August 20, 2015
Oakland A’s – Drew Pomeranz picked up his second save of the season last night, and when asked after the game if Pomeranz is the closer, manager Bob Melvin said “He was today.” Those three words confirm that his committee is still alive, at least for now. Sean Doolittle could rejoin the team as early as Monday, and there is at least some pressure to let Pomeranz have a shot full time. Last night the 9th started with dangerous left handers Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, so Pomeranz’s use could just be playing matchups. We’ll move Pomeranz to the top spot of the hierarchy for now. However, long term it is worth it to go after Sean Doolittle, who may finally bring some major stability to this bullpen.
Updated hierarchy: *Pomeranz | Mujica |Rodriguez.
* = closer-by-committee.
Tampa Bay Rays — Brad Boxbgerger blew the save last night, and the Rays ended up losing in extra innings. However, his job just got a bit safer because primary set-up man Jake McGee was sent back to Tampa after tweaking his knee in a 33-pitch outing on Tuesday. He will be evaluated today, but Kevin Cash said he may not join the team until next week. Look for Xavier Cedeno and Steve Geltz to see some higher leverage spots while McGee is out, and check back to see how serious this injury is.
Hierarchy remains: Boxberger | McGee | Cedeno.
Minnesota Twins – Glen Perkins had an MRI on Wednesday, and while the results aren’t expected until today, he is on track to rejoin the team for this weekend’s series in Baltimore. While the Twins are still chasing a wild card slot, and a healthy Glen Perkins is their best bet at closer, this is similar to the neck injury that caused him trouble at the end of last year. This is still a situation in progress, and if the MRI comes back with bad news, or Perkins cannot get back on track, Kevin Jepsen will be the first one to get save opportunities. Jepsen is worth an add in the short term no matter what, as Perkins isn’t expected to throw for a couple days.
Hierarchy remains: Perkins | Jepsen | Fien.
Philadelphia Phillies — Ken Giles remains the class of the Philadelphia bullpen, but if you are speculating on a handcuff or holds, Luis Garcia may be the next best option. His last three appearances have come in the 8th inning, while Jeanmar Gomez has picked up spots in the 6th and 7th. While it is tough to recommend any Philadelphia reliever besides Giles, if anything happens to him, Garcia has the inside track.
Updated hierarchy: Giles | Garcia | Gomez.
Kansas City Royals — Wade Davis continued his dominant season in picking up a save last night. He did give up a hit and a walk, but got Joey Votto to swing through a pitch to end the game. Greg Holland had just thrown 23 pitches in an extra inning game on Tuesday, so this was probably just a normal day off for the Kansas City closer, but his overall numbers this season are down from his untouchable 2014. His command has slipped a bit, and he has lost some velocity on his fastball. Holland is still one of the best relievers in baseball, and we would be more concerned for his job if Davis hadn’t also been slipping a bit in the past two weeks. Despite all this, Ned Yost has only gone to Davis when Holland was injured or unavailable, and the Royals have the best record in the major leagues, so look for them to stick with what got them there.
Hierarchy remains: Holland | Davis | Herrera.
Los Angeles Angels — With Huston Street unavailable after pitching in three straight, the Angels used slightly more rested Joe Smith for the save. This was Smith’s fourth straight appearance, but he had thrown significantly fewer pitches than Street over the past three days.
Hierarchy remains: Street | Smith | Gott.
New York Yankees — Dellin Betances picked up his eighth save of the year with Andrew Miller unavailable after having pitched in two straight games. Betances to Miller remains one of the best bullpen combinations in the game.
Hierarchy remains: Miller | Betances | Wilson.
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Kevin Jepsen, Minnesota Twins – As noted above, Glen Perkins isn’t expected to throw quite yet as he (and his owners) wait for the results of his MRI.
2. Joakim Soria, Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Melancon has pitched in two straight games, throwing 34 pitches, and may need a night off.
3. Xavier Cedeno, Tampa Bay Rays – Brad Boxberger has pitched in back-to-back games, and with Jake McGee getting evaluated for a knee injury, Xavier Cedeno could get the call.
4. Pat Neshek, Houston Astros – Luke Gregerson has thrown 30 pitches over the past two days.
