Hunter Harvey moves to the top of the Nationals’ committee

June 25, 2023

Washington Nationals — Hunter Harvey pitched a scoreless 9th inning for his 5th save of the season while Kyle Finnegan pitched the 8th ahead of him.  Harvey has recorded three of the last four saves for the Nationals.  Meanwhile, Kyle Finnegan has not recorded a save since May 25th.  We will move Harvey to the head of this committee and see if Finnegan will remain in the mix or if Harvey takes the job by himself moving forward.

Updated hierarchy: *Harvey | Finnegan | Thompson.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Yankees — The Yankees were lining up to use Tommy Kahnle in the 7th, Wandy Peralta in the 8th, and Clay Holmes in the 9th but after Peralta ran into some trouble, Holmes was needed to finish out the 8th.  That left Ron Marinaccio for the 9th and he pitched a scoreless inning for his second save of the season.  The Yankees bullpen have a lot of solid options at the back-end of their bullpen but there are two guys heading in opposite directions right now and we will swap them on the hiearchy.  Tommy Kahnle has 10 straight scoreless appearances since returning from the IL and has only allowed three hits.  Meanwhile, Michael King has given up runs in five of his last six appearances. 

Updated hierarchy: *Holmes | Kahnle | Peralta.
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Dodgers – After a Ryne Stanek balk in the top of the 9th inning allowed the go-ahead run to score, Evan Phillips earned his 10th save of the season with a scoreless bottom of the 9th inning.  Phillips is the best bet to get a save on any given night but Brusdar Graterol has been solid this season and could steal some saves from Phillips.

Hierarchy remains: *Phillips | Graterol | Ferguson.
* = closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers – Alex Lange recorded all four of his outs via strikeout yesterday to close out a 3-2 Tigers win and pick up his 12th save of the season.  Jason Foley picked up the hold ahead of Lange.  Lange has had two straight impressive outings and could remove the committee tag with a couple more.

Hierarchy remains: *Lange | Foley | Cisnero.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Mets – David Robertson recorded the last five outs of the Mets win yesterday to pick up his 11th save of the season.  The Mets have not had many saves recently but Robertson now has more than double the number of saves as Adam Ottavino and is his usage and overall numbers indicate he should be the primary closer moving forward.  We will kick the asterisk but note this is still a modern bullpen so even without it being a true committee, there could be times when Robertson is used before the 9th based on matchups and game situations. 

Hierarchy remains: Robertson | Ottavino | Raley.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Chris Martin (BOS) – Kenley Jansen has pitched in two straight and three of four.
2. Michael King (NYY) – Clay Holmes, Wandy Peralta, and Tommy Kahnle have all pitched in two straight
3. Erik Swanson (TOR) – Jordan Romano has pitched in two straight and four of five.
4. Dauri Moreta (PIT) – David Bednar has pitched in two straight and three of four.
5. Giovanny Gallegos (STL) – Jordan Hicks is battling an illness so he may be unavailable today.
6. Taylor Rogers (SF) – Camilo Doval has pitched in two straight and three of four while Tyler Rogers has pitched in two straight and four of five.

Monday
1. Joe Kelly/Renaldo Lopez (CHW) – Kendall Graveman threw 28 pitches yesterday and will likely get Monday off if he pitches again today.
2. Jason Foley/Jose Cisnero (DET) – Alex Lange also threw 28 pitches yesterday and will likely get Monday off if he pitches again today.

Scott McGough takes the reins in Arizona

June 22, 2023

Arizona Diamondbacks — This is now Scott McGough’s committee to lead after a dominant two-inning, four-strikeout save on Wednesday. McGough has now gone 15 straight appearances (20.1 IP) without allowing an earned run.

Updated hierarchy: *McGough | Chafin | Castro.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Yankees — Clay Holmes did in fact get Wednesday off after a five-out save on Tuesday, but Michael King wasn’t able to finish things off. With a three-run lead and runners on the corners, Aaron Boone turned to Tommy Kahnle, who surrendered a sac fly before shutting the door with a strikeout. Kahnle has been unhittable since his return from injury, striking out nine in eight appearances and allowing only a hit batsman over the last six. Kahnle is pushing Wandy Peralta hard for a spot in this closer committee.

Hierarchy remains: *Holmes | King | Peralta.
* = closer-by-committee

Toronto Blue Jays — Trevor Richards was called on with a three-run lead in the eighth on Wednesday, but he’s the Jays’ fifth starter when they need one. Tim Mayza and Erik Swanson should see the bulk of the late-inning holds ahead of Jordan Romano

Updated hierarchy: Romano | Swanson | Mayza.

Colorado Rockies — Jake Bird started Wednesday’s game, but only as a fill-in opener when an injury call-up couldn’t make it to Cincinnati in time. He should keep getting high-leverage looks for the Rockies.

