Oakland A’s

Oakland A’s Fantasy Baseball Daily Bullpen Updates and Closer Depth Chart

* = closer-by-committee

Previous updates:

Oakland A’s – Many did not believe Mason Miller would be used as the closer this season and all he did was set the franchise record for saves by a rookie with 28, including throwing the last pitch at Oakland Coliseum. Reports indicate he will remain in this role moving forward, which makes him a terrific target for 2025. He’s recorded 104 strikeouts with a 0.88 WHIP through 65 innings across 55 appearances. 

September 28, 2024

Oakland A’s – Entering a tied game at the bottom of the tenth, Scott Alexander issued a one-out intentional walk to Dylan Moore and induced a fielder’s choice groundout, which scored the “place” runner, resulting in his third loss.

• Mason Miller could not protect a two-run lead at the bottom of the ninth. He allowed two hits, including a game-tying Luke Raley two-run home run, and recorded three strikeouts in his third blown save. He threw 17 pitches (13 strikes – 76.5 Strike%) and generated seven whiffs (41.2 SwStr%). In his previous 29 appearances, he converted all 16 save chances with 45 strikeouts versus nine walks across 32.1 innings since June 18.
• T.J. McFarland worked a scoreless eighth, walking one and striking out two.
• Tyler Ferguson gave up two hits, an earned run, and a walk while striking out one in the seventh.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 26, 2024

Oakland A’s – Throwing the last pitch at Oakland Coliseum, Mason Miller set a franchise record with his 28th save as a rookie. He preserved a one-run win over Texas, retiring all four batters, two via strikeout on 19 pitches (12 strikes – 63.2 Strike%) with five whiffs (26.3 SwStr%). Since June 18, he’s converted 16 consecutive save chances with 45 strikeouts against nine walks over 32.1 innings.

• Michel Otañez issued a walk and recorded two outs in the eighth for his sixth hold.
• Tyler Ferguson fired a clean seventh, striking out one while securing his 11th hold.
• T.J. McFarland notched his 19th hold, striking out one and stranding one of two runners in two-thirds of the sixth.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 24, 2024

Oakland A’s – After navigating around consecutive one-out singles with a strikeout and an inning-ending flyout for a scoreless top of the ninth, Mason Miller collected his second win on a walk-off rally at the bottom of the inning. He threw 26 pitches (64 Strike%) and induced three whiffs while recording two strikeouts in his outing. In his last seven appearances, he’s been scoreless in six while recording this win and converting four saves with eight strikeouts versus two walks.

• Scott Alexander suffered his third blown save, giving up a game-tying Jonah Heim solo home run and striking out one in the eighth.
• Tyler Ferguson notched his tenth hold with a clean seventh, striking out two.
• Grant Holman tossed a clean sixth and recorded one strikeout.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 20, 2024

Oakland A’s – Summoned with two runners on and one out at the top of the tenth, Grant Holman retired both batters, one via strikeout.

• T.J. McFarland suffered his fourth loss, giving up three hits and three runs (two earned) after taking over in the tenth inning.
• Mason Miller worked a scoreless ninth, walking and striking out one on 14 pitches (9 strikes – 64.3 Strike%) with two whiffs (14.3 SwStr%).
• Tyler Ferguson tossed a clean eighth, striking out one.
• Scott Alexander gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh.
• Michel Otañez allowed a walk and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless sixth.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 18, 2024

Oakland A’s – Capping a comeback rally and setting a franchise record for saves by a rookie, Mason Miller closed out his 27th save with a scoreless ninth against the Cubs. He allowed a one-out walk but induced an inning-ending double play by Pete Crow-Armstrong. Miller threw ten pitches (60 Strike%) and induced one whiff while striking out one. He’s converted all 12 save chances in the second half and been scoreless in 16 of 18 appearances.

• Michel Otañez fired a clean eighth and recorded two strikeouts for his fifth hold.
• Tyler Ferguson collected his fourth win, issuing a walk during a scoreless seventh.
• Grant Holman worked 1.1 clean frames and struck out one across the fifth and sixth innings.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 17, 2024

Oakland A’s – Tying a franchise record with his 26th save as a rookie, Mason Miller allowed Ian Happ’s solo home run and recorded two strikeouts, finishing a one-run win. He threw 21 pitches (66.7 Strike%) and generated five whiffs (23.8 SwStr%). He’s converted three straight saves but lost his modest three-game scoreless streak in this outing.

• T.J. McFarland stranded two runners while striking out his only batter in the eighth, securing his 18th hold.
• Michel Otañez gave up a hit and a walk over two-thirds of the eighth for his fourth hold.
• Tyler Ferguson notched his ninth hold, giving up a hit and striking out two in a scoreless seventh.
• Scott Alexander worked a scoreless sixth, yielding a hit and striking out two for his tenth hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 13, 2024

Oakland A’s – Completing the combined shutout and securing his 25th save, Mason Miller allowed a one-out single and recorded two strikeouts. He threw 21 pitches (13 strikes – 61.9 Strike%) and induced two whiffs. He’s recorded three straight scoreless appearances and converted all nine save chances since the All-Star break. His next save will tie the franchise record for saves by a rookie (Andrew Bailey – 26 in 2009).

• Tyler Ferguson notched his eighth hold, retiring the side and striking out two in the eighth.
• Michel Otañez stranded two runners in the sixth and logged 1.2 clean frames with three strikeouts for his third hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 11, 2024

Oakland A’s – Moving within two of the franchise record for saves by a rookie, Mason Miller locked down his 24th with a clean bottom of the ninth while preserving a one-run in Houston. He threw nine pitches (77.8 Strike%) and induced one whiff. He’s been scoreless in his last two appearances and converted all nine save chances in the second half.

• Tyler Ferguson was credited with his seventh hold despite allowing two hits and an unearned run in the eighth.
• T.J. McFarland retired his only batter via strikeout in the seventh for his 17th hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 10, 2024

Oakland A’s – After tossing a scoreless bottom of the 11th, Hogan Harris collected his fourth win despite letting the “place” runner score in the 12th. He allowed a hit and an unearned run while striking out three during his two innings.

• Mason Miller retired the Astros’ 4-5-6 lineup pocket in order in the bottom of the tenth on four pitches (75 Strike%).
• Scott Alexander worked around two hits and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless ninth.
• Michel Otañez tossed a scoreless eighth, yielding a hit and striking out two.
• T.J. McFarland stranded a runner and recorded two outs in the seventh.
• Tyler Ferguson suffered his second blown save, giving up two hits, two earned runs, and a walk during his one-third of the seventh.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 6, 2024

Oakland A’s – Culminating a back-and-forth contest, Grant Holman collected his first win on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the 13th. He logged two innings, giving up a hit, an unearned run, and two walks while striking out one.

• Scott Alexander allowed a hit, two runs (one earned), and a walk during the 11th.
• Mason Miller fired a clean ninth, striking out the side, but let the “place” runner score in the top of the tenth. His line was one hit allowed and one unearned run with four strikeouts on 30 pitches (70 Strike%) with eight whiffs (26.7 SwStr%).
• Tyler Ferguson retired the side and recorded two strikeouts in the eighth.
• Michel Otañez let his only inherited runner score, issued a walk, and recorded a strikeout in one-third of the seventh, resulting in his second blown save. 

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 3, 2024

Oakland A’s – Not only did Hogan Harris log three scoreless frames, taking the baton from J.T. Ginn against Seattle, but he collected his third win courtesy of a walk-off rally in the bottom of the ninth. Harris allowed two walks and recorded two strikeouts on 37 pitches (22 strikes – 59.5 Strike%) with five whiffs (13.5 SwStr%).

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 2, 2024

Oakland A’s – After firing a clean top of the ninth and striking out the side, Tyler Ferguson collected his third win on a walk-off home run at the bottom of the inning. He threw 12 pitches (83.3 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (33.3 SwStr%) against Seattle’s 9-1-2 hitters.

• Michel Otañez worked a scoreless eighth, issuing two walks and recording two strikeouts.
• Grant Holman allowed a walk and struck out two in a scoreless seventh.
• T.J. McFarland stranded two runners and issued a walk over two-thirds scoreless in the sixth.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

September 1, 2024

Oakland A’s – Perhaps being overextended, Mason Miller allowed Jace Jung’s walk-off three-run home run, resulting in his second loss. After giving up a hit in a scoreless ninth, Miller returned for the tenth, allowing two hits, four runs (three earned), and a walk while striking out one. He threw 34 pitches (21 strikes – 61.8 Strike%) and induced four whiffs (11.8 SwStr%). This marked his 12th multiple-inning appearance and third-highest pitch total of the season.

• Michel Otañez fired a clean bottom of the eighth, striking out the side.
• T.J. McFarland tossed a clean seventh, striking out one.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 28, 2024

Oakland A’s – Despite throwing 31 pitches on Tuesday, Mason Miller took the mound with a three-run lead in Cincinnati. He navigated around a one-out single and a walk with successive strikeouts, securing his 23rd save. He threw 25 pitches (60 Strike%) and induced four whiffs (16 SwStr%). He tied Huston Street (2005) for second in team history for saves by a rookie and now sits within three of Andrew Bailey’s record set in 2009.

• Tyler Ferguson was awarded his second win. He retired the side and recorded a strikeout in the eighth.
• Michel Otañez suffered his first blown save, allowing Will Benson’s go-ahead three-run home run, among his three hits in one-third of the seventh.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 27, 2024

Oakland A’s – Working into and out of trouble, Mason Miller lost his 11-game scoreless streak but held on for his 22nd save. He allowed four hits and two earned runs while recording two strikeouts in the bottom of the ninth. There was a well-placed bloop RBI single, but this outing was a grind. He threw 31 pitches (22 strikes – 71 Strike%) and generated seven whiffs (22.6 SwStr%). The good news is that he’s converted his last ten save opportunities.

• Ross Stripling quelled an inherited bases-loaded situation, retiring his only batter in the eighth, securing his first hold.
• Tyler Ferguson gave up a hit, an earned run, and three walks during two-thirds of the eighth.
• Grant Holman worked a scoreless seventh, yielding a hit, and recorded his fight hold.
• Michel Otañez collected his first win. He stranded two runners while retiring both batters faced in the sixth, one via strikeout.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 25, 2024

Oakland A’s – Nailing down his 21st save and 11th consecutive scoreless appearance, Mason Miller preserved a one-run win while retiring all four batters faced, one via strikeout. He threw 17 pitches (13 strikes – 76.5 Strike%) and induced two whiffs. He’s converted nine straight save chances since June 18 while posting 26 strikeouts against five walks over 18 innings.

• Tyler Ferguson notched his sixth hold, giving up a hit and striking out one during a scoreless combined inning.
• Grant Holman gave up Willy Adames’ solo home run and a walk while striking out one in two-thirds of an inning for his fourth hold.
• T.J. McFarland retired his only batter via strikeout for his 16th hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 22, 2024

Oakland A’s – Shutting the door on his 20th save, Mason Miller worked around a one-out single and recorded two strikeouts while preserving a 3-1 win. He threw 19 pitches (14 strikes – 73.7 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (21.1 SwStr%). He’s converted five saves since his reinstatement from the injured list and has been scoreless in all seven games with 11 strikeouts against three walks in eight innings. He’s also the third Oakland rookie with 20 saves in a season (Andrew Bailey in 2009; Huston Street 2006). Tyler Ferguson allowed a walk and secured his fifth hold with a scoreless eighth.

• T.J. McFarland stranded two runners while retiring his only batter in the seventh for his 15th hold.
• Grant Holman gave up two hits and struck out one in two-thirds scoreless in the seventh, getting credit for his third hold.
• Michel Otañez worked a scoreless seventh, yielding a hit and striking out two for his second hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 19, 2024

Oakland A’s – Securing his 19th save, Mason Miller navigated around a two-out walk with a game-ending lineout, preserving the combined shutout. He threw 17 pitches (10 strikes – 58.8 Strike%) and induced two whiffs while recording one strikeout. He’s converted four saves since his reinstatement from the injured list while being scoreless in six contests with nine strikeouts versus three walks.

• Tyler Ferguson recorded his fourth hold with a clean eighth and two strikeouts. He’s been scoreless in 15 of his last 17.
• Grant Holman notched his second hold in as many outings with a scoreless seventh. He allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 18, 2024

Oakland A’s – Entering at the top of the tenth, Dany Jiménez allowed two home runs, resulting in three runs (two earned), and he recorded three strikeouts during his third loss in his first appearance back from the injured list.

• Mason Miller fired a clean ninth and recorded two strikeouts. He threw 13 pitches (9 strikes – 69.2 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (30.8 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless through five outings, spanning six innings, with eight strikeouts against two walks since his return from a broken pinkie.
• Tyler Ferguson stranded a runner and retired his only batter faced via strikeout in the eighth.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 17, 2024

Oakland A’s – After recording two strikeouts in the top of the ninth, Michel Otañez allowed an infield single and a walk before producing a game-ending strikeout of Casey Schmitt for his first career save. He threw 26 pitches (17 strikes – 65.4 Strike%) and generated six whiffs (23.1 SwStr%) while completing the combined shutout.

• T.J. McFarland stranded a runner and retired both batters in the eighth for his 14th hold.
• Grant Holman made his major league debut by stranding two runners in the seventh and gave up a hit during two-thirds scoreless while recording his first hold.
• Scott Alexander worked two-thirds scoreless in the seventh despite yielding a hit and a walk.

Adjusted Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Michel Otañez

August 15, 2024

Oakland A’s – Preserving a one-run win, Mason Miller logged two scoreless frames against the Mets. After striking out the side in the eighth, he hit a batter and issued a two-out walk before inducing a game-ending lineout by Francisco Alvarez, securing his 18th save. Miller threw 39 pitches (25 strikes – 64.1 Strike%) and generated nine whiffs (23.1 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless through four appearances in August while converting all three save opportunities.

• Scott Alexander navigated around two hits and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless seventh for his eighth hold.
• Tyler Ferguson collected his first win. He worked two scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Austin Adams

August 10, 2024

Oakland A’s – Shutting the door on his 17th save and preserving a 1-0 shutout, Mason Miller issued a one-out walk and recorded all three outs via strikeout. He threw 18 pitches (11 strikes – 61.1 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (18.2 SwStr%) against the top of Toronto’s lineup. He’s secured a save in a scoreless outing in both games back from the injured list and extended his scoreless streak to five games since July 10.

• Tyler Ferguson retired the side for his third hold in the eighth.
• Scott Alexander tossed a clean seventh, striking out one and posting his seventh hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Austin Adams

August 7, 2024

Oakland A’s – Activated from the injured list and straight into a save situation, Mason Miller retired the side while preserving a one-run win over the White Sox for his 16th save. He threw 13 pitches (61.5 Strike%) and induced one whiff. His velocity was in line with his seasonal averages.

• Tyler Ferguson notched his second hold, firing a clean eighth and striking out two.
• T.J. McFarland collected his second win. He tossed a scoreless seventh, giving up a hit and striking out one.
• Will Klein worked a clean sixth and struck out one.

Updated Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Tyler Ferguson | Austin Adams

July 30, 2024

Oakland A’s – Finishing a three-run win, Tyler Ferguson allowed a one-out walk by Michael Conforto and induced a fielder’s choice groundout by Matt Chapman. After he took second in defensive indifference with two outs, Ferguson gave up an RBI single by Patrick Bailey before producing a game-ending LaMonte Wade Jr. strikeout. This snapped his seven-game scoreless streak, but he’s secured two saves in his last three appearances and should be the preferred save option until Mason Miller can return from his broken pinky.

• Austin Adams stranded a runner and retired his only batter via strikeout in the eighth.
• Scott Alexander allowed a hit, an earned run, and a walk while striking out one during two-thirds of the eighth.

Updated Hierarchy: Tyler Ferguson | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander

July 27, 2024

Oakland A’s – Shutting the door on his second save, Tyler Ferguson fired a clean bottom of the ninth and recorded one strikeout, securing a two-run win. He threw an efficient seven pitches, all strikes, and induced two whiffs (28.6 SwStr%). He’s amid a seven-game scoreless streak with 12 strikeouts against two walks in his last 8.1 innings.

• Michel Otañez notched his first hold, issuing a walk and striking out one in a scoreless eighth.
• Austin Adams gave up a hit and struck out one during a scoreless seventh, resulting in his 20th hold.

Hierarchy remains: *Lucas Erceg | *Tyler Ferguson | Scott Alexander

July 26, 2024

Oakland A’s – Handed a one-run lead, Lucas Erceg secured his third save, working around a one-out Mickey Moniak single with a strikeout and a game-ending groundout. He threw 11 pitches (72.8 Strike%) and produced two whiffs (1818.2 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in nine of ten appearances this month, with seven strikeouts against two walks during his 7.2 innings.

• T.J. McFarland stranded two runners and struck out his only batter, Nolan Schanuel, for his 13th hold.
• Joey Estes logged 2.2 scoreless innings, navigating around two hits and two walks while securing his first hold.

Updated Hierarchy: *Lucas Erceg | *Tyler Ferguson | Scott Alexander

July 25, 2024

Oakland A’s – Per Martín Gallegos of MLB.com, Oakland has placed Mason Miller on the 15-day injured list with a fractured left pinky. It sounds like it was an accident but fantasy managers must adjust on the fly. With the announcement, Lucas Erceg should be added as Miller’s replacement for save situations. Some good news, the injury placement has been backdated to July 23. 

In his post for MLB.com, Gallegos shared a quote from manager Mark Kotsay suggesting the team will use a match-up-based approach in Miller’s absence. 

With their closer landing on the injured list, Mark Kotsay said he would use a match-up-based approach during save opportunities. Rookie Tyler Ferguson locked down his first MLB save with a clean ninth and recorded two strikeouts while preserving a one-run win over the Angels. He threw 13 pitches (9 strikes – 69.2 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (23.1 SwStr%) while facing the 5-6-7 lineup pocket.

• Lucas Erceg retired the 2-3-4 batters in order in the eighth, recording one strikeout on 11 pitches for his 12th hold. He was used like an HLR, so be patient for save chances with Miller sidelined.
• Austin Adams notched his 19th hold, allowing a hit and striking out one in a scoreless seventh.
• Scott Alexander stranded a runner and struck out his only batter in the sixth, securing his sixth hold.

Updated Hierarchy: *Lucas Erceg | *Tyler Ferguson | *Scott Alexander

July 17, 2024

Oakland A’s – One of the biggest trade deadline questions remains: how will they handle Mason Miller? In the latest post about the topic by Joel Sherman of the New York Post. This decision looms, especially after Miler’s dominant outing in the All-Star game. The team may hold onto him and move Lucas Erceg instead, but monitor how this evolves closely.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Scott Alexander

July 12, 2024

Oakland A’s – Closing a four-run win in Philadelphia, Mason Miller navigated around a one-out single and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth. He threw 21 pitches (66.7 Strike%) and generated six whiffs (28.6 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in eight of his last nine games and recorded multiple strikeouts in his last five.

• Lucas Erceg stranded a runner and allowed a hit during a scoreless one-third of the eighth.
• T.J. McFarland allowed a walk and struck out two in two-thirds of the eighth.
• Scott Alexander notched his fifth hold with a clean seventh.
• Osvaldo Bido collected his first win, logging three scoreless innings. He gave up a hit and recorded two strikeouts. 

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Scott Alexander

July 10, 2024

Oakland A’s – Securing his first save since June 21, Mason Miller tossed a scoreless bottom of the ninth for his 15th save, finishing a three-run win. He allowed a two-out single but recorded a game-ending strikeout, his second of the outing. He threw 13 pitches (69.2 Strike%) and induced two whiffs. He’s been scoreless in seven of his last eight but only has two saves.

• Lucas Erceg logged 1.1 scoreless innings but let one of two inherited runners score in the seventh during his 11th hold. He gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one.
• T.J. McFarland was credited with his 11th hold, allowing two hits and an earned run during his two-thirds of the seventh.
• Austin Adams stranded a runner and retired his only batter via strikeout for his 17th hold in the sixth. 

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Scott Alexander

July 2, 2024

Oakland A’s – Entering with a four-run lead, Mason Miller issued a lead-off walk, a leverage no-no. He bounced back with two quick outs but allowed an RBI double by Nolan Schanuel, followed by Luis Rengifo’s RBI single, before inducing a game-ending strikeout. He threw 24 pitches (66.7 Strike%) and did not produce a whiff while giving up two hits, two earned runs, and a walk.

• Lucas Erceg tossed a scoreless eighth, yielding a hit and striking out one.
• Scott Alexander let both inherited runners score on a Schanuel single before getting an inning-ending double play in the seventh.

Updated Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Scott Alexander

June 28, 2024

Oakland A’s – Entering with a five-run lead, Mason Miller fired a clean bottom of the ninth and recorded two strikeouts. He threw 12 pitches (7 strikes – 58.3 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (33.3 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in eight of ten appearances this month with 13 strikeouts versus three walks while logging 10.2 innings and converting three of four saves.

• T.J. McFarland notched his tenth hold, retiring his only batter via strikeout in the eighth and stranding two runners.
• Lucas Erceg secured his tenth hold, allowing a hit during his two-thirds scoreless in the eighth.
• Scott Alexander collected his first win despite giving up a hit, an earned run, and a walk in the seventh courtesy of a three-run rally in the top of the eighth.

Updated Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | T.J. McFarland

June 21, 2024

(RP | OAK): Preserving a come-from-behind one-run win, Mason Miller fired a clean top of the ninth and recorded one strikeout against the Twins top of the lineup. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Capping an eighth-inning rally, Mason Miller nailed down his 14th save, firing a clean ninth and striking out one. He only needed seven pitches (71.4 Strike%) and induced one whiff facing the Twins’ top of the lineup. Through eight outings in June, he’s converted three of four save chances with nine strikeouts against three walks across 8.2 innings. Sean Newcomb collected his first win, retiring his only batter in the eighth, stranding both inherited runners. Lucas Erceg stranded a runner in the seventh and scattered three hits while striking out one over 1.1 scoreless innings. Austin Adams suffered his third blown save, allowing two hits, including a go-ahead three-run home run by Willi Castro, and two walks during his one-third of the seventh.

