Closer Monkey’s Leverage Ledger | August 15

Though small in stature, Thursday’s seven-game slate yielded two reliever wins, five saves, and two losses. One reliever recorded his first save of the season, another notched the first of his career, and there was a one-out save. Here are the five saves in condensed form:

For the save streamers:

Vulture Save Options for August 15

  • Pierce Johnson (ATL): Raisel Iglesias and Dylan Lee have pitched in back-to-back games. 
  • Kade Strowd (BAL): Dietrich Enns and Keegan Akin have appeared in consecutive contests. 

As a result of the reduced games yesterday, the leverage ledger will delve a bit deeper into high-leverage events of interest.

Leverage Ledger

Atlanta Braves – Locking down his 17th save, Raisel Iglesias retired the side and recorded a strikeout while preserving a one-run lead against the Mets. He threw seven pitches, all strikes, and produced one whiff (14.3 SwStr%) versus the 4-5-6 lineup pocket.

This extended his scoreless streak to nine games, during which he has converted all six save opportunities with a 0.44 WHIP while striking out eight (25.8 K-BB%) through nine innings. It was surprising he was not targeted ahead of the trade deadline. Since July 11, he has recorded more saves than any other reliever (eight) with a 0.67 WHIP and 14 strikeouts versus three walks (20.4 K-BB%) across 15 innings.

  • Dylan Lee notched his 13th hold, giving up a hit and striking out one in a scoreless bottom of the eighth.

Hierarchy Remains: Raisel Iglesias | Dylan Lee | Pierce Johnson

Baltimore Orioles – Taking over at the top of the ninth with a three-run lead, Dietrich Enns allowed consecutive singles, induced a flyout, walked Cal Raleigh to load the bases, then let a run score on a fielder’s choice groundout before a game-ending groundout, resulting in his first save of the season, third of his career. He threw 23 pitches (52.2% strike rate) and produced one whiff.

He finished with two hits, an earned run, and a walk.

  • Kade Strowd retired the side at the top of the eighth against Seattle’s 3-4-5 lineup pocket for his first hold.
  • Keegan Akin notched his 13th hold, navigating around a hit and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless seventh.

Hierarchy Remains: *Keegan Akin | *Yennier Cano | *Dietrich Enns

*= closer-by-committee

Cleveland Guardians – Pressed into action with the bases loaded and two outs, Cade Smith induced a game-ending lineout to short by Liam Hicks for his sixth save, preserving the five-run margin, with the tying run in the on-deck circle. He threw five pitches (80% strike rate) without a whiff. He remains unscored upon through seven appearances in August, recording three wins and three saves with a 0.50 WHIP and nine strikeouts against one walk (28.5 K-BB%) through eight innings.

  • Nic Enright logged 1.2 scoreless frames, yielding two hits and a walk while striking out one.
  • Hunter Gaddis secured his 24th hold, stranding a runner and retiring both batters at the top of the seventh.
  • Eric Sabrowski allowed a walk while retiring one batter in the sixth and seventh innings for his seventh hold.

Hierarchy Remains: Cade Smith | Hunter Gaddis | Nic Enright

Detroit Tigers – Summoned with a runner on and two outs at the bottom of the tenth, Rafael Montero retired all four batters faced, while striking out two. He collected his first win following his team’s rally at the top of the 11th. He threw 16 pitches (87.5% strike rate) and induced two whiffs (12.5 SwStr%).

  • Tyler Holton allowed a hit and recorded a strikeout across 1.1 scoreless frames.
  • Kyle Finnegan worked 1.1 clean innings, striking out two on 15 pitches (60% strike rate) and producing three whiffs (20 SwStr%). He has been scoreless through six games with the Tigers, recording a win, three saves, and a hold.

Hierarchy Remains: *Kyle Finnegan | *Will Vest | Tyler Holton

New York Mets – In a non-save appearance, Edwin Díaz fired a clean top of the ninth and recorded a strikeout on 12 pitches (75% strike rate) with one whiff.