Hierarchy remains: *Lawrence | Bard | Bird.
* = closer-by-committee

Cincinnati Reds — Alexis Diaz got the rest we predicted for him, but when the Reds used Lucas Sims and Ian Gibaut in the seventh and eighth innings of a tied game, that left Buck Farmer to grab the save once the team took the lead. Farmer and Gibaut are neck-and-neck for that second-in-line spot, and we’ll give the edge to Farmer for now.

Updated hierarchy: Diaz | Sims | Farmer.

Washington Nationals — Carl Edwards Jr. headed to the injured list with shoulder inflammation, moving Mason Thompson into the Nationals’ hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Finnegan | Harvey | Thompson.
* = closer-by-committee

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

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

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Trevor Stephan (CLE) — Emmanuel Clase has pitched in two straight (30 pitches).
2. Brock Stewart/Griffin Jax (MIN) — Jhoan Duran threw 32 pitches in a blown save on Wednesday.
3. Taylor Rogers (SF) — Camilo Doval has now appeared in three out of four.

Friday:
1. Mason Thompson (WAS) — Kyle Finnegan and Hunter Harvey have seen heavy use lately.
2. Dauri Moreta (PIT) — David Bednar threw 22 pitches Wednesday.
3. Andrew Chafin/Miguel Castro (ARI) — So did Scott McGough.

Rays’ Pete Fairbanks returns, records save as Jason Adam sets him up

June 16, 2023

Tampa Bay Rays — Pete Fairbanks returned from the IL Thursday and slid right into ninth-inning duty, retiring the side on 10 pitches to earn his seventh save. Jason Adam pitched the eighth inning. We’ll move Fairbanks to the front of this committee as a result.

Updated hierarchy: *Fairbanks | Adam | Poche.
*=closer-by-committee

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

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

San Francisco Giants – John Brebbia’s last three appearances have been starts, and he’s slated to kick things off Friday night against the Dodgers. All of the appearances were as an opener, of course, but he can’t have a save chance in the ninth if he’s out there in the first.

Updated hierarchy: Doval | Ty. Rogers | Ta. Rogers.

Pittsburgh Pirates – Colin Holderman was placed on the IL Thursday with right wrist inflammation. Righty Yohan Ramirez has a trio of holds, including some relatively recent looks in the eighth inning, so we’ll give him a shot in this hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Bednar | Moreta | Ramirez.

Washington Nationals — Given a 1-0 lead Thursday, Hunter Harvey blew the save, but if you played him in your lineup, you were fortunate he earned the win. Washington took the lead in the top of the tenth, giving space for Carl Edwards Jr. to record three outs for his second save. Kyle Finnegan pitched the eighth inning, allowing one hit but striking out three against the Astros 8-9-1-2 hitters. This is a messy situation, and given Harvey’s blown save, we’ll leave the committee as is for now.

Hierarchy remains: *Finnegan | Harvey | Edwards.
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Angels — Carlos Estevez has been amazing this season, but he ran into trouble on Thursday with a three-run lead against the Rangers, walking all three hitters he faced. Jacob Webb entered the game and induced a foul-out and a line-out before walking in a run (charged to Estevez). He struck out Adolis Garcia to end the threat and secure his first save. Chris Devenski and Jose Soriano pitched earlier in the game. 

Hierarchy remains: Estevez | Devenski | Soriano.

Atlanta Braves — Michael Tonkin pitched the final 3.1 innings with just one hit and one walk to go with six strikeouts to earn his first career save. While he has pitched nicely this year, Tonkin (3.21 ERA, 0.95 WHIP in 33.2 IP) likely won’t be a factor in the saves discussion moving forward.

Hierarchy remains: Iglesias | Minter | Anderson.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Jose Alvarado (PHI) – Craig Kimbrel has gone in two straight.
2. Chris Devenski (LAA) – Carlos Estevez could not find the strike zone Thursday and has gone in three of four.
3. Bryan Abreu (HOU) – Ryan Pressley was shaky Thursday and has pitched in back-to-back days.
4. Brusdar Graterol (LAD) – Evan Phillips pitched two innings Thursday (27 pitches) and has gone in two of three.
5. Lucas Sims (CIN) – Alexis Diaz has gone in four of the past six days.

Saturday:
1. Adbert Alzolay (CHC) – If he goes Friday, it would be three of four for Mark Leiter Jr.
2. A.J. Minter (ATL) – An outing Friday would be three of five for Raisel Iglesias.
3. Josh Sborz (TEX) – An appearance Friday would be three of five for Will Smith.