Updated Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

June 19, 2024

(RP | OAK): Closing a four-run win, Mason Miller tossed a scoreless ninth. He issued a walk and recorded two strikeouts on 18 pitches (66.7 Strike%) with three whiffs (16.7 SwStr%). He’s recorded a win and converted two of three save opportunities in June with eight strikeouts against three walks across 7.2 innings.

Updated Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Dany Jiménez

June 18, 2024

(RP | OAK): Locking down his 13th save, Mason Miller retired the side and recorded one strikeout while closing out a two-run win over the Royals. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Shutting the door on his 13th save, Mason Miller fired a clean top of the ninth and recorded a strikeout while preserving a two-run win over the Royals facing the 9-1-2 lineup pocket. He threw 10 pitches (80 Strike%) and generated three whiffs (30 SwStr%). This marks his first save since June 5 and only his second in June. Scott Alexander stranded a runner and retired his only batter faced in the eighth for his fourth hold. Lucas Erceg gave up two hits, two earned runs, and a walk over two-thirds of the eighth. He’s struggled since returning from the injured list, allowing at least a run in three of four appearances. Austin Adams worked a scoreless seventh, giving up a hit and striking out two, and may replace Erceg in set-up situations.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

June 16, 2024

(RP | OAK): Taking over a tied game in the bottom of the eighth during Game 2, Dany Jiménez gave up two hits, including a go-ahead solo home run by Jose Miranda, resulting in his second loss. Austin Adams logged 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing a hit and striking out one.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

June 14, 2024

(RP | OAK): Scott Alexander suffered his second loss allowing a lead-off RBI single in the bottom of the tenth, scoring the “place” runner. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s -Suffering his second loss, Scott Alexander took over in the bottom of the tenth and allowed a walk-off RBI single by Max Kepler, his only batter faced. Mason Miller was tagged with his second blown save, letting one of two inherited runners score in the eighth. He entered with three runners on and one out, giving up an RBI walk and retired the next two batters. He threw 20 pitches (65 Strike%) and induced three whiffs (15 SwStr%) during his 1.2 scoreless innings, issuing a walk and striking out one. Lucas Erceg gave up an unearned run on a hit batter, a walk, and a player reaching on an error during his one-third of the eighth for his ninth hold. Dany Jiménez tossed a clean seventh for his fourth hold.

Adjusted Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

June 12, 2024

(RP | OAK): Entering a tied game in the bottom of the ninth, Mason Miller recorded an out then allowed a walk-off home run by Jackson Merrill, resulting in his first loss. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – For a second time this month, Mason Miller allowed a home run. This one by Jackson Merrill resulted in Miller’s first loss. He retired Ha-Seong Kim on a groundout, then served up the walk-off home run. He’s allowed at least a run in three of his last five appearances, with four strikeouts against two walks and a 1.17 WHIP through six innings. Lucas Erceg returned from the injured list and was tagged with his third blown save. In the eighth, he gave up a walk and a two-run home run by Donovan Solano. T.J. McFarland secured his eighth hold, tossing a clean seventh and striking out one. Dany Jiménez fired 1.1 clean frames and recorded three strikeouts for his third hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

June 11, 2024

(RP | OAK): After recording two outs in the eighth, Scott Alexander returned for the ninth during a tied game in San Diego and suffered his first loss allowing a walk-off home run. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Entering at the bottom of the eighth with two runners on, Scott Alexander retired Jake Cronenworth, intentionally walked Ha-Seong Kim, and induced an inning-ending lineout by Jackson Merrill. Alexander returned for the ninth and served up a walk-off home run by Kyle Higashioka, which resulted in his first loss. Austin Adams worked one-third scoreless, yielding two hits in the eighth. Vinny Nittoli tossed a clean seventh. Dany Jiménez worked a scoreless sixth, issuing a walk and striking out two.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander

June 9, 2024

(RP | OAK): During the top of the tenth, Austin Adams suffered his second loss. He issued three walks and allowed three runs (two earned) on a three-RBI double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Called upon for the top of the tenth, Austin Adams suffered his second loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on a bases-emptying double by Isiah Kiner-Falefa and three walks while striking out one. Mason Miller fired a clean top of the ninth, striking out one against Toronto’s 2-3-4 batters. He threw 13 pitches (10 strikes – 76.9 Strike%) and produced two whiffs (15.4 SwStr%). He’s racked up 55 strikeouts through his first 29.2 innings. Scott Alexander was tagged with his first blown save, giving up an earned run on a single, a stolen base, a sacrifice bunt, and a sacrifice fly in the eighth.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander

June 7, 2024

(RP | OAK): Preserving a tied score, Mason Miller fired a clean top of the ninth against the heart of the Blue Jays’ lineup and collected his first win courtesy of a walk-off home run in the bottom of the inning. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – After firing a clean top of the ninth and recording two strikeouts, Mason Miller collected his first win courtesy of a walk-off home run in the bottom of the frame. He threw 12 pitches (66.7 Strike%) with three whiffs (25 SwStr%) while facing Toronto’s 3-4-5 lineup pocket. This marks the first outing he’s not produced at least one whiff this season. Scott Alexander tossed a clean eighth, striking out one. Austin Adams suffered his second blown save, giving up two hits and an earned run in the seventh, ceding the one-run lead. He gave up a lead-off double by Vlad Guerrero Jr. and an RBI single by Bo Bichette.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander

June 5, 2024

(RP | OAK): During an extended outing, Mason Miller stranded two runners and recorded two outs in the eighth. He gave up a solo home run in the ninth while finishing a one-run win over Seattle for his 12th save. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Despite allowing a solo home run in the ninth (Julio Rodríguez), Mason Miller secured his 12th save, logging 1.2 innings. He also allowed a walk and recorded one strikeout while throwing 29 pitches (17 strikes – 58.6 Strike%) with only two whiffs. He was forced into the game in the eighth and stranded two runners. Following his torrid start to the season, he’s allowed at least a run in consecutive outings and three of his last five. Vinny Nittoli allowed two hits and recorded a strikeout over one-third of the eighth, getting credit for his first hold. T.J. McFarland stranded the bases loaded in the seventh for his seventh hold. Austin Adams was credited with his 15th hold, giving up a walk and a hit-batter in one-third of the seventh.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander

June 2, 2024

(RP | OAK): With the game tied in the seventh, Austin Adams allowed two hits, including a bloop RBI double by Sean Murphy, resulting in an earned run and a loss. He finished with two hits against, one earned run, and two walks while striking out two.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander

June 1, 2024

(RP | OAK): Replacing Lucas Erceg on the roster, Dany Jiménez turned in his first save of the season, navigating around a lead-off double by retiring the next three hitters, finishing a two-run win in Atlanta. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Back from the minors, Dany Jiménez recorded his first save of the season, working around a lead-off double by Matt Olson with a pop-out, a flyout, and a game-ending strikeout of Adam Duvall. He threw 12 pitches (75 Strike%) without a whiff. Austin Adams stranded a runner and retired Marcell Ozuna via strikeout for his 14th hold. Scott Alexander tossed a scoreless combined inning, yielding a hit. Michael Kelly collected his third win, turning in a scoreless combined inning and walking two. Jack O’Loughlin notched his first hold, allowing two hits over two-thirds of a scoreless inning. 

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Austin Adams | Scott Alexander

May 30, 2024

(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. 

Analysis

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

May 29, 2024

(RP | OAK): Entering a tied game in the bottom of the ninth, Michael Kelly suffered his second loss, allowing a single, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk-off, sacrifice fly. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Taking over in the bottom of the ninth, Michael Kelly gave up a lead-off double by Amed Rosario, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk-off RBI single by Jose Siri. T.J. McFarland retired the side in the eighth, recording two strikeouts. Austin Adams let one of two inherited runners score while giving up a hit and walking one in one-third of the seventh. Scott Alexander allowed a hit and an earned run over his combined inning. Tyler Ferguson suffered his first blown save, giving up three hits and an earned run in the two-thirds of the sixth.

Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 28, 2024

(RP | OAK): Closing out a combined shutout, Mason Miller recorded his 11th save with a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Save number 11 for Mason Miller, closing a combined shutout in Tampa Bay. He allowed a two-out single and issued a walk before producing a game-ending strikeout. He threw 27 pitches (17 strikes – 63 Strike%) and induced one whiff. With his two strikeouts, he’s recorded 47 through his first 19 games, spanning 24 innings. Michael Kelly notched his third hold, giving up a hit and striking out one over 1.2 scoreless frames. T.J. McFarland tossed a clean combined inning, striking out one for his sixth hold.

Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 25, 2024

(RP | OAK): Bouncing back with a dominant outing, Mason Miller locked down his 10th save by striking out the side against Houston, preserving a two-run win. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Displaying a short memory and a filthy arsenal, Mason Miller nailed down his 10th save by striking out the side against Houston. He threw 15 pitches (11 strikes – 73.3 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (26.7 SwStr%). He leads all MLB relievers with 45 strikeouts through 23 innings and has converted all 10 save opportunities. Scott Alexander notched his first hold, retiring both batters in the eighth and stranding a runner. Lucas Erceg allowed a hit and struck out one over a scoreless combined inning for his eighth hold. Austin Adams gave up a hit and recorded a strikeout in the one-third of the seventh.

Hierarchy remains (mostly linear): Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 23, 2024

(RP | OAK): Benefiting from a walk-off walk in the bottom of the 11th, Brandon Bielak collected his first win despite allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one over one-third of an inning. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Despite only recording one out and letting both inherited runners score on a Brendan Rodgers double, Brandon Bielak collected his first win, issuing a walk and striking out one in the top of the 11th, courtesy of a walk-off rally. Mason Miller turned in his first rough outing of the season. He let both “place” runners score among his five runs against (three earned), giving up three hits and a walk (intentional – Charlie Blackmon) while striking out one over 1.2 innings. He gave up more earned runs in this outing than his previous 16 combined (2 ER over 20.1 IP). He threw 26 pitches (20 strikes – 76.9 Strike%) and generated six whiffs (23.1 SwStr%). Michael Kelly fired a clean ninth, striking out two. Scott Alexander returned the side in the eighth, recording two strikeouts.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 21, 2024

(RP | OAK): Locking down his ninth save, Mason Miller preserved a one-run win by striking out the side against the Rockies. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Provided his first save chance this month, Mason Miller made the most of it, striking out the side while preserving a one-run win over Colorado. He threw 16 pitches (62.5 Strike%) and generated six whiffs (37.5 SwStr%). Per MLB research, he’s the first reliever with at least 40 strikeouts and five or fewer walks in a scoreless 15-game stretch since 1901 (19.1 IP, 4 hits, 40:4 K:BB, 0.41 WHIP). Lucas Erceg collected his second win, retiring the side in the eighth before his team took the lead in the bottom of the inning. Austin Adams gave up a hit and retired one batter in the seventh.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 19, 2024

(RP | OAK): Making his first appearance since May 14, Mason Miller fired a clean bottom of the eighth during a loss. He threw seven pitches (85.7 Strike%) and induced one whiff. This pushed his scoreless streak to 14 games, spanning 18.1 innings with 37 strikeouts against four walks and a 0.44 WHIP.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 14, 2024

(RP | OAK): Taking over a tied game in the bottom of the tenth, Michael Kelly was tagged with his first loss, allowing a flyball and a walk-off hit, driving in the “place” runner in Houston. 

Anaylsis 

Oakland A’s – Entering in the bottom of the tenth, Michael Kelly suffered his first loss, giving up a one-out, walk-off RBI single by Victor Caratini. Mason Miller tossed two scoreless frames, walking one and striking out five. He threw 29 pitches (20 strikes – 69 Strike%) and generated seven whiffs (24.1 SwStr%). This was his first outing since May 8. He owns a 13-game scoreless streak while posting 37 strikeouts against four walks over 17.1 innings, but he last recorded a save on April 30. Lucas Erceg fired a clean seventh, striking out two. Austin Adams retired the side in the sixth, recording two strikeouts.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 8, 2024

(RP | OAK): Logging his first appearance since May 1, Mason Miller displayed no signs of rust, firing two clean frames and striking out four during a five-run over Texas in Game 1 of a doubleheader. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Putting the bow on a 9-4 win during Game 1, Mason Miller fired two clean frames while striking out four against Texas. He last pitched on May 1, but this remains a curious usage pattern. In this outing, he threw 32 pitches (75 Strike%) and generated seven whiffs (21.9 SwStr%). He owns a robust 55 percent strikeout rate through his first 16.1 innings (33 strikeouts of 60 batters faced) and a minuscule 0.67 WHIP while converting all eight save opportunities. Austin Adams notched his 10th hold, logging 1.1 scoreless innings, yielding a hit and striking out one.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 6, 2024

(RP | OAK): Entering in the eighth with a two-run lead, Lucas Erceg walked the first batter he faced and gave up another single before allowing a three-run home run by Corey Seager, suffering his second blown save.

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Entering in the seventh, and protecting the shutout, Austin Adams secured his ninth hold while retiring the side, and striking out two, versus the Rangers’ 4-5-6 batters. Lucas Erceg could not do the same in the eighth, suffering his second loss and second blown save, allowing two hits, including a go-ahead three-run home run by Corey Seager. His final line, was two hits allowed, three earned runs, and two walks with two strikeouts. Dany Jiménez gave up a hit, an unearned run, and two walks while striking out one in the top of the ninth.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

May 3, 2024

(RP | OAK): Hanging on for his second save, Lucas Erceg logged 1.1 innings, giving up two hits and an earned run while striking out three against Miami. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – While recording his second save, Lucas Erceg stranded a runner in the eighth despite hitting a batter. He returned for the ninth, allowing consecutive two-out hits, including an RBI double by Vidal Bruján before inducing a game-ending ground out. In this outing, he gave up two hits and an earned run while striking out three. He threw 28 pitches (20 strikes – 71.4 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (14.3 SwStr%). Michael Kelly was credited with his second hold, giving up a hit and a walk over two-thirds scoreless in the eighth. Austin Adams notched his eighth hold, retiring both batters in the seventh, one via strikeout.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

May 1, 2024

(RP | OAK): Appearing on consecutive days for the second time this season, Mason Miller preserved a combined shutout, in a non-save capacity, firing a clean top of the ninth and recording one strikeout. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – While warming for a potential save chance, his teammates tacked on a run in the bottom of the eighth. But, Mason Miller turned in a clean top of the ninth, preserving a combined shutout in a non-save outing. He threw 10 pitches (80 Strike%) and induced one whiff while striking out one. He’s been scoreless in his last 11 appearances with 28 strikeouts against three walks over 13.1 innings. Michael Kelly retired his only batter in the eighth, recording his first hold and stranding two runners. Dany Jiménez walked two over two-thirds scoreless in the eighth for his second hold. Austin Adams notched his seventh hold, issuing two walks and striking out one in the seventh. T.J. McFarland allowed a hit and struck out one over two-thirds scoreless in the seventh for his fifth hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 30, 2024

(RP | OAK): Nailing down his eighth save, Mason Miller fired a clean ninth against the Pirates, striking out the side. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Closing out a three-run win, Mason Miller nailed down his eighth save, striking out the side against the Pirates. He threw 16 pitches (11 strikes – 68.7 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (18.8 SwStr%). He ends April on a 10-game scoreless streak, recording a save in each of his last eight games, and posting a robust 27 strikeouts versus three walks over 12.1 innings. Lucas Erceg fired a clean eighth, also striking out the side on 14 pitches (64.3 Strike%) with one whiff. Mitch Spence earned his third win, logging three scoreless frames, yielding a hit, and striking out two.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 28, 2024

(RP | OAK): Closing out his first career major league save, Lucas Erceg preserved a one-run, comeback win over Baltimore with a clean bottom of the ninth, striking out two. 

Analysis

Oakland A’s – Handed a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth, Lucas Erceg retired Baltimore’s 9-1-2 lineup pocket in order, recording two strikeouts. He threw 12 pitches (83.3 Strike%) and generated three whiffs (25 SwStr%) during his first career major league save, during his 62nd appearance. He owns an eight-game scoreless streak with 10 strikeouts against three walks over 8.2 innings. T.J. McFarland collected his first win, tossing a clean eighth and striking out two ahead of his team’s rally. Austin Adams allowed a hit and struck out one over two-thirds scoreless. Kyle Muller logged 2.1 scoreless frames, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 26, 2024

Oakland A’s – Throwing caution into the wind, Mason Miller made his first appearance on consecutive days, nailing down his seventh save while striking out two during a clean bottom of the tenth in Baltimore. He threw 13 pitches (10 strikes – 76.9 Strike%) and produced five whiffs (38.5 SwStr%) against the 8-9-1 pocket. He remains unscored upon in April posting 22 strikeouts versus three walks over 10.1 innings while converting seven straight save chances. Mitch Spence collected his second win, tossing three scoreless frames, walking one, and striking out two. T.J. McFarland retired his only batter faced in the sixth, stranding a runner.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 25, 2024

Oakland A’s – Save number six for Mason Miller. He took over in the eighth and stranded a runner, striking out José Trevino. Miller returned for the ninth and worked around a one-out single by Anthony Volpe by striking out Juan Soto and coaxing a game-ending flyout by Aaron Judge. He threw 17 pitches (13 strikes – 76.5 Strike%) and generated three whiffs (17.6 SwStr%). This outing extended his scoreless streak to 10.1 innings with 22 strikeouts against three walks and a 0.68 WHIP. T.J. McFarland recorded his fourth hold, allowing a hit and striking out one over two-thirds of the eighth. Lucas Erceg secured his sixth hold, walking one and striking out two. Austin Adams stranded a runner, despite yielding a hit in one-third of the sixth for his sixth hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 22, 2024

Oakland A’s – Taking over in the bottom of the ninth, Mason Miller locked down his fifth save, preserving a combined shutout while striking out the side against the top of the Yankees lineup. He threw 14 pitches (11 strikes – 78.6 Strike%) and generated six whiffs (42.9 SwStr%). He owns a 20:4 K:BB through his first 10 innings with a 1.00 WHIP. Still concerned about his team concept? Lucas Erceg collected his first win,  logging two scoreless frames, walking one, and striking out one.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 17, 2024

Oakland A’s – Nailing down his fourth save, Mason Miller allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts, preserving a three-run win over St. Louis. He threw 15 pitches (60 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (20 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless through six outings this month with a 16:3 K:BB and 1.11 WHIP over eight innings. Lucas Erceg fired a clean eighth, striking out two for his fifth hold. Austin Adams turned in a clean seventh, striking out one during for his fifth hold. T.J. McFarland stranded two runners while retiring his only batter-faced, securing his third hold.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 14, 2024

Oakland A’s – Another NSFW outing by Mason Miller. He locked down his third save by striking out the side against the Nationals. He threw 13 pitches (9 strikes – 69.2 Strike%) and generated three whiffs (23.1 SwStr%). He’s converted all three save chances and owns a 1.13 WHIP with 15 strikeouts against three walks over eight innings. Lucas Erceg notched his fourth hold, walking one during a scoreless eighth. Dany Jiménez gave up a hit in a scoreless seventh, securing his first hold. Mitch Spence collected his first major-league win, logging 1.2 innings, giving up four hits and two earned runs while striking out one.

Hierarchy remains: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 12, 2024

Oakland A’s – Benefiting from a walk-off rally, Michael Kelly collected his second win after retiring the side in order in the top of the tenth, courtesy of a baserunning snafu by the Nationals. Dany Jiménez suffered his first blown save, allowing a game-tying home run (Jesse Winker) in the top of the ninth among his two hits, and recorded two strikeouts. Lucas Erceg tossed a clean ninth, securing his third hold. T.J. McFarland notched his second hold, stranding the bases loaded while striking out CJ Abrams in the seventh. Austin Adams was credited with his fourth hold, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out one in one-third of the seventh.

Updated hierarchy: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Dany Jiménez

April 11, 2024

Oakland A’s – Slamming the door on his second save, Mason Miller faced the first three hitters in the Rangers lineup, retiring them in order, including two strikeouts, preserving a 1-0 win. He threw 16 pitches (13 strikes – 81.3 SwStr%) and generated four whiffs (25 SwStr%). He owns a 1.29 WHIP with 12 strikeouts versus three walks through his first seven innings. Lucas Erceg secured his second hold, firing a clean eighth, and striking out one. Austin Adams stranded his only inherited runner while retiring both batters faced in the seventh.

Updated hierarchy: Mason Miller | Lucas Erceg | Austin Adams

April 9, 2024

Oakland A’s – Recording his career first major league save, Mason Miller fired a clean bottom of the ninth while striking out two, capping a one-run victory over Texas. He threw 16 pitches (11 strikes – 68.8 Strike%) and induced two whiffs (12.5 SwStr%). He owns a 10:3 K:BB through his first six innings. Michael Kelly collected his first win, retiring the side in order in the eighth. Mitch Spence logged three innings, giving up two hits and an earned run while striking out one.

Updated Hierarchy: Mason Miller | Dany Jiménez | Austin Adams

April 6, 2024

Oakland A’s – Preserving a combined shutout, Mason Miller navigated around two hits and a walk while striking out three over two innings. He threw 35 pitches (60 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (11.4 SwStr%). He entered in the eighth against the 8-9-1 pocket and finished off the win. He owns a 1.80 WHIP with eight strikeouts versus three walks through five innings. Austin Adams fired a clean seventh, striking out two on 16 pitches (56.3 Strike%) with one whiff for his second hold. He’s recorded a 0.55 WHIP with six strikeouts over his first 3.2 innings.