Ryan Helsley suffered his third loss and a seventh blown save at the top of the eighth. He issued Marcell Ozuna a one-out walk, then pinch-runner Eli White scored from first on Michael Harris II’s RBI double, and a second run on Ozzie Albies’ RBI double. Helsley finished with two hits, two earned runs, and a walk during his inning of work.

It has been a tough transition for Helsley into a setup role in New York. As acknowledged in this post by Bill Ladson for MLB.com, he has not located his slider well. In last night’s loss, he hung a 0-1 slider against Harris:

From the post:

Using the heat map option on Fangraphs, Helsley’s slugging per ball in play with the slider this season against left-handed hitters:

There is time for Helsley and the Mets to rebound, but with mounting pressure and the Reds within a half-game of the last Wild Card spot, time is of the essence.

  • Tyler Rogers logged 1.1 scoreless frames, scattering two hits.

Hierarchy Remains: Edwin Díaz | Ryan Helsley | Tyler Rogers

Toronto Blue Jays – Closing out his team’s one-run win over the Cubs, Jeff Hoffman worked around Nico Hoerner’s one-out single and a stolen base by recording all three outs via strikeout for his 27th save. He threw 12 pitches (83.3% strike rate) and generated five whiffs (41.7 SwStr%).

He has converted two of three save chances in August while posting 4.2 scoreless innings.

  • Seranthony Domínguez stranded two runners and retired Carson Kelly via strikeout, securing the lead and his 16th hold.
  • Brendon Little allowed a walk and recorded a strikeout after taking over with a runner on at the top of the eighth, getting credit for his 24th hold with two-thirds scoreless.

Hierarchy Remains: Jeff Hoffman | Seranthony Domínguez | Louis Varland

Washington Nationals – Recording his first career save and protecting a one-run lead against the Phillies, Cole Henry worked around Max Kepler’s lead-off single with a sacrifice bunt, a groundout, and a game-ending strikeout of Trea Turner. He threw 18 pitches (66.7% strike rate) and produced three whiffs (16.7 SwStr%).

He has been scoreless across six outings in August, posting a 1.053 WHIP with seven strikeouts against two walks.

Jose A. Ferrer notched his 20th hold, facing the Phillies’ 3-4-5-6 hitters. He allowed a pinch-hit two-out single by Harrison Bader, then recorded an inning-ending strikeout.

  • Shinnosuke Ogasawara was awarded his first win, stranding a runner and retiring his only batter, Kyle Schwarber, via strikeout at the top of the seventh.

In Bobby Blanco’s game recap for MASN, interim manager Miguel Castro felt Ferrer was deployed in the eighth with the game on the line:

With this in mind:

Updated Hierarchy: Jose A. Ferrer | Cole Henry | Konnor Pilkington

*= closer-by-committee featuring Ferrer as the highest-leveraged reliever (HLR)

Quick Hits

  • Arizona Diamondbacks: Despite allowing Brenton Doyle’s solo home run at the bottom of the ninth, Jalen Beeks finished a six-run win in Colorado, giving up two hits and an earned run while striking out one. Juan Morillo gave up a hit and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless eighth.
  • Minnesota Twins:  Entering at the top of the 11th, Erasmo Ramírez advanced the “place” runner with a wild pitch, then let him score on a sacrifice fly by Gleyber Torres, resulting in his first loss.
  • Philadelphia Phillies: Called upon with the bases loaded and no outs at the bottom of the seventh, Orion Kerkering induced a pop-out, allowed a two-RBI single by José Tena, recorded an out on a groundout, and an inning-ending strikeout of James Wood, resulting in his fifth blown save.

News, Notes, and Observations

It’s been ominous about how Félix Bautista will not return this season due to a “significant” inflammation in his shoulder. He has been undergoing tests, and the team suggests that a more precise timetable for his return will be shared by the end of the week. Fantasy players in keeper leagues will be paying very close attention to this, because if he could miss spring training, it casts aspersions on how effective he will be in 2026.