Saves for Hunter Harvey, Jalen Beeks, and Buck Farmer

June 1, 2023

Milwaukee Brewers — Joel Payamps has been getting the seventh inning ahead of Peter Strzelecki and Devin Williams, and we think he’s best-positioned to pick up a save if those two need a night off.

Updated hierarchy: Williams | Strzelecki | Payamps.

Washington Nationals — Washington just won’t commit to a traditional reliever setup, using putative closer Kyle Finnegan to start the seventh on Wednesday night. He surrendered the lead, but was staked to a three-run advantage entering the eighth — where he gave up a leadoff home run. Enter Hunter Harvey, who pitched two scoreless innings to earn the save.

Hierarchy remains: *Finnegan | Harvey | Edwards.
* = closer-by-committee

Tampa Bay Rays — The Rays used Colin Poche in the seventh and Jason Adam in the eighth, leaving Kevin Kelly to go for the save in the ninth. But when Kelly loaded the bases on a walk, hit by pitch, and error, it was Jalen Beeks who wound up coming in — and he earned the save with a clutch strikeout and flyout.

Hierarchy remains: *Adam | Poche | Kelly.
*=closer-by-committee

Cincinnati Reds — Alexis Diaz had pitched in three of four games, so he got Wednesday off, which surprisingly left the save opportunity for Buck Farmer. We’ll see if Farmer edges into a setup role going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Diaz | Sims | Gibaut.

Los Angeles Angels — Long man Tucker Davidson picked up his second save of the season, a gawky three-inning job that featured four runs and seven hits allowed.

Hierarchy remains: Estevez | Devenski | Silseth.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. James Karinchak (CLE) — Emmanuel Clase has pitched in two of three and Trevor Stephan threw 20 pitches yesterday.
2. Adam Ottavino/Brooks Raley (NYM) — David Robertson has gone back-to-back (38 pitches). Ottavino has too, with fewer pitches, and Raley pitched only yesterday (23 pitches). The Mets could also go off the board to Drew Smith or Jeff Brigham.

Friday:
1. Lucas Sims/Ian Gibaut (CIN) — Alexis Diaz has gone in three of the last five games.

Kyle Finnegan and Caleb Ferguson record saves

May 28, 2023

Washington Nationals – The National used their hierarchy in order last night with Carl Edwards pitching a scoreless 7th, Hunter Harvey a scoreless 8th, and Kyle Finnegan a scoreless 9th for his 11th save of the season.  Finnegan has been up and down this season but still has produced double digit saves already and should continue to be the best bet for the save on any given night.

Hierarchy remains: *Finnegan | Harvey | Edwards.
* = closer-by-committee

Los Angeles Dodgers – The Dodgers’ committee kept rolling yesterday as Brusdar Graterol got the 7th inning, Evan Phillips pitched the 8th and started the 9th before Caleb Ferguson came on for the last two outs to pick up the save.  Philllips recorded four saves in a row in early May but has not recorded any of the last three.  We will see if this continues or if the Dodgers start to turn to Phillips again more regularly in save chances.

Hierarchy remains: *Phillips | Graterol | Ferguson.
* = closer-by-committee

Minnesota Twins — The Twins used Jhoan Duran in the 8th inning against the 2-3-4 hitters and then went with Jorge Lopez to start the 9th.  Lopez really struggled as he allowed three hits, including a home run, and hit another batter without recording any outs.  Brock Stewart relieved Lopez and was able to retire three of the four batters he faced to pick up his first save of the season.  Stewart has pitched 14 scoreless innings so far this year and although he walks too many batters (11 walks in 14 innings), the sparkling ERA is enough to get Stewart on the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: *Duran | Lopez | Stewart.
* = closer-by-committee

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.

Pittsburgh Pirates — Duane Underwood Jr. was designated for assignment after struggling in May.  Robert Stephenson will likely be the top option to take over the 7th inning.  

Updated hierarchy: Bednar | Holderman | Stephenson. 

Los Angeles Angels – Matt Moore will be placed on the IL due to an oblique injury.  Chase Silseth should see more time in the later innings with Moore out.

Updated hierarchy: Estevez | Devenski | Silseth.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Bryan Abreu (HOU) – Ryan Pressly has pitched in two straight.
2. Tanner Scott (MIA) – Dylan Floro has pitched in three straight.
3. Gregory Soto (PHI) – Craig Kimbrel has pitched in two straight and three of four.
4. Mason Thompson (WAS) – Kyle Finnegan, Hunter Harvey, and Carl Edwards have all pitched in three of the past four.

Monday
1. Justin Lawrence/Daniel Bard (COL) – If Pierce Johnson pitches on Sunday, it will be two straight and three of four. Same for Justin Lawrence.
2. Tyler Rogers (SF) – Camilo Doval threw 30 pitches yesterday so if he pitches again Sunday, he will get Monday off.