Updated Hierarchy: *Mason Miller | *Dany Jiménez | Austin Adams

* = closer-by-committee

April 2, 2024

Oakland A’s – Suffering his first loss, Mitch Spence gave up an RBI, go-ahead single by Reese McGuire, scoring the “place” runner in the top of the 11th. Mason Miller logged two scoreless frames, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out four across the ninth and 10th innings. He threw 29 pitches (20 strikes – 69 Strike%) and generated an eye-popping 11 whiffs (37.9 SwStr%). Dany Jiménez fired a clean eighth, striking out two. Lucas Erceg suffered his first blown save letting his only inherited runner score while allowing two hits and a walk over one-third of the seventh. T.J. McFarland gave up two hits and an earned run in two-thirds of the seventh, but was credited with his first hold. Austin Adams secured his first hold, retiring the side in order in the sixth, striking out two.

March 31, 2024

Oakland A’s – After navigating around a hit and a walk for a scoreless ninth, with a hat tip for his catcher (Shea Langeliers) picking off a runner at third, Dany Jiménez picked up his first win of the season courtesy of a walk-off in the bottom of the frame. He threw 15 pitches (8 strikes – 53.3 Strike%) without getting a whiff. Austin Adams suffered his first blown save, letting his only inherited runner score, allowing a hit, an unearned run, and striking out one. Lucas Erceg received credit for a hold despite giving up two hits, two runs (one earned), and striking out one.

March 30, 2024

Oakland A’s – An inauspicious season debut for Mason Miller. He allowed three hits, two earned runs, and a walk while striking out one. He threw 30 pitches (19 strikes – 63.3 Strike%) and induced four whiffs (13.3 SwStr%). There may be a transition period for him as a leverage reliever, but there’s not much juice entering a game trailing by seven. Lucas Erceg worked a scoreless eighth, walking one and striking out one. Dany Jiménez logged 1.1 innings, stranding a runner in the fourth, but gave up a hit, two unearned runs, and a walk during his outing.

March 25, 2024

Oakland A’s – Dominating Giants hitters, Mason Miller fired a clean top of the ninth, striking out the side on 13 pitches (69.2 Strike%) while producing six whiffs (46.2 SwStr%). Five of his pitches exceeded 100 m.p.h. and he finishes spring with a 0.91 WHIP with 14 strikeouts over 7.2 innings. Lucas Erceg navigated around two hits and a walk while striking out one for a scoreless eighth. Dany Jiménez retired the side in order in the seventh, as did Zach Jackson in the sixth.

March 22, 2024

Oakland A’s – (SS vs. CWS): Making his seventh appearance this spring, Lucas Erceg retired the side in order in the fifth. He’s posted a 1.00 WHIP this spring with five strikeouts over eight innings. (SS vs. CIN): Securing his third hold, Zach Jackson worked a clean fourth, striking out one. Dany Jiménez notched his second hold, walking two and striking out one in a scoreless fifth. Mason Miller suffered his first blown save, giving up two hits, including a three-run home run, and a walk while striking out two in two-thirds of the sixth. Through seven outings this spring, he owns a 1.05 WHIP with an 11:2 K:BB over 6.2 innings.

March 19, 2024

Oakland A’s – In a tie, the relievers provided a mixed bag of results. Dany Jiménez got credit for his first hold, allowing an earned run and walking four while striking out one. This moved his WHIP to 1.35 through 6.2 innings. Lucas Erceg gave up a hit and an unearned run, resulting in his second blown save. Mason Miller tossed a scoreless fifth, walking one. He owns a 0.67 WHIP with nine strikeouts against one walk over six innings this spring. 

March 12, 2024

Oakland A’s –  In his latest roster projection for MLB.com, Martín Gallegos wrote Mason Miller “lines up as the closer“, with Lucas Erceg, Dany Jiménez, and Trevor Gott all in the mix for high-leverage situations. Until Mark Kotsay confirms Miller’s role, it’s purely speculation. However, the talented pitcher’s outings, and eye-popping velocities may result in a reliable reliever in save opportunities. 

March 5, 2024

Oakland A’s – Martín Gallegos of MLB.com posted his five developments from a promising A’s camp, featuring his thoughts about the role of Mason Miller in the upcoming season. He’s made two appearances this spring, retiring five of six batters faced via strikeout (83.3 K%). Pretty, pretty, pretty good. 

March 1, 2024

Oakland A’s – During his spring debut, Mason Miller fired a clean inning, striking out the side on a reported 16 pitches by team beat writer, Martín Gallegos on “X”. More encouraging, the talented pitcher hit 103 m.p.h. on the stadium’s radar gun. That’s fast, like, really, really fast. This post, also by Gallegos, notes nine of Miller’s pitches were over 100 m.p.h. and there’s quotes about him being “eased” into save situations. But this outing, and his talent, may not require being handled with kid gloves in save situations. Stay tuned. 

February 29, 2024

Oakland A’s – With fantasy players wondering what role will Mason Miller fill as a reliever, Martín Gallegos of MLB.com has provided insight with mixed messages. In his most recent roster projection for Oakland, he intimated Miller would be in the “saves” mix with Dany Jiménez and Trevor Gott. Not sure if we’re getting catfished or the talented pitcher will be a lockdown closer. Time will tell, but it’s a risky venture in early drafts. 

September 9, 2023
Oakland A’s – What if I told you that the Oakland A’s have won 5 of their last 7 games? Granted 3 of those were a sweep of the flailing Angels, but even so, Trevor May has now recorded 19 saves on the season. Behind him, Dany Jimenez, who picked up the 8th inning hold last night, has emerged as a relatively reliable bridge to the 9th inning, so he rejoins the hierarchy. 

Updated hierarchy: May | Erceg | Jimenez.

August 19, 2023
Oakland A’s – The A’s put Angel Felipe on the 15-day IL with an elbow injury. Elbows are never good new, so this may turn into a longer term stint. Oakland has won just 2 of their last 10 games, so while Trevor May might have some value, the rest of the bullpen is best left alone. If the A’s do string some wins together, expect Lucas Erceg or Kirby Snead to be in the mix for a vulture save.  

Updated hierarchy: May | Erceg | Snead.

August 14, 2023
Oakland A’s – Trevor May had also been going well, having allowed just 1 earned run in his last 10.2 innings. But he coughed up an even bigger lead than Holmes, allowing five baserunners to reach while only recording two outs. Kirby Snead (and the A’s defense) did him no favors, as the Nats plated six runs in the inning to walk it off. May is still likely the closer here but we’ll watch to see if he falters again.

Hierarchy remains: May | Felipe | Long.

August 10, 2023
Oakland A’s — Dany Jimenez’s return didn’t keep him in Oakland long; he was sent to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Taking his place in the A’s hierarchy is 25-year-old rookie Angel Felipe, who has three holds in his last three appearances. Felipe has struggled with control this season, but has also induced a lot of groundouts and strikeouts.

Updated hierarchy: May | Felipe | Long.

August 6, 2023
Oakland A’s — The A’s have activated Dany Jimenez from the IL and we expect him to work his way to the back end of their bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: May | Jimenez | Long.

August 1, 2023
Oakland A’s — Sam Moll was traded to the Reds. Lucas Erceg may see more late-inning looks as a result.

Updated hierarchy: May | Long | Ecerg.

July 20, 2023
Oakland A’s — Trevor May earned his eighth save of the season and a revocation of the committee asterisk, while Sam Long’s eighth-inning hold secured his return to second in line ahead of Lucas Erceg.

Updated hierarchy: May | Moll | Long.

June 28, 2023
Oakland A’s — Trevor May worked around a pair of walks against the top of the Yankees’ order in the eighth inning to preserve a 2-1 lead. That left the ninth for Sam Moll, who collected his first career save. Lucas Erceg got the ball to May and Moll after throwing 1.2 shutout innings, pushing his scoreless streak to nine games.

Updated hierarchy: *May | Moll | Erceg.
* = closer-by-committee

June 22, 2023
Oakland A’s — Zach Jackson was transferred to the 60-day injured list and will not be returning to the team before the All-Star break. 

Hierarchy remains: *May | Long | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

June 17, 2023
Oakland A’s – As expected, Richard Lovelady officially hit the 15-day IL yesterday with a strained left elbow.

Hierarchy remains: *May | Long | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

June 16, 2023
Oakland A’s – Richard Lovelady recorded three outs on 11 pitches Thursday but was pulled in the seventh inning after he threw a pitch and grabbed his left arm. He apparently felt a burning sensation in his elbow and will receive an MRI. It didn’t look good. We’ll preemptively yank him from the hierarchy and toss in Sam Moll, who leads Oakland with five holds.

Updated hierarchy: *May | Long | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

June 13, 2023
Oakland A’s – Break up the A’s! The Oakland machine kept on humming Monday with their 6th straight victory, this time thanks in part to a 3-inning save from Ken Waldichuk. This wasn’t your traditional blowout 3-inning job, though, as Waldichuk entered in a one-run game and pitched three scoreless to lock it up in easily his best appearance of the year. It was his first career save; we’ll see if the bullpen suits him better than the rotation did.

Hierarchy remains: *May | Lovelady | Long.
* = closer-by-committee

June 12, 2023
Oakland A’s – Trevor May got roughed up in a non-save situation which subsequently turned into a save situation due to the aforementioned roughing. The beneficiary was Sam Long, who recorded the final out and picked up his second save of the season.

Updated hierarchy: *May | Lovelady | Long.
* = closer-by-committee

June 11, 2023
Oakland A’s — Don’t look now, but the A’s have won four in a row and produced saves in three of those wins.  Trevor May and Lucas Erceg both got the day off and Richard Lovelady pitched the 8th inning so that left Sam Long to pick up his first save of the season with a scoreless 10th inning. 

Hierarchy remains: *May | Lovelady | Erceg.
* = closer-by-committee

June 10, 2023
Oakland A’s — Do we have a clear cut closer in Oakland?? It might take a few more weeks to determine, but Trevor May now has 2 straight saves for the A’s, finishing a 3 run game last night. Bridging the gap to May was Lucas Erceg, who also pitched in front of May on Wednesday. 2 in a row is plenty to get to the top of the A’s committee, and Erceg’s recent usage suggests he is on the hierarchy as well. 

Updated hierarchy: *May | Lovelady | Erceg.
* = closer-by-committee

June 8, 2023
Oakland A’s — Trevor May picked up a two-out save, entering with two on and the tying run on deck. He gave up a single before shutting the door.

Hierarchy remains: *Lovelady | May | Acton.
* = closer-by-committee

May 24, 2023
Oakland A’s — Trevor May returned from the IL on Tuesday and hit two batters as part of a scoreless eighth inning to keep Oakland’s deficit at 3-2. We’ll slot May back into a hierarchy that you most certainly want to stay away from.

Updated hierarchy: *Lovelady | May | Acton.
* = closer-by-committee

May 20, 2023
Oakland A’s — Zach Jackson was placed on the IL with a strained tendon in his elbow and is going to miss 4-6 weeks. If the A’s current pace holds that means 1-3 save chances will go to some combination of Richard Lovelady, Garrett Acton, and Sam Moll.

Hierarchy remains: *Lovelady | Acton | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

May 19, 2023
Oakland A’s — Zach Jackson has a strained tendon in his elbow and is going on the injured list. No pitcher on the active roster has a save, but we expect the rare chances to be split among Richard Lovelady, Garrett Acton, and Sam Moll.

Hierarchy remains: *Lovelady | Acton | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

May 7, 2023
Oakland A’s – Don’t look now, but those feisty A’s have won two games in a row and this one even ended in a save! Zach Jackson pitched a scoreless 9th inning for his first save of the season.  Jackson should see the majority of save chances and if the A’s actually keep winning some games, we might get a better idea of what the back-end of their bullpen will look like moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: *Jackson | Moll | Lovelady.
* = closer-by-committee

May 5, 2023
Oakland A’s – As we alerted about Thursday, Jeurys Familia and Domingo Acevedo were designated for assignment by Oakland. There won’t be many save chances for the worst team in baseball, but we suspect Zach Jackson will likely get the bulk of them.

Hierarchy remains: *Jackson | Moll | Lovelady.
* = closer-by-committee

May 4, 2023
Oakland A’s – Jeurys Familia, ostensibly the committee leader in Oakland, was designated for assignment. Look for Zach Jackson to take the lead here, with contributions from Sam Moll and Richard Lovelady also possible.

Updated hierarchy: *Jackson | Moll | Lovelady.
* = closer-by-committee

April 25, 2023
Oakland A’s – Scoffing at the 3-run lead that he’d been summoned to protect in the 10th inning, Jeurys Familia decided to up the challenge level by immediately allowing a 2-run home run, followed by a single, a walk, and a hit-by-pitch. The saving grace was that the second batter in the sequence, Luis Rengifo, tried to stretch his single into a double and was thrown out in the process. With only two outs to go, Familia managed a strikeout of Taylor Ward followed by a game-ending groundout from Mike Trout. Though it was perhaps the least-convincing save of the season, Familia still got the job done, and that’s what tends to matter in terms of who gets the ball next. We’ll move him to the top of this committee… for now.

Updated hierarchy: *Familia | Jackson | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

April 22, 2023
Oakland A’s — The A’s found themselves in a tie game late, and turned to Zach Jackson to face to top of the order in the 8th inning. He let the first two runners reach base, but got the next three outs and was in line for the win after the A’s scored in the top of the 9th. This left the save opportunity to Jeurys Familia, who converted with a timely doubly play. Jackson had the harder assignment, but didn’t perform quite as well, so we will slap a committee tag on this at least until May or Jimenez are ready to return.

Updated hierarchy: *Jackson | Familia | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

April 20, 2023
Oakland A’s — Trevor May has been placed on the IL with anxiety issues, joining Dany Jimenez (shoulder strain). We expect Zach Jackson to be first in line for saves for the time being.

Updated hierarchy: Jackson | Familia | Moll.

April 17, 2023
Oakland A’s – After walking 17 hitters in Friday’s game (one short of the major league record), Oakland’s bullpen picked up where it left off on Sunday, issuing 7 free passes in the final four innings, with Dany Jimenez blowing the 9th inning save. The two relievers who came away looking decent were Richard Lovelady, who was just called up from AAA and contributed two scoreless innings, and Sam Moll, who actually ended up with the loss, purely because he started the 10th inning and thus was “responsible” for the automatic runner, who scored after Zach Jackson came on and walked three hitters. Neither of these guys are on the hierarchy, and with only 3 wins in 16 games so far, maybe it doesn’t matter all that much, but this is probably the most unsettled bullpen in baseball right now, and we’ll continue to monitor to see if anyone emerges.

Hierarchy remains: *May | Jimenez | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee

April 13, 2023
Oakland A’s — Chad Smith entered the game with a three-run lead in the eighth inning, and got six outs to finish things off. That’s a save, right? You know your MLB rules, that’s a save. Well, under Rule 9.17(c), The Man confiscated Smith’s save — Smith’s beautiful, singular, precious save — Smith’s first career save — and gave him some useless “win” in its place. This unmitigated larceny, ratified by the highest levels of the commissioner’s office, threatens all we hold dear and strikes at the heart of all we thought we knew. You’ve made a powerful enemy this day, Official Scorer.

Hierarchy remains: *May | Jimenez | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee

March 31, 2023
Oakland A’s — It wasn’t a traditional setup for the A’s on Opening Day. They were down 1-0 in the eighth inning when presumed closer Trevor May pitched a clean frame. After Oakland scored two runs to take the lead, Dany Jimenez came on for the ninth to secure the save. It would appear to be a committee now. We’ll see what happens next!

Updated hierarchy: *May | Jimenez | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee

March 13, 2023
Oakland A’s — The A’s signed Trevor May to a one-year deal this spring, so we expect him to win the job outright, earn 15 saves with decent stats on an awful team, and get traded at the deadline. Taking over for him at that point will probably be a combination of Zach Jackson, Dany Jimenez, and Domingo Acevedo. Now, if all goes well, we won’t have to update Oakland’s page again until July. 

Starting 2023 hierarchy:  May | Jackson | Jimenez.
Holds candidates: Jackson, Jimenez, Acevedo.

September 28, 2022
Oakland A’s — With Joel Payamps on the IL, Tyler Cyr has been seeing more late-inning opportunities, including last night when he struck out both Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani with the game tied in the seventh inning.

Updated hierarchy: Acevedo | Puk | Cyr.

September 22, 2022
Oakland A’s — Four straight saves, including three in five days, is more than enough to anoint Domingo Acevedo Oakland’s official closer down the stretch. Sam Moll, out with a strained left shoulder, has been replaced in the hierarchy by Joel Payamps.

Updated hierarchy: Acevedo | Puk | Payamps.

September 21, 2022
Oakland A’s — Domingo Acevedo secured his third consecutive save with a 1-2-3 ninth inning on Tuesday, while A.J. Puk struck out two to earn a seventh-inning hold. Acevedo looks to be one more save away from kicking the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Acevedo | Puk | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

September 18, 2022
Oakland A’s — Domingo Acevedo pitched a scoreless 9th inning for his second straight save for the A’s.  A.J. Puk pitched the 8th inning ahead of Acevedo and gave up a run. This is a still a committee but we will move Acevedo to the top based on recent performances.

Updated hierarchy: *Acevedo | Puk | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

September 15, 2022
Oakland A’s — A.J. Puk received the rest we projected and, sure enough, it was Domingo Acevedo earning the vulture save in his absence.

Hierarchy remains: *Puk | Acevedo | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

September 9, 2022
Oakland A’s – Oakland might have something in this Sheldon Neuse character. He pitched a scoreless ninth on Thursday in a 14-2 laugher, his third appearance of the year (0.00 ERA, 0.27 WHIP).

Hierarchy remains: *Puk | Acevedo | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

August 31, 2022
Oakland A’s – Zach Jackson was placed on the 15-day IL with right shoulder inflammation. A.J. Puk, who picked up his fourth save of the year on Sunday, takes over as committee leader.

Updated hierarchy: *Puk | Acevedo | Moll.
* = closer-by-committee

August 28, 2022
Oakland A’s – Dany Jimenez will miss the rest of the season with a right shoulder injury. Zach Jackson should lead this committee with A.J. Puk and maybe even Domingo Acevedo seeing some chances.

Updated hierarchy: *Jackson | Puk | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee

August 27, 2022
Oakland A’s – Oakland placed Dany Jimenez on the 60-day IL with a strained right shoulder. We like Zach Jackson and A.J. Puk to lead this committee at the moment.

Updated hierarchy: *Jackson | Puk | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee

August 26, 2022
Oakland A’s – Sheldon Neuse, an infielder by trade, pitched the final 1.2 IP Thursday, retiring all five hitters he faced on just 11 pitches. That’s impressive for any pitcher, never mind a position player, and even in a 13-4 laugher.

Hierarchy remains: *Jimenez | Jackson | Puk.
* = closer-by-committee

August 22, 2022
Oakland A’s – The A’s used six relievers to navigate the final four innings on Sunday, leaving the final two outs of a 2-run game to veteran Austin Pruitt, who converted for his first save since 2018. The rest of the Oakland hierarchy appeared earlier in the game, though as Pruitt’s usage might suggest, none of them had a particularly impressive outing.

Hierarchy remains: *Jimenez | Jackson | Puk.
* = closer-by-committee

August 21, 2022
Oakland A’s — Zach Jackson got the call in the 8th inning with the A’s up by one but he couldn’t hold the lead.  Dany Jimenez pitched a scoreless 9th inning with the game tied and then after the A’s took the lead in the top of the 10th, he came back out with a scoreless 10th inning to finish off the win.  It wasn’t a save but it was certainly the kind of usage you would expect from a closer.  The A’s haven’t recorded a save in over two weeks so it’s hard to have a great idea of what they want to do, but we will move Jimenez to the top of the committee based on yesterday’s usage and his success earlier this season.

Updated hierarchy: *Jimenez | Jackson | Puk.
* = closer-by-committee

August 5, 2022
Oakland A’s — Dany Jimenez looked great Thursday in his first game back from the IL, striking out the side in the eighth inning. Zach Jackson had some trouble in the ninth, giving up a home run and a walk before A.J. Puk entered to retire Shohei Ohtani for his third save. Jackson’s hold at the top of the committee is rather tenuous, and if Jimenez continues to look this good, a switch could be coming.

Hierarchy remains: *Jackson | Jimenez | Puk.
* = closer-by-committee

August 4, 2022
Oakland A’s — The first Oakland save chance after the Lou Trivino trade went to Zach Jackson, set up by A.J. Puk and Domingo Acevedo. Dany Jimenez is also back from the IL, fresh off striking out the side during an injury rehab appearance, and could be thrust right back into the late-inning fire. This could be a four-person committee until the team is ready to hand the keys back over to Jimenez.

Updated hierarchy: *Jackson | Jimenez | Puk.
* = closer-by-committee

August 1, 2022
Oakland A’s – The Yankees acquired Frankie Montas and closer Lou Trivino in a deal with the A’s on Monday afternoon. Obviously, Montas is the big acquisition here, but the Monkey’s concerns are more about who handles the 9th for the A’s now — and we think it’s likely a mix of Zach Jackson and AJ Puk. Dany Jimenez is due back soon, as well.

Updated hierarchy: *Jackson | Puk | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee

July 28, 2022
Oakland A’s — A.J. Puk grabbed a vulture save as projected in Wednesday’s update.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Jackson | Puk.

July 24, 2022
Oakland A’s – As the Vulture Save Watch predicted, Lou Trivino got the day off yesterday and Zach Jackson got the 9th inning in his absence.  Jackson struck out two in a scoreless inning for his second save of the season.  

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Jackson | Puk.

