St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis Cardinals Fantasy Baseball Daily Bullpen Updates and Closer Depth Chart

Closer1st in line2nd in line2025 CloserUpdated
STLRyan HelsleyGiovanny GallegosJoJo RomeroRyan Helsley3/12/24
(IL)

Previous updates:

March 16, 2024

St. Louis Cardinals – After a strong spring, Keynan Middleton will be shut down for at least 10 days with “forearm soreness“. This opens the door for a spot in the leverage ladder for Opening Day per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on “X”. 

February 24, 2024

St. Louis Cardinals – It’s the first outing of spring, but Ryan Helsley did not have the same zip on his four-seam fastball. He worked a scoreless frame, but gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two. Note his velocity from the Statcast gamefeed:

September 19, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos was placed on the IL with shoulder inflammation. Look for Drew VerHagen to get more holds opportunities in his absence.

Updated hierarchy: Helsley | King | VerHagen.

September 14, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley is pitching back-to-back again already and has three straight saves; let’s axe his asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | King.

September 10, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless inning for his first save since returning from the IL while Giovanny Gallegos got the 8th inning.  Helsey has four scoreless appearances since coming back and should be the best option for saves on any given night.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | King.
* = closer-by-committee

September 6, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – Oliver Marmol clarified how he planned to utilize the back end of his bullpen now that JoJo Romero is on the IL, stating that Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos will split time based on availability. That centers mostly around Helsley, who will not be pitching on back-to-back days at the moment as he continues his return from the IL. In addition to Helsley and Gallegos, lefty John King may get save opportunities if the matchups are right, so we’ll add him to the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Helsley | Gallegos | King.
* = closer-by-committee

September 4, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – While there’s been no official word from the team, MLB’s transactions page showed that the Cardinals have placed JoJo Romero on the IL, retroactive to Sept. 2. Look for Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos to share save opportunities in his absence.

Updated hierarchy: *Helsley | Gallegos | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

September 4, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – JoJo Romero got a second day off after throwing 35 pitches on Friday, as did Ryan Helsley, who made his first appearance off the IL in the same game. That left the save chance to Giovanny Gallegos, who converted for his 10th of the season.

Hierarchy remains: *Romero | Helsley | Gallegos.
* = closer-by-committee

September 2, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley was activated before Friday’s game and immediately pitched a clean 8th inning in a tie game. JoJo Romero took the loss in extra innings, which may be just the crack in the door that Helsley needs. It’s a bit too early to hand him the top of the committee, but Helsley makes for a great speculative add in leagues where you’re chasing saves as he has an excellent chance to be in the mix for the rest of the season. 

Updated hierarchy: *Romero | Helsley | Gallegos.
* = closer-by-committee

August 29, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley expects to be activated from the injured list on Wednesday. Whether he jumps right back into the saves mix upon his return remains to be seen.

Hierarchy remains: *Romero | Gallegos | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

August 28, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley resumed a rehab assignment on Sunday after his first one was paused over concerns about continued forearm discomfort. New imaging came back clean, allowing his return to action, though there is no timetable for his return to the majors. For what it’s worth, he did not pitch well in the rehab outing, allowing a couple of runs

Hierarchy remains: *Romero | Gallegos | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

August 24, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — JoJo Romero pitched the final two innings of last night’s 6-4 win over Pittsburgh and now has the Cardinals’ last two saves, albeit over 10 days apart. In addition, Romero has pitched the ninth in his other three appearances between those two saves. We’ll swap him and Giovanny Gallegos accordingly.

Updated hierarchy: *Romero | Gallegos | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

August 13, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals swapped their top two relievers again yesterday as Giovanny Gallegos started the 8th and JoJo Romero got the 9th inning.  Both pitchers struggled as they each gave up three hits and an earned run but Romero was able to get the last five outs for his second save.  We will see if the Cardinals go back to Gallegos for the next save chance or if Romero can move himself back to the head of this committee.

Hierarchy remains: *Gallegos | Romero | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

August 10, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — It’s been almost two weeks since St. Louis needed a save, but this time Oliver Marmol used JoJo Romero in the seventh and eighth, and Giovanny Gallegos in the ninth. This is more like what we expected after Jordan Hicks moved to Toronto, but don’t be surprised if Romero and Gallegos continue to split opportunities.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Romero | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

July 31, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals have begun the firesale, moving closer Jordan Hicks to Toronto and also sending Chris Stratton to the Texas Rangers. This leaves Giovanny Gallegos and JoJo Romero as the top options for the Cardinals right now. Gallegos pitched 2 scoreless innings yesterday, and Romero pitched the 9th for his first career save. Gallegos certainly has more experience, but Romero has been excellent for the past couple weeks, and given that he got the first save, we will slot him into the top spot in a committee for now. As we noted in our trade deadline preview, keep an eye on Ryan Helsley, who has begun throwing off a mound, and may walk into a cleared out bullpen in early August. 

Updated hierarchy: *Romero | Gallegos | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

July 30, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals have traded Jordan Hicks to the Blue Jays.  With Hicks gone, expect a committee including Giovanny Gallegos and JoJo Romero until Ryan Helsley can return.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Romero | Pallante.
* = closer-by-committee

July 20, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — As predicted by Wednesday’s Vulture Save Watch, Chris Stratton was there to close out the win with Jordan Hicks and Giovanny Gallegos resting.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Gallegos | Stratton.

July 19, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — With Genesis Cabrera designated for assignment, we welcome Chris Stratton to the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Hicks | Gallegos | Stratton.

July 6, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks’s wildness was to blame for last night’s wild 10-9 loss to Miami, but the culprit wasn’t a slider or a 105 mph fastball. It was a double-clutched 45 mph putout attempt that Hicks threw 10 feet over Paul Goldschmidt’s head, allowing the Marlins to walk off the victory.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Gallegos | Cabrera.

June 26, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Although last night wasn’t his smoothest outing, Jordan Hicks picked up his 4th straight save for the Cardinals. Although St. Louis has a good amount of depth in their bullpen, this is plenty to kick the asterisk, as Hicks has shaken off a rough start to the year to become the clear option for the redbirds.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Gallegos | VerHagen.

June 20, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – That’s three saves in three days for Jordan Hicks, who is on the verge of seizing the closer role in St. Louis. Due to both his injury history and the Cardinals’ organizational penchant to avoid using relievers in three straight, this probably wouldn’t have happened had Hicks not insisted on it, but we’re not complaining about getting to watch a guy throw 104 mph every night.

Hierarchy remains: *Hicks | Gallegos | VerHagen.
* = closer-by-committee

June 19, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – Two days, two saves for Jordan Hicks. The flamethrower moves to the top of the hierarchy as a result, though we’ll keep the committee tag on here until he gets a couple more.

Updated hierarchy: *Hicks | Gallegos | VerHagen.
* = closer-by-committee

June 18, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – In their first save chance since Ryan Helsley was placed on the injured list, the Cardinals used Giovanny Gallegos in the 8th inning. That left Jordan Hicks for the save opportunity in the 9th inning and he struck out the side for his first save since 2019.  Hicks struggled to start this season but is rounding into form with 13 strikeouts in just 6.2 innings in June.  Gallegos was used in the higher leverage situation yesterday and should be the primary source for saves while Helsey is out but if Hicks can keep throwing pitches like this, he might steal some save chances.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Hicks | VerHagen.
* = closer-by-committee

June 12, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley was placed on the injured list on Monday. Expect Giovanny Gallegos to lead this committee in his absence. It’s worth noting that Gallegos and Helsley have all 15 of the team’s saves, so it’s possible Gallegos has the closer gig outright with Helsley on the shelf. 

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | VerHagen | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

June 10, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals stormed out to a 5 run lead last night, but when the tying run came to the plate in the 8th they turned to Giovanny Gallegos to shut the door. He got the last out of the 8th and stuck around for the 9th to earn his 8th save on the year. Ryan Helsley got the previous save on Wednesday and both Gallegos and Helsley are very much in the mix for save chances on any given night at this point. 

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.
* = closer-by-committee

May 31, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos didn’t make it easy on himself, allowing one run on two hits, but he recorded his seventh save of the season on Tuesday. That’s now one more save than Ryan Helsley, who we last saw blowing Sunday’s opportunity. We teased on Monday that this could be a committee soon, and with Gallegos grabbing the last three saves for St. Louis, now is that time.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.
* = closer-by-committee

May 29, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – After yesterday’s loss, Ryan Helsley now has four blown saves — as many as he had all of last season. Meanwhile, Giovanny Gallegos’ strong start (2.08 ERA, 0.97 WHIP), coupled with his success whenever Helsley has needed a day off (still more often than most closers) has meant that the two actually have the same number of saves on the season with six. We’re not asterisking this yet, but it could happen soon.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.

May 28, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley pitched a scoreless 9th inning with the game tied and ended up with the win after the Cardinals took the lead in the top of the 10th.  Giovanny Gallegos pitched a scoreless bottom of the 10th inning for his 6th save of the season. 

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.

May 26, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals have been in a lot of close games lately, including Thursday, when Giovanny Gallegos was called on to record the final four outs for his fifth save. Ryan Helsley got a second night off in a row after going in three of four. Gallegos has been even busier now – Thursday was his third game in four days and fourth in six days.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.

May 21, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — With the game tied 3-3 in the 8th inning, the Cardials called on Ryan Helsely to face the top of the Dodgers’ lineup.  Hesley pitched a scoreless inning and after the Cardinals scored three runs in the bottom of the 8th, he came back out to try to finish off the win.  Unfortunately, Helsely struggled in his second inning of work as he allowed hits to the first three batters he faced.   Giovanny Gallegos relieved Helsley and was able to close out the game for his fourth save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.

May 14, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsely got the day off after throwing 28 pitches on Friday and that allowed Giovanny Gallegos to earn his third save of the season with a scoreless 9th inning.

Hierarchy remain: Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.

May 10, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Giovanny Gallegos recorded a save on Tuesday.

Updated Hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.

April 15, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — With a 3 run lead in the 9th the Cardinals turned the ball over to Giovanny Gallegos who converted for his first save on the year. Gallegos has been stellar this year, allowing no runs and only 1 hit in his 4 appearances. Normally this would hint at the start of a committee, but Helsley is riding a 4 game scoreless streak of his own, including 3 saves. The more interesting news is the emergence of Drew VerHagen, who took down the heart of the Pirates order with only a 1 run lead in the 8th. Verhagen leads the team with 3 holds, and has earned a jump into the hierarchy. 

Updated Hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | VerHagen.

March 31, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley allowed only nine earned runs and held a 9-1 record in 2022, but he’s currently sitting at an 18.00 ERA and an 0-1 record in 2023 after he allowed two earned runs on 24 pitches to blow the save and take the loss Thursday. To make matters worse for the Cardinals, presumed setup man Giovanny Gallegos was not available on Opening Day as he deals with a tweaked back. He is listed as day-to-day, so the injury doesn’t seem to be serious.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | Hicks.

March 30, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals — Genesis Cabrera will start the season in the minors, leaving Jordan Hicks and his 104.6 mph fastball as the Cardinals’ best option for the seventh inning.

Updated hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | Hicks.

March 16, 2023
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley emerged as one of the best relievers in baseball last year and finished the season with a sparkling 1.25 ERA with a 13.09 K/9. Helsley’s job is safe, but he does have a pretty large assembly of talent behind him. Giovanny Gallegos spent a large chunk of the year as the closer in St. Louis, despite eventually yielding the job to Helsley. Gallegos will return as the primary set up man and the Cardinals have shown they trust him in high leverage spots. Jordan Hicks and Genesis Cabrera were solid options for the Cardinals in 2022 and they return this year, likely to similar roles. Another option is Andre Pallante has shown a lot of flexibility with the Cardinals as well, but we hope we get to see if Guillermo Zuniga can bring his 102 MPH heat from the WBC to the majors.

Starting 2023 hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
Holds candidates: Gallegos, Cabrera, Hicks, Pallante.

October 5, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley left Tuesday’s ninth inning after throwing just five pitches, as the team removed him as a precaution after he jammed his right middle finger. With the Cardinals preparing for the postseason, don’t expect Helsley to be available today.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | Pallante.

September 23, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley pitched the eighth inning on Thursday, allowing a solo shot but earning a hold ahead of Giovanny Gallegos, who tallied his 13th save with a clean ninth. Helsley had the team’s previous six saves so he’s the clear closer, but there are times when St. Louis will use Helsely in the game’s tightest spots before the final inning, like on Thursday when he was called in to face the 3-4-5 hitters.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | Pallante.

September 18, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Hicks has been placed on the IL and Andre Pallante will take his spot in the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | Pallante.

August 29, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – In his second appearance since returning from the paternity/restricted list, Ryan Helsley came on in the 7th inning with the tying runs on base and promptly gave up a go-ahead 3-run homer to Dansby Swanson. It was the only blemish (albeit a quite large one) on his outing, as he retired the next four hitters and earned the win after the Cardinals rallied; the 9th went to Giovanny Gallegos, who earned his 13th save. Helsley remains pretty safe here, as this was clearly the high-leverage play by Oliver Marmol. In an unrelated move, we’ll slide Jordan Hicks up to the second in line spot, as the mercurial Genesis Cabrera was optioned over the weekend after a couple of rough outings.

Updated hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | Hicks.

August 27, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley came off the restricted list yesterday, and while he didn’t pitch in last night’s loss, we expect him to return to closing immediately. 

Updated hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.

August 23, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley was placed on the restricted list yesterday following his three day maximum on the paternity list. This could be for any number of reasons, but we’ll reshuffle Giovanny Gallegos to the top with the understanding that this could switch back in a matter of hours.

Updated hierarchy: Gallegos | Cabrera | Hicks.

August 22, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – With Ryan Helsley still on paternity leave, Giovanny Gallegos got his 12th save of the season, pitching a clean 9th inning. Helsley should return today, so we’ll slot him back atop this hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.

August 20, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley will be on the Paternity list for a couple of days, and while last night’s game was not a save situation we saw Giovanny Gallegos protect a 4 run lead. We expect Gallegos to see any save chances that come along, with Genesis Cabrera in the mix as well.  

Updated hierarchy: Gallegos | Cabrera | Hicks.

August 19, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley is headed to the Paternity list for a couple days. Giovanny Gallegos will handle closing duties til he is back.  

Updated hierarchy: Gallegos | Cabrera | Hicks.

August 7, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley received the day off yesterday and Giovanny Gallegos picked up his 11th save of the season, just like the Vulture Save Watch predicted.  

Hierarchy remains: Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.

July 24, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley recorded the last four outs of the game, three via strikeout, to pick up his 9th save of the season.  Gallegos still leads the team with ten saves, but since May 21st, Helsley has eight saves compared to just two for Gallegos.  Gallegos should still see some save chances the rest of the season but Helsey will receive the majority of the saves and that is enough to kick the asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.

July 13, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Ryan Helsley was tasked with facing the 9-1-2 hitters in the eighth inning of a 7-5 game, which left the ninth to Giovanny Gallegos. After allowing a leadoff homer, Gallegos recovered to earn his 10th save of the season. We also have to give a tip of the cap to Packy Naughton, who entered the seventh inning of a one-run game and pulled off a Houdini.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

July 10, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Genesis Cabrera was activated from the IL and came on in the 7th inning of a tight game yesterday.  He should step right back into his late inning role alongside Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos.