Speaking of shoulders, Houston did not share a return-to-play timeline for Josh Hader either. Per Joe Espada in this update for MLB.com by Brian McTaggart:

Missing at least two weeks, and longer, makes his return and fantasy relevance a big question mark.

A rough first outing for Michael Kopech in his rehab assignment at Triple-A last night:

His velocity remained intact:

But command remains his weakness:

Bobby Miller worked a scoreless top of the eighth, giving up a hit and striking out one:

He has been scoreless in his last six relief appearances, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out five, posting a minuscule 0.286 WHIP across seven innings and 22 batters faced.

Closer Monkey Emails for 2025

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Statistical Credits:

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BrooksBaseball.net

Closer Monkey’s Leverage Ledger | August 14

Despite some weather issues, Wednesday provided a full 15-game slate. Relievers recorded seven wins, though one was accompanied by a blown save (Keegan Akin), and seven saves while suffering nine losses. Here are the saves in condensed form:

For the save streamers, a light forecast:

Vulture Save Options for August 14

  • Jimmy Herget (COL): Victor Vodnik has pitched on back-to-back days. 
  • Michael Tonkin (MIN): Justin Topa threw 26 pitches during a two-inning save last night. 

Under the Hood: The Los Angeles Dodgers Bullpen

Staked with a one-run lead, Justin Wrobleski took over at the bottom of the sixth and recorded two scoreless innings, yielding a double. Returning for the eighth, he ran into trouble, issuing consecutive walks before being replaced. Edgardo Henriquez let both inherited runners score while giving up two hits and recording a strikeout, tagging him with his first blown save. Wrobleski suffered his fourth loss, finishing with a hit, two earned runs, and two walks while striking out one over his two-plus innings, also getting credited with his second hold. ​​For what it’s worth, if they had kept the lead, it would have been Alexis Díaz who would have gotten the save opportunity, according to Dave Roberts in his postgame press conference, confirmed on X:

There has been a litany of injuries to the veterans in the bullpen, but this loss dropped the team out of first place entering a pivotal series against San Diego. In one-run games this year, Los Angeles has a 19-18 record, and in two-run games, they are below five hundred, winning nine of 21. Putting these results together, in games decided by two runs or fewer, the Dodgers are 28-30 (.483).

Since the All-Star break, the team’s bullpen ranks 28th out of 30 teams in Win Probability Added. Here is a snapshot of the team’s results in the second half in this metric:

Yes, the team will receive a boost when Michael Kopech, Tanner Scott, and Kirby Yates return. However, in the near term, they face six games in the next ten days against the team with the best bullpen in the majors without them. While this team has proven resilient, this stretch could ultimately determine its postseason seeding and divisional title hopes. By the way, the Padres rank first in WPA since the All-Star break.

Here are the remaining leverage events of interest from Wednesday.

Leverage Ledger

Arizona Diamondbacks – Locking down his first career save, Andrew Saalfrank retired the Rangers’ top of the lineup in order, preserving a come-from-behind two-run win. He threw 11 pitches (72.7% strike rate) without a whiff.

He has allowed an unearned run in his last five appearances.

  • John Curtiss was awarded his second win despite giving up two hits, an earned run, and a walk at the bottom of the eighth.
  • Kyle Backhus retired the side and recorded a strikeout in the seventh.
  • Juan Burgos walked one during a scoreless sixth.

This outcome also placed this team into the record books:

Hierarchy Remains: *Andrew Saalfrank | *Andrew Hoffmann | *Juan Morillo

*= closer-by-committee

Baltimore Orioles – Summoned with a runner at third and one out, Keegan Akin let the game-tying run score on a sacrifice fly, then induced an inning-ending flyout, resulting in his fifth blown save. However, he collected his fourth win on a walk-off rally at the bottom of the inning. He only threw two pitches, both strikes, and both flyouts.