July 23, 2022
Oakland A’s – Lou Trivino was handed a 3 run lead in the 9th inning but after 2 quick outs, he ran into trouble. 3 hits and a walk later the lead was down to 1, and the A’s called in A.J. Puk to try to escape the jam. Although he hit the first batter he faced, Puk got a groundout to end the game and earn his first save of the year. Despite his struggles, the A’s seem dedicated to Lou Trivino as their closer, at least until Dany Jimenez returns, but there is still no firm timetable for Jimenez to rejoin the team. Better to just steer clear of this bullpen. 

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Jackson | Puk.

July 10, 2022
Oakland A’s – Lou Trivino pitched a scoreless 9th inning for his seventh save of the season.  Trivino has five saves since Dany Jimenez went on the IL and has only given up one run during that time, but his WHIP is still above 2.00 for the season.  Jimenez is close to returning, but he will need to complete a rehab assignment first.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Jackson | Puk.

July 6, 2022
Oakland A’s – Lou Trivino picked up his fourth straight save on Tuesday, which is enough to kick the asterisk. We’ll also move Zach Jackson past A.J. Puk on the hierarchy after Jackson secured an eighth-inning hold to set up Trivino.

Updated hierarchy: Trivino | Jackson | Puk.

July 2, 2022
Oakland A’s – If it was hinted at yesterday, it was made clear last night that Lou Trivino is back to the top of this committee. He pitched a clean 9th inning for his 5th save and 3rd straight for the A’s. His ERA still sits at an ugly 6.85, but he has strung together 5 scoreless appearances at this point, and may be close to kicking the asterisk if nobody else challenges his spot. 

Hierarchy Remains: *Trivino | Puk | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee

July 1, 2022
Oakland A’s – A.J. Puk entered last night’s game in the fifth inning with Oakland trailing, 5-4, and promptly gave up three runs thanks to a triple and a throwing error. He then stayed on to pitch a perfect sixth and seventh. Puk’s previous appearance was in the seventh, though that was to protect a 5-3 lead with Oakland in a jam against the heart of the Yankees’ lineup. Based on this usage, we’ll move Lou Trivino to the top of this committee for now.

Updated hierarchy: *Trivino | Puk | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee

June 27, 2022
Oakland A’s – Two saves in two days for Lou Trivino? That… really wasn’t expected, nor was this type of usage deserved, but given that the A’s are surely going to be selling off parts in the near future, maybe they’re seeing if Trivino can built enough value to net some random AA player at the deadline. We’ll shuffle him up a spot.

Updated hierarchy: *Puk | Trivino | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee

June 26, 2022
Oakland A’s – Lou Trivino recorded a six-out save yesterday after A.J. Puk and Zach Jackson were used earlier in the game.  Trivino was the A’s closer to start the season but has struggled all season and even after his two scoreless innings yesterday, his ERA is still 7.52 and his WHIP is barely under 2.00.  The save is enough to get Trivino back on the hierarchy but we will have to see a couple more before he moves up in this committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Puk | Jackson | Trivino.
* = closer-by-committee

June 22, 2022
Oakland A’s – The A’s placed Dany Jimenez on the IL yesterday with a shoulder injury, though an MRI showed no structural damage. Manager Mark Kotsay mentioned A.J. Puk and Zach Jackson as options to fill in for Jimenez.

Updated hierarchy: *Puk | Jackson | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee

June 21, 2022
Oakland A’s – The A’s placed Dany Jimenez on the IL this afternoon with a shoulder injury. AJ Puk is probably the first choice for saves in his absence; Zach Jackson could also get a look.

Updated hierarchy: *Puk | Jackson | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee

June 11, 2022
Oakland A’s — Dany Jimenez had another rough outing last night. Entering the 9th with a 2 run lead, he gave up a leadoff homer, followed by a walk, a double, an intentional pass to load the bases and a sac fly to give up the tying run. Sam Moll tried to put out the fire, but another sac fly later and Jimenez was on the hook for the A’s 10th straight loss. This has been part of a bad run for Jimenez, who has seen his ERA rise from 0.49 to 4.91 just over the past 2 weeks. The only thing keeping him secure in the closers role for now is that nobody in the A’s bullpen is pitching particularly well. Even so, if you’re depending on Oakland for saves it may be time to buy up some insurance in the form of A.J. Puk. 

Hierarchy remains: Jimenez | Puk | Jackson.

June 2, 2022
Oakland A’s — Dany Jimenez had converted his first 10 save opportunities, but now he’s started a streak in the other direction. Because he left with the lead, Jimenez didn’t get a blown save for Wednesday’s outing, but his two singles and two walks allowed set the stage for a bases-clearing double that lost the game for Oakland. A.J. Puk is the best alternative to Jimenez right now, although Oakland may want to try to go back to Lou Trivino at some point.

Hierarchy remains: Jimenez | Puk | Jackson.

May 26, 2022
Oakland A’s — Zach Jackson grabbed his ninth hold of 2022 in the eighth inning last night, and he and A.J. Puk have leapt over Domingo Acevedo (and Lou Trivino) in the A’s pecking order.

Updated hierarchy: Jimenez | Puk | Jackson.

May 22, 2022
Oakland A’s – Lou Trivino’s struggles continued last night, as he was brought into the 6th inning of a game the A’s were trailing by 1. In his defense, he was facing the most dangerous hitters on the Angels, but a pair of walks and a pair of hits later and he got pulled with the bases loaded. Jacob Lemoine got a double play to save Trivino’s ERA from further damage, although sitting at 8.00 it is hard to get much worse. The A’s look like they will give him some lower leverage situations to sort himself out, and he’s replaced by A.J. Puk, who has been excellent on the year, only giving up a single run back on April 11. 

Updated hierarchy: Jimenez | Acevedo | Puk.

May 13, 2022
Oakland A’s – Dany Jimenez notched a scoreless ninth Thursday for his sixth save. He has the team’s last five saves and appears to have a firm hold of the closer gig. It should also be noted A.J. Puk threw two scoreless innings Thursday to get the win. He’s been dynamite this year (15 Ks in 15 IP, 0.60 ERA, 0.80 WHIP) and could force his way into this hierarchy soon.

Updated hierarchy: Jimenez | Trivino | Acevedo.

May 10, 2022
Oakland A’s – If Dany Jimenez keeps putting up zeroes — as he did yesterday in earning the save in a 2-0 Oakland win — there’s no reason that the A’s need to shift back to Lou Trivino (10.80 ERA, 2.40 WHIP) any time soon. We’ll leave the asterisk up for one more save, but this could be Jimenez’s job any day now.

Hierarchy remains: *Jimenez | Trivino | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee

May 4, 2022
Oakland A’s – Lou Trivino was activated from the COVID IL on Tuesday, though manager Mark Kotsay said prior to the game that “Lou has that opportunity to get back to that closing role.” Kotsay also said that there aren’t necessarily defined roles in the Oakland bullpen. The A’s sure looked like a committee on Tuesday, as Dany Jimenez pitched a 1-2-3 eighth to set the stage for a Kirby Snead save chance. Snead blew the save, which allowed for Trivino to make his return to the mound. His first pitch of the night was a wild pitch, though he did preserve a 5-5 tie. Unfortunately for Trivino, he gave up five runs on four hits in the 10th. Based on Kotsay’s comments and Trivino’s performance, it’s hard to remove Jimenez from the top of the hierarchy, but we will bring back the asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: *Jimenez | Trivino | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee

April 25, 2022
Oakland A’s – Dany Jimenez got his third save of the season on Sunday; all have come since Lou Trivino went on the COVID IL. While Trivino could return any day now, we’re removing the asterisk here, as the A’s have made their backup plans clear. Even when Trivino returns, Jimenez may be worth hanging on to, as Trivino struggled mightily in the second half last season.

Updated hierarchy: Jimenez | Acevedo | Jackson.

April 22, 2022
Oakland A’s — As life without Lou Trivino (COVID IL) continues for the upstart A’s (8-6 on the year), Dany Jiminez could possibly be asserting himself as the team’s top late-innings option. Jimenez needed just 11 pitches, 9 of them strikes, to retire the Orioles in the ninth inning Thursday for his second save. He hasn’t allowed an earned run yet this year.

Hierarchy remains: *Jimenez | Acevedo | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee.

April 20, 2022
Oakland A’s — We told you yesterday that the A’s will likely take a committee approach in Lou Trivino’s absence, and they sure did yesterday. None of the guys who pitched on Monday appeared in Tuesday’s win. In the ninth inning, the Orioles announced a lefty to start the frame, so the A’s brought in southpaw Sam Moll. Despite the O’s then switching batters, the A’s left Moll in for the first two hitters (the other one being a lefty) and then pulled him for Zach Jackson. Jackson picked up his first MLB save by securing the final out. Ryan Castellani joined Moll in earning a hold on Tuesday, while Zach Logue earned the win in his MLB debut thanks to four outs in the sixth and seventh. It’s pretty clear manager Mark Kotsay will play the matchups right until the very end of the game, which makes this hierarchy a muddy one until Trivino returns.

Updated hierarchy: *Jimenez | Acevedo | Jackson.
* = closer-by-committee.

April 19, 2022

Oakland A’s — Lou Trivino was been placed on the COVID IL before Monday’s game, and Dany Jimenez had an eventful, but ultimately scoreless 9th inning in his stead. He was preceded by Justin Grimm in the 8th and Domingo Acevedo in the 7th — and that’s how we’ll line them up while Trivino is out, with the understanding (and, perhaps, expectation) that the A’s could take a committee approach in Trivino’s absence.

Updated hierarchy: *Jimenez | Grimm | Acevedo.
* = closer-by-committee.

April 18, 2022
Oakland A’s — Lou Trivino has been placed on the COVID IL. Dany Jimenez and Domingo Acevedo should see save chances while Trivino is out.

Updated hierarchy: Jimenez | Acevedo | Grimm.
* = closer-by-committee

April 17, 2022
Oakland A’s — Lou Trivino struck out the side for his second save of the season.  Meanwhile, Dany Jimenez struck out the side in the 8th inning of a tie game and ended up with the win just a few days after recording his first save.  Domingo Acevedo struggled a bit in the 6th inning and given Jimenez’s success early in the season, it looks like Jimenez is the better handcuff to Trivino right now.

Updated hierarchy: Trivino | Jimenez | Acevedo.

April 15, 2022
Oakland A’s — Score one for the Vulture Save Watch, sort of. Lou Trivino did not pitch Thursday after going in three of his previous four. So, the save chance went to Dany Jimenez, who retired the side for the first save of his career. Domingo Acevedo came into the game in the seventh inning with the bases empty and a three-run lead, while A.J. Puk got the eighth. The usage is interesting, but we’ll keep the hierarchy like we have it for now. Still, though, more looks could be in store for Jimenez, who was “emotional” and “surprised” after getting and converting the save chance. Congrats!

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Acevedo | Puk.

April 6, 2022
Oakland A’s — Deolis Guerra will undergo surgery and start the season on the IL.  Manager Mark Kotsay also confirmed that A.J. Puk will open the season in the bullpen and he is hoping Puk could take on a role similar to Josh Hader.  We will add Puk to the hierarchy and he is definitely somebody to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Updated hierarchy: Trivino | Acevedo | Puk.

March 21, 2022
Oakland A’s — The A’s will need to add some bullpen arms so this hierarchy will likely change before the start of the regular season. Lou Trivino is the closer as of right now and they re-signed Deolis Guerra, who became one of their better relievers last season. We will put Domingo Acevedo on the hierarchy got now but we expect the A’s to sign some veteran relievers who could take over that spot.

Starting 2022 hierarchy: Trivino | Guerra | Acevedo.
Holds candidates: Guerra, Acevedo.

October 2, 2021
Oakland A’s — After the Houston Astros scored 4 runs in the 8th inning, Lou Trivino came in to stop the bleeding with 2 outs, he got out of the jam and stuck around for the 9th inning. Although he let the tying run get to second base, he didn’t allow any runs to earn his 22nd save of the year. Trivino had been spectacular early in the season, only to have a brutal 2 week stretch that saw him removed form the closers role in early September, so it is good to see him get back on track. Andrew Chafin and Sergio Romo were both rested yesterday, so they will likely get any other save chances this weekend, but Trivino’s performance yesterday gets him back on the hierarchy to end the year.

Updated Hierarchy: *Chafin | Romo | Trivino.
* = closer-by-committee

September 19, 2021
Oakland A’s — Andrew Chafin returned to the 9th inning last night and needed a snow cone catch from Josh Harrison with the bases loaded to close out his third save of the season.  Chafin and Sergio Romo should continue to split save chances.

Hierarchy remains: *Chafin | Romo | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee

September 18, 2021
Oakland A’s — Chalk another one up for the Vulture Save Watch as Andrew Chafin got the night off and Sergio Romo guarded a one-run lead for his third save of the year. Oakland is battling for a playoff spot, so expect these two to keep splitting opportunities, with Chafin slightly ahead.

Hierarchy remains: *Chafin | Romo | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee

September 16, 2021
Oakland A’s — Oakland tried its best to blow a seven-run lead over the last three innings Wednesday night, but Andrew Chafin ultimately put the Royals away with a four-out save. Sergio Romo has struggled in his last two outings, and we expect Chafin to be Oakland’s top save option over the last few weeks of the season.

Updated hierarchy: *Chafin | Romo | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee

September 10, 2021
Oakland A’s – Sergio Romo pitched a spotless eighth inning Thursday to set up Andrew Chafin, who converted in the ninth for his third save of the season. Romo and Chafin figure to be the top two saves options moving forward, but one of them might not pull away with the gig. If you could only roster one, make it Chafin given how well he has performed (1.64 ERA, 0.81 WHIP).

Hierarchy remains: *Romo | Chafin | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee

September 3, 2021
Oakland A’s – With Lou Trivino continuing to get a break from the closer’s role, Sergio Romo earned his second save of the season Thursday with a scoreless ninth. Andrew Chafin finished the seventh and pitched the eighth to make way for Romo. Trivino, meanwhile, has not pitched since Aug. 26. Manager Bob Melvin said he has been dealing with back spasms, but he was available and not used on Thursday.

Hierarchy remains: *Romo | Chafin | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee

August 30, 2021
Oakland A’s – Oakland continued to give Lou Trivino a break from high-leverage duties, entrusting the 9th on Sunday to Andrew Chafin, who converted. Chafin’s ERA is now 1.80 on the year, and he might be the preferred lefty option over Jake Diekman here.

Updated hierarchy: *Romo | Chafin | Diekman.
* = closer-by-committee

August 29, 2021
Oakland A’s – Sergio Romo worked around a two-run homer from Giancarlo Stanton to preserve a 3-2 A’s win and pick up his first save of the season.  Manager Bob Melvin said he would give Lou Trivino a break from closing, but mentioned that he hoped to get Trivino back in the role.  We expected this to be a committee and we will move Romo to the top since he got the first save.  Jake Diekman and Andrew Chafin should also be options to close out games until Trivino can reclaim the closer’s role.

Updated Hierarchy: *Romo | Diekman | Chafin.
*=closer by committee

August 11, 2021
Oakland A’s – The Oakland bullpen was outstanding in Tuesday’s win, with Andrew Chafin throwing a perfect 10th inning to earn his first save of the season. Lou Trivino worked around a leadoff walk in the ninth to get the game to extras.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Chafin.

July 27, 2021
Oakland A’s – Andrew Chafin was dealt to the A’s on Monday, and joins a strong bullpen where he probably won’t have as prominent a role as he did with the Cubs. We’ll tentatively add him to the hierarchy and watch how they deploy him over the next couple weeks.

Updated hierarchy: Trivino | Diekman | Chafin.

July 9, 2021
Oakland A’s – For the first time since late May, Jake Diekman has earned a save, doing so Thursday night after Lou Trivino pitched the eighth inning. The pair split up facing the heart of a deep Astros batting order, with the righty Trivino taking on RHB Martin Maldonato (LHB Jason Castro pinch hit), RHB Jose Altuve, LHB Michael Brantley and RHB Carlos Correa. In the ninth, the lefty Diekman squared off with LHB Yordan Alvarez, RHB Yuli Gurriel and LHB Kyle Tucker. Manager Bob Melvin played the match-ups in this case, but usually Trivino is the guy.  If Diekman continues to earn save chances, we’ll be looking at a committee again in Oakland.  But that committee will not involve Trevor Rosenthal, who is now out for the season after undergoing hip surgery. 

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

June 23, 2021
Oakland A’s – In case you missed our alert last night, Sergio Romo is the new stripper in Oakland.

Updated hierarchy: Romo | Scherzer | Miller                                                                                                   

June 16, 2021
Oakland A’s – The Vulture Save Watch told you that Yusmeiro Petit would get Tuesday’s save chance, and sure enough Petit notched his second save of the season while Lou Trivino and Jake Diekman enjoyed a night off.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

June 15, 2021
Oakland A’s – While Bob Melvin talked earlier in the season about giving Jake Diekman save chances, he hasn’t done so since May 26; Lou Trivino has gotten all five saves since then. We’ll remove the asterisk for now.

Updated hierarchy: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

June 11, 2021
Oakland A’s — Trevor Rosenthal is “rapidly progressing” in his rehabilitation but isn’t expected back until August. If you have any free IL spots, he could be worth a speculative add soon, but it’s unclear if he’d reclaim the closer’s role upon his return.

Hierarchy remains: *Trivino | Diekman | Petit.
* = closer-by-committee

June 9, 2021
Oakland A’s — We told you that we would move Lou Trivino to the top of the Oakland hierarchy if he converted the team’s next save chance, and we’re keeping our word after he collected his ninth save of the year on Tuesday.

Updated hierarchy: *Trivino | Diekman | Petit.
* = closer-by-committee

June 6, 2021
Oakland A’s — Lou Trivino pitched a scoreless 9th yesterday to pick up his 8th save of the season.  Trivino has now gotten the last two saves for the A’s after Diekman got the previous three.  This looks like it will continue to be a committee but if Trivino converts the next save chance, we will move him to the top.

Hierarchy remains: *Diekman | Trivino | Petit.
* = closer-by-committee

May 13, 2021
Oakland A’s — Consider us inspired. A second save in two days for Jake Diekman, this one following a Lou Trivino eighth, means it’s time to swap the two heads of the Oakland save monster — likely guaranteeing a Trivino renaissance.

Updated hierarchy: *Diekman | Trivino | Petit.
* = closer-by-committee

May 12, 2021
Oakland A’s — With the Athletics clinging to a one-run lead in the ninth, they turned to Jake Diekman to get the final three outs. Diekman issued two walks, but even with Lou Trivino warming in the ‘pen, the lefty hung on to pick up his fourth save of the season. Tuesday’s performance isn’t inspiring us to move Diekman to the top of the hierarchy, but we will add the asterisk back on there for the time being.

Updated hierarchy: *Trivino | Diekman | Petit.
* = closer-by-committee

May 6, 2021
Oakland A’s — For the first time since 2019, the Athletics lost a game they led after six innings, and Lou Trivino was to blame. Trivino has pitched well this year, however, and won’t see the hot seat after one bad outing.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

May 5, 2021
Oakland A’s – If you read the Vulture Save Watch on Tuesday you knew that Lou Trivino and Jake Diekman had each pitched two straight days, paving the way for Yusmeiro Petit to pick up his first save of the season. 

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

May 4, 2021
Oakland A’s – The A’s had talked about mixing and matching in the 9th, but until last night, Lou Trivino had gotten virtually all of the save chances, with Jake Diekman only spelling him when Trivino needed a night off. But last night, with both of them available, Trivino got the 8th while Diekman got the 9th. This was a matchup play, but it still bears watching, as it could throw this bullpen back into a committee. We will monitor.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

April 24, 2021
Oakland A’s — As foretold by the Vulture Save Watch, Lou Trivino got the night off after throwing 34 pitches. Jake Diekman got the save chance, protecting a two-run lead. He pitched a clean inning for his second save of the year. 

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

April 21, 2021
Oakland A’s — The A’s closed out the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader by going to Lou Trivino in the sixth and Jake Diekman in the seventh to preserve a 1-0 win. Trivino worked around a passed ball and a wild pitch to strike out the top two hitters in the Twins’ order and strand an inherited runner at third. Diekman hit the first batter he faced but recorded two strikeouts and a long fly out en route to his first save of the season. After the game, Bob Melvin said that he felt more comfortable with Trivino facing the top of the order and wanted Diekman to start his own inning. Additionally, he mentioned that Trivino’s ability to induce ground balls influenced his decision, as there was a runner on first.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

April 17, 2021
Oakland A’s — With everyone rested, the Athletics went Petit in the 7th, Diekman in the 8th, and Trivino in the 9th. Since Bob Melvin tapped Trivino as a closing option, he has two saves, which is two more than anyone else on the team. He was also warming up for a potential save situation recently, only to see the A’s score enough runs to prevent a save opportunity. While Diekman hasn’t been bad in the early going, it’s clear that Melvin sees Trivino as his top option in the 9th inning, and that’s enough to remove the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: Trivino | Diekman | Petit.

April 14, 2021
Oakland A’s — Lou Trivino earned his first save since 2018 on Tuesday, though he was in line for a save on Monday as well before the A’s tacked on two runs in the ninth. Trivino seems like the top option for saves at this point, though Diekman will still be deployed in the ninth if matchups dictate it.

Updated hierarchy: *Trivino | Diekman | Petit.
* = closer-by-committee

April 10, 2021
Oakland A’s — We got the first real look at the Athletics Hierarchy when Yusmiero Petit pitched a clean 7th to get the win last night. Lou Trivino, who Bob Melvin has flagged as a potential closing option, pitched the 8th for the first Oakland hold of the year, while Jake Diekman was saved for the 9th. It wasn’t a save situation as the A’s scored 2 runs in the top of the 9th, but it was a good window into how the Athletics will play with a lead this year. We will bump Trivino to 1st in line based on this usage, but Melvin’s comments make it seem like he will be at least splitting closing duties with Diekman, and may even have the inside track at this point.