Updated hierarchy: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

July 8, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Giovanny Gallegos pitched the seventh inning on Thursday, allowing a run. Ryan Helsley then was called upon to get the last out of the eighth inning, all the outs in the ninth inning and all of them in the tenth inning. He needed 26 pitches across 2.1 innings. He didn’t allow an earned run, but a ghost runner scored on him in the tenth inning to tie things up again. St. Louis then took another lead and manager Oliver Marmol turned to Packy Naughton, who converted for his first save.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Thompson.
* = closer-by-committee

June 26, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Genesis Cabrera has been placed on the IL.  Zack Thompson should become a bigger part of the later innings while Cabrera is out.

Updated hierarchy: *Helsley | Gallegos | Thompson.
* = closer-by-committee

June 23, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Second-in-line Genesis Cabrera grabbed the vulture save we forecast on Wednesday night, spinning two scoreless innings to give Giovanny Gallegos and Ryan Helsley the night off.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

June 15, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — With one out in the eighth and the 2-3-4 hitters due up, the Cardinals turned to Ryan Helsley to protect a 3-1 lead. Helsley walked the first batter he faced but struck out the next two. That allowed Giovanny Gallegos to close out the win in the ninth. Helsley is still the favorite for saves, but Tuesday’s usage shows that manager Oliver Marmol is willing to use Helsley in the highest leverage situation no matter what inning it is.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

June 9, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Future Hall of Fame catcher Yadier Molina earned his first career strikeout in a blowout loss, setting up Isaac Paredes with the high-40s curveball before blowing him away with the 76 mph heater.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

June 5, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — With a tie score in game two of a doubleheader yesterday, the Cardinals summoned Ryan Helsley in the 6th inning.  He got the last two outs of that inning and then came back for scoreless innings in the 7th and 8th.  Giovanny Gallegos pitched a scoreless 9th with the game still tied and then finished off the victory in the 10th inning by striking out the side while only allowing the runner who started on second base to score.  We will see how the Cardinals continue to deploy Helsley and Gallegos and if either can pull away in the battle for saves.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

June 4, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — Former first round pick Zack Thompson made his major league debut last night, getting the ball in the 6th inning with an 8 run lead. He scattered 3 hits and 1 run over the next 4 innings to earn a save in his first major league appearance. Thompson projects as a starter, so it is unlikely he gets many more save chances on the year, but earning a save in his first appearance is a solid start to his career. 

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

June 2, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — For getting the last out of the game with the bases loaded and a three-run lead, Nick Wittgren earned a save. With Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos in need of rest, it was a little strange to see Wittgren face Robinson Cano instead of lefty Genesis Cabrera. We’ll keep an eye on this.

Hierarchy remains: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

May 31, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – With all of the top Cardinal arms well rested, and with the team nursing a two-run lead in the 6th inning against the Padres, on came Giovanny Gallegos, who got the last out of the inning after allowing an inherited run to score. Gallegos would get two more outs in the 7th before giving way to Genesis Cabrera, who had a similar outing, getting out of the 7th and then getting the first two outs of the 8th. By now, it was no longer a save situation, but either way, it seems certain that this was meant to be Ryan Helsley’s game to finish, which he did so, albeit while giving up his first earned run of the season, but finished the job. He’s your committee leader now, though we already know Oliver Marmol is going to rest him frequently. We’ll see if his usage becomes consistent enough to remove the asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: *Helsley | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

May 28, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – After a save situation materialized in the 9th inning, the Cardinals turned to Ryan Helsley, not Giovanny Gallegos, to shut the door. He got 2 outs in 7 pitches to lock up his 3rd save of the year. This is the second time in a week that Helsley has appeared in a more traditional closers spot compared to Gallegos. In Gallegos’ defense, he pitched a clean inning Thursday, and last night was not a save situation until Kodi Whitley gave up a 2 run homer in the 9th inning. However, Helsley has been the  best reliever in baseball for the first 2 months, he’s more than earned a committee designation at this point. 

Hierarchy Remains: *Gallegos | Helsley | Cabrera.
*Closer by Committee.  

May 24, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – In a tie game in the 8th inning, Giovanny Gallegos was summoned; Ryan Helsley got the 9th before the Cardinals walked off in the 10th. Might be nothing to see here — Gallegos was facing the 4-5-6 hitters — but Helsley has been arguably baseball’s best reliever so far this season, and Oliver Marmol might be considering a different approach. Either way, Helsley is worth adding, even in shallow leagues.

Hierarchy remains: Gallegos | Helsley | Cabrera.

May 23, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – In Sunday’s 18-run blowout, Yadier Molina came on for the 9th inning and allowed four earned runs, but managed to get the game’s final three outs, earning his first career save in the process. The outing was remarkably similar to Albert Pujols’ appearance last week, and it’s really really cool to see these two surefire Hall of Famers got to add this awesome footnote to the final year of their careers.

Um… okay… our apologies, but we’ve just been informed that neither player actually got a “save” for these outings. So, that’s… hmm. Wait… wait a sec. Wait. So, you’re telling me that Dave Goltz can get a save for this absolute travesty of an outing, but Pujols and Molina merely get stuck with lifetime 36.00 ERAs for their inarguably successful turns on the mound? I mean, their team won, right? And they “closed” out the game — they “saved” it, right? Because if not, then… Wait. Does that… does that mean the “save” stat is arbitrary nonsense and it should really never, under any circumstance, actually be used as a meaningful statistic in fantasy (or IRL) baseball? Is the entire existence of this site based on the musings of some columnist who didn’t have anything else to write about on some random week in 1959 and so he just made this garbage up?!?!

Anyway, here’s Wonderwall the Vulture Save Watch.

Hierarchy remains: Gallegos | Helsley | Cabrera.

May 22, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – As the Vulture Save Watch predicted, Giovanny Gallegos was rested yesterday, and the save fell to Ryan Helsley. Helsley set the Pirates down in order, securing his second save on the year. Helsley has been absolutely dominant on the season, but the Cardinals have been committed to Gallegos in the closers role. Gallegos should be back in action today. 

Hierarchy remains: Gallegos | Helsley | Cabrera.

May 3, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos owners had to be encouraged to see the righty get the 9th in a 1-0 victory on Monday after Ryan Helsley pitched 2 scoreless innings for the save on Sunday. Since Oliver Marmol still hasn’t made any comments about how he’s going to distribute save chances, after last night we’ll continue assume that Gallegos is still the man and Helsley is the handcuff.

Hierarchy remains: Gallegos | Helsley | Cabrera.

May 2, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley showed no signs of slowing down after an otherworldly April, pitching the final two innings of the Cardinals victory on Sunday. Helsley retired all six hitters he faced, striking out the side in the 9th, featuring the fastest pitch in MLB so far this season (103.1 MPH). We can’t assume this is any kind of switch, especially given the lack of any comments postgame, but it was certainly striking to see this usage for Helsley given that Giovanny Gallegos hasn’t pitched in 5 days.

Updated hierarchy: Gallegos | Helsley | Cabrera.

April 26, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos had a forgettable night on Monday, retiring two of the first three hitters he faced, but then ultimately allowing four earned runs, with the game’s deciding play coming when he was late covering first. He’s been very good so far, and this single outing won’t threaten his spot atop the hierarchy yet, but should he have another bad inning or two, the Cardinals have several options, with Genesis Cabrera and an unhittable-thus-far Ryan Helsley (5.1 IP, 0 ER, 0.19 WHIP, 11 Ks) also performing well.

Hierarchy remains: Gallegos | Cabrera | Helsley.

April 21, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals — As we suspected going into the year, Giovanny Gallegos has secured St. Louis’s closing job ahead of Genesis Cabrera and Ryan Helsley. Gallegos picked up his third save of the young season in a 2-0 win over the Marlins.

Updated hierarchy: Gallegos | Cabrera | Helsley.

March 24, 2022
St. Louis Cardinals – With Alex Reyes starting the year on the IL, the Cardinals looked ready to roll with Giovanny Gallegos as the primary closing option to kick off 2022; however, comments from Oliver Marmol hint that this may be a committee to start the year. Gallegos is the top choice and should emerge as the clear closer while Reyes is out if they do choose to go with one guy. An intriguing name to watch is Jordan Hicks, who was supposed to be stretched out as a starter, but seems ready to open as a bullpen option. Genesis Cabrera, Ryan Helsley, and newly acquired Nick Wittgren are also in the mix for the late innings, but probably won’t challenge for saves early on. While we think Gallegos is the top choice for the Cardinals, he loses some value due to Marmol’s comments and the possible return of Reyes or emergence of Hicks.

Starting 2022 hierarchy: *Gallegos | Cabrera | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds options: Cabrera | Hicks | Helsley.

October 1, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Luis Garcia nailed down the final two outs for his second save Thursday. Giovanny Gallegos pitched Sunday and Tuesday, and now that the Cardinals have clinched a playoff spot, it appears Gallegos was getting a little more rest ahead of next week’s Wild Card game.

Hierarchy remains: Gallegos | Cabrera | Garcia.

September 21, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Luis Garcia continued the best season of his career, earning his first save with a scoreless 9th inning on Monday. With a 3-run lead, the Cardinals probably figured this was a good opportunity to get Giovanny Gallegos some rest, though we will move Garcia on to the hierarchy thanks to his stellar second half.

Updated hierarchy: Gallegos | Cabrera | Garcia.

September 15, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Kwang Hyun Kim, who earned his first career save last year during his four-second tenure as the Cardinals’ closer, is back in the bullpen and was back in the late innings on Tuesday. Pitching the 11th inning with a 7-4 lead, he gave up two runs on a walk and a base hit but was able to secure his second career save.

Hierarchy remains: Gallegos | Cabrera | Reyes.

September 10, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos earned his sixth save Thursday, tossing a clean ninth with two strikeouts. He has the team’s last four saves overall and has booted the asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: Gallegos | Cabrera | Reyes.

August 31, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – A day after saying they were evaluating their 9th inning options, the Cardinals gave the save opportunity to Giovanny Gallegos, who converted. We’ll slide him to the top of the hierarchy for the time being, and think he’s the best bet to fully take over the job, should the Cardinals decide to commit to one guy.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Cabrera | Reyes.
* = closer-by-committee

August 30, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – It’s been a rough month for Alex Reyes, and after Sunday’s blown save — which included a Dan McLaughlin sad trombone that rivaled some of Hawk Harrelson’s walkoff laments — Mike Shildt acknowledged that the Cardinals are evaluating how they should handle the 9th inning going forward. Giovanny Gallegos and Genesis Cabrera are among the options that will likely be considered should they move away from Reyes.

Updated hierarchy: *Reyes | Gallegos | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

August 8, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — Alex Reyes got the day off after pitching in the previous two games and that allowed Giovanny Gallegos to pick up his second save of the season.  Gallegos should continue to serve as the primary set-up man for Reyes and get any save chances when Reyes is not available.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Cabrera.

July 22, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — As predicted by yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, the Cardinals tried to squeeze a four-out save from Giovanny Gallegos, but he lost the lead with two outs on a hit batsman and double.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Cabrera.

July 7, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — On Tuesday, both Alex Reyes and Giovanny Gallegos were unavailable, so on came Genesis Cabrera for the save chance. He ran into some trouble, allowing a run on three hits and a walk to make way for Justin Miller, who recorded the final two outs for his first save. Miller has a 9.64 ERA this season and won’t factor into regular late-inning work.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Cabrera.

June 24, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — Daniel Ponce de Leon was placed on the IL with shoulder discomfort, saddening all but those who long for symmetry in our closer chart. Lefty Genesis Cabrera pitched ahead of the big two today and probably has an edge over Ryan Helsley and Andrew Miller.

Updated hierarchy: Reyes | Gallegos | Cabrera.

June 4, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — Andrew Miller has returned to the active roster, but he’ll have to pitch well for weeks to factor into the late-inning mix. He has an 8.59 ERA in nine appearances so far this season.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Ponce de Leon.

May 29, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — With both Alex Reyes and Giovanny Gallegos getting the night off, the Cardinals turned to Ryan Helsley to protect a four-run lead in the eighth inning. Helsley ran into trouble, letting a couple runs score before being pulled for Daniel Ponce de Leon. Ponce de Leon escaped, then stayed in for the ninth to earn his second save in as many days. Ponce de Leon is carving out a solid role in the bullpen, and two saves in a row shows he’s finding higher-leverage work. 

Updated hierarchy: Reyes | Gallegos | Ponce de Leon.

May 28, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — After running through their hierarchy earlier in the game, the Cardinals turned the 10th inning save chance over to Daniel Ponce de Leon, who pitched a perfect frame for his first save of the year. Ponce de Leon started the year in the rotation before landing on the IL and has put together a few good appearances since his return last week, but he doesn’t usually factor into the late innings for a stacked Cardinals bullpen. 

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Helsley.

May 27, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals — Blame it on Giovanny Gallegos’s dermatologist! An overzealous application of sunscreen led to the confiscation of the reliever’s hat, which didn’t sit well with manager Mike Shildt, martyred for the cause by Cowboy Joe West. “This is baseball’s dirty little secret, and it’s the wrong time and the wrong arena to expose it.” Who has to know? Even under a brand new cap, Gallegos managed to strike out two hitters to escape a jam, earning top honors in WPA for the game.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Helsley.

May 16, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals used five “pitchers” in their blowout loss yesterday and only one of them did not allow an earned run.  The reason for the quotes around pitchers is because the one person who did not allow a run was actually position player Matt Carpenter.  Carpenter is only hitting .111 on the season so maybe he should consider a change to a relief pitcher and try to become a Closer Monkey cult hero like the one and only Fernando Rodney.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Helsley.

May 10, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Ryan Helsley picked up a two-out save on Sunday, allowing Alex Reyes and Giovanny Gallegos to have the day off. The Vulture Save Watch is on fire lately.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Helsley.

May 5, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Hicks landed on the IL Tuesday with right elbow inflammation and it’s expected he’ll miss at least four weeks. Ryan Helsley has earned Mike Shildt’s trust after pitching well lately and should see more high-leverage work in Hicks’ absence.

Updated hierarchy: Reyes | Gallegos | Helsley.

May 3, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Though Jordan Hicks received treatment for the dreaded “forearm tightness” diagnosis, the Cardinals are not overly concerned with his status, and he might be fine after a short IL trip. We’ll monitor this situation.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Hicks.

April 25, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos only needed 23 pitches to record the final six outs of the Cardinals 2-0 win and pick up his first save of the season.  Alex Reyes threw the same amount of pitches to get the save on Friday and the Cardinals felt comfortable just letting Gallegos finish out yesterday’s win.  Reyes is still the closer but Gallegos has been pitching well and could allow the Cardinals to more cautious with Reyes’ usage if necessary.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Hicks.

April 9, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Alex Reyes now has all three Cardinals saves this year after slamming the door shut Thursday. He hasn’t allowed a run yet this season and appears to firmly have a grasp on the job. Let’s kick that asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: Reyes | Gallegos | Hicks.

April 2, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – Is Alex Reyes the closer? Let’s look at the evidence. Reyes pitched the ninth with a five-run lead, allowing a hit and a walk with a strikeout in a scoreless inning to secure the win. Before the game. beat writer Derrick Goold says he believes Reyes is the team’s closer to open the season, even if the Cardinals won’t publicly say that. This could make sense if they hope to ease Jordan Hicks back into the role slowly. Let’s adjust the hierarchy accordingly, for now.