  • Yennier Cano allowed Julio Rodríguez’s lead-off single and walked Eugenio Suarez, followed by a double steal, and induced an RBI groundout by Josh Naylor before being removed. He was awarded his 17th hold despite giving up a hit, two earned runs, and a walk during one-third of the ninth.
  • Dietrich Enns gave up a hit and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth, notching his second hold.

Hierarchy Remains: *Keegan Akin | *Yennier Cano | *Dietrich Enns

*= closer-by-committee

Chicago Cubs – Securing his 16th save, Daniel Palencia retired the side and recorded a strikeout, sealing a three-run lead against Toronto’s 2-3-4 hitters. He threw nine pitches, all strikes, and induced one whiff (11.1 SwStr%).

It’s his first save since August 1 and snapped a two-game streak of allowing at least a run.

  • Brad Keller retired the side for his 18th hold in the eighth.
  • Caleb Thielbar retired both batters, one via strikeout in the seventh for his 15th hold.
  • Andrew Kittredge let one of two inherited runners score, yielding a hit while recording an out in the sixth and seventh innings, resulting in his 11th hold.

Hierarchy Remains: Daniel Palencia | Brad Keller | Andrew Kittredge

Colorado Rockies – Capping his team’s ninth-inning go-ahead rally, Victor Vodnik notched his fourth save, and second in as many days, retiring the Cardinals in order at the bottom of the inning. He threw 10 pitches (60% strike rate) and produced one whiff while facing the 8-9-1 hitters.

  • Jimmy Herget collected his first win, firing a clean bottom of the eighth while striking out two, ahead of his team’s rally.
  • Jaden Hill worked a clean seventh, striking out one.
  • Nick Anderson tossed a clean sixth, recording one strikeout.

Hierarchy Remains: Victor Vodnik | Jimmy Herget | Juan Mejia

Detroit Tigers – Preserving a combined shutout, Will Vest shut the door on his 18th save, retiring the 9-1-2 White Sox lineup pocket in order while recording one strikeout. He threw 11 pitches (54.5% strike rate) and induced one whiff.

He has recorded a save in his last two appearances and has been scoreless in his last four.

  • Kyle Finnegan issued a lead-off walk, then retired the next three batters, securing his first hold. He has not allowed an earned run through his first five outings since his acquisition.
  • Sawyer Gibson-Long botched his second hold, logging two scoreless frames, yielding a hit and striking out two. 

A.J. Hinch is playing matchups during the late innings between Vest and Finnegan. This keeps both relevant from a fantasy perspective, although fantasy players may be frustrated by the fluid usage patterns. 

Hierarchy Remains: *Kyle Finnegan | *Will Vest | Tyler Holton

*= closer-by-committee

Houston Astros – Despite allowing consecutive hits at the top of the ninth, Bryan Abreu bore down, inducing a pop-out, followed by back-to-back strikeouts, nailing down his first save of the season. He threw 22 pitches (69.6% strike rate) and generated six whiffs (26.1 SwStr%).

He has been scoreless through his first six outings in August, posting a 0.896 WHIP with five strikeouts across 6.2 innings.

  • Bennett Sousa notched his seventh hold, stranding a runner in the seventh and retiring all four batters, three via strikeout, for his seventh hold.

Hierarchy Remains: *Bryan Abreu | *Bennett Sousa | Bryan King

*= closer-by-committee

Kansas City Royals – Entering a tied contest at the top of the ninth, Carlos Estévez gave up Luis García Jr.’s one-out double, issued Nathaniel Lowe a two-out walk, followed by Daylen Lile’s go-ahead RBI single, resulting in his fifth loss. Estévez threw 25 pitches (56% strike rate) and produced two whiffs while giving up two hits, an earned run, and a walk with one strikeout.

  • Luinder Avila made his MLB debut, retiring the side and striking out one at the top of the eighth.
  • Sam Long allowed a walk and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless seventh.
  • Daniel Lynch IV worked two scoreless frames, scattering two hits.

