Before delving into Wednesday’s high-leverage results, the Yankees announced they would be “creative” during save situations while giving Clay Holmes a break from his closer duties. For now, it’s anticipated there will be a match-up-based approach.
During the full slate of contests, relievers recorded five wins and secured five saves. Our condensed recaps cover all of the high-leverage events of interest.
Closer CliffsNotes
Justin Martinez (ARI) allowed two hits, two earned runs, and a walk while striking out in the bottom of the ninth against the Giants. He entered with a four-run lead, issuing Michael Conforto a walk, followed by Tyler Fitzgerald’s double and LaMonte Wade’s two-RBI single, before retiring the last three batters. He threw 19 pitches (11 strikes – 57.9 Strike%) and induced three whiffs (15.8 SwStr%). He’s given up at least a run in five of his last seven appearances.
- Hierarchy remains: Justin Martinez | A.J. Puk | Ryan Thompson
Raisel Iglesias (ATL) recorded his 30th save while closing out a three-run win over Colorado. He allowed a walk and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless top of the ninth. This extended his scoreless streak to 20 games, spanning 23.1 innings with 28 strikeouts versus three walks.
- Hierarchy remains: Raisel Iglesias | Joe Jiménez | Pierce Johnson
Kenley Jansen (BOS) walked on the wild side in a non-save outing. He allowed a hit, four earned runs, and three walks while striking out one in one-third of the eighth. He threw 28 pitches (13 strikes – 46.4 Strike%) and only induced two whiffs. He’s allowed a run in four of his last six outings with a 1.70 WHIP in his last 4.2 innings.
- Hierarchy remains: Kenley Jansen | Chris Martin | Justin Slaten
Brent Suter (CIN) notched his first save in an eventual seven-run win. He worked 3.1 innings, allowing three hits, including Jon Singleton’s solo home run, and recorded six strikeouts. He threw 45 pitches (33 strikes – 73.3 Strike%) and produced ten whiffs (22.2 SwStr%).
- Hierarchy remains: Alexis Díaz | Emilio Pagán | Tony Santillan
Jason Foley (DET) suffered his fifth loss. He recorded two quick outs, intentionally walked Luis Arraez, then allowed Fernando Tatis’ walk-off RBI single, scoring the “place” runner. He threw eight pitches (75 Strike%) without a whiff during his two-thirds of the tenth inning in San Diego.
- Hierarchy remains: *Jason Foley | *Tyler Holton | Shelby Miller
- *= closer-by-committee
Lucas Erceg (KC) retired the side and recorded a strikeout for his ninth save, closing out a three-run win over Cleveland. He threw 15 pitches (60 Strike%) and induced one whiff. This snapped a streak of three games in which he gave up at least a run and marked his first save since August 26.
- Updated Hierarchy: Lucas Erceg | John Schreiber | Kribs Bubic
John McMillon (MIA) collected his first win on a walk-off rally in the bottom of the inning. He threw 13 pitches (10 strikes – 76.9 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (30.8 SwStr%) in a clean top of the tenth. He’s been scoreless in his last four appearances with six strikeouts versus one walk. Calvin Faucher suffered his second blown save, letting all three inherited runners score on a bases-loaded walk, an RBI fielder’s choice groundout, and James Woods’ RBI double in the top of the eighth.
- Hierarchy remains: Calvin Faucher | John McMillon | Jesús Tinoco
Joel Payamps (MIL) was tagged with his seventh loss. He allowed an unearned run and walked one during his two-thirds of the tenth. Hoby Milner let the “place” runner score on Luken Baker’s RBI single and recorded an inning-ending strikeout one-third of the tenth.
- Hierarchy remains: Devin Williams | Trevor Megill | Joel Payamps
Edwin Díaz (NYM) allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless top of the ninth against Boston’s 6-7-8-9 hitters, finishing a five-run win. He warmed up for the save chance, but it evaporated when his teammates scored four in the bottom of the eighth. The good news is he’s been scoreless over his last four with nine strikeouts versus one walk while converting both save chances.
- Hierarchy remains: Edwin Díaz | Phil Maton | Reed Garrett
Carlos Estévez (PHI) secured his 24th save with a scoreless ninth. He allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts, preserving a two-run win in Toronto. He’s been scoreless in his last five outings, spanning six innings, with a win and three saves while posting a 6:2 K:BB.
- Hierarchy remains: Carlos Estévez | Jeff Hoffman | Matt Strahm
Jeremiah Estrada (SD) took over at the top of the tenth and issued Spencer Torkelson a walk with two outs during a scoreless appearance. He recorded his fifth win courtesy of a walk-off rally in the bottom of the inning. He threw 17 pitches (10 strikes – 58.8 Strike%) with three whiffs (17.6 SwStr%). Robert Suarez tossed a scoreless ninth, allowing a walk. He owns a modest three-game scoreless streak and has secured two saves this month.