Updated hierarchy: *Reyes | Gallegos | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

March 5, 2021
St. Louis Cardinals – While they don’t quite have the clarity of roles that the Brewers do, the Cardinals have arguably as talented a set of arms to choose from in their bullpen going into 2021, led by Giovanny Gallegos and Andrew Miller. Miller had a solid bounce back after a forgettable 2019 campaign and will always be in the late inning mix when healthy. Gallegos was excellent in the early going (once he resolved COVID-related travel issues) before struggling a bit down the stretch with a nagging injury. Added to that mix is Jordan Hicks, who was a top level closer for St. Louis in 2019 before needing Tommy John surgery. Hicks is reportedly healthy and hitting 102 MPH, so it would not be surprising to see him jump directly into the 9th inning conversation. Carlos Martinez also may find himself back in the bullpen if he misses out on a rotation spot, as could Alex Reyes.

Starting 2021 hierarchy: Gallegos | Hicks | Miller.
Holds candidates: Miller, Hicks, Gallegos, Reyes
.

September 23, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — Giovanny Gallegos struggled in his first game back from the IL on Monday, but with the Cardinals still in a committee and playing five games in six days as they fight for a playoff spot, Gallegos has a good chance to notch at least one more save this season.

Updated hierarchy: *Miller | Reyes | Gallegos.
* = closer-by-committee

September 20, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — With Andrew Miller getting the day off after appearing in two straight, fellow lefty Genesis Cabrera did his best Miller impression by recording the final five outs (including three by strikeout) for his first save.  Ryan Helsley recorded four outs ahead of Cabrera.  The Cardinals will likely continue to mix and match in the late innings.

Hierarchy remains: *Miller | Reyes | Helsley.
* = closer-by-committee

September 19, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — With John Gant continuing to battle a groin injury, it was Alex Reyes and Ryan Helsley called on to finish game one of Friday’s doubleheader. Helsley loaded the bases on two walks and an error, but managed to escape with his first career save.

Updated hierarchy: *Miller | Reyes | Helsley.
* = closer-by-committee

September 15, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – With Andrew Miller having gone two straight, John Gant nursing an injury, and Alex Reyes having pitched earlier in the game, it was lefty Tyler Webb who was summoned for the extra-inning save chance. Webb got the job done, and will ascend to the hierarchy if Gant needs more than just a couple days off.

Hierarchy remains: *Miller | Gant | Reyes.
* = closer-by-committee

September 12, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — As expected, Giovanny Gallegos hit the injured list Friday, leaving Andrew Miller at the top of the Cards’ closer carousel. John Gant, Alex Reyes, and Ryan Helsley are also options.

Updated hierarchy: *Miller | Gant | Reyes.
* = closer-by-committee

September 11, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos did not record an out before leaving Thursday’s game with a groin injury and will undergo some imaging to determine the extent of the injury. He was charged with three runs on two hits and a walk and was hit with the loss. This warrants monitoring. Andrew Miller, John Gant and/or the recently returning Ryan Helsley could factor into the saves mix if Gallegos is sidelined.

Hierarchy remains: *Gallegos | Miller | Gant.
* = closer-by-committee

September 6, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals activated Andrew Miller and immediately used him to finish off a four-run victory in the second game of their doubleheader.  Miller should jump right back into his late-inning role for the Cardinals’ bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Miller | Gant.
* = closer-by-committee

August 28, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – Andrew Miller was placed on the IL Thursday for left shoulder fatigue. This clears more space for Giovanny Gallegos to establish himself as the primary closer.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Gant | Cabrera.
* = closer-by-committee

August 23, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – Giovanny Gallegos relieved Andrew Miller in the 8th with two men on and struck out Nick Castellanos to end the threat. Gallegos came back out for a perfect 9th to record his first save of the season. He has made five appearances so far this season and only allowed one hit and no walks.  We think this is still a committee for now but we will move Gallegos to the top based on his excellent numbers.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Miller | Gant.
* = closer-by-committee

August 18, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals used their top relievers to get through the first game of yesterday’s doubleheader, which meant the second save in last three days by Andrew Miller after a Giovanny Gallegos 8th. We’ll continue to monitor over the next few days to see if the Cards are still taking a committee approach, or if this is now Miller’s job to lose.

Updated hierarchy: *Miller | Gallegos | Gant.
* = closer-by-committee

August 16, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals won both games of their doubleheader yesterday and both were relatively close games.  In game 2, Andrew Miller pitched a scoreless final inning to preserve a 6-3 victory and record his first save of the season.  In game 1, Giovanny Gallegos pitched the second to last inning and was impressive, striking out the side on only 12 pitches.  Although it is significant that Miller got the first save since Kim moved to the rotation, Gallegos was great last year and is off to a good start after missing the beginning of the season.  This is still a committee and Gallegos looks to be the best arm in the bullpen but if Miller gets another save, he will move to the top.

Hierarchy remains: *Gallegos | Miller | Gant.
* = closer-by-committee

August 8, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — If the Cardinals — who have played one-third as many games as the Indians, and whose weekend series against the Cubs was cancelled Friday afternoon — manage to get a save chance in the next 14 days, it will go to someone other than Ryan Helsley, who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Miller | Gant.
* = closer-by-committee

August 6, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – As we alerted yesterday, the Cardinals have put Kwang Hyun Kim into the rotation, leaving a committee to handle the closing duties in St. Louis. We think Ryan Helsley will lead the way based on comments from manager Mike Shildt, but expect several others to be in the mix for the Cards.

Updated hierarchy: *Helsley | Gallegos | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

August 5, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals – Kwang Hyun Kim will join the Cardinals rotation, per manager Mike Shildt, who also mentioned Ryan Helsley and a slew of others as candidates to replace him. We’ll slap a committee tag on for now and see how it plays out.

Updated hierarchy: *Helsley | Gallegos | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

July 29, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — Giovanny Gallegos made his season debut on Tuesday, retiring both hitters he faced on just six pitches. The Cardinals also said they intend to keep Kwang Hyun Kim in the closer role for now.

Hierarchy remains: Kim | Miller | Gallegos.

July 24, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — Throughout the longest offseason in big league history, Giovanny Gallegos was assumed to be the top option at closer for the Cardinals, but he missed most of summer camp for undisclosed reasons. He’ll reportedly join the team a few days into the season. The Cardinals only have 29 players on their Opening Day roster, so it appears that’s the team’s plan, too. We’ll slide Gallegos down one peg since he won’t be ready right away.

Updated hierarchy: Kim | Miller | Gallegos.

July 20, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — When Carlos Martinez got tabbed as the Cardinals’ fifth starter on Monday, the news came with an additional surprise: his main competition, Kwang Hyun Kim, would be moving to a high-leverage bullpen role, likely as the primary closer. This bumps Giovanny Gallegos and Andrew Miller down a peg.

Updated hierarchy: Kim | Gallegos | Miller.

July 20, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals got some good news this weekend as Giovanny Gallegos finally arrived at summer camp. Gallegos is a good bet to be the team’s closer this season, but that role isn’t entirely decided yet. That’s because the Cardinals need to figure out whether Carlos Martinez will be in the rotation or remain in the bullpen. Martinez is scheduled to pitch on Wednesday, and after that hopefully there’s some clarity. If Martinez makes the rotation and Gallegos isn’t quite ready by Friday, veteran Andrew Miller projects to be the best option at closer. Also keep an eye on Ryan Helsley, who boasts a triple-digit fastball.

Updated hierarchy: *Gallegos | Miller | Helsley.
* = closer-by-committee

February 26, 2020
St. Louis Cardinals — There is plenty of uncertainty as to who will close games for the Cardinals in 2020. Jordan Hicks is out until at least the summer as he recovers from Tommy John surgery. Carlos Martinez, the Cardinals’ closer after Hicks’ injury, is trying to earn a spot in the rotation. Andrew Miller says he’s a lot better than he was last year, while Giovanny Gallegos has nasty stuff and joins Miller as a frontrunner for the ninth inning. Be sure to keep an eye on Ryan Helsley, who could either start or be a high-leverage option out of the ‘pen with his triple-digit fastball. A lot of what the Cardinals’ late-inning plans entail depends on Martinez; for now, we’ll assume he makes the rotation and expect a committee of Gallegos and Miller to start the season.

Starting 2020 hierarchy: *Gallegos | Miller | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Gallegos, Miller, John Brebbia, Helsley.

September 23, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — As expected, Carlos Martinez didn’t go in five straight games; Andrew Miller got the vulture save chance and converted.

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gallegos.

September 20, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — After a gem by Jack Flaherty, the Cardinals were up 4-1 and brought in Carlos Martinez, who coughed up two runs and recorded just one out before being pulled. Andrew Miller allowed an RBI groundout to tie the game, but managed to stop the bleeding and send the game into extras. After Matt Carpenter’s homer in the top half of the tenth, Giovanny Gallegos came out for the bottom half to record his first save. Gallegos likely rewarded a significant number of patient owners who rostered him for his excellent contributions to the ratios (0.73 WHIP, 2.07 ERA, 92/15 K/BB ratio in 69.2 IP). 

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gallegos.

September 6, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — In his first major league outing since June, Genesis Cabrera pitched the final three frames of a 10-0 drubbing of the Giants to earn his first career save. The 22-year-old has flashed some promise, but you won’t see him in the hierarchy anytime soon.

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gallegos.

August 20, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Carlos Martinez got the day off on Monday after a 21-pitch outing Sunday, allowing Andrew Miller to capture his fifth save of the season. 

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gallegos.

August 15, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — John Gant has been fine, but he’s no Giovanny Gallegos, the most unhittable pitcher in baseball. Gant’s appearance in garbage time on Wednesday gives us a chance to make the swap.

Updated hierarchy: Martinez | Miller | Gallegos.

August 12, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – As mentioned in the Vulture Save Watch, Carlos Martinez had gone in back to back and three of four going into Sunday, so he was given the night off and Andrew Miller got the save.

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gant.

August 8, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Martinez hadn’t pitched since July 30, and he looked a little rusty on Wednesday. Summoned with one out, one on, and a one-run lead in the ninth, he gave up a single, uncorked a wild pitch, and saw the game end on a walk-off single by Russell Martin. Adding injury to insult is the news that Alex Reyes is likely to miss his third straight season.

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gant.

July 24, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — As predicted in yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, Carlos Martinez got the night off and Andrew Miller picked up the save. Miller has established himself as the handcuff for Martinez.

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gant.

July 20, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Martinez picked up his seventh save of the season on Friday, but it wasn’t without a scare. He allowed two runs on Friday and has yielded five earned runs over his last three appearances. The Cardinals have been rumored to be willing to listen to offers for Martinez, but surely those interested teams would like to see a couple clean outings before making a move.

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Miller | Gant.

July 19, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — As the Vulture Save Watch predicted, Carlos Martinez was rested Thursday. But in his stead, Andrew Miller, not John Gant, picked up the save, his second of the year. 

Updated hierarchy: Martinez | Miller | Gant.

July 14, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Carlos Martinez pitched 1.1 perfect innings with three strikeouts for his fourth save of the season.  Martinez seems to be solidifying himself as the closer for the rest of the season.   

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Gant | Miller.

July 5, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Carlos Martinez picked up the save Thursday, his second since Jordan Hicks was lost for the season. It’s also the second Cardinals save of three since the Hicks injury, though Dominic Leone’s save was of the extra-inning vulture variety. So it looks like Martinez has locked down the role, and after showing some resistance initially he’s now taking kindly to the “responsibility” of the role. 

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Gant | Miller.

July 1, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – In an 11-inning game, Dominic Leone picked up his first save of the season after the Cardinals took a 2-run lead in the top of the inning. Carlos Martinez, John Gant and Andrew Miller had already pitched.

Hierarchy remains: *Martinez | Gant | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

June 26, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – When the news that Jordan Hicks tore his UCL came out, we initially liked Carlos Martinez to be the closer. We moved John Gant ahead of Martinez based on comments from John Mozeliak, but now Mozeliak has changed course after talking with Mike Shildt and said yesterday that Martinez will be the team’s closer. We’ll keep monitoring this situation, but Martinez looks to be the reliever to own in St. Louis.

Updated hierarchy: *Martinez | Gant | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

June 25, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals announced that Jordan Hicks has a torn UCL and will likely miss the rest of the season. John Gant and Carlos Martinez are the two relievers who could inherit the job. The Cardinals’ president of baseball operations John Mozeliak said that Gant would be the one to step in to the role, so we’ve shifted our expectations and will give him the nod for now, but will see how the Cardinals adapt in the week ahead before we consider removing the asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: *Gant | Martinez | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

June 24, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals announced that Jordan Hicks has a torn UCL. We think Carlos Martinez will now be the lead option to close, but John Gant could get some save opportunities as well. 

Updated hierarchy: Martinez | Gant | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

June 23, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Hicks left the game with two outs in the ninth yesterday and that allowed Tyler Webb to pick up the save.  Right now the Cardinals are saying it is triceps tendinitis and Hicks is expected to miss at least a couple of days.  They will do more tests today to see if it is worse than they originally thought.  Carlos Martinez should close while Hicks is out and could be a top-tier closer if Hicks misses an extended period of time.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Martinez | Gant.

June 17, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Carlos Martinez looked so good protecting a 1-run lead in the 8th inning that Mike Shildt left him out for the 9th inning as well, and Martinez got the job done for his second save of the year. After the game, Shildt said that Martinez “looked good, he’s done it before. It was nothing against not trusting Jordan at all — it was just the fact that he’d gotten the quick eighth, went out there and got his outs in the ninth.” We aren’t calling this a committee yet, but if Martinez keeps pitching like this, it might not be too far away from becoming one.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Martinez | Gant.

June 14, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals were the other team involved in the suspended (and tied) game. Carlos Martinez is scheduled to begin the bottom of the ninth at 6:10 p.m. Andrew Miller has already been used, but Jordan Hicks hasn’t yet pitched, so he could still get a save opportunity.  

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Martinez | Gant.

June 3, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals had a surprisingly quick hook for Jordan Hicks on Sunday, pulling him after he allowed a hit and a walk to two of the first three hitters he faced. John Gant came on and retired the next two hitters for his third save. With Carlos Martinez’s success over the weekend and Gant’s stellar season, the Cardinals certainly have options if they want to try someone else in the role. We’ll continue to monitor this one.

Updated hierarchy: Hicks | Martinez | Gant.

June 2, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks got Saturday off as we expected, and the Cardinals turned to their closer from the end of last year, Carlos Martinez.  Martinez responded with a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.  After missing the beginning of the season, Martinez is beginning to settle in and even though he had pitched the prior two games, the Cardinals knew he was going to get the ninth inning yesterday.   It looks like Martinez will be the most likely to see any save chances when Hicks is unavailable moving forward.

Updated hierarchy: Hicks | Martinez | Miller.

May 17, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Martinez will likely be activated from the injured list on Saturday and will head to the bullpen, at least at first. We’ll watch his usage to see if he can become a factor in the late innings.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Miller | Gant.

May 1, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – As the Vulture Save Watch predicted, Jordan Hicks got the night off and Andrew Miller recorded the final two outs of Tuesday’s win to collect his first save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Miller | Gant. 

April 29, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Protecting a 2-run lead, Jordan Hicks was summoned to put out a fire with two outs in the 8th inning. When the Cardinals scored three runs in the bottom half, they decided to give Hicks the rest of the night off, but then Dominic Leone got in trouble, forcing John Gant to come in and close out the game. It was Gant’s second save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Miller | Gant. 

April 8, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – After a rough start to the season, Alex Reyes got sent down to AAA. For now, we’ll give his spot in the hierarchy to John Gant, who has already amassed two wins, a hold, and a save on the year.