Updated hierarchy: *Diekman | Trivino | Petit.
* = closer-by-committee

April 9, 2021
Oakland A’s — Trevor Rosenthal underwent thoracic outlet surgery and will be out for at least the next 12 weeks. He had a rib removed as part of the procedure and will visit with his doctor in eight weeks for a check-up. Meanwhile, a potential late-innings candidate, A.J. Puk, is now on the IL with a strained left biceps injury. 

Hierarchy remains: Diekman | Romo | Petit.

April 8, 2021
Oakland A’s — Trevor Rosenthal, Oakland’s record-breaking closer signing, is now considering thoracic outlet surgery that would have him out for at least 12 weeks. Rosenthal missed the 2018 season after Tommy John surgery and had a very disappointing 2019, but his strong 2020 had the A’s hoping he was back to his old self. Here’s hoping that happens soon.

Hierarchy remains: Diekman | Romo | Petit.

April 1, 2021
Oakland A’s — Closer Trevor Rosenthal has been placed on the injured list with right shoulder inflammation. Expect Jake Diekman to take over as closer in the interim, with Sergio Romo another possible option. Yusmeiro Petit and Lou Trivino should move into the seventh inning.

Updated hierarchy: Diekman | Romo | Petit.

March 3, 2021
Oakland A’s — The notoriously small-budget A’s played against type in landing flamethrowing 30-year-old Trevor Rosenthal on a one-year, $11 million contract that tops Jim Johnson’s salary record for an Oakland reliever. Jake Diekman and Sergio Romo should take the seventh and eighth innings.

Starting 2021 hierarchy: Rosenthal | Diekman | Romo.
Holds candidates: Diekman, Romo, Yusmeiro Petit.

September 4, 2020
Oakland A’s – A.J. Puk is close to a return and will be joining the bullpen. He has an electric arm and could be a late-inning option for the A’s down the stretch. We’ll monitor things and adjust this hierarchy, if necessary. 

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Soria | Diekman.

August 10, 2020
Oakland A’s – Journeyman Burch Smith picked up his first career save on Sunday, throwing the last three innings of a 5-run A’s victory. He’s yet to allow a run in 10.1 innings this year (and is currently sporting a 0.48 WHIP), so he could potentially start seeing some more high-leverage spots going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Soria | Diekman.

August 6, 2020
Oakland A’s – As noted in the Vulture Save Watch, Liam Hendriks had pitched in three of the last four games and got the night off. Oakland used Joakim Soria to get the last two outs of the eighth before letting him stick around for the ninth to pick up his second save of the year. Soria has been lights out in the early going, and having just pitched the eighth ahead of Hendriks on Tuesday, we think he is the top choice to pick up vulture saves when Hendriks needs a break. 

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Soria | Diekman.

July 28, 2020
Oakland A’s – Liam Hendriks did get the day off on Monday, but the A’s kept Jake Diekman in his usual 8th inning role, instead giving the 9th to Joakim Soria. The righty converted for his first save of the year, so we’ll monitor this situation to see if this is how Oakland intends to play things when Hendriks is off. 

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Diekman | Soria.

July 27, 2020
Oakland A’s – With all their top arms rested, the A’s went with Joakim Soria, Jake Diekman, and Liam Hendriks to secure the victory over the Angels. It’s the second time this season they’ve used that trio in that order, so we’ll line up Hendriks’ set-up men accordingly.

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Diekman | Soria.

July 25, 2020
Oakland A’s — Half-credit in our Twitter contest to MiketheMayor1, who counterintuitively tabbed “Hendricks” for the first blown save of 2020. If spelling matters, though, Kyle pitched a shutout, while Liam Hendriks gave up a game-tying home run, then loaded the bases before escaping, allowing the A’s to be the first team to win an extra-inning game under the new runner-on-second regime. Meanwhile, Yusmeiro Petit pitched the fifth, so we’ll keep an eye on this hierarchy going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Petit | Soria.

February 24, 2010
Oakland A’s — Breakout star Liam Hendriks will try to keep things rolling the same way in 2020, backed up by the same pair of 35-year-olds: Yusmeiro Petit and Joakim Soria. Jake Diekman and Lou Trivino round out the A-team.

Starting 2020 hierarchy: Hendriks | Petit | Soria.
Holds candidates: Petit, Soria, Diekman.

September 29, 2019
Oakland A’s – Jesus Luzardo nailed down his second save of the season yesterday, striking out three over two scoreless innings to finish off a 1-0 victory for the A’s.  Luzardo has been fantastic out of the bullpen in September but will likely move to the starting rotation next season.

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Soria | Petit.

September 16, 2019
Oakland A’s – Pitching in just his second big-league game, Jesus Luzardo tossed the final three innings of Oakland’s 6-1 win to pick up his first career save. Luzardo, who notched a three-inning hold in his MLB debut on Sept. 11, has impressed the A’s but won’t factor into their usual late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Soria | Petit.

September 11, 2019
Oakland A’s – Daniel Mengden pitched the final three innings of a 21-7 blowout on Tuesday. He does not factor in to the A’s usual late game plans.

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Soria | Petit.

August 30, 2019
Oakland A’s — One day after allowing all four baserunners to reach in a terrible 10-pitch outing in a tie game Wednesday, Blake Treinen was nowhere to be seen in Oakland’s 9-8 win on Thursday. Yusmeiro Petit, Joakim Soria and Jake Diekman bridged the gap to Liam Hendriks, who recorded a five-out save. Entering Wednesday, Treinen had been pitching better, with 12 scoreless appearances over his previous 16 games, but it appears he has fallen out of favor for the surging A’s, who currently sit in the second Wild Card spot and need every win they can get. One writer says Treinen was called into the tight situation on Wednesday only because Petit (3.01 ERA, 0.86 WHIP) needed rest. We’ll take that as a sign that Petit has usurped the former closer in the late innings.

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Soria | Petit.

August 23, 2019
Oakland A’s — The Vulture Save Watch correctly predicted Liam Hendriks’s day off — but instead of Blake Treinen, who had thrown only five pitches since last Saturday, the A’s used Joakim Soria, who allowed a run but managed to record his first save. Neither Soria nor Treinen has been very good lately, but we’ll give Soria the leg up based on usage.

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Soria | Treinen.

July 6, 2019
Oakland A’s — When Blake Treinen hit the IL, Oakland turned the closer role over to Liam Hendricks. In Treinen’s absence, Hendriks extended his scoreless streak to 14 appearances, and his dominance will officially keep him in the ninth even after Treinen’s return.

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Treinen | Soria.

July 5, 2019
Oakland A’s — With Liam Hendriks and Blake Treinen both unavailable yesterday, the A’s turned to Lou Trivino in the eighth inning and Joakim Soria in the ninth inning to close out a win. Had Oakland not scored four runs in its half of the eighth, Soria would have earned a save opportunity against the top of the Twins’ order. He was up in the ‘pen after Trivino’s successful outing. We’ll move Soria into the hierarchy based on yesterday’s usage.

Updated hierarchy: *Treinen | Hendriks | Soria.
* = closer-by-committee

July 4, 2019
Oakland A’s — Blake Treinen returned from the IL on Wednesday, but will be eased back into the closer role, sharing opportunities for now with reigning AL Reliever of the Month Liam Hendriks. Don’t give up on Hendriks yet, especially with Treinen giving up a run and getting the loss in his debut. We’ll stick the committee asterisk on the situation for now.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Hendriks | Trivino.
* = closer-by-committee

June 28, 2019
Oakland A’s — Blake Treinen threw 20 pitches from flat ground on Thursday, a step in the right direction. He’ll have an off day Friday with a bullpen session planned in the near future. 

Hierarchy remains: Hendriks | Trivino | Soria.

June 27, 2019
Oakland A’s — Liam Hendriks earned his second save in Blake Treinen’s absence, and Joakim Soria helped him get there, pitching a clean eighth in a two-run game.

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Trivino | Soria.

June 23, 2019
Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen was placed on the IL with a strained rotator cuff.  Liam Hendricks will get the first chance at closing and it went well yesterday with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.  

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Trivino | Petit.

June 22, 2019
Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen was placed on the IL earlier today with a shoulder strain. Expect Liam Hendriks to close for the time being.

Updated hierarchy: Hendriks | Trivino | Petit.

June 18, 2019
Oakland A’s – On May 9, Lou Trivino had a 1.13 ERA and was looking like one of the best set-up men in baseball, but it’s been a tough last six weeks for the righty, as he’s given up 21 runs across his last 19 appearances, pushing his ERA all the way up to 4.93. So last night, it was Liam Hendriks who bridged the gap to Blake Treinen. Hendriks has only allowed one run in 9 June appearances and should continue to see hold opportunities until Trivino can straighten himself out.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Hendriks | Trivino.

June 12, 2019
Oakland A’s — Liam Hendriks struck out the side to earn a hold on Tuesday in Tampa. Hendriks is a better late-inning option than Joakim Soria, who has allowed an earned run in each of his last four appearances.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Trivino | Hendriks.

June 5, 2019
Oakland A’s — Lou Trivino has struggled of late, having allowed seven earned runs over his last three appearances. Based on his recent ineffectiveness, it wasn’t too crazy to see Yusmeiro Petit in the seventh inning and Liam Hendriks in the eighth inning in Oakland’s 4-2 win on Tuesday. Bob Melvin said after the game that he just wanted to give Trivino an extra day of rest and that his role hasn’t changed. Hendriks, who was once a potential opener for Wednesday’s game but now won’t be, lowered his ERA to 1.62 but only picked up his second hold of the year. Petit, who has the ability to pitch multiple innings, now has eight holds this year. Both pitchers may find themselves earning more high-leverage work; we’ll monitor how much trust Melvin retains in Trivino and Joakim Soria.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Soria.

May 9, 2019
Oakland A’s — In his first appearance since April 28, Blake Treinen overcame his elbow soreness and threw a reassuringly clean two innings.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Soria.

May 8, 2019
Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen was available to pitch on Tuesday and did warm up in case the A’s needed him in the ninth, but Mike Fiers finished a 131-pitch no-hitter.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Soria.

May 6, 2019
Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen was held out of action this weekend as he was dealing with a sore arm, but he felt much better on Sunday and will likely return early this week. He’s getting an MRI today just to be safe, though; Lou Trivino would be the likely beneficiary if he misses any time.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Soria.

May 5, 2019
Oakland A’s — Blake Treinen is battling elbow soreness and was unavailable yesterday.  Treinen thinks it is elbow tendinitis, but he will be checked out further on Monday.   Lou Trivino would have been the closer yesterday and appears to be the speculative add if Treinen’s injury turns out to be anything serious.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Trivino | Soria.

April 25, 2019
Oakland A’s — Lou Trivino is day-to-day with a bruised thumb on his pitching hand, but Bob Melvin expects him to avoid the injured list.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Soria | Trivino.

April 4, 2019
Oakland A’s — Fernando Rodney hasn’t been getting high-leverage looks this season, and when he finally did — in a tied ninth inning — he gave up three runs on four hits. Lou Trivino is second in line here, and Ryan Buchter is probably third.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Soria | Trivino.

February 18, 2019
Oakland A’s — Never known to have a fully stable ninth-inning situation, it appears Oakland will begin 2019 in a new way, sporting one of the top closers in baseball, Blake Treinen. Treinen will cost a pretty penny on draft day, but the hype may be warranted (0.78 ERA, 0.834 WHIP, 38 saves in 2018). 2018 may not have been an outlier — while his ERA and WHIP will likely rise some, he has been pretty consistent throughout his career. His rough start in 2017 led to his exodus in Washington, but otherwise, he has sported ERAs south of 3.00 in each full season except 2015 & 2017 (both ERAs those years were under 4.00, though). The A’s lost Jeurys Familia in free agency, but joining Treinen at the back end will be the newly signed Joakim Soria and Fernando Rodney, who will be back for his age-42 season.

Starting 2019 hierarchy: Treinen | Soria | Rodney.
Holds candidates: Soria, Rodney, Trivino.

September 23, 2018
Oakland A’s — Jeurys Familia pitched Saturday and allowed an earned run for the third time in four appearances. Meanwhile, Fernando Rodney has overcome a rough stretch of his own to string together four straight scoreless outings. We’ll keep an eye on where both of these former closers are trending in case Blake Treinen needs a night off prior to the postseason.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Familia | Rodney.

September 12, 2018
Oakland A’s — We predicted in Sunday’s Vulture Save Watch that Blake Treinen may get two straight days off following three consecutive outings, and our prediction came true when Jeurys Familia closed out Tuesday’s 3-2 win at Baltimore. After the game, Bob Melvin confirmed that he indeed wanted to give Treinen an extra day of rest.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Familia | Rodney.

August 16, 2018
Oakland A’s — Oakland is consistently using Fernando Rodney later than Lou Trivino, and we have to believe that he’d be third choice for saves at this point.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Familia | Rodney.

August 10, 2018
Oakland A’s — The A’s acquired Fernando Rodney from Minnesota, but he doesn’t break into their late-inning hierarchy at this point. Consider him fourth or fifth in line in this strong bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Familia | Trivino.

July 21, 2018
Oakland A’s — Oakland’s bullpen gets a nice boost with the addition of Familia, but don’t expect closer Blake Treinen to lose his job since he has been terrific this year. That’s bad news for Familia owners, as he will join Lou Trivino as a setup man for Treinen.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Familia | Trivino.

July 21, 2018
Oakland A’s — Oakland’s bullpen gets a nice boost with the addition of Familia, but don’t expect closer Blake Treinen to lose his job since he has been terrific this year. That’s bad news for Familia owners, as he will join Lou Trivino as a setup man for Treinen.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Familia | Trivino.

July 13, 2018
Oakland A’s — Closer Blake Treinen got the night off Thursday after pitching in two of the previous three games, and the A’s handed the ball to Lou Trivino, who converted the vulture opportunity for his fourth save.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Buchter.

July 1, 2018
Oakland A’s — The Vulture Save Watch went 2 for 2 yesterday, with the assist going to Santiago Casilla.  With the A’s up five in the ninth, Casilla loaded the bases and Lou Trivino came on to get last two outs and record the save.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Buchter.

June 28, 2018
Oakland A’s — Blake Treinen got Wednesday off after some heavy recent use and — as we predicted — Lou Trivino earned his second save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Buchter.

June 10, 2018
Oakland A’s — Ryan Buchter, activated from the DL on Monday, made sure not to waste any energy getting to the mound in his first appearance since April 25. He didn’t exert much energy once he got to the mound, either, as the only batter he faced hit a ground rule double and eventually scored. Before the game, Bob Melvin was excited about Buchter’s return. Despite Monday’s tough start, we expect Buchter to once again be a part of Oakland’s late-inning plans.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Trivino | Buchter.

June 10, 2018
Oakland A’s — Santiago Casilla has returned from the disabled list.  Casilla is an interesting case because he has not been used in a set-up role much this season, but when Treinen had an injury scare at the end of April, Casilla was the one who got the call as the closer.  He will likely not be a good option for holds but could still be an option to close when Treinen is not available.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Trivino | Casilla.

June 9, 2018
Oakland A’s — With a four-run lead, Oakland turned to Lou Trivino with two men on and two outs in the 8th inning. He got a groundout to end the threat and then stayed in for the 9th after Oakland extended the lead to five. He pitched a clean ninth inning, and because he entered the eighth with the tying run on deck, he earned his first save of the year. Trivino has put together an excellent start to the year, and this appearance cements his spot as the primary setup man for Blake Treinen.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Petit.

June 8, 2018
Oakland A’s — Santiago Casilla could be activated from the disabled list as early as Friday. He should move into his “everyman” bullpen role right away and compete for save chances if Blake Treinen needs a breather.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Trivino | Petit.

May 27, 2018
Oakland A’s — The A’s placed Santiago Casilla on the DL with a sore right shoulder.  The A’s are hopeful Casilla doesn’t miss much time, but Lou Trivino and Yusmeiro Petit should fill in while he is out.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Trivino | Petit.

May 25, 2018
Oakland A’s — Yusmeiro Petit threw three innings in middle relief to pick up the win Thursday, but it was Lou Trivino getting a couple outs in the eighth before handing the ball to Blake Treinen. Trivino has late-inning holds in two of the last three narrow wins for the A’s, giving him five holds on the season. Petit has been solid, but he’s being used more in middle relief lately, so we’ll give the slight edge to Trivino in the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Trivino.

May 18, 2018
Oakland A’s — The A’s bullpen continues to be . . . intriguing? Frustrating? Last night, Santiago Casilla came into the game in the third inning and allowed three runs over two innings — strange usage for a man who looks like the first in line for saves if Blake Treinen gets hurt. He has the team’s only vulture save this season (and zero holds), so for now that’s the evidence keeping him in the hierarchy. If you’re hunting for holds, Yusmeiro Petit and Lou Trivino (0.59 ERA in 15.1 IP) are better bets.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Casilla | Petit.

May 15, 2018
Oakland A’s – Yusmeiro Petit pitched the 7th and 8th innings ahead of Blake Treinen to earn his third hold of the season. We still think Santiago Casilla is the best bet for a save on nights that Treinen isn’t available, but the veteran has been used all over the place lately, and Petit is probably a better player to own at this point for those looking to score some holds.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Petit.

May 5, 2018
Oakland A’s — Bob Melvin talked up Danny Coulombe and Yusmeiro Petit in Ryan Buchter’s absence, but he’s been using Ryan Dull the most.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Dull. 

April 28, 2018
Oakland A’s — Shortly after a Blake Treinen injury scare, Ryan Buchter has been sent to the DL with shoulder stiffness. Bob Melvin expects his role to be filled primarily by Danny Coulombe and Yusmeiro Petit.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Petit. 

April 26, 2018
Oakland A’s — Good news for Oakland fans and Blake Treinen owners, as his bruised shin doesn’t seem to be particularly serious. Treinen thought he could have pitched on Wednesday if needed, so he should be at full strength for Friday’s game.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Casilla | Buchter. 

April 25, 2018
Oakland A’s — There was a bit of a panic when Blake Treinen was drilled with a line drive in the eighth inning of Tuesday’s game, but Bob Melvin said after the game that Treinen just has a bruised right shin and should be good to go by Friday. Santiago Casilla picked up the save on Tuesday and is likely to get the call again on Wednesday if the A’s are ahead in the ninth.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Casilla | Buchter. 

April 19, 2018
Oakland A’s — The A’s called on setup guy Santiago Casilla right away in Wednesday’s game, summoning him in the fourth inning with two on, down three. He gave up his first two hits of the season, expanding the lead to five. Burning Casilla so early forced Oakland to use Blake Treinen for the ninth, tenth, and eleventh innings (44 pitches), then rely on rookie Lou Trivino for three impressive innings to earn the win in 14. We don’t expect Casilla to get a lot of play in the fourth going forward; although Ryan Buchter has been used late, Casilla is probably still the handcuff of choice for the A’s.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Casilla | Buchter. 

April 16, 2018
Oakland A’s – Ryan Buchter picked up his fourth hold of the season on Sunday, retiring two hitters before giving way to closer Blake Treinen, who pitched the final 1.1 innings. That appearance is enough to elevate him over the struggling Chris Hatcher.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Buchter. 

April 9, 2018
Oakland A’s – Santiago Casilla pitched two scoreless innings last night, and the veteran has still yet to even allow a hit on the season. Casilla and Chris Hatcher appear to be the two most likely candidates to get a save chance on nights when Blake Treinen is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Hatcher. 

February 26, 2018
Oakland A’s — Blake Treinen should continue as the Oakland closer, and is working on improving his fastball command. The setup options are much the same as last season: some combination of Liam Hendriks, Santiago Casilla, and Chris Hatcher, plus better-than-you’d-think newcomers Yusmeiro Petit and Emilio Pagan.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: Treinen | Hendriks | Petit.
Holds candidates: Hendriks, Petit, Ryan Buchter.

September 28, 2017
Oakland A’s — Liam Hendriks got the seventh ahead of Chris Hatcher and Blake Treinen last night. We know that, at this point in the season, we’re the only ones who care about this, so we didn’t bother emailing you about it. You’re welcome. Donate button’s on the right sidebar!

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Hatcher | Hendriks.

September 21, 2017
Oakland A’s — We warned you to expect a deep vulture save from Oakland on Wednesday, but what we didn’t know is that they’d try to ride Ryan Dull for two innings to get it. Dull made things exciting by giving up two quick runs in the ninth, so Aussie Liam Hendriks came on to bail him out and earn his first career save.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Hatcher | Casilla.

September 18, 2017
Oakland A’s – Chris Hatcher finished off the seventh and then pitched a clean 8th inning ahead of Blake Treinen on Sunday. We don’t know for certain that he’d get the save chance if Treinen needs a night off, but given his success since coming to Oakland (2.81 ERA over 16 IP), he’s now a better bet than Santiago Casilla, who has mostly been pitching in losses.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Hatcher | Casilla.

September 7, 2017
Oakland A’s — The A’s rested Blake Treinen (59 pitches in two days) and Santiago Casilla (three straight games), leaving Chris Hatcher to get his first save of the season in his third straight appearance.

Hierarchy remains: Treinen | Casilla | Hatcher.

August 27, 2017
Oakland A’s — Chris Hatcher has been busy since making his debut for the A’s on August 16th.  Since then, he has made six appearances, including three holds immediately ahead of closer Blake Treinen.  The A’s clearly trust their new bullpen arm, and Hatcher could move ahead of Santiago Casilla as first in line if he keeps pitching well.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Hatcher.

August 12, 2017
Oakland A’s — No more asterisk for Blake Treinen, who has established himself above Santiago Casilla over the last two weeks.

Updated hierarchy: Treinen | Casilla | Dull.