- Hierarchy remains: Robert Suarez | Tanner Scott | Jason Adam
Ryan Fernandez (STL) secured his second save, issuing Jackson Chourio an intentional walk and recording three strikeouts in a scoreless bottom of the tenth in Milwaukee, preserving a one-run win. He threw 17 pitches (10 strikes – 58.8 Strike%) and produced five whiffs (29.4 SwStr%). Andrew Kittredge collected his third win. He tossed 1.2 scoreless frames, issuing a walk and striking out two.
- Hierarchy remains: Ryan Helsley | Andrew Kittredge | JoJo Romero
Kirby Yates (TEX) was summoned with two runners on, two outs, and a four-run lead. He induced a game-ending Giancarlo Stanton lineout for his 26th save. He’s been scoreless in six of his last seven games, recording two wins and converting five saves with nine strikeouts against two walks across 6.1 innings.
- Hierarchy remains: Kirby Yates | David Robertson | Andrew Chafin
Derek Law (WSH) retired Nick Fortes but gave up Xavier Edwards’ walk-off RBI single, scoring the “place” runner, resulting in his third loss in the bottom of the tenth. Kyle Finnegan was tagged with his fifth blown save. He took over with two runners on base in the eighth and allowed Jake Burger’s game-tying RBI single, then recorded an inning-ending strikeout. He navigated around two hits for a scoreless ninth, finishing 1.1 scoreless innings.
- Hierarchy remains: Kyle Finnegan | Jacob Barnes | Jose Ferrer
Vulture Save Options for Thursday, September 5
- Pierce Johnson (ATL): Iglesias and Jiménez have pitched in back-to-back games.
- Tanner Scott (SD): He’s also worked in three of the last four, but the team prefers providing Suarez with more rest in these situations.
- Ryan Thompson (ARI): Martinez and Puk have appeared on consecutive days.
Vulture Save Stashes for Friday, September 6
- Matt Strahm (PHI): If Estévez and Hoffman pitch today, it will be two straight appearances.
- David Robertson (TEX): It will be consecutive outings if Yates pitches in tonight’s contest.
Three Takeaways
J-Mart and BAbip: In last night’s outing, Justin Martinez gave up two earned runs after issuing a lead-off walk and allowing two hits. He rebounded by retiring his last three batters faced. However, he’s given up at least a run in seven of his last 10 appearances and 13 hits over these 10.2 innings with a .462 batting average on balls in play (BAbip). He’s also allowed six walks resulting in a 1.78 WHIP in this sample. He’s still producing an 18.5 swinging strike percentage and a 63 percent contact rate allowed. His inflated BAbip should normalize but the 62.9 strike percentage must improve so his 5.14 ERA migrates toward his 3.14 SIERA in these contests. Here’s his rolling game chart reflecting the recent spike in BAbip:
McMillon’s surging, but is it sustainable? After retiring the side and striking out two in the top of the tenth against the Nationals, John McMillon collected his first win on a walk-off rally. He’s been scoreless over his last four games allowing one baserunner on a walk and recording six strikeouts (35.7 K-BB%) across 4.1 innings. For the season, he throws his slider almost 62 percent of his pitches and it’s generated a 22.7 swinging strike percentage with a .126 expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA). It’s been an elite pitch for him. However, his four-seam fastball has a negative K-BB percentage with a .385 xwOBA. Can he take the next step as a high-leverage option in this bullpen? Time will tell, but he’s worth watching over the last three-plus weeks.
Jansen’s end nearing in Beantown: Last night’s ugly non-save appearance line brings attention to a rough patch of outings by Kenley Jansen. He allowed four earned runs and three walks over one-third of the eighth innings in an eventual loss. He’s given up at least a run in four of his last six games resulting in a loss and a blown save while posting a 1.70 WHIP across 4.2 innings. This decline in production coincides with the pending return by the 2025 closer, Liam Hendriks. Will this open the door for shared saves over the last two weeks of the season? Stay tuned.
Roster Notes and Injury Updates
- The Cubs placed Jorge López (groin) on the 15-day injured list, which paves the way for Porter Hodge as the closer over the next two weeks.
- On Friday, Victor Vodnik (COL) begins his rehab assignment at Double-A Hartford. He could be activated later this weekend or early next week, barring a setback.
- Andrés Muñoz (SEA) was unavailable on Tuesday but played catch before last night’s game and was presumed available. Monitor his health status and outings closely this weekend.
Those seeking full game recaps should surf the team pages; they’ve all been updated with Wednesday’s results.
Thanks for being a part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe and be well.
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