Hierarchy Remains: Carlos Estévez | Lucas Erceg | John Schreiber

Los Angeles Angels – Perhaps fueled by competitive fire, Kenley Jansen appeared in a third consecutive contest against his former team and shut the door on his 23rd save by retiring the side at the top of the ninth, preserving a one-run margin. He threw 10 pitches (60% strike rate) without a whiff against the Dodgers’ 2-3-4 lineup pocket.

  • Brock Burke collected his sixth win, firing a clean top of the eighth with two strikeouts ahead of his team’s two-run rally at the bottom of the inning.
  • Reid Detmers tossed a scoreless seventh, issuing a walk and striking out one.
  • Andrew Chafin logged 1.1 scoreless innings, walking and striking out two.
  • Ryan Zeferjahn let two of three inherited runners score at the top of the fourth, giving up a hit and a walk while striking out two during his 1.1 scoreless innings.

Hierarchy Remains: Kenley Jansen | Reid Detmers | Luis García

Minnesota Twins – Protecting a three-run lead through two scoreless frames, Justin Topa earned his second save, allowing only  Giancarlo Stanton’s single in the ninth and recording one strikeout. Topa threw 26 pitches (73.1% strike rate) and induced one whiff.

He has posted six scoreless outings in August, recording two saves and a hold with a 0.714 WHIP and six strikeouts versus one walk.

  • Kody Funderburk stranded an inherited runner while retiring his only batter in the seventh via strikeout for his first hold. 

Hierarchy Remains: Justin Topa | Cole Sands | Kody Funderburk

St. Louis Cardinals – Handed a one-run lead at the top of the ninth, JoJo Romero issued Kyle Karros a lead-off walk, a leverage no-no, recorded a strikeout, then gave up Hunter Goodman’s go-ahead two-run home run, resulting in his fourth loss and first brown save. Romero finished with two hits, two earned runs, and a walk while striking out three in his outing, snapping his four-game scoreless streak.

  • Riley O’Brien navigated around two hits for a scoreless eighth, securing his fifth hold.
  • Kyle Leahy allowed a hit and an earned run while striking out one in the seventh for his 14th hold.

Hierarchy Remains: *JoJo Romero | *Riley O’Brien | Kyle Leahy

*= closer-by-committee

Texas Rangers – Summoned with a runner on and two outs at the top of the eighth, Phil Maton struck out Tyler Locklear. Returning for the ninth, things did not go as smoothly. After recording consecutive strikeouts, he allowed a home run by James McCann, hit Blaze Alexander with a pitch, walked Geraldo Perdomo, and served up Ketel Marte’s go-ahead three-run home run.

Things escalated quickly. Maton gets tagged with his fourth loss and third blown save, giving up two hits, four earned runs, a walk, and a hit batter while recording three strikeouts.

  • Hoby Milner walked one during two-thirds scoreless in the eighth for his 15th hold.
  • Luis Curvelo retired the side and recorded a strikeout for his first hold in the seventh.

Hierarchy Remains: Phil Maton | Danny Coulombe | Shawn Armstrong

Washington Nationals – Taking over a tied game at the bottom of the eighth with two outs, Jose A. Ferrer allowed Vinnie Paquantino’s double, then induced an inning-ending groundout by Maikel Garcia. Ferrer returned for the ninth with a one-run lead, allowing Jonathan India’s two-out single, followed by Randal Grichuk’s bloop single, and a game-ending fielder’s choice groundout, earning his fourth win. He threw 23 pitches (60.8% strike rate) without a whiff, finishing with three hits during his 1.1 scoreless frames.

He has been scoreless in his last two outings, but has given up multiple hits in each.

  • Clayton Beeter was charged with his first blown save, giving up a hit and an earned run during two-thirds of the eighth.
  • Cole Henry logged 1.1 scoreless frames, yielding a hit and striking out one.
  • PJ Poulin issued a walk during his two-thirds of the seventh for his first hold.

