Wednesday did not feature a doubleheader, with the second game in Atlanta being postponed, but it did provide nine reliever wins. Two were relievers replacing a struggling starter while their team held the lead (Adam Ottavino and Sam Moll), and one was in a bulk relief outing (Jakob Junis). There were only four saves, including Joel Payamps getting the vulture save, his first since April.
There’s a fine line in high-leverage events, which boxscores cannot always capture. Two such circumstances will be covered in today’s takeaways and when the Brewers’ bullpen hierarchy will receive a boost.
Three Takeaways
- The Phillies’ rough road trip: Coming out of the All-Star break on the road, Philadelphia lost two games, during which it led by three runs. This was not the case on Wednesday, but Gregory Soto could have done better in his audition for a larger role in his team’s hierarchy. He was awarded the win on Tuesday despite uncorking a wild pitch and only throwing two strikes of his nine pitches. Yesterday, he suffered the loss, throwing another wild pitch and only six of his 12 pitches in the strike zone. Matt Gelb of The Athletic covered this topic and the team’s trade deadline modus operandi. Within the post, he suggested José Alvarado may retake his lost leverage role after his demotion, which represented a wakeup call. Because of the varied results over the last 30 days, the hierarchy has not been altered. As the weekend usage patterns unfold, and trade rumors gain traction, it will adapt. For now, this link displays the team’s Win Probability Added results from the last 30 days and this table with their results by reliever:
Link: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/FGWKH/1/
- A missed call derails McArthur: One cannot sugarcoat James McArthur giving up five earned runs in a blown save meltdown, especially since he produced an average exit velocity of 101.1 m.p.h. among his six batted ball events. However, with one out and a full count, he issued a walk on a pitch in the strike zone, which affected his outing. It’s discussed in Anne Rogers’ game recap for MLB.com, along with quotes from his teammates standing by the reliever. It’s a fine line relievers walk in save situations, and with Hunter Harvey wriggling out of his own messy situation in the eighth, the Royals may be in the market for one more veteran with “closer” experience ahead of the deadline. For now, McArthur will be on watch for a hierarchy shift, and here’s the illustrator courtesy of Statcast on ball four:
- D-Will’s timeline: Devin Williams may be on the precipice of rejoining the Brewers after making his third rehab appearance and second at Triple-A. He tossed a scoreless inning, issuing a walk and striking out two on 19 pitches (52.6 Strike%) with three whiffs (15.8 SwStr%). Although the team suggested he may require six to eight outings before returning, his recall may be expedited by team need and some positivity following Christian Yelich’s unfortunate back injury. Those hoping they can stash the talented closer should act sooner rather than later. His last hurdle may be pitching on consecutive days or two times in a three-day span unless the team sees his velocity last night as a sign of him being ready.
Next, our condensed game recaps cover Wednesday’s high-leverage events of interest.
Closer CliffsNotes
American League
Cleveland Guardians – Preserving a one-run win, Emmanuel Clase worked a scoreless top of the ninth, allowing a walk and striking out one for his 31st save. He threw 17 pitches (12 strikes – 70.6 Strike%) and induced one whiff against the Tigers’ 9-1-2-3 batters. He’s converted 18 straight save chances since May 20 and has been scoreless over his last four.
- Hunter Gaddis collected his fourth win after firing a clean eighth, striking out the side on 12 pitches.
- Tim Herrin retired both batters in the seventh.
- Scott Barlow tossed 1.1 clean frames, striking out one.
Hierarchy remains: Emmanuel Clase | Hunter Gaddis | Scott Barlow
Kansas City Royals -Handed a one-run lead in the top of the ninth, James McArthur suffered his fourth loss and fifth blown save after being a strike away from preserving a win. He allowed a one-out Lourdes Gurriel Jr. single and a walk to Geraldo Perdomo, followed by Gabriel Moreno’s go-ahead two-RBI double. Corbin Carroll reached on an infield single, and Ketel Marte launched a three-run home run. McArthur finished with four hits allowed, five earned runs, and a walk while striking out one.
- Hunter Harvey tossed a scoreless eighth, giving up a walk, and recorded his 27th hold.
- Sam Long retired the side in the seventh, striking out one for his third hold.
Hierarchy remains (for now): James McArthur | Hunter Harvey | John Schreiber
Los Angeles Angels – Capping a come-from-behind win, Carlos Estévez nailed down his 20th save, retiring the side in Seattle. He threw nine pitches (77.8 Strike%) and induced one whiff against the 6-7-8 lineup pocket. This extends his scoreless streak to 18 games. He’s recorded a win and 13 saves with 15 strikeouts versus two walks across his last 18 innings.