Updated hierarchy: Hicks | Miller | Gant.

April 4, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks got a second straight day off and Alex Reyes — whom the Cards have been using pretty regularly in the seventh — got the call in the ninth. He struggled with control and got bailed out by Dakota Hudson, but (for now, at least) the Cardinals’ former top prospect belongs at second in line.

Updated hierarchy: Hicks | Miller | Reyes.

April 2, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – John Gant picked up his first save of the season on Monday afternoon, pitching the 11th inning after almost every other reliever in the pen had already pitched. He does not factor in to the Cardinals’ usual late inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Hicks | Miller | Brebbia.

March 25, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Hicks will likely see the lion’s share — but not all — of the save chances in St. Louis, Mike Shildt said this weekend. This was largely expected throughout the spring, and now we have confirmation, and if Hicks pitches well in the early going, look for him to ascend to the full time role.

Updated hierarchy: Hicks | Miller | Brebbia.

March 22, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – Dakota Hudson will begin the season as the team’s fifth starter, so that takes him out of the bullpen hierarchy. In his place, let’s slide in John Brebbia behind Jordan Hicks and Andrew Miller — with both of these men likely competing for saves, based on matchups — to start the season.

Updated hierarchy: *Hicks | Miller | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee

February 21, 2019
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals have a potentially lethal one-two punch at the back end of their bullpen with free agent acquisition Andrew Miller joining flamethrower Jordan Hicks. If Andrew Miller can wind back the clock to his 2017 form, and if Jordan Hicks can perform as well as he did last year,  they could be one of the best lefty-righty tandems in the majors, which is good for the Cardinals because it gets pretty shaky after that. Last season’s closer Carlos Martinez was an option, but now looks like he will miss the start of the season. Luke Gregerson is still on the roster, but is coming off a woeful 2018. The same is true for Brett Cecil. Dakota Hudson shows flashes of brilliance, but his walk rate was a scary 5.9/9 last year. John Brebbia quietly put up solid numbers last season including 2 saves, but spent the bulk of the year pitching in low leverage spots. The lack of stability means that the Cardinals might be looking to add arms via free-agency, with part-time closer from last season Bud Norris being a possible target. All of this uncertainty, and the likely split of 9th inning duties between Miller and Hicks, make the Cardinals a risky proposition in the early going.

Starting 2019 hierarchy: *Hicks | Miller | Hudson.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Hudson, Brebbia, Gregerson.

September 28, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Martinez threw 39 pitches over 2.0 innings on Wednesday, but he was well-rested before that and should be used in tight spots this weekend. The Cardinals, two games behind the Rockies and one behind the Dodgers, likely need to win all three — and still get help — to get in.

Hierarchy remains: Martinez | Hicks | Hudson.

September 10, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — As we speculated a few days ago, Mike Shildt has elected to leave Jordan Hicks in the eighth inning and use opening-day starter Carlos Martinez as the Cardinals’ new closer. Martinez pitched a perfect ninth on Sunday for his second save of the season. Bud Norris’s role has been “reshuffled” and we think he’ll find himself behind Dakota Hudson at second in line.

Updated hierarchy: Martinez | Hicks | Hudson.

September 9, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Bud Norris returned to the mound after getting four days off, but unfortunately the rest did not appear to help.  Norris got the bottom of the 9th in a tie game and walked a couple batters before ultimately allowing the game-winning run to score on a wild pitch.

Hierarchy remains: *Hicks | Martinez | Norris.
* = closer-by-committee

September 6, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Martinez picked up his first save in four years, a two-inning, four-strikeout, 40-pitch extravaganza that got Cardinal fans really excited on Twitter. After the game, manager Mike Shildt said that the next save chance will be based on freshness and matchups, so we’ll give Jordan Hicks the nod for now — but don’t be surprised if Hicks stays in the eighth and Martinez gets a real shot at the job.

Updated hierarchy: *Hicks | Martinez | Norris.
* = closer-by-committee

September 6, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Martinez picked up his first save in four years, a two-inning, four-strikeout, 40-pitch extravaganza that got Cardinal fans really excited on Twitter. After the game, manager Mike Shildt said that the next save chance will be based on freshness and matchups, so we’ll give Jordan Hicks the nod for now — but don’t be surprised if Hicks stays in the eighth and Martinez gets a real shot at the job.

Updated hierarchy: *Hicks | Martinez | Norris.
* = closer-by-committee

September 5, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – The Vulture Save Watch predicted a Jordan Hicks appearance on Tuesday night, but it was not a traditional save chance for Hicks. The Cardinals entered the ninth inning with an 11-5 lead, but the Nationals cut the deficit to 11-8 and brought the tying run to the plate with two outs before Hicks came on to close out the win. As we said yesterday, Bud Norris’ next outing is huge for him if he wants to keep seeing save chances. Meanwhile, Dakota Hudson came through in a big spot last night as he shut down the heart of the Nats’ order in the seventh inning to keep St. Louis ahead by two.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Hicks | Hudson.
* = closer-by-committee

September 4, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Two consecutive bad outings suddenly have Bud Norris back on the hot seat. On Sunday, Norris coughed up three runs in the 10th inning and took the loss, and yesterday, he blew a 2-run lead in a game that the Cardinals would go on to lose in extra innings. Norris had a great August, but for a team that is now clinging to just a 1-game lead for the second Wild Card spot, these losses stung. Norris wants to keep the job, but Mike Shildt said that “we’ll keep evaluating what we have” in an extremely lukewarm assessment of the righty’s future job prospects. We’re throwing a committee tag on here and believe that Norris’s next outing is absolutely crucial. A strong outing and he should still see save chances; a bad one and he might not get a look again all month.

Updated hierarchy: *Norris | Hicks | Hudson.
* = closer-by-committee

August 23, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Bud Norris got a night off and Jordan Hicks grabbed the save by striking out the side with 103 MPH heat.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Hudson.

August 15, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Just as the Vulture Save Watch predicted, Bud Norris got Tuesday off and Jordan Hicks picked up his fourth save of the season. It is worth noting that Norris is dealing with some soreness in his right hip, so he may get some additional rest during the week.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Hudson.

August 14, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Bud Norris blew the save chance, allowing two runs and only recording one out before being replaced by Dakota Hudson in a tie game. While there is no indication his job is in trouble yet, another bad outing or two in short order and he could certainly see the hook. Hudson and Jordan Hicks are the two most likely candidates to replace Norris in the event he is demoted.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Hudson.

August 12, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks came on to get the last out of the eighth inning with the Cardinals up 3.  After the Cardinals added two more runs to make it a 5 run lead, Hicks came back out for the ninth to get his third save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Hudson. 

August 11, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Rookie Daniel Poncedeleon pitched the final three innings of a 7-0 win for his first career save. When Poncedeleon is not pitching, he enjoys being the first European to walk on the beaches of Florida and searching for the Fountain of Youth.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Hudson. 

August 2, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — 23-year-old Dakota Hudson got the seventh inning in a one-run game, claiming third chair in the Cardinals bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Hicks | Hudson. 

July 31, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals placed Luke Gregerson on the DL yesterday, and the righty appears unlikely to pitch again this season. We’ll give his spot on the hierarchy to the recently-acquired Chasen Shreve.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Hicks | Shreve. 

July 28, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – In a move that has been brewing since April, Greg Holland was designated for assignment yesterday, meaning the Cardinals paid him almost $200,000 for each out he recorded. He ended his time in St. Louis with zero saves, two holds and a 7.92 ERA. The Cardinals also DFA’d Tyler Lyons, sent Sam Tuivailala to Seattle and placed Brett Cecil on the DL in one of the biggest bullpen restructurings in recent memory. Bud Norris and Jordan Hicks remain the best options for the Cardinals, and we expect Luke Gregerson to see an increased role now that the path has cleared, though Mike Mayers did get a seventh-inning hold last night. Keep an eye on Dakota Hudson, who was called up in the flurry of moves. He will start in the bullpen and was having an excellent year in Memphis.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Hicks | Gregerson.

July 16, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – With Bud Norris getting a day off with some sort of injury concern, Jordan Hicks picked up his second save of the season. He allowed a run, but remains the clear handcuff in case Norris’s injury is more serious than it seems.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

July 15, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks has had kind of a rough week off the mound after an article came out about how closer Bud Norris has been mercilessly riding him.  Hicks has since said that he knows Norris is only trying to help him become a better player, but it’s fair to wonder if the off-field issues led to his poor performance on Saturday.  The 21-year old came on in the 7th inning to protect a one-run lead but took the loss after allowing four earned runs and only recording one out.  In other St. Louis Cardinals news, manager Mike Matheny was fired after the game.  We will see if this change impacts the bullpen usage at all moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

July 14, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals activated Tyler Lyons and Luke Gregerson before last night’s game. Gregerson gave up a hit and a walk while getting two outs in the 6th, while Lyons gave up a pair of runs in the 7th inning. Sam Tuivailala had a rough outing as well, surrendering three earned runs in a third of an inning. St. Louis has been searching for a bit of stability in their bullpen other than Jordan Hicks and Bud Norris, and if Gregerson can return to form he will be an important part of the bullpen. He’ll likely need to string together a few successful outings before he truly enters the late-inning conversation, however.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

July 8, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Bud Norris has put to bed any injury concerns for now after returning to the mound yesterday with a perfect ninth inning for his 17th save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

July 7, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — After his injury scare, Bud Norris underwent an MRI on Friday. The results showed no structural damage. Norris believes he will be ready to go today, although the Cardinals may elect to rest him further.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

July 5, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Although Bud Norris felt a slight “stinger” in his finger during his ninth-inning appearance, causing a slight delay, he stayed on to finish a scoreless inning.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

June 20, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Greg Holland was activated from the DL on Tuesday. He has not been good in the majors and was not good in the minors during his rehab stint. Naturally, he picked up a seventh-inning hold last night in his return, striking out two in a 1-2-3 inning. We’ll see if Holland can actually string together some decent outings before adding him back to the hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

June 15, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks just keeps getting better. At first, the 21-year-old fireballer had uncharacteristically low strikeout numbers for someone throwing so hard. But now? He’s missing bats like a seasoned closer. He has piled up 12 strikeouts in just six June innings and his season K/9 is approaching 9.00.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

June 10, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Hicks recorded his first career save yesterday.  Hicks and closer Bud Norris had both pitched in back-to-back games, but Norris had it a little tougher with the rain delay on Thursday so he got the day off.  Norris is still the closer for now but this is becoming something to watch.  Norris was perfect in save chances through May but has already blown two opportunities in June.  Hicks, on the other hand, is pitching well and has seen an uptick in strikeouts in June.  After only recording 6 strikeouts in over 13 innings in April, he already has 8 strikeouts in only 4 innings in June.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

June 9, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Bud Norris couldn’t hold onto a two-run lead in the 9th but snatched a win after the Cardinals retook the lead in the 10th. With Jordan Hicks and Sam Tuivailala having already pitched, the Cardinals turned to John Brebbia, who converted for his second save of the year. Brebbia, whose other save this year was of the three-inning variety, is now second only to Norris in saves for the Cardinals despite not normally factoring in the Cardinals’ late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

June 8, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Greg Holland began a rehab assignment on Thursday, tossing a scoreless eighth inning (two walks, no strikeouts) for the Memphis Redbirds. He won’t compete for saves upon his return and would need a string of several solid, high-leverage appearances to join the conversation. Speaking of saves, Bud Norris nailed down his 12th of the season Thursday night and has a firm grip on the closer’s role.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

May 23, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Mike Matheny continued his quest to get Greg Holland right on Tuesday when he called on the righty in the top of the ninth to keep the Cardinals down by just two. Holland failed to even record an out, allowing a walk and three singles as the Royals pushed their lead to 5-1. After the game, Matheny said that the issues don’t appear to be injury-related, and he seemed to mostly feel bad for Holland. They’ll keep trying to find spots for him to pitch and regain his old form, but those spots aren’t likely to be when the Cardinals have a lead. With Matt Bowman, Luke Gregerson and Tyler Lyons all on the DL, Sam Tuivailala is probably the best bet to get the ball to Jordan Hicks and Bud Norris. Lefty Brett Cecil should also grab some holds if the matchups are right.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Hicks | Tuivailala.

May 21, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Jordan Hicks threw two pitches at 105 mph yesterday. So yeah, that’s a thing that happened.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Hicks | Holland.

May 17, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Greg Holland was ineffective in the eighth with a four-run lead, requiring Bud Norris, who makes $10 million less than Holland, to come in and lock down a five-out save. With a 6.17 ERA in 15 games, and only three appearances where he hasn’t allowed a baserunner, Holland might be falling behind 21-year-old fireballer Jordan Hicks (0.92 ERA, but 14 BB in 19.2 IP) in the Cardinal pecking order.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

May 11, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Pitching for the first time since leaving a game last weekend with triceps tightness, Bud Norris looked sharp, tossing a scoreless inning with one strikeout to earn his eighth save. Greg Holland picked up his first hold setting Norris up. Will Holland return to the ninth? Healthy again, Norris appears locked into the closer’s gig for now.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

May 6, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Bud Norris left yesterday’s game with triceps tightness.  Norris thinks he will not need to be placed on the disabled list.  We expect Norris to miss at least a couple days, and if it turns out to be more serious, we will let you know as soon as possible.  At least one beat writer thinks Greg Holland is still not ready and it could be Jordan Hicks to close while Norris is out.  We know it won’t be Dominic Leone, since he is likely going to be put on the DL.  Hicks has been pitching well and is probably the best guy to own while Norris is out.   However, Holland and even Luke Gregerson and lefty Tyler Lyons could be involved as well.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

May 3, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Bud Norris is hanging onto the closer’s role for now, picking up his sixth save on Wednesday. Maybe it shouldn’t be that big a surprise: St. Louis has a long history of preferring Bud to the products of Holland.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 30, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Our ritualistic “Greg Holland still isn’t quite there yet” update begins its fourth week with three more hits and another earned run in a game the Cardinals were losing by 4. Greg Holland still isn’t quite there yet, you guys.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 28, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Just as Greg Holland seemed to be ascending to the closer’s role, he fell apart while protecting a three-run lead. He was victimized by an error, but he also left without recording an out. After the game, Mike Matheny said it may take some more time for Holland to be ready, while also praising Bud Norris, who pitched a clean eighth. Matheny’s comments — and Holland’s salary — point to Holland as the future closer, but we think Norris is probably still in line for the next save chance.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 27, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Greg Holland is getting higher leverage work these days. He pitched the ninth in a tie game after Bud Norris pitched the eighth with a one-run deficit. We’d like to see Holland earn his first couple of saves before sliding him back atop the hierarchy, but he’s trending in the right direction.

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 26, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — John Brebbia turned in an impressive performance Wednesday night, striking out four through three scoreless innings to pick up his first career save. Did you start Brebbia in your league? Be the first to prove it to us, through Twitter or email, and you’ll win Closer Monkey Premium through the rest of the season!

Hierarchy remains: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 25, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Bud Norris was unavailable on Tuesday due to a little soreness. With the Cardinals ahead in the seventh, Mike Matheny turned to Jordan Hicks to face the top of the order. Hicks then remained in the game and gave up the go-ahead run in the eighth after a walk, single and sac fly. After Luke Gregerson got the Cardinals out of the inning, Greg Holland got the ninth and pitched his third straight scoreless inning. He’s only allowed one walk and has four strikeouts in that stretch, and may soon be ready to claim the ninth once and for all.