Hierarchy Remains: Jose A. Ferrer | Cole Henry | Konnor Pilkington

Quick Hits

  • Atlanta Braves: Having the bullpen activated early, Aaron Bummer took over at the bottom of the third, logging 2.1 scoreless frames, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out three. He was rewarded with his second win as a result.
  • Chicago White Sox: During a relief outing, Martin Pérez suffered his second loss, allowing three hits, an earned run, and two walks while striking out four across his 3.1 innings.
  • Cincinnati Reds: Closing out a combined shutout, Emilio Pagán fired a clean top of the ninth and recorded two strikeouts on nine pitches, all strikes, with three whiffs (33.3 SwStr%) while facing the Phillies’ 3-4-5 lineup pocket. He has converted all three save opportunities in August and, with this outing, has been scoreless in his last three appearances.
  • Milwaukee Brewers: Called upon at the top of the seventh, Jared Koenig issued a two-out walk and recorded a strikeout in a scoreless outing. He was awarded his fifth win during his team’s lopsided victory.
  • New York Mets: Not only did Reed Garrett let both inherited runners score, he allowed two hits, three earned runs, and a walk while striking out two during two-thirds of the fourth, resulting in his fifth loss.
  • New York Yankees: Yerry De Los Santos suffered his first loss, allowing three hits and three earned runs without recording an out at the top of the sixth. Mark Leiter Jr. let his only inherited runner score, giving up a hit during a scoreless sixth.
  • Seattle Mariners: Entering a tied game at the bottom of the ninth, Matt Brash retired his first two batters faced, one via strikeout, then allowed Dylan Carlson’s two-out single, followed by Jackson Holliday’s walk-off, RBI-double, giving him his first loss.

Closer Monkey Emails for 2025

This year, the daily emails will change. Those interested in daily free updates with links should subscribe to our page at Substack. Subscribers to the former site will not transfer over; readers must register using the new link.

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Closer Monkey’s Leverage Ledger | August 13

Once again, Houston steals the introduction, placing its closer, Josh Hader, on the 15-day injured list:

Manager Joe Espada would not commit to defined roles during future save chances, making this another dreaded post-trade deadline committee, covered by Brian McTaggart in this post for MLB.com:

Bryan Abreu has nine career saves, without one this season, and has posted a 0.855 WHIP with 13 strikeouts against five walks (17.8 K-BB%) since the All-Star break. He should be the preferred option, but will operate in the eighth inning against an opponent’s best right-handed hitter or lineup pocket.

He and Hader were the trusted one-two punch fueling the Astros’ 53-3 record when leading after seven innings this season. How well the set-up relievers pitch will determine the team’s fate and save distribution in the interim. Bennett Sousa has notched four saves this year. However, the pressure lies with Bryan King, the newly acquired Enyel De Los Santos, and Kaleb Ort, who must maintain leads in the sixth and seventh innings. As a result:

Updated Hierarchy: *Bryan Abreu | *Bennett Sousa | Bryan King

*= closer-by-committee

Tuesday’s full slate provided mixed outcomes across the leverage ecosystem. Relievers recorded five wins and six saves while suffering three losses. There were two career first saves, one that covered four innings. Here are the saves in condensed form:

For the save streamers:

Vulture Save Options for August 13

  • Mason Miller (SD): Robert Suarez has pitched in back-to-back games. 
  • Reid Detmers (LAA): Kenley Jansen has appeared in consecutive contests. 
  • Jimmy Herget (COL): Victor Vodnik logged 1.2 innings and 27 pitches during his save last night. 

Vulture Save Stash for August 14

  • Matt Brash (SEA): If Andrés Muñoz pitches today, it’s back-to-back appearances. 

Here are the leverage events of interest from yesterday.

Leverage Ledger

Arizona Diamondbacks – Capping his team’s rally at the top of the ninth and recording his first career save, Juan Morillo retired the side against the Rangers’ 7-8-9 lineup pocket. He threw 15 pitches (53.3% strike rate) and induced two whiffs (13.3 SwStr%).

