= closer-by-committee
- Calvin Faucher (MIA) nailed down his fifth save with a clean bottom of the ninth and two strikeouts against the Giants. He finished August with a loss and converted five of six save chances with 16 strikeouts against six walks.
- Updated Hierarchy: Calvin Faucher | Andrew Nardi | Jesús Tinoco
- Devin Williams (MIL) worked into and out of trouble while preserving a one-run win for his eighth save. He issued a one-out and two-out walk followed by a hit-batter, loading the bases before inducing a game-ending groundout. He’s been scoreless in eight of his last nine, converting eight of nine save chances with 15 strikeotus versus seven walks across 8.2 innings. Aaron Ashby collected his first win, logging two scoreless frames. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three.
- Hierarchy remains: Devin Williams | Trevor Megill | Joel Payamps
- Tyler Ferguson (OAK) returned for the ninth after tossing a scoreless bottom of the eighth and striking out the side. He hit Nathaniel Lowe with a pitch leading off the inning, induced a pop-out, issued a walk, and gave up Leody Tavares’ walk-off RBI single, resulting in his second loss.
- Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez
- José Buttó (NYM) held on for his third save despite allowing three hits and an earned run in the bottom of the ninth while facing the White Sox. He’s allowed at least a run in two of his last three.
- Hierarchy remains: Edwin Díaz | Phil Maton | Reed Garrett
- Carlos Estévez (PHI) completed a combined shutout, working around a hit and striking out two while recording his 23rd save. He’s been scoreless over his last four outings and converted three of four save chances since his acquisition. This was an encouraging outing and usage pattern for Estévez.
- Hierarchy remains: *Carlos Estévez | *Jeff Hoffman | Matt Strahm
- *= closer-by-committee
- Aroldis Chapman (PIT) nailed down his fifth save and first since July 11 with a clean ninth while striking out two. He’s been scoreless in ten of his last 11 appearances with 20 strikeouts versus two walks across 11 innings. This was the 326th save of his career, moving him into a tie for 19th all-time with Roberto Hernandez. One more usage pattern like this and our hierarchy will reflect Chapman as the preferred option despite Derek Shelton suggesting a committee. If targeting one reliever here, it’s the high-octane southpaw.
- Hierarchy remains: *Aroldis Chapman | *Dennis Santana | Kyle Nicolas
- *= closer-by-committee
- Andrés Muñoz (SEA) took over a tied game at the bottom of the ninth and recorded two quick outs, one via strikeout, before allowing Mickey Moniak’s walk-off home run, resulting in his sixth loss. He’s allowed a home run in three of his last six appearances and only converted one of three save chances in August.
- Adjusted Hierarchy: Andrés Muñoz | Collin Snider | Austin Voth
- Ryan Helsley (STL) recorded his MLB-leading 42nd save while preserving a one-run win against the Yankees. With two outs, he allowed Juan Soto’s double and issued Aaron Judge an intentional walk ahead of a game-ending Austin Wells strikeout. This extended his scoreless streak to nine games, and he’s converted nine straight saves since August 3.
- Hierarchy remains: Ryan Helsley | Andrew Kittredge | JoJo Romero
- Kirby Yates (TEX) worked around a two-out single and a walk for a scoreless top of the ninth, keeping the game tied. He collected his sixth win on a walk-off rally in the bottom of the inning. He went 3-1 while converting six of seven save chances across 12 games with 22 strikeouts versus six walks in August.
- Hierarchy remains: Kirby Yates | David Robertson | Andrew Chafin
Vulture Save Options for Sunday, September 1
- Trevor Megill (MIL): Williams has pitched in two straight and thrown 57 pitches.
- John Schreiber (KCR): If Lucas Erceg remains unavailable with his finger injury, it should be Schreiber in the ninth unless they use Kris Bubic versus Yordan Alvarez.
- Andrew Kittredge (STL): Helsley has logged outings in three of the last four.
- A.J. Puk (ARI): Martinez and Thompson have pitched in three of the previous four days.
- Andrew Chafin (TEX): Yates and Robertson have worked in four of the last five games.
Vulture Save Stashes for Monday, September 2
- Keegan Thompson (CHC): If Hodge and López appear again today, it will be consecutive outings for both.
Those seeking full game recaps should surf the team pages; they’ve all been updated with Saturday’s results.
Thanks for being a part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe and be well.
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