August 7, 2017
Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen picked up his second save with the A’s on Sunday, pitching a clean 9th for the second day in a row. Both weekend outings came after Santiago Casilla got the 8th, but we’ll leave the committee tag on for another few days. On Friday, he was summoned in the 7th inning, in what was clearly a “we need to use our best guy NOW” spot for Bob Melvin, so while Treinen is clearly the stopper for his new team, he might be moved around from time to time.

Hierarchy remains: *Treinen | Casilla | Dull.
* = closer-by-committee

August 1, 2017
Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen picked up his first Oakland save last night, putting him firmly at the front of the team’s closer-by-committee. He’s allowed only one earned run and seven total baserunners (4 H, 3 BB) in 9.1 IP since joining the team, and is clearly the best reliever in the bullpen right now. If he converts his next opportunity, that might be enough for us to shed him of his asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Treinen | Casilla | Dull.
* = closer-by-committee

July 29, 2017
Oakland A’s — Bob Melvin seems to be committed to the committee approach, indicating before Friday’s game that Santiago Casilla would likely get the ninth inning with a lead. He also mentioned Ryan Dull and Frankie Montas — who gave up four walks in a two-inning outing last night — as contenders for the late innings. This competition seems to be wide open, so the next week could be crucial. We still like Treinen as the best arm, but there’s not a lot of clarity in the Bay Area right now.

Hierarchy remains: *Treinen | Casilla | Dull.
* = closer-by-committee

July 28, 2017
Oakland A’s – A’s beat reporter Susan Slusser suggested before Thursday’s game that manager Bob Melvin could be thinking about a change at closer, given Santiago Casilla’s recent troubles. Sure enough, after he got the last out of the eighth inning, Blake Treinen got the save chance in the ninth. Treinen allowed a game-tying home run, but after the game Melvin hinted that a change could still be coming soon, saying, “You either stick with a guy or give a guy a break.” While John Axford won’t be among the late-inning options, Ryan Dull will be, after he returned from the DL yesterday and recorded the first two outs of the eighth inning.

Updated hierarchy: *Treinen | Casilla | Dull.
* = closer-by-committee

July 27, 2017
Oakland A’s – Santiago Casilla blew his fourth save in 16 games on Wednesday. He is still the closer, but his hold on the job has become even more tenuous with Blake Treinen now on the team. Treinen has four holds and a 0.00 ERA since joining the A’s.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Treinen | Hendriks.

July 19, 2017
Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen impressed on Tuesday, pitching a clean eighth inning in a one-run game before Santiago Casilla blew the save in the ninth. It’s early in his tenure with Oakland, but Treinen appears to have quickly earned Bob Melvin’s trust.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Treinen | Hendriks.

July 17, 2017
Oakland A’s – Santiago Casilla is unaffected by the Madson/Doolittle deal, but the other relievers in this bullpen just got a major boost in value, as Casilla remains a viable trade target over the next few weeks. Blake Treinen, just acquired from the Nationals, might get a new shot at the 9th inning if he can work out his issues. Liam Hendriks has the stuff (50 Ks in 38.1 IP) to be a closer sooner rather than later, though he has some control issues. Lefty Daniel Coulombe is also a possibility if they go the committee route.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Hendriks | Coulombe.

July 5, 2017
Oakland A’s – For the ninth game in a row, the Oakland bullpen allowed a run. This time it was Santiago Casilla allowing the tying run to score as part of his fourth blown save of the year. Casilla’s ERA is at 4.02 and hovered around that mark for much of June into July. Sean Doolittle had allowed an earned run in each of his last two appearances prior to a clean eighth inning Tuesday, but if Casilla’s struggles continue he may get a chance to reclaim the closer’s role.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Doolittle | Madson.

June 19, 2017
Oakland A’s – A day after being hit with a foul ball, Santiago Casilla got the afternoon off, and Sean Doolittle picked up his third save of the season. Score one for the Vulture Save Watch, and know that all signs still point to Casilla being fine going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Doolittle | Madson.

June 18, 2017
Oakland A’s — As predicted in yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, Santiago Casilla got the day off and the A’s used Sean Doolittle for the save opportunity.  Doolittle responded by striking out the side in a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his second save of the season.  Although Casilla was unavailable yesterday just due to rest, he may be unavailable for a little while longer after getting hit with a foul ball in the dugout.  The A’s say he’s OK, but we will have to wait for more information to see if he is going to miss any time.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Doolittle | Madson.

June 11, 2017
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle returned last night with a perfect eighth inning ahead of closer Santiago Casilla.  Prior to Doolittle’s injury in April, the A’s were employing a semi-committee approach with Doolittle and Casilla getting saves.  Casilla was fine in the closer’s role by himself while Doolittle was out, but he certainly didn’t run away with the job.  Doolittle could work his way back to some chances if he continues to pitch like he did last night.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Doolittle | Madson.

June 8, 2017
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle threw a no-hitter on Wednesday night — or at least one-ninth of one — to finish his rehab assignment with the Nashville Sounds. Doolittle should rejoin Oakland this weekend.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Madson | Hendriks.

June 2, 2017
Oakland A’s — Since coming off the disabled list, John Axford has pitched in five games (all Oakland losses) and allowed seven runs (6 ER) on three walks and four strikeouts (11.57 ERA, 2.57 WHIP), including Thursday’s disastrous outing in which he allowed three runs (2 ER) in just one-third of an inning to put a 5-1 deficit out of reach. He’s probably a long way from closing, even in a pinch. This brings us to Sean Doolittle, who will start a rehab assignment Friday. For now, we like Aussie Liam Hendriks (3.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, four holds) to take Axford’s spot in the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Madson | Hendriks.

May 27, 2017
Oakland A’s — Santiago Casilla gave up a run in a non-save situation, bumping his ERA to 4.91 on the year. Meanwhile, Ryan Madson picked up his sixth hold in a perfect eighth inning, lowering his ERA to a tidy 1.86. Casilla hasn’t been terrible, but his K rate is down from the past two years, and he’s walking more batters than normal. With Madson pitching so well behind him, Casilla may be on a shorter leash, making Madson a solid speculative add.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Madson | Axford.

May 21, 2017
Oakland A’s — Ryan Dull has been placed on the DL with an injury to his right knee.  John Axford has returned, and the veteran should take over Dull’s role in the later innings.  In other injury news for the A’s bullpen, Sean Doolittle may be back sooner than originally expected.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Madson | Axford.

May 4, 2017
Oakland A’s — Tough news for the A’s, who announced that Sean Doolittle has yet another shoulder strain, his third in three years. The early speculation is that Doolittle could be out for a while. As a result, Ryan Dull moves into the hierarchy, Santiago Casilla kicks his asterisk, and potential future closer Bobby Wahl joins the big club — although Wahl’s first major league appearance on Wednesday was shaky, with two hits and a hit batsman.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Madson | Dull.

April 23, 2017
Oakland A’s – Santiago Casilla and Sean Doolittle both got the night off after pitching back to back games, so Ryan Madson came on for the save chance, striking out the side in the 9th. HOPE YOU’VE BEEN oh wait we missed this one. Nomonkey’s perfect.

Hierarchy remains: *Casilla | Doolittle | Madson.
* = closer-by-committee

April 22, 2017
Oakland A’s — For the second night in a row, Santiago Casilla pitched the ninth inning with a lead, this time converting a perfect save opportunity. Bob Melvin described Casilla as “a closer,” hastening to add that he wasn’t the only one Oakland has. Casilla has allowed only one hit in eight innings this year, but Sean Doolittle has also been effective, and shut down the Mariners’ 3-4-5 hitters in the eighth last night. We’ll move Casilla to the head of the committee for now, but either guy could still get chances.

Updated hierarchy: *Casilla | Doolittle | Madson.
* = closer-by-committee

April 19, 2017
Oakland A’s — Santiago Casilla picked up his second save of the season on Tuesday. It was just the third save total for the A’s this season, with Sean Doolittle having picked up the other one. That’s not a lot of saves.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Casilla | Madson.
* = closer-by-committee

April 13, 2017
Oakland A’s — As we retweeted, Bob Melvin has installed Sean Doolittle and Santiago Casilla as the heads of Oakland’s closer committee. Both guys have been excellent; Casilla has gone four innings, allowing only one baserunner, while Doolittle has struck out 7 of the 11 batters he’s faced this year. Ryan Madson and Ryan Dull will share whatever’s left.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Casilla | Madson.
* = closer-by-committee

April 11, 2017
Oakland A’s – The closer-by-committee arrangement in Oakland is proving durable to start the season, as Bob Melvin continues to rotate through his best arms in tight games. Last night it was Smash Mouth superfan Sean Doolittle picking up his first save of the season in a two-run win at Kansas City. Santiago Casilla, who notched the A’s first save of the season, pitched the eight inning.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Casilla | Doolittle.
* = closer-by-committee

April 5, 2017
Oakland A’s — For the second straight night, Ryan Madson got the eighth inning and the task of facing the heart of the Angels’ order. He retired Mike Trout and got Albert Pujols to ground into a double play. However, unlike Monday, Bob Melvin tabbed Ryan Dull and not Santiago Casilla for the ninth. Melvin liked the matchups for Dull, though it didn’t work out, as Dull allowed a three-run homer. Melvin, who said Casilla was unavailable, looks committed to playing matchups when the A’s hold a late lead, with Madson likely getting the toughest assignments no matter the inning. Good luck, everybody.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Casilla | Doolittle.
* = closer-by-committee

April 4, 2017
Oakland A’s — The A’s played matchups in the late innings, deploying Sean Doolittle against Kole Calhoun, then bringing in Ryan Madson to face Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. This left Santiago Casilla to grab the save in the ninth. Bob Melvin has talked about doing things a little differently in the bullpen, and this looks like the makings of a full-fledged closer committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Madson | Casilla | Doolittle.
* = closer-by-committee

February 27, 2017
Oakland A’s — Ryan Madson is not guaranteed the closer’s job despite 30 saves in 2016. Manager Bob Melvin essentially told reporters he has four or five guys vying for the gig. Madson, to his credit, is impressed with the bullpen depth. The closing candidates include Madson, Sean Doolittle, Santiago Casilla and John Axford, with the latter three likely rounding out a deep A’s bullpen.

Starting 2017 hierarchy: Madson | Doolittle | Casilla.
Holds candidates: Doolittle, Casilla, Axford.

September 20, 2016
Oakland A’s – Ryan Madson continued his free fall last night, getting touched up for two runs on three hits and taking the loss. He has struggled mightily in September, going 1-3 with a 7.71 ERA and a 1.71 WHIP. While this is terrible news for Madson owners during fantasy playoffs, it is an opportunity for those owners desperate for saves. Both Ryan Dull and Sean Doolittle are good speculative options should Bob Melvin demote Madson.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Dull | Doolittle.

September 19, 2016
Oakland A’s – Due to recent struggles against the Texas lineup, Ryan Madson was given Sunday off, and Ryan Dull got the save in his place. After a subpar August, Dull appears to have found his form again, and with the A’s out of the race, he could get another look or two down the stretch.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Dull | Doolittle.

September 17, 2016
Oakland A’s — Ryan Madson’s seventh blown save of the season on Friday renews speculation that the team will return Sean Doolittle to the role next year, if not sooner.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

September 13, 2016
Oakland A’s — Zach Neal picked up his second three-inning save of the season on Monday, moving him into a tie with John Axford and Ryan Dull for third on the A’s in saves this season.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Axford | Doolittle.

September 3, 2016
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle is back from the disabled list and some extra rehab. He should see some late-inning work if the A’s get a lead over the final month of the season.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Axford | Doolittle.

August 11, 2016
Oakland A’s — After two straight days of use, Ryan Madson got Wednesday off. John Axford picked up the save.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Axford | Dull.

August 5, 2016
Oakland A’s – Ryan Dull picked up his second of the season on Thursday after pitching a clean 10th inning. John Axford and Ryan Madson had already appeared in the game. In related bullpen news, injured reliever Sean Doolittle is scheduled to throw a bullpen session this weekend.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Axford | Dull.

July 27, 2016
Oakland A’s – With Ryan Madson unavailable after pitching in two straight and three of four, John Axford got the final two outs of the ninth to preserve a 6-3 win. Prior to the game, manager Bob Melvin maintained that Madson, who blew a save on Monday (his third in his last eight outings), is still the closer. However, Melvin also clarified that Axford, and not Ryan Dull, will close when Madson is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Axford | Dull.

July 11, 2016
Oakland A’s – Ryan Madson blew his second consecutive save on Sunday, and he now has five blown saves on the year. With Oakland looking to sell off parts, they’re probably going to give him every chance to turn it around so they can maximize his trade value. (Hey, did we mention we’ll be doing Trade Deadline previews?)

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Dull | Axford.

July 10, 2016
Oakland A’s – Ryan Dull’s streak of stranding inherited runners ended on Saturday but he still picked up his first save of the season.   Regular closer Ryan Madson was unavailable, and Dull should continue to see save chances when Madson can’t go.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Dull | Axford.

July 5, 2016
Oakland A’s – Ryan Dull set a record last night for stranding inherited runners. His reward is the first in line spot on the Closer Monkey hierarchy, as his appearance last night was the second time in a row that he’s been used to set-up Ryan Madson.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Dull | Axford.

July 1, 2016
Oakland A’s – Lefthanded setup man (and sometimes closer) Sean Doolittle has been placed on the 15-day DL with a shoulder injury. Manager Bob Melvin said the pitcher will be shut down because of “subtle changes” in his labrum. An MRI Thursday showed inflammation in the shoulder. Doolittle, who had been considered a trade candidate, said there’s no specific timetable for when he will resume throwing and added that he was “frustrated.” No kidding. Ryan Dull (2.23 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 4 holds), who has pitched in wins in his last five appearances, slides into the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Axford | Dull.

June 29, 2016
Oakland A’s – Ryan Madson was needed for a six-out save on Tuesday, going two innings for the first time since 2009. Sean Doolitle was unavailable, sore from a 33-pitch outing on Saturday. He’ll be evaluated on Wednesday, but if he is unavailable again look for John Axford to get a save chance.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

June 26, 2016
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle pitched out a bases loaded, one out jam in the ninth inning yesterday in a non-save situation.  However, the bigger news may be that Ryan Dull stranded two more inherited runners.  Dull has now stranded all 32 inherited runners this season.  Dull is still behind Madson, Doolittle, and Axford when it comes to saves chances but he is having a great season for the A’s bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

June 24, 2016
Oakland A’s – Former (or sometimes) closer Sean Doolittle picked up his fourth save of the season Thursday night. Regular closer Ryan Madson, meanwhile, pitched the eighth inning. It appears manager Bob Melvin was playing matchups, as Madson was asked to mow down Mike Trout, Albert Pujols and C.J. Cron. He retired the side on 16 pitches, striking out two. Doolittle, who may be on the block, allowed two runs in an ugly ninth inning but was able to secure the win for Oakland.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

June 14, 2016
Oakland A’s — Zach Neal, who was called up from Triple-A Nashville on Friday, snagged his first career save last night, pitching three innings to close out the Rangers in front of Draymond Green in Oakland.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

June 4, 2016
Oakland A’s — When starter Jesse Hahn couldn’t get out of the first inning, it was all hands on deck for Oakland. With recalled J.B. Wendelken delayed by travel issues, Bob Melvin turned to utility infielder Tyler Ladendorf for a scoreless eighth. Although he hadn’t pitched since high school, Ladendorf managed to join legends like Honus Wagner, Ike Davis, and High Pockets Kelly on the longer-than-expected list of players with career ERAs below their batting averages.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

June 1, 2016
Oakland A’s — John Axford picked up his first save with the A’s; Sean Doolittle and Ryan Madson had each been used in two straight games. Every member of the “special” Oakland hierarchy has earned a save in the last three days.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

May 30, 2016
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle picked up his first save in over a month after Ryan Madson was used to get the heart of the order in the 8th inning. Doolittle has looked sharper lately, but he’s still not going to get too many opportunities to close, as even he admitted after the game. This was a matchup play, and while Doolittle might see another chance here or there, Madson remains the man in Oakland.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

May 17, 2016
Oakland A’s – For the second straight night, John Axford got the 8th inning ahead of Ryan Madson, earning his sixth hold of the year. Sean Doolittle was used to finish off the 7th inning and seems to have slipped further down the Oakland hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Madson | Axford | Doolittle.

May 15, 2016
Oakland A’s — Bob Melvin confirmed what we already knew when he announced that Ryan Madson is the A’s closer.  Madson has received the majority of save chances and has converted each one so far this season.  Sean Doolittle is pitching better recently, but he will need Madson to slip up before he has a chance to regain the closer’s role.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

May 14, 2016
Oakland A’s — Ryan Madson has now loaded the bases in an astonishing four straight appearances, escaping each time without a run allowed. With Sean Doolittle rounding into form, a five-game streak could see Madson’s Houdini act moved to an earlier showing.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

May 1, 2016
Oakland A’s — Ryan Madson made it interesting yesterday, as he loaded the bases with one out in the 9th, but got a game ending double play to earn the save.  Madson is now 8 for 8 in save opportunities and we don’t see this as a committee anymore.  John Axford pitched 1.1 scoreless innings ahead of Madson yesterday and lowered his ERA under 1.00 on the season.  Axford could challenge Doolittle for saves when Madson is unavailable.

Hierarchy remains: Madson | Doolittle | Axford.

April 23, 2016
Oakland A’s — Although Bob Melvin says Oakland still has a closer committee, Sean Doolittle allowed two inherited runners to score before Ryan Madson earned save number seven with a perfect ninth. The A’s have been keeping their bullpen busy, with nine saves in their ten wins.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Doolittle | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee

April 22, 2016
Oakland A’s — Ryan Madson continues to solidify his role atop Oakland’s committee, getting a two-out save on Thursday and solidifying a road sweep of the Yankees. With six saves, Madson is now tied for the league lead, as everyone predicted.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Doolittle | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee

April 21, 2016
Oakland A’s – As predicted in yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, Ryan Madson got the day off and it was Sean Doolittle who got the ball in the 9th to protect a three-run lead. He converted the save throwing only eight pitches. This is still a committee in Oakland, but Madson has been the clear leader, taking the bulk of save opportunities in the early going.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Doolittle | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee

April 20, 2016
Oakland A’s – Ryan Madson solidified his spot at the top of the Oakland committee on Tuesday, picking up the eleventh-inning save. Sean Doolittle pitched the eighth in a tie game, a role Doolittle should have more often than not, given Madson’s success so far.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Doolittle | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee

April 18, 2016
Oakland A’s – Bob Melvin explained Sean Doolittle’s usage after the game on Saturday, and for the first time acknowledged that “it depends” who gets the 9th inning — on that day, it was because Doolittle had been overworked so he wanted to use him for only one batter. On Sunday, meanwhile, Doolittle needed a day off entirely after pitching in two games in a row, allowing Ryan Madson to capture his 4th save of the year. (Doolittle has only one.) So we’re officially in committee mode in Oakland right now, and given Doolittle’s early struggles, we’ll elevate Madson to the top of the line with the understanding that this is still a fluid situation.

Updated hierarchy: *Madson | Doolittle | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee

April 17, 2016
Oakland A’s — Ryan Madson picked up his third save of the season on Saturday, compared to just one for closer Sean Doolittle.  Doolittle came on for the last out of the 8th, getting lefty Alex Gordon to fly out.  Doolittle has struggled with homers so far this season but feels like he is still pitching well.  It’s early in the season, and the bullpen has been a little out of whack, thanks to outings like Rich Hill’s on Friday, but Doolittle owners have to be concerned about how many save opportunities Madson has seen so far this season.  Despite the results so far, we think Doolittle is still the primary closer, but we will continue to monitor this situation to determine if this is going to become more of a committee.

Hierarchy remains: Doolittle | Madson | Axford.

April 9, 2016
Oakland A’s — A few days ago, Bob Melvin explained that though Sean Doolittle was the team’s closer, he could be used in the eighth if matchups required a strong lefthander. And in a tie game Friday night, Doolittle came on in the eighth to face the middle of the Seattle order, including two lefties and a switch-hitter. Ryan Madson earned his second save of the year and told reporters afterward that there were “no egos” in the Oakland bullpen. This approach is great for A’s fans and bullpen postmodernists, but Doolittle owners might prefer a more traditional role for the bearded one, as he fights to return to his 2014 dominance.

Hierarchy remains: Doolittle | Madson | Axford.

April 7, 2016
Oakland A’s — With Sean Doolittle getting a night off after pitching in the past two games, Ryan Madson picked up the save. Madson has looked solid in the early going, and could definitely push Doolittle for the closer’s role, but Madson himself is calling Doolittle the “anchor.”

Hierarchy remains: Doolittle | Madson | Axford.

February 29, 2016
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle, who missed the majority of last season with a shoulder injury, will begin 2016 as the A’s closer. He flashed some promising signs at the end of 2015, collecting four saves over his final six appearances. Oakland also signed two veteran relievers to add some depth behind Doolittle — Ryan Madson and John Axford. Watch out for Australian flame-thrower Liam Hendriks, who found success in Toronto as a relief pitcher after years as a mediocre starter.

Starting 2016 hierarchy: Doolittle | Madson | Axford.
Holds candidates: Madson, Axford, Marc Rzepczynski.