Updated hierarchy: *Norris | Holland | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 22, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — For a minute, it looked like we might finally see a Greg Holland save opportunity.  With the Cardinals clinging to a one-run lead in the 9th inning, rookie Jordan Hicks gave up a couple walks and hit a batter to load the bases with one out.  Holland was warming in the bullpen, but Hicks got a double play to end the inning.  It shouldn’t be too much longer before Greg Holland finally gets a chance to do what he was signed to do.

Hierarchy Remains: *Norris | Holland | Lyons.
* = closer-by-committee

April 21, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Okay, we can’t keep pretending that Greg Holland is at the top of this bullpen when he never sniffs a save chance. We’ll adjust when and if he gets a role commensurate with his paycheck, but for now, Bud Norris and his five saves have earned the slot. The Cardinals have a lot of good late-inning options behind those two, but Tyler Lyons has three eighth-inning holds in his last three appearances, so we’ll give him the nod.

Updated hierarchy: *Norris | Holland | Lyons.
* = closer-by-committee

April 20, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Likely future closer Greg Holland got in some work with his team down three in the seventh inning Thursday night and held the Cubs to no hits with just one walk in a clean frame. He’ll need to string a few appearances like this one together before he is given the full reins as closer.

Hierarchy remains: *Holland | Norris | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 18, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Mike Matheny called on Greg Holland to protect a 5-1 lead in the eighth inning. A walk, a two-run homer and another walk ended Holland’s night early, however, and Bud Norris came on to convert a five-out save. Norris now has four saves this season and should be the team’s closer. However, with Matheny insistent on easing Holland into that role, Norris’ grasp on the ninth inning remains tenuous. For now though, Norris is the man to own in St. Louis. Meanwhile, Matheny expects Luke Gregerson to be part of the setup mix in what is becoming a crowded bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: *Holland | Norris | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 17, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals activated Luke Gregerson before yesterday’s (postponed) game. It’s quite possible that he enters the mix for saves until Greg Holland is ready for the full time gig, but we’ll see how he is used before we mess with the hierarchy.

Hierarchy remains: *Holland | Norris | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 16, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Bud Norris got another save on Sunday, though it wasn’t the most inspired outing. Adam Duvall homered to lead off the inning, making it a one-run game. A bunt single and a hit batsman then sandwiched a couple of strikeouts, followed by Billy Hamilton rapping a hard liner to left that fortunately found the glove of Harrison Bader, allowing the Cardinals to escape. Despite the shaky outing, though, two saves in three days is what fantasy owners will care about, so until the “easing in” of Greg Holland is complete, we’ll slap a committee tag on this bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: *Holland | Norris | Hicks.
* = closer-by-committee

April 14, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — In a clear save opportunity, the Cardinals opted to go with Bud Norris over $14 million man Greg Holland. Norris put the tying runs on base, but managed to escape unscathed. Even as Norris was struggling, Holland wasn’t warming up, although Mike Matheny likes whoever is closing to feel trusted, “like the king of the world,” so don’t read too much into that. After the game, Matheny said Holland would “get his opportunity, but we’ve got to get him feeling really good about his stuff before we do that.” We still think that Holland will close soon, but his leash may be shorter than usual with Norris pitching well.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Norris | Hicks.

April 13, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – After entering the game with an eight-run lead, Mike Mayers pitched the final three innings to earn his first career save. Mayers does not factor into the Cardinals’ late-inning plans. Per usual, the first person who can prove they earned a save from Mayers for their fantasy team will win free Closer Monkey Premium. Pics or it didn’t happen!

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Norris | Hicks.

April 8, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Bud Norris struck out the side yesterday to record the first save of the season for the Cardinals.  Greg Holland will close as soon as he gets to St. Louis, but Norris was brought in this off-season to help the bullpen and could see a few more save chances before Holland gets called up.

Updated hierarchy: Holland | Norris | Hicks.

April 6, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Future closer Greg Holland’s debut for the Cardinals organization was a success. He tossed a clean inning Thursday, getting two groundouts and a strikeout on seven pitches (five strikes). He’ll definitely close for the Cardinals, it’s just a matter of when. He could be up within a week or so.

Updated hierarchy: Holland | Leone | Hicks.

April 4, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – It was a rough Tuesday for Tyler Lyons and Dominic Leone, as the duo allowed four earned runs in a comeback win for the Brewers. Leone gave up two dingers in the ninth to blow his first save opportunity. He doesn’t project to get too many more chances, as Greg Holland is close to joining St. Louis and take over as closer.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Leone | Hicks.

April 3, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – In making the ballclub out of spring training this year, Jordan Hicks skipped over AA and AAA entirely, and the Cardinals have shown no reluctance to use him in big spots. Yesterday, he closed out the 8th inning with a gross diving slider followed up by a front-door offering, and stayed on for the 9th with the Cardinals up four runs, upping his season line to 3.1 IP, 0 ER, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 Ks. Hicks is ascending fast.

Updated hierarchy: Holland | Leone | Hicks.

April 2, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals hierarchy is suddenly a very crowded place. We’ve opted to keep Greg Holland in the closer spot even though he won’t be up for another week or two, and we’d also like to keep Leone and Lyons on our chart, as they’re still the duo likely to get save chances in his absence. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the head-turning stuff possessed by Jordan Hicks. Last night, Hicks and his 102-mph fastball handled the 8th inning with the Cardinals up four runs; look for him to get more chances for holds as he continues to prove himself.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Leone | Lyons.

April 1, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals have finalized their deal with Greg Holland, and he will report to Single A to get ready.  Holland could be ready to join the Cardinals in as few as 10 days.  We will leave Holland at the top of the hierarchy since he was clearly signed to be their closer, but Dominic Leone and Tyler Lyons should see save chances until he is ready to join the team.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Leone | Lyons.

March 30, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Greg Holland has finally found a home. He signed a one-year deal worth $14 million on Opening Day with St. Louis. He wasn’t available for Thursday’s game (there was no save situation anyway, as the Cardinals lost 9-4), but he’s expected to step in and close in short order, as he has been training at the Scott Boras facility. Meanwhile, impressive rookie Jordan Hicks made his major league debut, tossing a clean inning while throwing harder (101.6) than Mets starter Noah Syndergaard did. He’s a name to watch this year in the Cardinals bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Holland | Leone | Lyons.

March 29, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Greg Holland has agreed to a one-year, $14 million deal with the Cardinals. He will almost certainly serve as the team’s closer once he gets up to speed and should be added in all formats. He still has to pass a physical for the deal to become official, but we are moving him up to the top of the hierarchy with the understanding that he may not close for at least a week or two.

Updated hierarchy: Holland | Leone | Lyons.

March 27, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – In addition to Dominic Leone, GM John Mozeliak recently mentioned Tyler Lyons as a possible closer candidate in Luke Gregerson’s absence. Beat reporters like Lyons, too, so we’re placing the lefty in the set-up role ahead of the also-promising Sam Tuivailala and the experienced, but struggling Bud Norris (10.80 spring ERA).

Updated hierarchy: *Leone | Lyons | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

March 25, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – Luke Gregerson will start the season on the disabled list thanks to a strained hamstring. Mike Matheny did not name a closer, but all signs point to Dominic Leone being the first choice for saves. Bud Norris will also get some consideration for the ninth inning as well. Don’t sleep on Sam Tuivailala as a candidate for late-inning work as well. The 25-year-old has been terrific this spring, posting 12 strikeouts in 6.1 innings. He has not allowed a run and even picked up a save.

Updated hierarchy: *Leone | Norris | Tuivailala.
* = closer-by-committee

March 22, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals — Nothing official out of St. Louis, but there’s still a feeling among writers that Luke Gregerson, back from his injured oblique, will get the first shot at closing ahead of Dominic Leone, Bud Norris, Tyler Lyons, and Sam Tuivailala. Between injuries and competition, even if Gregerson gets the nod, we don’t expect him to keep the job for long.

Hierarchy remains: *Gregerson | Leone | Norris.
* = closer-by-committee

March 14, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – With Luke Gregerson still ailing and Bud Norris sporting a 9.95 ERA this spring, the Cardinals appear to be moving towards Dominic Leone as a closer candidate. They’re giving him a nice long look in the role during the exhibitions — Leone picked up his third save on Sunday — and general manager John Mozeliak mentioned him as a closer candidate in a recent radio interview. If Gregerson can get healthy by the start of the season, we still think the job is his, but Leone could end up being a great pickup late in your drafts.

Updated hierarchy: *Gregerson | Leone | Norris.
* = closer-by-committee

March 12, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – It’s been nine days since Luke Gregerson last appeared in his first and only spring training game thus far, as an oblique injury has kept him sidelined since then. Gregerson began as the presumptive favorite for the St. Louis closer gig, but his absence means that the door is now open for offseason acquisition Bud Norris. And while Norris hadn’t done much to stake his claim, getting shelled in his first two spring appearances, he did post a clean inning on Saturday. We’ll continue to monitor Gregerson’s injury.

Hierarchy remains: *Gregerson | Norris | Lyons.
* = closer-by-committee

February 28, 2018
St. Louis Cardinals – The St. Louis Cardinals enter 2018 without a proven closer, and manager Mike Matheny has pressed the front office to bring in a reliable 9th inning arm. President of Baseball Operations John Mozeliak declared Luke Gregerson the front runner, but that was before the Cardinals acquired Bud Norris, who thrived as a reliever last season with the Angels and has an outside shot to win the closer’s job out of spring training. Tyler Lyons could be in the mix as well, but as a lefty, he may be relegated to a specialist role. One intriguing option is Alex Reyes, who is coming off of Tommy John surgery, but looks to be ready in May. For now, look for the Cardinals to play the hot hand early in the season. We’ll give Gregerson the inside track in the committee for now.

Starting 2018 hierarchy: *Gregerson | Norris | Lyons.
* = closer-by-committee
Holds candidates: Norris, Lyons, Reyes.

September 20, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Juan Nicasio kept the score tied in the ninth and then got the ball in the 10th with the Cardinals now ahead by two runs. After allowing a leadoff homer, Nicasio retired the next hitter before ceding the inning to Tyler Lyons in order to take advantage of a lefty-lefty matchup and eventually convert his third save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: *Nicasio | Lyons | Oh.
* = closer-by-committee

September 10, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals went right back to their newest bullpen piece last night, and Juan Nicasio responded by striking out two in a scoreless inning for the save.  Nicasio has been pitching well and racking up reliever stats (2 wins, 2 holds, and 2 saves in his last 7 appearances).   Seung Hwan Oh has not been particularly effective at the top of the committee, and now the Cardinals look ready to use the veteran Nicasio in that spot.

Updated hierarchy: *Nicasio | Lyons | Oh.
* = closer-by-committee

September 9, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Things are wide open in the Cardinals bullpen, and the newly acquired Juan Nicasio is right in the thick of it. His first appearance for the team found him successfully protecting a three-run lead against the Pirates, who traded him to the Phillies in a bizarre salary dump on August 31, only to see him moved to a fellow playoff contender. Nicasio hasn’t given up a run in eight outings (in three different uniforms), and though he won’t be eligible to pitch in the playoffs, he could play a big part getting the Cardinals there.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Lyons | Nicasio.
* = closer-by-committee

September 7, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Tyler Lyons got the call up two in the ninth; after giving up two leadoff singles, he struck out two and got a flyout to earn his second save of the year. It’s been a pretty mediocre season for Seung Hwan Oh, and Lyons held batters to a 1-for-32 average in August, so you might have expected the lefty to get a closing shot sooner. With the Cardinals in the thick of the wild card race, he may wind up as the most important reliever down the stretch.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Lyons | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee

September 1, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — The sad season continues for former setup man Kevin Siegrist. He was designated for assignment Thursday. He pitched to a 4.98 ERA over 39 appearances this year after being one of the top setup men in the game over the previous two campaigns. Meanwhile, Seung Hwan Oh picked up the save Thursday night, giving him the team’s two saves in Trevor Rosenthal’s absence. One more save and we’ll make that asterisk absent, too.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Lyons | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee

August 24, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal will have Tommy John surgery next week, which mean he will not only miss the rest of this season but much of next season as well. So far, nobody has emerged as a clear candidate to take over as closer in St. Louis. Seung Hwan Oh did himself no favors on Wednesday, allowing a single and a triple to the only two batters he faced in a low-leverage eighth inning during the Cardinals’ win.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Lyons | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee

August 19, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — St. Louis wanted to rest their top relievers last night, and Matt Bowman was primed to get a vulture save, but when the Pirates came storming back to load the bases, Mike Matheny turned to a very tired Seung Hwan Oh to get the last two outs of the ninth. We thought Tyler Lyons would get the vulture save chance, but Matheny seemed set on trying to rest both him and Oh. The committee got the job done last night, so look for it to continue with Tyler Lyons and John Brebbia carrying the late innings today. In other news, Trevor Rosenthal is seeking a second opinion on his elbow, which could require surgery.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Lyons | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee

August 18, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — If Thursday’s game is any indication, Seung Hwan Oh is the most likely guy to grab saves in St. Louis with closer Trevor Rosenthal on the shelf. Oh was warming in the bullpen with the Cards up 7-5, but entered the 9th with an 11-5 lead, so there was no save chance to be he had. With the increased cushion, Oh allowed two runs before shutting the door. Lefty Tyler Lyons pitched the eighth inning ahead of Oh, and should get any save chances when Oh needs a breather. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are holding their breath as they brace for news about Rosenthal’s elbow. An MRI is scheduled for Friday.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Lyons | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee

August 17, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal has been placed on the 10-day DL with right elbow irritation.  As we mentioned earlier in the daily update, we expect a committee of Seung Hwan Oh and lefty Tyler Lyons while Rosenthal is out, but we will continue to monitor to see if manager Mike Matheny offers any clarity on the situation.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Lyons | Brebbia.
* = closer-by-committee

August 17, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal didn’t look right in a brief outing on Wednesday night, and was pulled from the game after yielding a homer and a walk. His velocity was down and he reported “tightness” in his throwing arm; the Cards are concerned that it’s a return of the shoulder trouble from spring training. He’ll be checked out on Thursday and, if he’s hurt, we expect saves to come out of a committee of Seung Hwan Oh (1 ER, 13 K over last 12 appearances) and lefty Tyler Lyons (18 K in 14 straight scoreless appearances), with Zach Duke and John Brebbia on the next tier.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Oh | Lyons.

August 12, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — The Vulture Save Watch told you that the Cardinals’ bullpen was stretched thin, and that was on full display last night. Holding onto a one-run lead with two outs in the seventh, Mike Matheny turned to Zach Duke to get Freddie Freeman out. He did, then stuck around for the eighth, leaving the ninth to Matt Bowman, who converted his second save of the year. Bowman is not usually part of the late-inning mix, but Seung Hwan Oh and Trevor Rosenthal needed rest, and Duke had already been used in the highest-leverage spot.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Oh | Duke.

August 10, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Brett Cecil has been used mostly in long relief lately, but Zach Duke is keeping the seventh inning in the two first names family. On the field at Busch, a stray cat inspired Yadier Molina to hit a grand slam off Peter Moylan — the first homer attributable to an animal since Mr. Ed took Sandy Koufax deep in 1963.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Oh | Duke.

July 31, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal bagged his sixth save of the season last night, and has been an absolute hoss lately. In his last 11.2 innings: 4 hits, 1 BB, 1 ER, 19 Ks. Between those numbers, and the fact that he’s gotten the last two save chances, we’ll kick his asterisk. Welcome back to the 9th, Trevor.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Oh | Cecil.