- Luis García notched his 11th hold, allowing a hit during a scoreless eighth.
- Hans Crouse earned his fourth win. He allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless seventh, ahead of his team’s two-run rally in the top of the eighth.
Hierarchy remains: Carlos Estévez | Luis García | Ben Joyce
Minnesota Twins – Despite throwing 27 pitches last night, Jhoan Durán took over a tied game in the top of the ninth. He dispensed the top of the Phillies’ lineup in order and recorded a strikeout on 10 pitches (60 Strike%) with one whiff. He collected his sixth win courtesy of a walk-off rally in the bottom of the frame.
- Cole Sands fired a clean eighth and recorded two strikeouts.
- In his first appearance since May 1, Brock Stewart allowed a hit, an earned run, and a walk while striking out one.
Hierarchy remains: Jhoan Durán | Griffin Jax | Jorge Alcala
National League
Chicago Cubs – Tasked with the top of the ninth during a tied game, Héctor Neris suffered his third loss. He allowed Blake Perkins’ lead-off single and a one-out, William Contreras RBI double, resulting in the team’s 22nd loss in a one-run contest. This snapped Neris’ nine-game scoreless streak.
- Mark Leiter Jr. tossed a clean eighth and struck out one.
- Porter Hodge issued a walk and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless seventh.
- Tyson Miller was tagged with his first blown save, letting one of two inherited runners score while allowing two hits in two-thirds of the sixth.
Hierarchy remains: Héctor Neris | Mark Leiter Jr. | Porter Hodge
Miami Marlins – Not only did Tanner Scott record his 17th save with a scoreless ninth against the Orioles, but he’s completed a reliever no-hitter with nine straight hitless appearances, spanning 9.2 innings since June 27. He worked around a hit-batter with two strikeouts during the three-run win, throwing 15 pitches (66.7 Strike%) with two whiffs (13.3 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless over his last 15 games with 19 strikeouts against five walks.
- A.J. Puk fired two clean frames while recording three strikeouts and collected his fourth win. He owns a 13-game scoreless streak with four wins and 22 strikeouts versus three walks across 15 innings.
- Andrew Nardi notched his 11th hold, retiring the side and striking out two in the sixth.
Hierarchy remains: Tanner Scott | A.J. Puk | Calvin Faucher
Milwaukee Brewers – Recording his fifth save, and first since April 24, Joel Payamps fired a clean bottom of the ninth, preserving a one-run win over the Cubs. He threw 15 pitches (66.7 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (26.7 SwStr%). He’s on a five-game scoreless streak.
- Jakob Junis collected his third win. He logged three scoreless innings, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one, benefiting from his team’s rally in the top of the ninth.
- Bryse Wilson worked four innings, giving up Seiya Suzuki’s solo home run and recording three strikeouts.
Hierarchy remains: Trevor Megill | Elvis Peguero | Bryan Hudson
Philadelphia Phillies – Vying for a larger leverage role, Gregory Soto was summoned into a tied contest in the bottom of the ninth. However, his command did him in. He hit Trevor Larnach, putting the lead-off hitter aboard, uncorked a wild pitch, moving him to second, and a sacrifice bunt got him to third with one out. Soto induced a groundball by Max Kepler, but it was up the middle and let the runner score for a walk-off rally, resulting in his fourth loss.
- Jeff Hoffman tossed a scoreless eighth, allowing a hit and striking out two on 21 pitches (66.7 Strke%) with three whiffs (14.3 SwStr%).
- Matt Strahm suffered his fifth blown save, letting all three inherited runners score on a fielder’s choice groundout and Carlos Santana’s two-RBI double.
- Orion Kerkering gave up three earned runs on a hit batter and two walks during his one-third of the seventh but was credited with his tenth hold.
Hierarchy remains (for now): *Jeff Hoffman | *José Alvarado | Gregory Soto
*= floating closer
Vulture Save Options for Thursday, July 25
- Cade Smith (CLE): Clase, Gaddis, and Barlow have all appeared in back-to-back contests.
- A.J. Puk (MIA): Scott has pitched in two straight, and if the team’s showcasing for trade, what better way than Puk in a save chance?
- David Robertson (TEX): If the team can give Kirby Yates an extra day off after working three straight, they should. If not, Robertson could be in line for Friday.
- Ben Joyce (LAA): Estévez and García have appeared three times in the last four days. If they work again today, Joyce will be in line for Friday.
Vulture Save Option for Friday, July 26
*See above. Otherwise, it’s dependent on usage patterns today, with 14 teams receiving an off-day.
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