October 4, 2015
Oakland A’s — Felix Doubront pitched a scoreless bottom of the thirteenth inning to pick up the save yesterday.  Sean Doolittle and Ryan Dull were unavailable.  Doubront has been a starter most of the season, including his previous six appearances, and does not factor into the A’s regular late inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Dull | Pomeranz.
* = closer-by-committee

September 26, 2015
Oakland A’s — Pitching for the first time in nine days, Sean Doolittle entered in the eighth inning with a man on first. He let the first three men reach (single, single, walk), got a foul popout, then labored through the ninth for a grueling 38-pitch save. Ryan Dull got the seventh and eighth before him and (although he was touched for his first earned runs) seems to have moved ahead of Drew Pomeranz.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Dull | Pomeranz.
* = closer-by-committee

September 19, 2015
Oakland A’s — The committee lives in Oakland. After Sean Doolittle threw 26 pitches in a two-inning outing on Thursday, it was impressive rookie Ryan Dull’s chance to lock down the eighth and ninth and earn his first career save.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Dull.
* = closer-by-committee

September 13, 2015
Oakland A’s — Ryan Dull pitched a scoreless seventh and eighth inning last night.  He now has eight scoreless innings, with ten strikeouts, to begin his career and should continue to see time in the later innings for the A’s.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Dull.
* = closer-by-committee

September 8, 2015
Oakland A’s – We speculated yesterday morning that Sean Doolittle would get the first save chance the next time the A’s were in a tight game, and sure enough, that opportunity came that very afternoon. Doolittle needed only five pitches — two pop outs and a three-pitch strikeout — to convert, and with his velocity continuing to climb, he looks to be in the driver’s seat for saves in Oakland the rest of the season.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Venditte.
* = closer-by-committee

September 7, 2015
Oakland A’s – Sunday’s 1-run loss to the Mariners saw both Drew Pomeranz and Sean Doolittle pitch, but for the first time, Pomeranz went first, logging a scoreless 8th before giving way to Doolittle for the 9th. We’ve been saying since he returned that Doolittle would eventually get the closer job back, and though he hasn’t reclaimed it yet, we think the next save chance goes to him.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Venditte.
* = closer-by-committee

September 5, 2015
Oakland A’s — With Oakland down one in the ninth, Drew Pomeranz gave up a two-run home run. His struggles make it somewhat more likely that Sean Doolittle will get a chance to reclaim the closer role before the year is up.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Venditte.

August 31, 2015
Oakland A’s — It was a good night for Sean Doolittle owners, as the lefty pitched his first clean inning since returning from the DL. Also in Doolittle’s favor: after departing with a 1-run lead, he watched as Drew Pomeranz coughed it up in the 9th. Pomeranz continues to look like the better pitcher, though, despite last night’s hiccup, and is worth holding on to if you have the roster space. He’s throwing hard and has earned the trust of Bob Melvin, while Doolittle’s velocity still hasn’t returned to pre-injury levels.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Venditte.

August 30, 2015
Oakland A’s – Drew Pomeranz struck out the side on Saturday night to earn his third save of the year.  Sean Doolittle has given up at least a run in each of his two appearances since returning from the disabled list.  Pomeranz could still see some save opportunities in the short term, but long term Doolittle should settle back into that role.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Venditte.
* = closer-by-committee

August 24, 2015
Oakland A’s – Our initial prognostications were accurate, as Bob Melvin said shortly after Sean Doolittle’s activation that he expects the lefty to win the closer job back. But Doolittle got off to a rocky start yesterday, as his first outing was a 7th-inning appearance that saw him give up a lead. We still think he’s the favorite to emerge from this committee, but other relievers could get save opportunities until he gains his footing.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Venditte.
* = closer-by-committee

August 23, 2015
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle was activated on Saturday, and while Manager Bob Melvin said that Doolittle will get at least one outing before returning to closing games, last night was just another reason why the A’s need Doolittle in the ninth inning sooner rather than later.  With a one run lead, switch-pitcher Pat Venditte got the call to face the righties due up.  He gave up a hit and walk, before Drew Pomeranz came on to try and preserve the lead.  He gave up a two-run double to the first batter he faced and the A’s lost by one run.  Pomeranz and Venditte could still see some time in the ninth inning in the near future but look for Doolittle to take over as soon as he can.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Venditte.
* = closer-by-committee

August 22, 2015
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle has been activated from the disabled list. None of the Oakland beat writers have reported on his usage, as they haven’t been able to talk to Bob Melvin yet, so this is purely a hunch. However, we think he’s the best bet to close for the rest of the year and we’re immediately moving him to the top of Oakland’s committee. Drew Pomeranz has been the best reliever in the bullpen, but the A’s have continually used him for multiple-inning outings, which is a role he seems more suited for as a former starter (and a role that Doolittle has never filled), and we think that’s where he’s headed as soon as Doolittle gets his feet under him. For what it’s worth, Doolittle allowed only three baserunners in 6 innings while logging 13 strikeouts in the heavy-hitting Pacific Coast League during his rehab.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Pomeranz | Mujica.
* = closer-by-committee

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.

August 18, 2015
Oakland A’s – A few days after complaining about the dreaded forearm tightness, A’s left-hander Drew Pomeranz was back in the mix last night, working a scoreless 6th inning with two strikeouts. We will keep an eye out for any injury news, but for the time being Pomeranz will bump Fernando Abad out of the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Mujica | Rodriguez | Pomeranz.
* = closer-by-committee.

August 15, 2015
Oakland A’s — Edward Mujica pitched the seventh and eighth innings with Oakland down two runs, and after the A’s tied the score, Fernando Rodriguez pitched the ninth. As the game stretched on, Drew Pomeranz worked the eleventh and twelfth, then suffered an apparent elbow injury in the thirteenth. The good news is that Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect eighth for Nashville on a rehab assignment; until he gets back, we’ll move the streaking Fernando Abad into the hierarchy, assuming that Pomeranz takes some time off. The A’s are one intradivisional trade away from the world’s first all-Fernando hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Mujica | Rodriguez | Abad.

August 10, 2015
Oakland A’s – Edward Mujica’s time as closer for the A’s may have already come to an end. Staked to a 2-run lead against the Astros, Mujica threw 10 pitches, allowing two singles and a go-ahead 3-run home run. The A’s bailed him out by rallying in the bottom half of the inning, but Bob Melvin implied after the game that someone else might get the next save chance. At the very least, Mujica is now in a committee, and Drew Pomeranz or Fernando Rodriguez could end up the full-time stopper in the near future.

Updated hierarchy: *Mujica | Pomeranz | Rodriguez.
* = closer-by-committee

August 9, 2015
Oakland A’s — Edward Muijca worked a perfect 9th inning yesterday for his first save with the A’s.  Injured closer Sean Doolittle pitched a scoreless inning on a rehab assignment on Friday.  He is expected to pitch another inning today and could be back in the next couple weeks.

Hierarchy remains: Mujica | Pomeranz | Rodriguez.

August 2, 2015
Oakland A’s — Eric O’Flaherty has been designated for assignment.  Fernando Rodriguez could see more time in the later innings moving forward.

Updated hierarchy: Mujica | Pomeranz | Rodriguez.

July 31, 2015
Oakland A’s — Former closer Sean Doolittle threw off a mound Thursday for the first time since going on the disabled list with a left shoulder strain. He threw 26 pitches in a bullpen session and said he was “pretty happy” with the movement on his pitches. Doolittle still hopes to pitch again this season.

Hierarchy remains: Mujica | Pomeranz | O’Flaherty.

July 29, 2015
Oakland A’s – While still unconfirmed that he subscribes to Closer Monkey, A’s manager Bob Melvin made sure Edward Mujica will remain at the top of our hierarchy, saying before the game that Mujica will close following the Tyler Clippard trade. Mujica’s experience was the main factor in Melvin’s decision. Drew Pomeranz will remain in a set-up role, but Melvin also mentioned he can be used in multiple situations out of the bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Mujica | Pomeranz | O’Flaherty.

July 27, 2015
Oakland A’s – Tyler Clippard has been traded to the Mets. As mentioned earlier, we believe Edward Mujica is probably the best bet for saves in Oakland at the moment. Drew Pomeranz could also factor if the A’s continue to reconsider shifting him to the rotation, and one A’s beat writer believes Eric O’Flaherty is a possibility. Check back to see if the A’s anoint someone specific.

Updated hierarchy: *Mujica | Pomeranz | O’Flaherty.
* = closer-by-committee

July 27, 2015
Oakland A’s – Tyler Clippard is likely to be traded soon, according to Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle. The Nationals, Mets, and Yankees were listed as possible landing spots; he would not close for any of those teams. The two most likely beneficiaries in the Oakland bullpen are Edward Mujica and Drew Pomeranz; the latter was discussed as a candidate for the rotation, but recently had his Wednesday start scratched.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Mujica | Pomeranz.

July 24, 2015
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle, who was pitched in just one game this year, said this week he is working extremely hard to pitch again this season. “It looks like there’s a really good chance I’ll be pitching this year,” Doolittle said. We don’t envision Doolittle getting a save opportunity this year, but him getting in a few games this August or September could go a long way in helping you keeper-leaguers decide if he’s worth holding onto.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Mujica | Pomeranz.

June 26, 2015
Oakland A’s — Tyler Clippard did his job, recording the save, but it’s who pitched ahead of him that caught our eye. In the seventh inning, we saw Drew Pomeranz, and in the eighth, we saw Edward Mujica, who returned from the DL last week and may start getting more looks in the late innings. Mujica closed for the Cardinals a couple years ago, and started this year as the Red Sox closer while Koji Uehara was hurt. Don’t forget that Clippard has been prominently mentioned in some trade rumors recently, and that Evan Scribner has recorded as many home runs allowed as he has strikeouts (three) over his last eight appearances (5.2 IP). Add it all up, and Mujica belongs in the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Mujica | Pomeranz.

June 24, 2015
Oakland A’s – With Tyler Clippard unavailable after throwing nearly 60 pitches this past weekend, it was Drew Pomeranz who took the 8th inning and stayed on for the 9th to earn his first career save. Clippard should be available today after two days off to recover.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Scribner | Pomeranz.

June 17, 2015
Oakland A’s – Former starter Drew Pomeranz has joined the Oakland bullpen and picked up his second hold in as many chances on Tuesday. He’s moved past Eric O’Flaherty, who sports an 8.38 ERA and no holds since April 14.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Scribner | Pomeranz.

June 15, 2015
Oakland A’s – The A’s don’t expect Sean Doolittle to return any time soon; they just transferred him to the 60-day DL to clear a roster spot.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Scribner | O’Flaherty.

June 13, 2015
Oakland A’s — Nothing (green and) gold can stay. Switch-pitching Pat Venditte, who started his career with 5.2 scoreless innings, became the latest Oakland player to hit the disabled list, with a frayed right labrum. And no, everyone, he can’t just pitch with his left arm, not if he wants his shoulder to heal right. We’ll toss Eric O’Flaherty in the hierarchy for now, based solely on his history as an above-average reliever, but Billy Beane is probably taking applications if you’re interested.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Scribner | O’Flaherty.

June 6, 2015
Oakland A’s — A four-run meltdown on Thursday was enough to get a struggling Dan Otero demoted to Triple-A; replacing him on the 25-man roster was the ambidextrous Pat Venditte, who rushed to Boston in time to pitch two scoreless innings in a loss, retiring batters with each hand. Sure, he’s probably not really second in line for the A’s, but whom would you prefer? Long man Drew Pomeranz? Eric O’Flaherty (10.13 ERA)? Fernando Abad (more earned runs than strikeouts)? Fernando Rodriguez (is Fernando Rodriguez)? Sean Doolittle isn’t coming through that door anytime soon, and Ryan Cook is in Nashville with Otero. For today, at least, P. ‘Ditte ain’t . . . goin’ nowhere.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Scribner | Venditte.

May 30, 2015
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle is headed back to the DL with a left shoulder strain.  The injury will likely keep Doolittle out until at least the All-Star break.  Tyler Clippard should continue to close in his absence.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Scribner | Otero.

May 29, 2015
Oakland A’s — With Sean Doolittle still being eased back into the closer’s role after his first appearance on Wednesday (a scoreless sixth inning with 1 hit allowed), the A’s called upon Tyler Clippard for Thursday’s save. Clippard allowed one run on a Brett Gardner double, but was able to close the door for his fifth save. We still strongly believe that Doolittle is back in the big leagues to close, and close soon, but it could be worth hanging onto Clippard until Doolittle gets the ball in the ninth inning — though it remains to be seen just what he’ll choose to “ride” to the mound.

Hierarchy remains: *Doolittle | Clippard | Scribner.
* = closer-by-committee

May 26, 2015
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle will be activated from the disabled list today. Bob Melvin has repeatedly said that while Doolittle won’t close right away, he will be serving in that role in short order. So we’re moving him to the top of the hierarchy because the assumption is that he will be the closer by the end of the week; we’ll tag him with an asterisk for now and remove it once he gets his first save.

Updated hierarchy: *Doolittle | Clippard | Scribner.
* = closer-by-committee

May 14, 2015
Oakland A’s –Sean Doolittle is set to begin a rehab assignment today. Manager Bob Melvin didn’t say how many minor-league outings Doolittle will need, but the sooner the A’s bullpen can get him back, the better. He should slide back into the closer’s role upon his return.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Scribner | Otero.

May 5, 2015
Oakland A’s — Ryan Cook’s early struggles got him sent back to the minors; Dan Otero is probably the best of Oakland’s remaining seventh-inning options until Sean Doolittle’s return relieves some of the pressure on the A’s pen. Otero had made late-inning appearances in five straight games before Monday night.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Scribner | Otero.

May 1, 2015
Oakland A’s – Injured A’s closer Sean Doolittle (shoulder strain) threw a 25-pitch bullpen session on Thursday, and could begin a rehab assignment next week. If that goes well, he could be in line to return to Oakland by Memorial Day and would certainly figure into manager Bob Melvin’s late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Scribner | Cook.

April 27, 2015
Oakland A’s — Oakland’s bullpen has been struggling lately, turning Evan Scribner into an eighth-inning fixture, and leading Bob Melvin to give Ryan Cook the seventh-inning role in his season debut. Cook pitched well, but Tyler Clippard blew the save. Clippard has enough good will built up, though, that he’s not on the Hot Seat yet. Sean Doolittle is throwing from flat ground, but he still isn’t expected back until June.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Scribner | Cook.

April 19, 2015
Oakland A’s — Jesse Chavez recorded a save yesterday by pitching the last 3.2 innings after starter Jesse Hahn left with an injury.  Chavez does not factor into the A’s late inning plans but Sean Doolittle will when he returns and he is making progress.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | O’Flaherty | Otero.

March 29, 2015
Oakland A’s — Manager Bob Melvin confirmed that Tyler Clippard will begin the season as their closer.  Sean Doolittle is still working his way back from a shoulder injury and felt good after his first throwing session on Friday.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | O’Flaherty | Otero.

March 26, 2015
Oakland A’s — A struggling Ryan Cook was sent to the minors on Tuesday to fix his mechanics. Eric O’Flaherty and Dan Otero will back up Tyler Clippard during Sean Doolittle’s absence, and young R.J. Alvarez is another intriguing option. Doolittle, meanwhile, is staying busy teaching his coaches about social media.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | O’Flaherty | Otero.

March 18, 2015
Oakland A’s – Tyler Clippard has let his once-surefire gig as interim closer slip a bit, as a few tough preseason outings have brought Ryan Cook — and Eric O’Flaherty and Dan Otero — into the conversation. Sean Doolittle will start his throwing program soon, so this could just be a short-term problem for Oakland, and to be clear, we still think Clippard is the best healthy reliever to own. But the situation warrants watching in the coming weeks.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Cook | O’Flaherty.

March 6, 2015
Oakland A’s — With Sean Doolittle starting the year on the disabled list — and sleeping on the couch after his semifinal loss in the #FaceofMLB contest — the uber-durable Tyler Clippard will start the season as the closer. Clippard led the NL in holds in 2011, 2013, and 2014, and saved 32 games for Washington in 2012. Lefty Eric O’Flaherty and righty Ryan Cook will back him up, along with Dan Otero and Fernando Abad. If the ambidextrous Pat Venditte can somehow make the team, he could set a new record for appearances — in games, and in Closer Monkey updates.

Starting 2015 hierarchy: Clippard | Cook | O’Flaherty.
Holds candidates: Cook, Clippard (eventually).

September 13, 2014
Oakland A’s – Closer Sean Doolittle returned from the DL yesterday.  Manager Bob Melvin said that everyone will return to their normal roles so it sounds like Doolittle will resume closing games immediately.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | O’Flaherty | Cook.

September 12, 2014
Oakland A’s – As expected, the A’s have activated Sean Doolittle from the disabled list. Given the problems they’ve had in the late innings lately, it’s likely that Doolittle resumes closing immediately.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | O’Flaherty | Cook.

September 12, 2014
Oakland A’s – All signs point towards Sean Doolittle’s activation today. Since we anticipate his immediate return to his old gig, expect a live alert if and when he is officially activated.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

September 11, 2014
Oakland A’s — After a successful outing on Wednesday, Sean Doolittle is on track to return from the DL on Friday.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

September 9, 2014
Oakland A’s — Despite manager Bob Melvin saying yesterday that Eric O’Flaherty was likely unavailable on Monday, the A’s skipper summoned O’Flaherty in the ninth for the save chance. O’Flaherty was one strike away, but a solo shot sent the game into extras. O’Flaherty has not pitched in back-to-back games this year, meaning Ryan Cook might get another shot if the A’s lead in the ninth on Tuesday.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

September 8, 2014
Oakland A’s — Eric O’Flaherty has been unavailable with lower back tightness and will not pitch on Monday.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

September 7, 2014
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle threw a bullpen session yesterday and said he felt good throwing all his pitches.  He is eligible to come off the DL Monday but will likely need a few more days before he returns.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

August 28, 2014
Oakland A’s — Eric O’Flaherty gave up a solo home run, but earned his first career save on Wednesday. He remains atop the Oakland closer committee. Ryan Cook was used in the sixth and seventh; Dan Otero pitched in the seventh and eighth.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

August 27, 2014
Oakland A’s — Something to keep in mind when thinking about the Oakland committee is that Eric O’Flaherty has yet to pitch in back-to-back games all year. Luke Gregerson spared him the chance tonight by giving up a three-run homer in an eventual 4-2 loss.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

August 26, 2014
Oakland A’s – The A’s had just a 3-2 lead entering the ninth and Eric O’Flaherty was warming for his first save chance since Sean Doolittle landed on the DL. However, Oakland scored five runs in the top half of the final frame and O’Flaherty recorded the final three outs in a non-save setting. Melvin mentioned in his postgame comments that he didn’t want to get O’Flaherty warmed up and not use him. He’s still at the top of our hierarchy, but we’ll see if Melvin gets another committee member some ninth-inning reps.

Hierarchy remains: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

August 24, 2014
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle has been placed on the DL with an intercostal strain. Luke Gregerson was expected to see the majority of save chances, but before Sunday’s game, Bob Melvin said that Gregerson would stay in the eighth inning while Dan Otero, Ryan Cook, and Eric O’Flaherty share save chances. It’s an odd decision, since Gregerson closed earlier this year and has pitched the 8th ever since, but it’s all we’ve got to go on for now, so we’ll do our best to handicap things based on the one-game sample size that we’ve got. On Sunday game, Otero pitched in the 7th inning with the A’s down by nine runs, while Cook pitched the 9th and O’Flaherty was idle. The fact that O’Flaherty didn’t pitch, combined with this strong endorsement from A’s beat writer Susan Slusser, means that O’Flaherty starts at the top of the committee for now. We’ll slot Cook in afterwards, since he’s got the past closer experience, and follow him with Gregerson, mostly because we’re stubborn and still think he’s the guy for the job. And despite his usage yesterday, Otero is in the mix as well.

Updated hierarchy: O’Flaherty | Cook | Gregerson.

August 24, 2014
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle recorded his 20th save of the season last night, but he may have injured himself in the process.  Doolittle grimaced in pain after making the throw to first to end the game.  The trainers did tests on him after the game and he was optimistic after he was able to complete the tests.  It doesn’t sound like it will be serious but it will be something to monitor, and if Doolittle does miss any time, Luke Gregerson should take over as closer.

Hierarchy remains: Doolittle | Gregerson | Cook.

July 15, 2014
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle has been terrific since taking over for Jim Johnson and has helped the A’s to the best record in baseball at the All-Star break. TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL: None

June 30, 2014
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle and Luke Gregerson had both pitched in two straight and three of four, so the A’s used Ryan Cook to get the last four outs of the game on Sunday. Cook, Dan Otero, and Fernando Abad will continue to jockey for 7th inning chances.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Gregerson | Cook.

June 29, 2014
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle’s scoreless inning streak ended at 26 yesterday, as he blew a one run lead in the 9th inning.  Jeff Francis ended up getting the save in the 14th inning, but he does not factor into the A’s normal late inning bullpen plans.

Hierarchy Remains: Doolittle | Gregerson | Otero.

June 20, 2014
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle, he of the most ridiculous K/BB ratio since 1900, got the night off Thursday after pitching in two games in a row. Righty Dan Otero picked up the save in his place.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Gregerson | Otero.

June 4, 2014
Oakland A’s — Ryan Cook was reactivated from the disabled list on Tuesday and, although he didn’t make it into the game, Bob Melvin had him warming along with lefty Fernando Abad in a tied seventh inning. If Cook can return to form, he should move into a seventh-inning role right away.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Gregerson | Cook.

May 30, 2014
Oakland A’s – With $10 million invested, the A’s really want Jim Johnson to succeed — or at least be a usable reliever. But after giving up 2 runs in the 7th inning of a close game on Thursday afternoon, Johnson’s ERA sits at 6.55. The A’s season is exactly 1/3 over, so we’ve reached the point where a small sample size is no longer an excuse, and with the rest of the bullpen essentially dominating, Johnson is unlikely to sniff a save opportunity again for a long time.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Gregerson | Abad.

May 21, 2014
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle’s first walk in nine months didn’t scare off Bob Melvin Tuesday night. After the lefty finished off the Rays, he was officially anointed Oakland’s closer. “It’s pretty cool, I guess,” was Doolittle’s response — fitting for a man who’s been known to dance like no one is watching to George Michael.

Hierarchy remains: Doolittle | Gregerson | Johnson.