July 28, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal is drawing interest from multiple teams, including the Washington Nationals. Rosenthal would slide into Washington’s reworked bullpen and could be in line for save chances there if he’s moved.

Hierarchy remains: *Rosenthal | Cecil | Oh.
* = closer-by-committee

July 21, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals bullpen blew another game Thursday, with Brett Cecil giving up the lead in the eighth and Trevor Rosenthal losing the game in the ninth after he somehow forgot to cover first base. His teammate Matt Carpenter wasn’t happy. There’s no indication the mental lapse will lead to a job change, as he’s still at the top of a messy committee.

Hierarchy remains: *Rosenthal | Cecil | Oh.
* = closer-by-committee

July 18, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Undaunted by Brett Cecil’s blown save on Sunday, the Cardinals sent him back out for the 9th inning again on Monday. This time, the lefty converted. Look for him to continue to get opportunities when the matchups make sense.

Updated hierarchy: *Rosenthal | Cecil | Oh.
* = closer-by-committee

July 17, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals took their new closer-by-committee for a spin, giving Brett Cecil a chance at the 9th inning. Three batters later, the score was tied; three more, and the Cardinals had lost. Trevor Rosenthal, who pitched a clean 8th, would be the next reliever in line for a shot, but he pitched in all three games over the weekend and won’t be available today.

Updated hierarchy: *Rosenthal | Oh | Cecil.
* = closer-by-committee

July 15, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Seung Hwan Oh came on in a tied ninth and gave up a three-run homer for his fifth loss of the year. This season, The Final Boss is less of a Mike Tyson and more of a Birdo.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Cecil.

July 9, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Seung Hwan Oh pitched a scoreless ninth to pick up his eighteenth save of the season.  After giving way to Trevor Rosenthal for a few save opportunities, Oh has received the last two save chances and converted both.  Rosenthal had his chance, but it looks like Oh has asserted himself as the closer again so we will drop the committee asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Cecil.

July 7, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Meet the new Final Boss, same as the old Final Boss. After Brett Cecil collected five outs, Seung Hwan Oh entered for his third straight appearance to pick up his first save since June 21. Trevor Rosenthal, who has allowed runs in four of his last six appearances, did not get the call even though he hasn’t pitched since July 4. With Oh presumably tired, Rosenthal should get the Friday save chance, if applicable. Perhaps that was Mike Matheny’s plan all along. Stay tuned.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Rosenthal | Cecil.
* = closer-by-committee

July 2, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals used five relievers out of the bullpen on Saturday night and all of them were perfect except for one.  Of course the one reliever who was not perfect was the man they sent out for the ninth inning to close out a two run lead.  Trevor Rosenthal got his second straight save chance and certainly would have moved to the top of the committee if he could have converted it.  Instead, he gave up a run and loaded the bases before being pulled with two outs.  Matt Bowman came on and struck out the only batter he faced to pick up his first career save.  Seung Hwan Oh struck out the two batters he faced in the eighth inning, and might get another chance in the ninth since Rosenthal has given up runs in four of his last five appearances.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Rosenthal | Cecil.
* = closer-by-committee

June 29, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — After Seung Hwan Oh’s third blown save on Tuesday, Mike Matheny left the door open for a change in the ninth inning. Tonight, Brett Cecil (resurgent, but still leading the league in relief meltdowns) shut down the heart of the Arizona lineup in the eighth, and it was Trevor Rosenthal who got the call to protect a two-run lead. Rosenthal was about as bad as he could be without losing the lead, scattering a single, two walks, and two wild pitches, but managing to strand the tying run on third. He got the save, but it’s hard to imagine the outing filled Matheny with confidence going forward, especially since Oh was warming for much of the inning. This looks like a committee — an ugly committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Rosenthal | Cecil.
* = closer-by-committee

June 14, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — Another day, another three-inning save, this one the first in the career of lefty Tyler Lyons. Free Premium for the first person to email us a screenshot of Lyons delivering that save to your fantasy team.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

June 10, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — As pointed out to us last night by an enthusiastic Cardinals fan (15 exclamation points!!) suspiciously named Matt, Kevin Siegrist has indeed been eclipsed in the Cardinals bullpen by Matt Bowman, who struck out the side in the seventh last night for his 12th hold. Did Bowman himself take the time to harangue us with four postgame paragraphs about our “glaring mistake”? Does he have the tech savvy to spoof a Chicago IP address from the Cardinals’ locker room? Let’s just go with probably yes.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

May 15, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – After picking up a 7th inning hold last Wednesday, Kevin Siegrist closed out a 5-0 win for the Cardinals. The control issues that were plaguing him early this year are gone, as he’s now gone 10 straight appearances (11 Ks, 1 BB) without allowing a run. Welcome back to the hierarchy, Kevin.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Rosenthal | Siegrist.

May 9, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Usually we have something to say about somebody, somewhere, in one of MLB’s 30 bullpens. But the only thing that happened Monday that struck us as out of the ordinary was a save for journeyman Miguel Socolovich, whose baseball career spans the minor league systems of six different MLB teams, as well as the Hiroshima Toyo Carp of NPB. Socolovich, a native of Venezuela, pitched the final three innings of the Cardinals blowout victory to earn his first career save. If you had Socolovich active in your lineup yesterday, send us a screenshot. The first person who does wins Closer Monkey Premium for a year; any subsequent winners will win a free day of email sponsorship.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

May 8, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Kevin Siegrist picked up the save in the 14th inning on Sunday. Almost every other Cardinals reliever had already pitched to that point, but it was still a nice outing for the embattled lefty, who has now gone seven straight appearances without allowing a run. Perhaps even more significant is that he has walked only one hitter in that span, after opening the year with 10 BBs in 6.1 IPs. Siegrist was an elite set-up man last year, and if he’s worked out his issues, he could return to that status in short order.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

May 3, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Seung Hwan Oh got the night off following a 25-pitch struggle on Monday, paving the way for Trevor Rosenthal to nab his third save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

April 28, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Seung Hwan Oh pitched a scoreless ninth inning with the score tied in the first game of a doubleheader, so in the nightcap with Oh unavailable, Trevor Rosenthal got his second vulture save. Rosenthal has really pitched well this year (2.84 ERA, 13 K’s, 2 SV in 7 G) and may have the inside track to the closer gig if Oh falters.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

April 23, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Matt Bowman picked up his 5th hold of the season on Saturday, pitching a scoreless 7th. Until Kevin Siegrist can get the kinks ironed out (10 BBs in 6.1 IPs so far), Bowman will continue to get late inning looks.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

April 20, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — As foretold by the Vulture Save Watch Wednesday morning, Seung Hwan Oh got the day off and Trevor Rosenthal earned his first save since his demotion last June. Rosenthal is throwing harder than ever, with a fastball averaging 98.8 MPH this season. If Oh continues to have problems, Rosenthal (who is only 26) could recapture the closer role.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Siegrist.

April 18, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Finally, in their 13th game of the season, Seung Hwan Oh notched his first save for the Cardinals. But he struggled in doing so, giving back half of the Cardinals’ two-run lead before and letting the tying run reach second before inducing a hard groundout from John Jaso to end it. Oh hasn’t been his normal self to start the season (5.2 IPs, 6 ER, 2 Ks, 1 BB, 2 HRs), with his K totals being especially alarming after he struck out 103 hitters in 79.2 IPs last season. Would-be set-up man Kevin Siegrist has also struggled, having walked 8(!) in just 4.1 innings thus far. Instead, it’s been Trevor Rosenthal who has been solid since returning from an early-season injury — the former closer got the 8th inning hold ahead of Oh last night. If The Final Boss continues to struggle, Rosenthal may get a chance to return to the spotlight.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Rosenthal | Siegrist.

April 11, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals – Former Cards closer Trevor Rosenthal was activated off the DL yesterday and immediately saw action in a lopsided contest in Washington. He promptly struck out the side on 14 pitches. Given his resume, we expect Rosenthal to get late-inning opportunities going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Siegrist | Rosenthal.

March 1, 2017
St. Louis Cardinals — “Final Boss” Seung Hwan Oh has made the closing role his own, taking the job and running with it after he deposed the ineffective and injured Trevor Rosenthal. Rosenthal is young and still has lights-out stuff, but may get a shot in the rotation. If he does, it will leave Kevin Siegrist competing with newcomer Brett Cecil for the setup role. Siegrist has been a reliable source of holds, and will probably take the eighth inning out of the gate — but he has also struggled with shoulder tightness early this spring. Cecil signed a four-year deal, so the Cardinals see him as a valuable asset going forward. Jonathan Broxton is also in the mix, but will have to regain his form before truly becoming a factor.

Starting 2017 hierarchy: Oh | Siegrist | Cecil.
Holds candidates: Siegrist, Cecil, Broxton, Matt Bowman.

September 30, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals – Battling a sore groin and pitching in his second straight night, Seung Hwan Oh gave up the tying run to the Reds to blow the save. But like any good “Final Boss,” Oh won anyway after the Cardinals “scored” in the bottom of the ninth. The Cardinals desperately needed the win, as they are now 1 game back of the second Wild Card spot with just the season’s final weekend to go. It’s hard to believe Oh will be available Friday given the injury, meaning Kevin Siegrist could be worth a speculative add for a potential sneaky save this weekend.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

September 29, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Seung Hwan Oh left last night’s game as a precaution to avoid further injury to his balky groin. Consider him day-to-day, with Kevin Siegrist ready to fill in if needed.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

September 20, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Reminder: vulture saves win fantasy championships! As we predicted yesterday, Kevin Siegrist snagged his third save of the season, filling in for an unavailable Seung Hwan Oh.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

September 14, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Seung Hwan Oh has been battling a groin problem and was unavailable on Tuesday, paving the way for Kevin Siegrist to collect a save. Oh should be back on Wednesday, but if he isn’t then Siegrist should see the 9th once again.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

September 13, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal, who has been injured since July 24, is nearing his return to the Cards’ bullpen. He has reportedly been reaching 100 mph on the radar gun during bullpen sessions, so we would expect him to at least make a case for regaining the closer role for the home stretch. However, current closer Seung Hwan Oh has pitched phenomenally in Rosenthal’s absence.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

September 9, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Former closer Trevor Rosenthal (forearm) and injured starter Michael Wacha are expected to rejoin the Cardinals bullpen next week for the playoff push. Rosenthal has thrown two bullpen sessions recently, while Wacha threw one Wednesday and felt no pain. It was the first time Wacha threw on the side since being shut down with a shoulder injury Aug. 9.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

August 31, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Kevin Siegrist got the eighth and Seung Hwan Oh pitched the ninth in a tie game, and when the Cardinals took the lead in the top of the 10th, Mike Matheny opted to not run Oh out for another inning. Instead, he turned to Matt Bowman, who proceeded to record just one out. Lefty specialist Zach Duke then came in to get the final two outs and record the save.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

August 30, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Alex Reyes’s return to the rotation over the weekend has left a hole in the seventh inning for the Cardinals. Matt Bowman has been filling in there, but when he and Kevin Siegrist gave up a combined four runs last night, it was the recently promoted Miguel Socolovich who stopped the bleeding and set St. Louis up for a comeback win. It was an impressive outing for Socolovich, but not enough to crack the hierarchy yet.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Siegrist | Bowman.

August 20, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Seung Hwan Oh pitched two scoreless innings in a tie game, so when the Cardinals took the lead in the eleventh, it fell to 21-year-old rookie Alex Reyes to close the game out. He worked around a single and a walk to lock up his first career save. Reyes is one of the best starting pitching prospects in baseball, and the Cardinals have a history of using prospects as relievers early in their careers (see Adam Wainwright and Carlos Martinez). Mike Matheny trusts the youngster and, with Reyes living up to the hype so far (0.00 ERA, 9 K, 7 IP), we will slot him into the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Siegrist | Reyes.

August 3, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — When Seung Hwan Oh pulled a six-pitch Houdini in the eighth (escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam with no runs allowed), Mike Matheny decided to let Oh bat with the bases loaded in the St. Louis half of the ninth. After the inevitable strikeout in what was evidently his third professional plate appearance, Oh came back out for the save chance and gave up two singles and a walk-off dinger. Although Oh wasn’t in the mood to talk afterward, his job is safe.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Siegrist | Broxton.

July 16, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Kevin Siegrist was activated from the DL (mono) and pitched an inning in a Cardinals loss on Friday. When healthy, Siegrist was one of the Cardinals most trusted relievers, so he immediately jumps back into the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Siegrist | Broxton.

July 9, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals’ injury woes continued last night, as Trevor Rosenthal entered a tie game in the ninth inning, only to leave with a strained hamstring and the loss. Rosenthal is considered day-to-day at this point; while he’s out, look for Matt Bowman to pick up a few additional opportunities.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Broxton | Bowman.

July 8, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal pitched in the eighth inning of a 5-1 win over the Pirates, recording two outs in a clean outing. It’s a good sign for the demoted closer, but we’ll wait to slide him up in our hierarchy until we see more evidence that Mike Matheny is trusting him again.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Broxton | Rosenthal.

July 4, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals – Seung Hwan Oh picked up his second save in as many days on Sunday, and has been the clear choice for the Cardinals following Trevor Rosenthal’s demotion, despite Mike Matheny’s reluctance to name him the primary closer. The Cardinals are still hoping that Rosenthal can return to the role soon, but until then, Oh will get the fast majority of chances.

Updated hierarchy: Oh | Broxton | Rosenthal.

July 3, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Seung Hwan Oh pitched a perfect ninth with two strikeouts to record his first career save.  Jonathan Broxton pitched a scoreless eighth inning ahead of Oh.  Another clean save from Oh could drop the committee talk and leave him as the primary closer.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Broxton | Rosenthal.
* = closer-by-committee

July 2, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — In an attempt to challenge everyone’s spelling abilities, Kevin Siegrist was put on the disabled list with mononucleosis, and AAA closer Sam Tuivailala, a converted reliever and future closer prospect, was recalled to take his place. With Siegrist sidelined, Mike Matheny identified Jonathan Broxton, Trevor Rosenthal, and Seung Hwan Oh as the “three great options” still available in relief for St. Louis.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Broxton | Rosenthal.
* = closer-by-committee

June 27, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — It wasn’t a save situation, but with the Cardinals ahead over the final three innings on Tuesday, Jonathan Broxton, Kevin Siegrist and Seung Hwan Oh came out in that order to finish the game. It’s still a committee, especially with none of the three pitchers having recorded a save since Trevor Rosenthal’s demotion, but all indications so far are that Oh will be the ninth-inning guy for the Cardinals.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Siegrist | Broxton.
* = closer-by-committee

June 27, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals – We got our first look at the post-Rosenthal Cardinals bullpen last night, and it was Kevin Siegrist who was first out of the gate, inheriting a sticky spot in the 6th inning. Seung Hwan Oh was not used, as the Cardinals padded their lead and went on to win by 5, but he clearly would have been the guy last night if there had been a save situation. Early indications continue to be that Oh is at the top of the committee.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Siegrist | Broxton.
* = closer-by-committee

June 26, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Mike Matheny confirmed yesterday that Trevor Rosenthal will no longer be the team’s closer.  He also said that he would use a three-pitcher committee instead of naming one closer.  We still like Seung Hwan Oh the best but Matheny said that he would rotate through Oh, Siegrist and Broxton based on availability and matches.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Siegrist | Broxton.
* – closer-by-committee

June 25, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — As we warned you this morning, struggling Trevor Rosenthal was removed from the closer role. Mike Matheny wouldn’t commit to just one option going forward, we have to believe that Seung Hwan Oh has the best chance to grab the job, finally taking his role as the “Final Boss” across platforms to MLB.

