Daniel Bard back from the injured list

April 20, 2023

Colorado Rockies — Daniel Bard returned from the injured list and had an uneventful eighth inning with the Rockies up 11. He should immediately resume his role as Colorado’s regular closer.

Updated hierarchy: Bard | Johnson | Hand.

Milwaukee Brewers — Devin Williams had thrown 53 pitches over the last three days, so the Brewers used Matt Bush to nail down the save on Wednesday.

Hierarchy remains: Williams | Bush | Strzelecki.

New York Mets — The Mets’ two-headed closer continues to roll. Adam Ottavino picked up his second straight save after David Robertson was called on for a high-leverage eighth. Over the past five days, each man has two saves.

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.
* = closer-by-committee

San Francisco Giants — Taylor Rogers has had a rough start to this season (13.50 ERA, 2.36 WHIP, 11.6 BB/9), but in closing out the eleventh inning on Wednesday, he earned his first save.  

Hierarchy remains: Doval | Ty. Rogers | Brebbia.

Minnesota Twins — Brent Headrick’s MLB debut came Wednesday, and for protecting a big lead for three innings, he left Fenway Park with a three-inning save. If you had Headrick in your lineup yesterday, congratulations are in order — because you are Brent Headrick.

Hierarchy remains: *Duran | Lopez | Thielbar.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Jose Quijada (LAA) — Carlos Estevez has pitched a lot lately (56 pitches over three days).
2. Seranthony Dominguez (PHI) — Jose Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel have pitched in two straight.

Friday:
1. Brooks Raley (NYM) — Both David Robertson and Adam Ottavino have seen some heavy use.

Nick Anderson records a save for Atlanta

April 12, 2023

Atlanta Braves — We correctly predicted that AJ Minter wouldn’t pitch Tuesday, but Joe Jimenez got the eighth inning last night instead of the ninth. It was a good thing he pitched an inning earlier than we expected, because he allowed a two-run homer that brought the Reds within a run. Dylan Lee came on to get the last two outs of the frame, which set the stage for Nick Anderson to pitch the ninth. Anderson tossed a perfect inning for his first save of the season. He also got an eighth-inning hold on Monday night, so we’ll move him up accordingly.

Updated hierarchy: Minter | Anderson | Jimenez.

Los Angeles Angels — Carlos Estevez picked up his first save with the Angels on Tuesday, working around a walk to preserve a 2-0 win despite pitching for a third time in four days. Jose Quijada pitched a clean eighth inning and has yet to allow a run in four appearances.

Updated hierarchy: *Estevez | Quijada | Herget.
* = closer-by-committee

San Francisco Giants – Tyler Rogers, who earned his first save of the season a few days ago, pitched a clean eighth inning to protect what was then a two-run lead. Tyler has seen more high-leverage work than twin brother Taylor so far this season, so we’ll swap them in the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Doval | Ty. Rogers | Brebbia.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Kendall Graveman (CHW) – Reynaldo Lopez has pitched in two straight.
2. Jorge Lopez (MIN) – Jhoan Duran threw 24 pitches in a blown save last night.
3. Jose Quijada (LAA) – If Phil Nevin didn’t want to use Carlos Estevez three times in four days then he definitely won’t want to use him four times in five days.
4. Dany Jimenez (OAK) – Trevor May had a 28-pitch blown save last night.
5. Luis Garcia (SD) – Josh Hader recorded a 31-pitch save on Tuesday.

Tomorrow
1. Cionel Perez (BAL) – If Felix Bautista pitches today, that will be two of three.
2. Ian Gibaut (CIN) – Same goes for Alexis Diaz.
3. Colin Holderman/Duane Underwood (PIT) – If David Bednar pitches today after his 20-pitch blown save on Tuesday, that will be two straight and three of four. The same is true of Holderman.
4. Jordan Hicks (STL) – If either Ryan Helsley or Giovanny Gallegos goes today that will be two in a row.

Clay Holmes appears to continue to lead Yankees’ closer committee

September 23, 2022

New York Yankees — The Yankees activated Scott Effross and Zack Britton on Thursday. A corresponding move led them to place Wandy Peralta on the IL. So what does the back end look like now? Well, manager Aaron Boone essentially said this week the Yankees will use a closer-by-committee approach, so we’ll keep the committee tag and insert Effross and Aroldis Chapman, who has been up and down of late. Other late-inning options include Jonathan Loaisiga, Lou Trivino and Britton. Holmes earned the extra-inning win Thursday, pitching the game’s final two innings, so he will continue to lead this ‘pen.