May 19, 2014
Oakland A’s – A week ago today, Sean Doolittle got his second save of the season. Since then, the A’s haven’t had another save opportunity, but even before yesterday, it had started to appear that Doolittle was becoming the preferred option. Bob Melvin said on Wednesday that Doolittle would’ve gotten the save chance if there had been one that evening, and then Doolittle pitched the 9th inning in a 4-run game on Saturday. Meanwhile, Jim Johnson’s usage has been restricted to blowouts — the 9th inning of a 10-run game on Friday, and then the 6th inning of an 8-run game yesterday. In the latter appearance, Johnson walked 3 batters, hit a fourth, and then got yanked. Johnson appeared to be back on track earlier this month, but he’s fallen pretty far over the past week, and will probably have to string together a few strong appearances before he re-enters the conversation in Oakland. Look for Doolittle to be the main option for now, with Luke Gregerson getting the call if the A’s are facing a righty-heavy ninth inning.

Updated hierarchy: Doolittle | Gregerson | Johnson

May 15, 2014
Oakland A’s — Although the A’s blew a one-run lead in the eighth, Bob Melvin helpfully announced after the game that Sean Doolittle would have pitched the ninth in a save situation. The committee lives.

Hierarchy remains: Johnson | Doolittle | Gregerson.

May 14, 2014
Oakland A’s — Bob Melvin renewed Oakland’s commitment to a closer committee on Tuesday, noting that Sean Doolittle’s value with men on base can sometimes keep him from finishing close games. That acknowledgment suggests to us that Johnson still has a slight edge in the saves race going forward, but it’s anything but a full-throated endorsement.

Hierarchy remains: Johnson | Doolittle | Gregerson.

May 13, 2014
Oakland A’s — The A’s were seemingly on their way to a comfortable win over the White Sox, but after starter Jesse Chavez allowed a leadoff homer in the ninth and Fernando Abad followed that up with a walk, Jim Johnson made a mess of things. He faced just two batters, allowing a double and an RBI single before giving way to Sean Doolittle. After a sac fly cut Oakland’s lead to 5-4, Doolittle fanned the next two batters to pick up the save. Manager Bob Melvin praised Doolittle after the game and after being booed off the field, Johnson may be another poor outing away from losing the job he just reclaimed.  Jim Johnson to Hot Seat; Hierarchy change: Sean Doolittle to Set-up, Luke Gregerson to 2nd in line.

May 8, 2014
Oakland A’s — Jim Johnson got the ball in the ninth inning with a 2-0 lead, and retired the side to record just his second save of the season. An easy final three outs hasn’t been Johnson’s strong suit, but it appears as if he’ll get Oakland’s save opportunities moving forward. Should he slip again, expect Luke Gregerson to return to the ninth.

Hierarchy change: Johnson | Gregerson | Doolittle.

May 7, 2014
Oakland A’s — Down a run late, the Athletics went to Sean Doolittle, Luke Gregerson, and then Jim Johnson, in what appeared to be another attempt to ease Johnson back into the closer’s role. That process may have been derailed after Johnson surrendered four runs (three earned) in 2/3 of an inning. No hierarchy change.

May 1, 2014
Oakland A’s — Jim Johnson remains undefeated — for his career! — when protecting an 11-run lead. Luke Gregerson, who hadn’t pitched since Saturday, got the eighth inning in this laugher, and it seems all but official that JJ will claim the next high-leverage ninth. We’ll slide him up one slot, for now. Hierarchy change: Jim Johnson to Set-Up, Sean Doolittle to 2nd in line.

April 26, 2014
Oakland A’s – The A’s were tied throughout the latter half of Friday night’s game, and used Sean Doolittle in the 7th inning, followed by Luke Gregerson in the 8th.  Jim Johnson was warming up in the bullpen as they took the lead in the 9th, but the A’s proceeded to score a total of 7 runs in the top half of the inning, so Johnson sat down and Fernando Abad came in to mop up.  Bob Melvin was quick to tell anyone who would listen that Johnson has not re-claimed the job, and that Oakland is still using a committee.  But this feels like one of those spots where the manager takes a firm public stance just to take pressure off a player.  Johnson has five straight scoreless appearances covering 6.2 innings, and he was brought in on a sizable contract to close games for the A’s.  We think he’ll get the next save opportunity, and as long as he converts, the job will be his again.  No hierarchy change.

April 23, 2014
Oakland A’s — Luke Gregerson was one strike away from his fourth save of the year; instead, he blew his second in less than a week, and took the loss. Meanwhile, Fernando Abad continued his scoreless streak by picking up two outs in the eighth, and Jim Johnson was warming up as the winning run scored. Bob Melvin was incensed in his postgame press conference; it’s anyone’s guess where he’ll turn next, but Abad, Johnson, and Sean Doolittle are all options. No hierarchy change.

April 17, 2014
Oakland A’s — It was Luke Gregerson’s turn to blow a save on Wednesday. Bob Melvin has said that he’ll consider making some changes in the bullpen on tomorrow’s off day; don’t be surprised if Jim Johnson gets back into it. Hierarchy change: Jim Johnson to 2nd in line, replacing Ryan Cook.

April 16, 2014
Oakland A’s — Sean Doolittle blew a save late Tuesday night, courtesy of a Mike Trout home run. No instant alert for this one — they were even anyway — but we’re ready to shuffle Luke Gregerson to the top of the Oakland closer committee. Note also the resurgence of Jim Johnson, who’s pitched five scoreless innings since he was moved out of the ninth inning. Hierarchy change: Luke Gregerson to Closer, Sean Doolittle to Set-up.

April 15, 2014
Oakland A’s — After the Angels’ Ernesto Frieri blew a 3-2 lead in the ninth, Luke Gregerson earned his second save of the season in the bottom half of the inning. Oakland’s committee continues to shine, with Gregerson likely getting the call thanks to the pair of righties due up in the ninth.  No hierarchy change.

April 13, 2014
Oakland A’s –Luke Gregerson picked up the first save for Oakland since Jim Johnson was removed as closer.  Sean Doolittle pitched a perfect 8th and also got the first out of the 9th before Gregerson came on to finish the game.  Tonight’s usage was likely matchup driven, as there were 2 lefties and a switch hitter due up in the 8th inning.  No hierarchy change.

April 11, 2014
Oakland A’s – Bob Melvin has said little about his closer-by-committee thus far, but we got a hint yesterday about his preferred options when he summoned Ryan Cook in the 8th inning of a 4-run game.  Cook had 16 saves over his first two seasons, but he’s still rounding into form after starting the season on the DL.  His usage yesterday suggests that Luke Gregerson is the preferred right-hander in the committee right now.  Hierarchy change: Luke Gregerson to Set-up, Ryan Cook to 2nd in line.

April 10, 2014
Oakland A’s – Bob Melvin is giving Jim Johnson a break from closing duties for the time being.  Johnson may have the chance to win the job back if he pitches well, but for now, the A’s are going closer by committee.  Sean Doolittle, Luke Gregerson, Ryan Cook, and Dan Otero all figure to be involved.  Hierarchy change: Sean Doolittle to Closer, Ryan Cook to Set-up, Luke Gregerson to 2nd in line.

April 10, 2014
Oakland A’s — It’s hard to raise a 15.00 ERA, but Jim Johnson pulled it off today. When asked to comment on potential replacements, Bob Melvin helpfully offered, “I’m just saying that I’m not saying anything.” Aha. We see Sean Doolittle as the best alternative, with Luke Gregerson behind him in a virtual tie with Ryan Cook, who’s still recovering from shoulder issues. No hierarchy change.

April 8, 2014
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook returned from the disabled list and pitched a scoreless ninth inning in an 8-3 Oakland win. He should take over the 7th-inning role previously held by Luke Gregerson. Hierarchy change: Ryan Cook to 2nd in line, replacing Luke Gregerson.

April 3, 2014
Oakland A’s – After taking a loss on Monday, Jim Johnson came on for the save last night and gave up three runs to blow the save.  Through two appearances, Johnson’s line is hideous: 1.0 IP, 5 ER, 5 H, 3BB, 0 Ks.  He’s making a lot of money to be the stopper in Oakland, and thus far, the A’s are still giving him their full support.  But a few more outings like this one and they’ll have to turn elsewhere — most likely to hard-throwing lefty Sean Doolittle.  Jim Johnson to Hot Seat.

April 1, 2014
Oakland A’s — Jim Johnson made his A’s debut in the ninth inning of a scoreless game and allowed the first three batters to reach before giving up a sac fly and a single. He was taken out to a chorus of boos, though there’s no sign of the reigning saves leader in the AL losing his new job.  No Hierarchy change.

March 23, 2014
Oakland A’s — Ryan Cook is expected to start the season on the DL.  Veteran Luke Gregerson should take over for Cook while he is out.   Hierarchy change: Luke Gregerson to 2nd in line, Ryan Cook injured.

March 13, 2014
Oakland A’s — Jim Johnson had a second straight year of 50 saves, sure, but don’t forget the nine blown saves either. Oakland will probably not present the same wealth of save opportunities as Baltimore has. Ranked #15 in our preseason closer rankings.

March 7, 2014
Oakland A’s – The A’s brought Jim Johnson in to be their new stopper, and gave him a contract big enough to ensure his early-season job security.  Not much else to see here, as Sean Doolittle and Ryan Cook will likely share 8th inning duties again.  Cook has been recovering from some tendinitis, but is confident he’ll be ready for the season.  If he can’t go, the newly-acquired Luke Gregerson will slide up into his spot.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Jim Johnson, Set-up – Sean Doolittle, 2nd in line – Ryan Cook.  

September 14, 2013
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook came on with 2 outs in the 8th inning last night and proceeded to give up a walk and two hits while recording no outs.  Sean Doolittle got the last out of the 8th and stayed on for the 9th to pick up his 2nd save of the season.  Grant Balfour admitted recently that his arm is tired so Doolittle and Cook could see a few more save chances down the stretch.  Hierarchy change: Sean Doolittle to Set-up,  Ryan Cook to 2nd in line.

September 9, 2013
Oakland A’s – The fantasy managers out there that picked up Brett Anderson two weeks ago (no one) have now gotten three saves out of the converted perfect gamer.  At this point, it doesn’t seem that outlandish to suggest that Anderson might get another long-relief save or two before the season ends, as the A’s might continue to use him in this fashion going forward.  In the deepest of leagues, he might be worth an add if you’re in a very tight race for saves.  No hierarchy change.

September 8, 2013
Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour threw 37 pitches in his Friday outing, so the A’s went to Sean Doolittle in the 9th on Saturday, and the lefty picked up his first save.  Doolittle continues to share the 8th inning role with Ryan Cook.  No hierarchy change.

September 5, 2013
Oakland A’s – Brett Anderson picked up a three-inning save in a blowout yesterday.  Though he’s now picked up two long-relief saves in the past seven days, he doesn’t factor in to the usual late-inning plans in Oakland.  No hierarchy change.

August 29, 2013
Oakland A’s – Brett Anderson picked up a three-inning save on Wednesday.  The former starter does not factor in to the A’s usual late-inning plans.  No hierarchy change.

July 25, 2013
Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour got the day off on Wednesday, and Ryan Cook picked up the save in his absence.  Nothing to see here.  No hierarchy change.

July 17, 2013
Oakland A’s — Oakland might add another arm in middle relief; they were chasing Matt Thornton before the Red Sox sealed that deal. With Grant Balfour facing free agency, though, don’t put it past Billy Beane to deal his All-Star closer, even with the A’s atop their division. TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL: BUY Ryan Cook, SELL Grant Balfour.

July 8, 2013
Oakland A’s – Jesse Chavez picked up a 4-inning save last night.  He does not factor in to the A’s usual late-inning plans.  No hierarchy change.

June 3, 2013
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook finished off the 7th and stayed on for a spotless 8th on Sunday, marking the third straight 8th-inning appearance for Cook.  Sean Doolittle, meanwhile, has struggled in his last two outings, allowing two runs each time.  Hierarchy change: Ryan Cook to Set-up, Sean Doolittle to 2nd in line.

May 20, 2013
Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour and Sean Doolittle both had the day off on Sunday after pitching the previous two days, so Ryan Cook got the call in the 9th inning.  The righty made it interesting, allowing two runners to reach, but ultimately locked down his first save of the season.  No hierarchy change.

May 4, 2013
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle pitched the 8th, and then stayed on to get the first two outs of the 9th inning, getting Hafner and Ichiro before giving way to Balfour who got one out for the save.  Doolittle has been used in the 8th inning over Ryan Cook a couple times in the past week and looks to have taken over that role. Hierarchy change: Sean Doolittle to Set-up,  Ryan Cook to 2nd in line.

February 24, 2013
Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour recently underwent surgery and will miss six weeks.  If he’s not ready to start the season, Ryan Cook should get the early chances.  Starting 2013 hierarchy: Closer- Grant Balfour, Set-up- Ryan Cook, 2nd in line- Sean Doolittle.

September 13, 2012
Oakland A’s – As expected, Grant Balfour got the night off after three straight games of work, and it was Ryan Cook summoned for a one-out save. No hierarchy change.

September 12, 2012
Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour got into trouble in the 9th inning on Tuesday, and Jerry Blevins bailed him out for his first save of the season. Balfour has been pitching well since returning to the closer role and it’s unlikely that his job is in jeopardy. No hierarchy change.

August 30, 2012
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook got the last out of the 8th inning in a close game on Wednesday, then stayed on for the 9th after the A’s tacked on a few runs. Cook has been pitching quite well as of late, but unfortunately for him, so has Grant Balfour, who will probably hold on to the role unless he starts to struggle. No hierarchy change.

August 26, 2012
Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle pitched the 8th inning ahead of Grant Balfour on Saturday, striking out 2 in a perfect inning for his 9th hold of the year. The A’s have gone back and forth between Doolittle and Jerry Blevins over the past month or so, using whoever is pitching better as their go-to lefty. Lately, that’s been Doolittle, who over his last 7 innings pitched has allowed 0 runs while striking out 13. Hierarchy change: Sean Doolittle to 2nd in line, replacing Jerry Blevins.

August 17, 2012
Oakland A’s – Jerry Blevins picked up his 9th hold of the season, pitching parts of the 7th and 8th innings ahead of Ryan Cook and Grant Balfour. Cook has now had scoreless outings since being demoted, and if Bob Melvin was serious about Cook’s demotion being temporary, then the young righty could win the job back soon. Grant Balfour, through no fault of his own, is now on notice. Hierarchy change: Jerry Blevins to 2nd in line, replacing Pat Neshek. Grant Balfour to Hot Seat.

August 11, 2012
Oakland A’s – Bob Melvin has removed Ryan Cook from the closer role, saying he wanted to use the rookie in lower-pressure situations. Melvin emphasized that the move may not be permanent, but that he’d go with a closer-by-committee for the time being. Grant Balfour got the save on Saturday after Cook pitched in the 7th and 8th, and Balfour is the best short-term (and possibly long-term) option for saves at this point. Hierarchy change: Grant Balfour to Closer, Ryan Cook to Set-up.

August 5, 2012
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook on Saturday blew his second save in a row and his fourth in his last six chances. He’s now got 7 blown saves on the year, which leads the league, and could be in danger of losing his job to former closer Grant Balfour. On the other end of the bullpen, Pat Neshek, called up two days ago, has not allowed a hit in 3 innings while striking out 4, and earned his first hold of the season last night. Hierarchy change: Pat Neshek to 2nd in line, replacing Sean Doolittle. Ryan Cook to Hot Seat.

July 22, 2012
Oakland A’s – With Ryan Cook getting the night off after pitching three games in a row, the A’s went to Sean Doolittle, who pitched a clean 9th inning for his first save. The hard-throwing lefty now has 29 strikeouts in 19.1 innings and has surpassed Jerry Blevins on the depth chart. Hierarchy change: Sean Doolittle to 2nd in line, replacing Jerry Blevins.

July 13, 2012
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook isn’t going anywhere, but the A’s are actively looking to move Grant Balfour. If Balfour catches on with the right team– like the Mets, or possibly the Cardinals– he could be in the mix for saves. TRADE DEADLINE BUY: Grant Balfour. SELL: None.

July 1, 2012
Oakland A’s – Brian Fuentes was summoned in the 6th inning on Saturday with the A’s down by 4 runs, and he proceeded to give up a run on two hits and a walk in 1.1 innings. Bob Melvin has said that he’s trying to work Fuentes back into a late-inning role, but the lefty isn’t helping himself, as he now sports a 6.84 ERA. Jerry Blevins (2.51 ERA) has been a much more reliable lefty for the A’s, as he picked up a 7th inning hold on Friday. Hierarchy change: Jerry Blevins to 2nd in line, replacing Brian Fuentes.

June 23, 2012
Oakland A’s – All year, Ryan Cook’s dirty little secret has been his hideous BB/IP ratio (5.7 per 9), and yesterday, it finally came back to bite him, as he blew his second save of the season after walking the inning’s first two batters on nine pitches. Under most circumstances, one outing wouldn’t be enough to endanger his job, but Cook has never actually been officially named the closer, and former 9th inning man Grant Balfour has been stellar all month, having allowed 0 runs and 3 hits in his last 9.2 innings. Ryan Cook to Hot Seat.

June 16, 2012
Oakland A’s – Evan Scribner earned a 3-inning save on Friday. He does not factor in to the A’s normal late inning plans. No hierarchy change.

June 13, 2012
Oakland A’s – In the A’s first save opportunity since Bob Melvin announced the platoon, Ryan Cook got the call, striking out 2 and earning his first save. Grant Balfour pitched the 7th and 8th innings. While Fuentes may still get a save chance if match-ups are right, he hasn’t pitched since being demoted. Hierarchy change: Grant Balfour to Set-up, Brian Fuentes to 2nd in line.

June 10, 2012
Oakland A’s – Bob Melvin told the San Francisco Chronicle before Saturday’s game that he would employ a closer-by-committee going forward, with Ryan Cook, Brian Fuentes, and Grant Balfour involved. Melvin also said that Ryan Cook was his best option in any tough situation, making him the best bet to win the job. Hierarchy change: Ryan Cook to Closer, Brian Fuentes to Set-up.

June 9, 2012
Oakland A’s – Brian Fuentes blew another save last night and is now only 5 for 8 in save opportunities. Ryan Cook pitched the 8th last night and struck out the side while lowering his ERA to 0.69. When asked about the closer situation after the game Manager Bob Melvin simply said, “I don’t make a decision like that two minutes after a game.” It appears Melvin is certainly considering a change and Cook has pitched well enough to deserve a shot at closing. No hierarchy change.

May 30, 2012
Oakland A’s – Brian Fuentes allowed a walkoff 3-run HR last night in what was his first blown save since he was named closer two and a half weeks ago. But while Fuentes has been decent in his role as the A’s stopper, the A’s set-up men have been better. Former closer Grant Balfour has held opponents scoreless in 8 of his last 9 appearances. Ryan Cook, meanwhile, gave up his first runs of the season the other day, but still sports a 0.75 ERA. If Fuentes falters again, the A’s could start thinking about making a move. Brian Fuentes to Hot Seat.

May 13, 2012
Oakland A’s – Brian Fuentes picked up the save last night in what initially appeared to be a match-up play; three of the four Tigers hitters due up that inning were lefties. But early this morning, Bob Melvin told the Oakland Tribune that Fuentes was his man for the foreseeable future. “We’ll give Balfour a bit of a break,” he said. Hierarchy change: Brian Fuentes to Closer, Grant Balfour to 2nd in line.

May 3, 2012
Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour threw 29 pitches in blowing a save on Tuesday, and has been dealing with a sore back, so Brian Fuentes picked up the save in his absence on Wednesday. But while Balfour remains on the Hot Seat, this isn’t an indication that he’s lost his job yet. If his back continues to bother him, Brian Fuentes or Ryan Cook will get save opportunities. No hierarchy change.

May 2, 2012
Oakland A’s – Grant Balfour was summoned in a four-run game, but couldn’t close the door on the Red Sox, allowing two runs before being yanked; Jordan Norberto got the save in his absence. Given set-up man Ryan Cook’s astonishing season thus far (12 innings, 0 runs, 1 hit), the A’s might be growing impatient with Balfour, who had already blown two of this last three save opps before Tuesday. Grant Balfour to Hot Seat.

April 18, 2012
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook was brought in for the 8th inning, the second consecutive game that he has been used over Brian Fuentes to bridge the gap to Grant Balfour. Cook has yet to allow a run in 5.1 innings so far this season. Hierarchy change: Ryan Cook to Set-up, Brian Fuentes to 2nd in line.

April 14, 2012
Oakland A’s – Ryan Cook got the call for the 8th inning in a 3 run game last night and manager Bob Melvin has said that he plans on using Cook as his primary right-handed set up man. Hierarchy change: Ryan Cook to 2nd in line, replacing Fautino De Los Santos.

March 28, 2012
Oakland A’s- Grant Balfour has been declared the closer to start the season following the departure of Andrew Bailey. Brian Fuentes will get first crack at saves if Balfour falters. Starting 2012 hierarchy: Closer- Grant Balfour, Set-up- Brian Fuentes, 2nd in line- Fautino De Los Santos.

Dec. 29, 2011
Oakland A’s- Andrew Bailey is gone, and an A’s front office representative said that Grant Balfour, Fautino De Los Santos, and Joey Devine will compete for save chances. Balfour should get the first shot. Hierarchy change: Balfour to Closer, De Los Santos to Set-up, Devine to 2nd in line.

Aug. 25, 2011
Oakland A’s- Fautino De Los Santos came into a tie game in the 9th and pitched a scoreless inning, earning the win. De Los Santos recorded a hold in his previous outing, and looks to be gaining the trust of Bob Melvin. Hierarchy change: De Los Santos to 2nd in line, replacing Brian Fuentes.