Updated hierarchy: *Oh | Siegrist | Broxton.
* – closer-by-committee

June 25, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal was handed a 1 run lead in the 9th inning, and took the loss after giving up 3 runs without recording an out. This ballooned his ERA to 5.63 on the year, and an absurd 14.14 in June. Rosenthal’s struggles this year have been blamed on a lack of work, and this is only his 3rd blown save on the year, but the fire under his seat is red hot, with at least some speculation that he is already finished as the closer. Mike Matheny has been committed to Rosenthal through his struggles this year, but gave a pretty reserved non-answer when asked about his role going forward, saying he needs to “figure it out.” Seung Hwan Oh pitched the 8th ahead of Rosenthal, and Kevin Siegrist was seen warming up before the walkoff homer by Adam Lind. Oh has been excellent recently, giving up only 1 run in his last 14 outings, and based on his recent use and his righthandedness we think he might have a slight edge over Siegrist if a closer change happens. But Siegrist is certainly no slouch and has gotten his share of 8th inning opportunities this year as well, so a committee could be in order. Regardless, this may be the last chance you have to grab them before Matheny makes a change official.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Oh | Siegrist.

June 19, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal entered the game yesterday to try and protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning, and he left with the bases loaded and no outs.  Kevin Siegrist relieved Rosenthal and allowed two of those inherited runners to score.  Rosenthal didn’t technically receive a blown save yesterday since he left with the Cardinals still in the lead, but he was credited with the loss.  Rosenthal has given up runs in three of his past four appearances, and has given up seven baserunners while only recording one out in his last two outings.  Siegrist and Seung Hwan Oh have been pitching well so there has to be questions as to whether Rosenthal will continue to get the call in the ninth.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Oh.

June 4, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal had an outing to forget, walking all three batters he faced in a non-save situation. Mike Matheny backed his closer after the game, saying that Rosenthal hasn’t gotten enough work to stay sharp. Rosenthal, one of the best closers in the game last year, is 8-for-9 in save chances this year, but he has also walked 16 batters in only 17 innings. With Kevin Siegrist and Seung-Hwan “Final Boss” Oh having great seasons, there have been at least a few calls for Rosenthal to lose his job until he regains his command.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Oh.

May 23, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals – Expect to see a few more vulture save opportunities for Kevin Siegrist and Seung Hwan Oh in the future, as the Cardinals will reportedly start pitching Trevor Rosenthal more frequently to ensure he stays sharp. This means he might not always be as available when save chances arise, but the Cardinals, concerned about his sporadic work thus far, think that’s a risk worth taking.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Oh.

May 13, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals — With the Cardinals up five in the ninth on Thursday, the Angels didn’t give up, getting three runs off Seth Maness to make things interesting. In came Trevor Rosenthal, who walked the bases loaded (14 pitches; only 2 strikes!) before getting pulled for Kevin Siegrist, who finished the game for his first save. Over his last three appearances, Rosenthal has walked as many men as he’s retired. It’s unusual to see a closer with an identical ERA and WHIP (1.64); if Rosenthal’s control issues linger, manager Mike Matheny may have to start mixing in Siegrist more often.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Oh.

May 5, 2016
St. Louis CardinalsThe Final Boss, Seung Hwan Oh, lowered his ERA to 1.72 in the 8th inning of Wednesday’s game. He also sports an 11.2 K/9 as while limiting opponents to a .148 batting average. These numbers, and the fact that Jonathan Broxton has been used while his team is trailing in recent days, suggests that Oh has stepped ahead of Broxton on the hierarchy. Oh earned his nickname from his time as a dominant closer in Japan, so a lack of closing experience shouldn’t hold him back. However, with Trevor Rosenthal locked into the 9th inning, it may take an injury for Oh to see consistent save opportunities.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Oh.

March 2, 2016
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal leads the always strong Cardinals bullpen again in 2016. With 48 saves last year, he is as locked in as anybody, but he does have an unusually strong set of relievers behind him. Top set up option Kevin Siegrist filled in at times as the closer and was dominant, while former closers Jonathan Broxton and Jordan Walden bring the always discussed “closing experience” to the table as well. Seth Maness has been a workhorse, and a sleeper in holds leagues, and if that wasn’t enough, the Cardinals picked up international free agent Seung Hwan Oh, who saved 41 games pitching in Japan last year. Oh has been talked about as a competitor for the set up job, and does boast a great nickname (“Final Boss.”) but with the other options in the crowded Cardinals bullpen, he will likely have to earn his way to the late innings. Jordan Walden is coming back from a shoulder injury that cost him the end of the 2015 season, but looks to be ready to start the season.

Starting 2016 hierarchy: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Broxton.
2016 Holds Candidates: Siegrist, Broxton, Maness, Oh, Walden.

September 23, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal had pitched in back-to-back games, leading to Steve Cishek grabbing his fourth save of the season on Tuesday. Mike Matheny was encouraged by Cishek’s outing, and he may play a role in the late innings if Matheny rests some arms in a crowded bullpen, like he had to tonight with both Rosenthal and Jonathan Broxton needing a night off.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Broxton. 

August 31, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal, apparently the poster child for the wussification of America, was still out on paternity leave on Sunday, so Kevin Siegrist got the save in his place. Rosenthal is set to rejoin the team today after taking THREE WHOLE DAYS to be with his family after the birth of his child. WHAT A WUSS.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Broxton. 

August 27, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal will be placed on the paternity list Friday to attend to the birth of his second daughter. With the All-Star closer unavailable for the series against the Giants, the Cardinals will likely turn to Kevin Siegrist for any save opportunities. Don’t count out Jonathan Broxton either, who has five straight scoreless appearances and “closing experience” to his credit.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Broxton.

August 8, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — For the second time this year, Carlos Villanueva grabbed a three-inning save for the Cards.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Broxton.

August 7, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Normally, managers tend to avoid using relief pitchers with ERAs north of 5.00. But they also tend to use pitchers with that invaluable “closing experience,” no matter how well (or poorly) they’re pitching. Jonathan Broxton fits into both categories, and he’s been used in high-leverage situations since he joined the first-place Cardinals before the trade deadline. Broxton picked up his first hold with St. Louis on Thursday, entering the game with a 3-0 lead in the eighth inning. Earlier this week, he pitched in the seventh and eighth of two separate tie games, a sign that he has quickly earned the trust of manager Mike Matheny.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Broxton.

July 31, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — The Cardinals emerged victorious over the Rocks Thursday — no thanks to Seth Maness, who allowed the tying run in the sixth, or Kevin Siegrist, who allowed two runs in the eighth to put Colorado ahead before Axford coughed it up in the ninth. The newly acquired Steve Cishek pitched a clean seventh, and deserves a spot in the Cardinals hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Cishek.

July 26, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Randy Choate recorded the last two outs of a 1-0 Cardinals win on Saturday to pick up his 1st save of the season.  Seth Maness started the 9th, but the lefty-specialist Choate was brought on to face a couple of lefties to finish the game.  Kevin Siegrist recorded a 25 pitch save on Friday so he was likely unavailable yesterday, and manager Mike Matheny gave regular closer Trevor Rosenthal a second night off in a row, after he was convinced to pitch him a third consecutive day on Thursday.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

July 25, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Yet another save delivered to those who heed the Vulture Save Watch, courtesy of Kevin Siegrist. In other news, the Cardinals acquired Steve Cishek from the Marlins. Although Cishek has improved since his return to the majors in June (0.71 ERA, 11 K in 13 appearances), we think his ceiling is the Seth Maness level, solidly behind Trevor Rosenthal, Siegrist, and Jordan Walden, once the latter returns (as early as next week) from his biceps injury.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

July 6, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal had pitched in three straight, so Kevin Siegrist filled in on Sunday, earning his fourth save. The Vulture Save Watch snags another one.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

June 28, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Villanueva pitched the last three innings of a 7-run Cardinals win last night to pick up the save.  Villanueva has pitched pretty well for the Cardinals so far this season, but he is still used mostly for multiple innings and won’t see much time in the later innings of close games.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

June 19, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal said after Wednesday night’s game that he feels he’s ready to return to closing, and on Thursday night, it appeared that was going to be the case. In a 1-0 game in the eighth inning, manager Mike Matheny sent Kevin Siegrist — who picked up a couple saves when Rosenthal was hurt — to the mound, while Rosenthal warmed up in the bullpen. Siegrist allowed the game-tying home run, though, so he earned the blown save and Rosenthal never got into the game. The Cardinals eventually lost when Kennys Vargas hacked a walkoff HR off Carlos Villanueva.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

June 17, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal was held out once again because of tightness in his pitching arm, meaning Kevin Siegrist grabbed another save. Rosenthal remains day-to-day and said after the game that he’s feeling better, while manager Mike Matheny said that a DL stint is not part of the plan. That’s good news for the Best Hackers In Baseball, because Rosenthal leads the National League in saves.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

June 16, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals – Up one run in the 9th, Kevin Siegrist slammed the door for the Cards, picking up his second save of the year. After the game, Mike Matheny told reporters that closer Trevor Rosenthal has been experiencing “tightness” in his throwing arm. While Rosenthal has not been placed on the DL and remains the closer in St. Louis, owners desperate for saves may want to pick up Siegrist, who has been phenomenal this year.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

May 27, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — As predicted in Tuesday’s Vulture Save Watch, Seth Maness picked up his third save of the season while Trevor Rosenthal and Kevin Siegrist each received a day off.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

May 17, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Kevin Siegrist pitched a scoreless 8th in a tie game yesterday to lower his ERA to just a touch over 1.00.  Seth Maness, on the other hand, gave up 4 runs in his appearance on Friday to raise his ERA to over 5.00.  Siegrist has been consistently pitching in the 7th and or 8th inning, and could close for the Cardinals when Rosenthal is unavailable.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Siegrist | Maness.

May 8, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Jordan Walden will be out for 6 to 10 weeks with an injury to his pitching shoulder. Kevin Siegrist slides into the Cardinal hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Maness | Siegrist.

April 26, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Seth Maness recorded his first save of the season last night, as Trevor Rosenthal and Jordan Walden were given the night off.  Maness had three saves last season, and could continue to see save chances when the Cardinals’ closer and set-up man are unavailable.  Mitch Harris also made his major league debut yesterday for the Cardinals’ bullpen.  Harris spent five years in the Navy, where he would throw with the cook who was from the Dominican Republic.  Harris won’t factor into the Cardinals’ late inning bullpen plans, but that doesn’t mean the Monkey won’t be rooting for him.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Walden | Maness.

April 18, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals — Kevin Siegrist got a save for pitching the final two innings of a 5-1 win on Friday. Nothing more to see here.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Walden | Belisle.

March 8, 2015
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal seems secure in his spot to start 2015, though the departure of All Star Pat Neshek has left a hole in the set up role. However, the Cardinals acquired Jordan Walden and Matt Belisle, who will likely slot into the late innings along with Kevin Siegrist. The Cardinals have made a habit of picking up relievers and making them stars, and that could happen with either of their new additions, or journeyman Carlos Villanueva. Villanueva has posted much better numbers as a reliever than as a starter, and if the Cards shift him to that role, he could be a poor man’s Pat Neshek.

Starting 2015 hierarchy: Rosenthal | Walden | Belisle.
Primary holds candidates – Walden, Belisle.

September 20, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal started the 9th inning last night with the Cardinals protecting a one run lead, but after a walk and a hit, he was replaced by veteran Randy Choate.  Choate got a big strikeout of Jay Bruce and then Seth Maness came on for the last out to pick up his third save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Neshek | Martinez.

September 14, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — Pat Neshek got the last two outs of the 9th inning for his 6th save of the season last night.  Manager Mike Matheny said that he does not want to use closer Trevor Rosenthal or Neshek on consecutive days if he can avoid it the rest of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Neshek | Martinez.

September 3, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — As we speculated on Tuesday morning, Pat Neshek picked up a vulture save with Trevor Rosenthal getting a night off. In other news, Jason Motte returned from the disabled list on Tuesday; time will tell whether a high-leverage role for him is in the cards.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Neshek | Martinez.

August 30, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Pat Neshek had a rough outing on Friday night.  He took the loss after giving up four runs in less than an inning of work.  This could give Trevor Rosenthal a slightly longer leash.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Neshek | Martinez.

August 19, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal’s troubles continued on Monday, as he blew his fifth save of the season. This came on the heels of being yanked mid-save chance on Sunday, but despite that, Mike Matheny continues to back his closer. He claimed Rosenthal’s performance “was not actually that bad” on Monday, but with Pat Neshek lurking, Rosenthal’s hot seat has to be even hotter now. Additionally, Carlos Martinez is back in the Cards’ bullpen after being recalled from Triple A and is expected to slide into the seventh inning.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Neshek | Martinez.

August 18, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – After Trevor Rosenthal walked three batters in the 9th inning on Sunday, Mike Matheny yanked him from the game, allowing Seth Maness to pick up his second save of the year. Despite the hook, Matheny remained adamant after the game that Rosenthal was his man. But with Pat Neshek continuing his run as maybe the best set-up man in the game, Rosenthal has to be looking over his shoulder.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Neshek | Maness.
Trevor Rosenthal to Hot Seat.

August 17, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Kevin Siegrist took the loss last night, giving up four runs in less than an inning of work.  Siegrist has now given up 11 runs in 9 appearances since returning from the DL on July 25th.  Seth Maness picked up the 8th inning hold on Friday night and has not given up any runs so far in August.  With Siegrist struggling, Maness should see more time in the later innings.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Neshek | Maness.

August 16, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal was given the night off yesterday after throwing 24 pitches in an adventurous save on Thursday.  Pat Neshek recorded his 4th save of the season and should continue to see any save chances when Rosenthal is unavailable.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Neshek | Siegrist.

August 9, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Jason Motte has been placed on the DL with lower back tightness.  Lefty Kevin Siegrist should see some more time in the 7th and 8th innings while Motte is out.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Neshek | Siegrist.

August 8, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Pat Neshek picked up a vulture save on Thursday night, filling in for a resting Trevor Rosenthal. The Monkey’s Knicks hat remains intact.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Neshek | Motte.

July 28, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — Kevin Siegrist has returned from the DL and despite taking the loss on Friday night, pitched a perfect eighth inning on Sunday against the top three bats in the Cubs’ order. The left-hander appears to be a solid option for holds going forward, but Jason Motte is still likely the third choice for saves behind Trevor Rosenthal and Pat Neshek.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Neshek | Motte.

July 16, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals might not trade for an established closer, but Trevor Rosenthal has been unreliable enough lately to warrant a sell signal anyway. TRADE DEADLINE BUY: Pat Neshek. SELL: Trevor Rosenthal.

July 9, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — In stressing the importance of getting Trevor Rosenthal regular rest, Mike Matheny noted that All-Star Pat Neshek is the team’s backup closer, while Jason Motte — who gave up four runs in a Sunday appearance — will continue to be used outside any designated role.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Neshek | Motte.

June 18, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal was given a second straight night off, and the Cardinals went with Jason Motte with a four-run lead in the ninth. But after Motte gave up a home run and a ground-rule double to bring the tying run to the plate, Pat Neshek got three straight outs to nail down the victory. Although we still believe Motte would close if Rosenthal went down with an injury, Neshek is making a strong case as well.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Motte | Neshek.