Updated hierarchy: *Holmes | Effross | Chapman.
* = closer-by-committee

Arizona Diamondbacks — In a tight game on Thursday, the Diamondbacks turned to Reyes Moronta for the save chance, but he could not close out the Dodgers, loading the bases with one out. Arizona turned Joe Mantiply to save things, but he allowed a game-tying infield single and a walk-off single. While Moronta didn’t finish the job, we probably need to reshuffle this Diamondbacks hierarchy given Thursday’s usage. Ian Kennedy had a scoreless eighth inning in a five-run game Wednesday, but he has been terrible as of late, allowing 11 earned runs over his past six appearances (4.1 IP), to balloon his ERA to 4.91.

Updated hierarchy: *Melancon | Moronta | Mantiply.
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago Cubs — Mark Leiter Jr. pitched the final 2.1 innings Thursday to earn his third save. It was his second save in three appearances, and that’s enough to enter him into the hierarchy for the Cubs. Brandon Hughes leads this committee, but he was shaky on Thursday, getting just one out in the seventh while allowing a hit and two walks, to make way for Leiter Jr. Hughes is still the best bet for Cubs saves down the stretch.

Updated hierarchy: *Hughes | Wick | Leiter Jr..
* = closer-by-committee

San Francisco Giants – Three of John Brebbia’s past four appearances have been opener-type “starts,” and if he’s starting games, he can’t earn saves. With this recent usage we’ll move Tyler Rogers back into the hierarchy behind Scott Alexander and Camilo Doval, who pitched the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, on Thursday. Brebbia could be in the mix, too, so we’ll keep an eye on things.

Updated hierarchy remains: Doval | Alexander | Rogers.

Pittsburgh Pirates — David Bednar was activated from the injured list Thursday and will likely resume his role as Pirates closer down the stretch.

Updated hierarchy: Bednar | Crowe | Underwood.

Philadelphia Phillies — Jose Alvarado got the last out of the eighth and was left in to finish things off in the ninth Thursday for his second save. David Robertson, Seranthony Dominguez and Alvarado all pitched the day before, but the Phillies stuck with Alvarado, who came into the game against a tough lefty (Matt Olson) and retired him on just one pitch. After the game, interim manager Rob Thomson explained the decision to stick with Alvarado in the ninth, saying, “We wanted to see by the end of the year if Alvarado could pitch the ninth and more than one inning and he did that tonight.”  

Hierarchy remains: *Robertson | Dominguez | Alvarado.
* = closer-by-committee

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.

Kansas City Royals — Brad Keller earned his first career save on Thursday, notching two strikeouts in a scoreless ninth inning against the Twins. Scott Barlow, Dylan Coleman and Amir Garrett had all pitched in back-to-back games and all were given the night off Thursday, so Keller won’t normally factor into the team’s late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Barlow | Coleman | Garrett.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Jonathan Hernandez (TEX) – Jose Leclerc has pitched in two straight games.
2. Scott Effross (NYY) – Clay Holmes threw two innings Thursday and has gone in two of three.

Saturday:
1. Scott Alexander (SF) – If Camilo Doval pitches Friday, it would be two straight and four of six.
2. Rafael Montero (HOU) – An outing Friday would be four of six for Ryan Pressly.
3. James Karinchak (CLE) – A Friday outing would be three of four for Emmanuel Clase.
4. Dylan Coleman (KC) – If he goes Friday, it’d be three of four for Scott Barlow.
5. Anthony Bass (TOR) – Jordan Romano recorded four outs Wednesday and if he has a taxing outing Friday, he’d likely need Saturday off.
6. Raisel Iglesias (ATL) – If he goes Friday, it’d be three of five for Kenley Jansen.

Dodgers-Diamondbacks doubleheader delivers pair of vulture saves

September 21, 2022

Arizona Diamondbacks — In game two of a doubleheader with the Dodgers, Reyes Moronta pitched a perfect ninth inning for his first save of the season and only the second save of September for Arizona. Moronta also pitched a perfect ninth in his last appearance on Sept. 15, retiring the Padres’ 2-3-4 hitters (including Juan Soto and Manny Machado) in a 4-0 victory. There haven’t been a ton of save situations for the Diamondbacks lately, but Moronta is certainly in the mix should one arise.

Updated hierarchy: *Kennedy | Melancon | Moronta.
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Dodgers – When the Dodgers rallied for five runs in the eighth to take a 6-5 lead in game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader, they turned to Chris Martin for the ninth. Martin retired all three hitters he faced for his second save of the season. Martin vultured a save at the end of August but hasn’t seen much high-leverage work this month. We’ll see if that changes as the Dodgers set up their bullpen for the playoffs. 