June 17, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — Seth Maness got the Cardinals out of a minor jam in the eighth inning and stayed on to complete the ninth and collect his first save of the season in a 6-2 victory over the Mets.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Motte | Neshek.

June 5, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — Carlos Martinez had a truly awful May, which has forced Mike Matheny to pull him from eighth-inning work in favor of Pat Neshek, whose 22-game scoreless streak ended on Tuesday. Although Neshek has the prime setup job — and picked up an 11th-inning save of his own on Wednesday — if Trevor Rosenthal is unable to go on any particular night, it will likely be former closer Jason Motte who fills in for him.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Motte | Neshek.

May 21, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — Jason Motte, he of the beard and the cancer foundation, returned to the Cardinals roster on Tuesday after Tommy John surgery. Mike Matheny didn’t commit to a role for Motte apart from “right-handed pitcher,” but he also hinted that he wouldn’t be afraid to use Motte in a high-leverage spot right away.

Updated hierarchy: Rosenthal | Martinez | Motte.

May 17, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Jason Motte is close to returning to the Cardinals bullpen.   He has pitched well so far on his rehab assignments, throwing 6.2 scoreless innings.  Trevor Rosenthal picked up the save last night and is 12 for 13 in save opportunities so far this season.  However, his ERA is 4.50 and he has allowed 12 walks in 20 innings so he has not been dominant.  Motte will likely be eased back into high leverage situations but could be a guy to keep an eye on in deeper leagues.

Hierarchy remains: Rosenthal | Martinez | Siegrist.

March 31, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals – Carlos Martinez had a solid spring and was considered by some to be a favorite to win the 5th starter position in St. Louis, but the club recently announced that they were going to be giving that job to Joe Kelly.  Martinez will be bounced back to the bullpen, where he’ll set up for Trevor Rosenthal.  Hierarchy change: Carlos Martinez to Set-up, Kevin Siegrist to 2nd in line.

March 13, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals — We’re high on Trevor Rosenthal based on his electric work in set-up, but we can’t help but be a little leery of Jason Motte at the same time. Ranked #5 in our preseason closer rankings.

March 9, 2014
St. Louis Cardinals– At age 23, Trevor Rosenthal had one of the best seasons of any closers last year and will start the year as closer in 2014.  Jason Motte is coming back from Tommy John surgery and might not be ready for the start of the season but should see time in set-up role if he is ready to go.  Kevin Siegrist, and his 0.45 ERA, will be used in the 7th and 8th innings. Carlos Martinez is competing for a rotation spot but could factor into the late innings if he ends up in the bullpen instead.  Starting 2014 hierarchy: Closer – Trevor Rosenthal, Set-up – Jason Motte, 2nd in line – Kevin Siegrist. 

September 29, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals — Edward Mujica continues to struggle.  The Cardinals brought Mujica on for the 9th with a 6 run lead.  He gave up 3 hits while only recording one out.  Seth Maness ended up getting the save.   No hierarchy change.

September 25, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals — Two games, two post-Mujica save chances, two saves for Trevor Rosenthal — and on a combined 13 pitches. The young righty continues to impress. No hierarchy change.

September 24, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals — Over the weekend, the Cardinals demoted Edward Mujica from the closer role in favor of a committee, and on Monday night, erstwhile set-up man Trevor Rosenthal picked up its first save. Other possible committee members include Carlos Martinez, former closer John Axford, and lefty Kevin Siegrist — who got the first out of the ninth on Monday and hasn’t given up a run in nearly two months. Hierarchy change: Trevor Rosenthal to Closer, Kevin Siegrist to Set-Up.

September 21, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Edward Mujica started the 9th inning last night with a 2 run lead.  He proceeded to give up 3 hits and a walk, while only recording one out.  The Cardinals brought on former Brewers closer John Axford to try and get the save, but he gave up an infield single to tie the game.  The Cardinals took the lead again and Carlos Martinez pitched a perfect 10th inning to pick up the save.  Mujica ended up being charged with 2 runs and now has given up 7 runs in 6.2 innings in September.   With the Cardinals battling for first place they could look to super set-up man Trevor Rosenthal or young Carlos Martinez to close out some games down the stretch. Hierarchy change: Carlos Martinez to 2nd in line, replacing Kevin Siegrist, Edward Mujica to Hot Seat.

August 31, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals acquired former closer John Axford from the Brewers on Friday.  Mujica and Rosenthal have been great all season so it is unlikely that Axford will see any save opportunities.  However with a couple good outings, Axford could certainly move into 2nd in line.  We will see how the Cardinals use him.  No hierarchy change.

August 23, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Edward Mujica, who has been pressed into several 2-inning outings over the past several weeks, is dealing with some nagging injuries, including a sore back and dead arm.  The Cardinals think he’ll be OK, but Mujica owners might want to add Trevor Rosenthal just in case.  In deeper leagues, the hard-throwing righty certainly won’t hurt, as he boasts among the most strikeouts of any reliever in baseball.  No hierarchy change.

August 12, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – We’ve extolled the virtues of Kevin Siegrist in this space before, and finally, the young lefty is getting some love.  On Sunday, he pitched the 7th inning and earned his fifth hold of the season, three of which have come this week in similar circumstances.  The 24-year old lefty currently has a 0.84 ERA, a 0.60 WHIP, and is now getting the high-leverage innings he deserves.  Hierarchy change: Kevin Siegrist to 2nd in line, replacing Seth Maness.

July 18, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals have the best record in baseball and a solid bullpen but, like most teams, they would add another middle reliever if the price were right. TRADE DEADLINE BUY/SELL: None.

July 11, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Kevin Siegrist continues to flat-out dominate, as he’s now amassed 17 Ks in 12.1 scoreless innings since being called up.  But it’s Seth Maness who has been getting the call ahead of Trevor Rosenthal and Edward Mujica lately.  After pitching the 7th a few days ago, Maness got the call for the 6th and 7th last night, earning the win.  Hierarchy change: Seth Maness to 2nd in line, replacing Kevin Siegrist.

June 15, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Kevin Siegrist pitched another perfect inning last night and has been very impressive since getting called up.  The young lefty has pitched 4.1 innings with 9 ks and has only given up 1 hit.  Siegrist also had 44 ks in 27.2 innings at Triple-A Memphis this season.  Hierarchy change: Kevin Siegrist to 2nd in line, replacing Seth Maness.

May 27, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Seth Maness picked up the win yesterday, pitching part of the sixth and seventh innings ahead of Rosenthal and Mujica.  Carlos Martinez was sent down to the minors and it looks like Maness will take over his late inning role.  Hierarchy change: Seth Maness to 2nd in line, replacing Carlos Martinez.

May 6, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Mitchell Boggs on Friday was sent to the minors to sort things out, as the Cardinals somewhat surprisingly called up top prospect Carlos Martinez to replace him.  Martinez projects as a starter, but for now, his 99-mph fastball will be used in the late innings in St. Louis.  He’s now pitched two clean innings and could be a candidate to close if something happens to both Edward Mujica and Trevor Rosenthal.  Hierarchy change: Carlos Martinez to 2nd in line, replacing Mitchell Boggs.

April 22, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Mitchell Boggs’s nightmare season continued on Sunday, as he was summoned in a tie game in the 8th inning, and allowed four runs while only recording one out.  With an ERA that now stands at 12.46, he’s got a long way to go before he returns to any kind of substantial role in the Cardinals bullpen.  Trevor Rosenthal will be the guy to set up Edward Mujica for the time being.  Hierarchy change: Trevor Rosenthal to Set-up, Mitchell Boggs to 2nd in line.

April 18, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – As predicted, Edward Mujica got his chance to close tonight, and although he made things interesting with a couple singles to lead off the ninth, he managed to escape with the save. He should be the man in St. Louis going forward. Hierarchy change: Edward Mujica to Closer, Mitchell Boggs to Set-Up.

April 16, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals — After Mike Matheny told reporters that he would eschew prescribed roles to play matchups with his bullpen, he threw Mitchell Boggs in a four-run game — and had Edward Mujica warming up when Boggs got into trouble. Mujica is probably the best Cardinal reliever to own, and certainly seems a better bet to pick up saves than Trevor Rosenthal.  Hierarchy change: Edward Mujica to Set-Up, Trevor Rosenthal to 2nd in line.

April 15, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Mitchell Boggs blew another save yesterday, one inning after Trevor Rosenthal allowed two runs to score.  Cardinals pitching coach Derek Lilliquist said Boggs “is going to keep grinding through it… and we’ll see what he’s made of,” so it sounds as if Boggs will continue to close, though he’s on an increasingly fiery Hot Seat.  One more meltdown and the Cardinals could look elsewhere — either to Rosenthal or Edward Mujica, who manager Mike Matheny spoke highly of after the game.  No hierarchy change.

April 10, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – A day after his bullpen completely melted down, Mike Matheny used his relievers the same way he had all season: Edward Mujica for the 7th, Trevor Rosenthal for the 8th, and Mitchell Boggs for the 9th. Matheny had said he would leave Boggs in the closer role for now, so his usage was no surprise, but Rosenthal’s status as the set-up man was up in the air. However despite his inexperience, the hard-throwing righty will continue on in his 8th inning role. Hierarchy change: Trevor Rosenthal to Set-up, Edward Mujica to 2nd in line.

April 9, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Mitchell Boggs had what he described as “the worst outing of my career” on Monday, as he turned a tie game into an eventual 9-run loss for the Cardinals. Skipper Mike Matheny suggested after the game that Boggs, despite also blowing a save last week, would still be his closer, but it might not be for long. Edward Mujica may get a shot to close games, as could youngster Trevor Rosenthal, who has been pitching the 8th inning (albeit poorly) for the past week. Hierarchy change: Trevor Rosenthal to 2nd in line, replacing Mark Rzepczynski. Mitchell Boggs to Hot Seat.

March 25, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Jason Motte will start the season on the DL.  The Cardinals closer felt his forearm tighten up after his most recent appearance, and the Cardinals announced over the weekend that they were shutting him down for at least a week due to a mild flexor strain.  Mitchell Boggs will close in his absence.  Hierarchy change: Mitchell Boggs to Closer, Edward Mujica to Set-up, Mark Rzepczynski to 2nd in line; Jason Motte injured.

February 24, 2013
St. Louis Cardinals – Starting 2013 hierarchy: Closer- Jason Motte, Set-up- Mitchell Boggs, 2nd in line- Edward Mujica.

August 1, 2012
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals acquired Edward Mujica from the Miami Marlins on Tuesday. Mujica will likely pitch the 7th inning for the Cardinals, which is a role they’ve been trying to fill all season. Hierarchy change: Edward Mujica to 2nd in line, replacing Victor Marte.

July 12, 2012
St. Louis Cardinals – The Cardinals need some bullpen help, as Jason Motte has been shaky for much of the season. The St. Louis Dispatch reported on Tuesday that Huston Street could be an option, and Street expressed the desire to close if he moves elsewhere. Such a deal could hurt Motte’s value. TRADE DEADLINE BUY: None. SELL: Jason Motte.

June 15, 2012
St. Louis Cardinals – Victor Marte pitched parts of the 7th and 8th innings on Thursday, earning his 9th hold of the season. While Mark Rzepczynski generally pitches later in games than Marte, he’s struggled as of late and would likely remain in a specialist role even if Jason Motte and Mitchell Boggs both suffer injuries. Hierarchy change: Victor Marte to 2nd in line, replacing Mark Rzepczynski.

May 24, 2012
St. Louis Cardinals – Mark Rzepczynski pitched the 8th inning ahead of Jason Motte on Wednesday night, and the lefty has proven the ability to pitch to both righties and lefties. Hierarchy change: Mark Rzepczynski to 2nd in line, replacing Fernando Salas.

April 24, 2012
St. Louis Cardinals – For the second straight night, and third in the last four, Mitchell Boggs pitched the 8th in a tight game; he has clearly passed Fernando Salas as the Cards’ top set-up option. Hierarchy change: Mitchell Boggs to Set-up, Fernando Salas to 2nd in line.

April 11, 2012
St. Louis Cardinals- Mitchell Boggs pitched two perfect innings of relief on Tuesday and has established himself as a reliable late-inning replacement for the ailing Scott Linebrink. Hierarchy change: Mitchell Boggs to 2nd in line, replacing Scott Linebrink.

April 1, 2012
St. Louis Cardinals- The Cardinals will stick with Jason Motte as their closer, while Fernando Salas, who started 2011 as the closer, will step in quickly if Motte struggles. Scott Linebrink was added as a veteran relief pitcher and would likely take over if both Motte and Salas struggle. Starting 2012 hierarchy: Closer- Jason Motte, Set-up- Fernando Salas, 2nd in line- Scott Linebrink.

Sept. 24, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Summoned in a tie game in the 8th, Kyle McClellan gave up 3 runs and got the lost last night. McClellan has had a tough couple weeks and the Cardinals have been looking to Marc Rzepczynski, who they acquired from the Blue Jays last month, later in games. Hierarchy change: Marc Rzepczynski to 2nd in line, replacing Kyle McClellan.

Sept. 23, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Jason Motte won the closer’s job in early September after an incredible string of 33 consecutive outings without allowing an earned run. But he’s been shaky of late, and walked 3 of the 5 batters he faced last night, contributing to the Cardinals 9th inning collapse. Fernando Salas couldn’t salvage the damage, but the Cardinals may go back to their original closer in the season’s final week. Jason Motte to Hot Seat.

Sept. 20, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Jason Motte struggled in the 9th last night, giving up a pair of runs while only recording two outs, and the Cardinals lifted him in favor of Arthur Rhodes, who gave up a hit to the only man he faced. Octavio Dotel was the next man out of the pen, and he finally retired the last man, earning the save. No hierarchy change.

Sept. 17, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Fernando Salas picked up the save in the 11th inning last night, after Jason Motte had already pitched. No hierarchy change.

Aug. 31, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Tony La Russa has said save opps will be merit-based for the rest of the year, but it was Fernando Salas, not Jason Motte (and his streak of 30 straight games without an earned run), who pitched the 9th last night. This looks to be a platoon for now. No hierarchy change.

Aug. 28, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Jason Motte has not allowed a run in 28 straight appearances, and Tony LaRussa finally gave him the chance to close. He picked up the save today, and replaces a struggling Fernando Salas. Hierarchy change: Motte to Closer, Salas to Set-up.

Aug. 23, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Fernando Salas got in trouble in the 9th, and after allowing the tying run, he wasn’t even allowed to get out of his own jam. Jason Motte came in and allowed an inherited runner to score. Salas has had a great season so far, but this was his 2nd straight blown save. Salas to “Hot Seat.”

Aug. 22, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- Jason Motte pitched the 8th inning last night and has finally moved ahead of Kyle McClellan on the Cardinals depth chart. The Cards did have a 4-run lead, but were trying to avoid the sweep and were treating it as if it were a save situation, using Salas in the 9th as well. Hierarchy change: Motte to Set-Up, McClellan to 2nd in line.

Aug. 20, 2011
St. Louis Cardinals- While Mitchell Boggs has great stuff, he’s still unpolished, and Tony LaRussa has been reluctant to use him in close, late-game situations. Those innings are usually spread around to several relievers, the most prominent being Kyle McClellan, who pitched in a scoreless game in the 8th and 9th innings last night. Hierarchy change: McClellan to Set-Up, replacing Boggs.