Hierarchy remains: Kimbrel | Phillips | Vesia.

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

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

San Francisco Giants – John Brebbia opened a bullpen game for the Giants on Tuesday. Yunior Marte started the ninth inning with a 6-3 lead and got two outs before the tying run came to the plate. Jarlin Garcia then came on to record the final out for his first save of the season. Both Camilo Doval and Scott Alexander had pitched in two straight, which earned them a night off.

Hierarchy remains: Doval | Brebbia | Alexander.

Los Angeles Angels – Committee leader Jimmy Herget tossed a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday for his sixth save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: *Herget | Tepera | Quijada.
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago Cubs — Brandon Hughes continues to lead the Cubs’ committee, pitching a scoreless ninth on Tuesday to earn his sixth save of the year.

Hierarchy remains: *Hughes | Wick | Rucker.
* = closer-by-committee

Boston Red Sox – Garrett Whitlock’s season is over, as he’ll have surgery next week in hopes to be ready for spring training. We’ll reluctantly add Matt Strahm to the hierarchy. Strahm did record a save last Friday, but he also walked three straight hitters on Tuesday as part of an awful ninth inning. Strahm’s rough outing paved the way for John Schreiber to enter the game and earn the save.

Updated hierarchy: *Schreiber | Barnes | Strahm.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Raisel Iglesias (ATL) – Kenley Jansen has gone back-to-back and three of four.
2. Chase de Jong (PIT) – Wil Crowe threw 23 pitches in a disastrous ninth inning at Yankee Stadium while Duane Underwood Jr. tossed 33 pitches last night.

Tomorrow
1. Jose Quijada (LAA) – If Jimmy Herget pitches today that will be two straight and three of four.
2. Rafael Montero (HOU) – The same is true for Ryan Pressly.
3. Dylan Coleman/Amir Garrett (KC) – Scott Barlow threw 23 pitches last night and may need Thursday off if he has another busy night on Wednesday. Coleman (12 pitches) and Garrett (six pitches) also appeared on Tuesday but in less taxing outings.

Yankees continue to not be confident in Aroldis Chapman

August 24, 2022

New York Yankees – The Yankees continued to do everything they can to avoid Aroldis Chapman pitching in a high-leverage spot, trying to get 3+ innings out of Clarke Schmidt to close out Tuesday’s tilt against the Mets. Schmidt ran into trouble in the ninth, however, which forced Aaron Boone to call upon Wandy Peralta for a bases-loaded, one-out save, which he converted. After the game, Boone confirmed he isn’t quite ready to use Chapman in high-leverage spots. Boone may have no choice based on the options he has available, but we’re sliding Chapman down a few spots in our hierarchy until the Yankees regain confidence in the lefty.

Updated hierarchy: *Peralta | Loaisiga | Chapman.
* = closer-by-committee

Houston Astros – Our last Astros update began with news of Ryan Pressly being unavailable with a stiff neck, and that is the case today as well, with Pressly missing Tuesday’s tilt with neck stiffness. With Rafael Montero also unavailable due to workload, the Astros turned to Hector Neris to escape an eighth-inning jam with a 4-0 lead. Neris was in line for a save since he entered the game with two on, but he ran into trouble in the ninth, which allowed for Bryan Abreu to enter and record the final out to pick up his second save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Pressly | Montero | Neris.

Chicago Cubs – Make it three saves in a row for Brandon Hughes, who closed out game one of Tuesday’s doubleheader with the Cardinals with a perfect ninth inning. Hughes came on to face the 9-1-2 hitters, all lefties, so it stands to believe this was another matchup-based save. However, three straight saves still counts for something, so we’ll move Hughes to the top of this committee for now.

Updated hierarchy: *Hughes | Wick | Uelmen
* = closer-by-committee

San Francisco Giants – John Brebbia has become the primary setup man for Camilo Doval, pitching a perfect eighth inning in last night’s win. Dominic Leone hasn’t secured a hold all August.

Updated hierarchy: Doval | Brebbia | Leone.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Rafael Montero (HOU) — Ryan Pressly’s neck might still be stiff.
2. Dillon Tate (BAL) — Felix Bautista threw 27 pitches in a five-out save on Tuesday.
3. John Brebbia (SF) — Camilo Doval needed 28 pitches to complete a three-out save on Tuesday.
4. Dylan Floro (MIA) — Tanner Scott has pitched in two straight and three of four.

Tomorrow
1. Diego Castillo (SEA) — If Paul Sewald pitches for Los Bomberos today, it’s two straight.
2. Joel Kuhnel (CIN) — The same is true for Alexis Diaz.