This was his first appearance in the majors since July 12. He has the velocity, but can his command improve? It will determine his fantasy impact moving forward.

  • Jalen Beeks collected his third win, working 1.2 scoreless innings, walking and striking out one.
  • Jake Woodford tossed 3.1 scoreless frames, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out two. 

Updated Hierarchy: *Andrew Saalfrank | *Andrew Hoffmann | *Juan Morillo

*= closer-by-committee

Chicago White Sox – Called upon with two outs and a runner on first, Jordan Leasure recorded a game-ending strikeout of Spencer Torkelson, preserving a three-run lead and securing his fourth save, throwing five pitches (60% strike rate) with two whiffs.

  • Mike Vasil gets credit for his second hold, allowing four hits, three runs (two earned), and a walk while striking out two across 2.2 innings.

Hierarchy Remains: *Grant Taylor | *Jordan Leasure | *Steven Wilson

*= closer-by-committee

Cleveland Guardians – Taking over a tied game at the top of the eighth, Cade Smith stranded his only inherited runner, recording an inning-ending strikeout. He returned for the ninth with a one-run lead and retired the side, collecting his fifth win. He threw 13 pitches (69.2% strike rate) and induced one whiff.

Through six appearances in August, he has been scoreless while posting three wins and two saves with a 0.519 WHIP across 7.2 innings.

  • Eric Sabrowski issued a walk during two-thirds scoreless in the eighth.
  • Hunter Gaddis tossed a clean seventh, striking out one.
  • Nic Enright navigated around a hit and two walks for a scoreless sixth. 

Hierarchy Remains: Cade Smith | Hunter Gaddis | Nic Enright

Colorado Rockies – Shutting the door on his third save and preserving a combined shutout, Victor Vodnik took over at the bottom of the eighth with two runners on and one out. He stranded both on consecutive strikeouts, then worked around Nolan Gorman’s lead-off double at the bottom of the ninth by retiring the next three batters. He finished with one hit and three strikeouts across 1.2 scoreless frames, throwing 27 pitches (70.4% strike rate) with three whiffs (11.1 SwStr%).

It’s his first save since July 11 and his team’s first since the trade deadline. 

Updated Hierarchy: Victor Vodnik | Jimmy Herget | Juan Mejia

Kansas City Royals – Securing his second save of the season, Lucas Erceg protected a three-run lead by retiring the side against the Nationals’ 9-1-2 lineup pocket. He threw seven pitches (85.7% strike rate) without a whiff. He posted his last save on April 25.

  • Taylor Clarke allowed two hits and an earned run while striking out one in the eighth, making the vulture save crowd happy.
  • John Schreiber stranded a runner and retired his only batter in the seventh for his 14th hold.

Updated Hierarchy: Carlos Estévez | Lucas Erceg | John Schreiber

Los Angeles Angels – After retiring the side at the top of the tenth and striking out one, Connor Brogdon collected his third win on his teammates’ walk-off rally at the bottom of the frame.

Kenley Jansen allowed Shohei Ohtani’s lead-off home run at the top of the ninth, then retired the 2-3-4 hitters in order, snapping his 15-game scoreless streak dating back to July 1. He threw 11 pitches (72.7% strike rate) and generated four whiffs (36.4 SwStr%).

  • Reid Detmers gave up a hit and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless eighth.
  • Luis García worked around a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh.
  • Brock Burke navigated around two hits for a scoreless sixth.
  • Ryan Zeferjahn suffered his sixth blown save, walking in one of three inherited runners before an inning-ending strikeout.

Hierarchy Remains: Kenley Jansen | Reid Detmers | Luis García

Los Angeles Dodgers – Pressed into action at the bottom of the ninth, Ben Casparius stranded the bases loaded with an inning-ending strikeout of Taylor Ward. However, things did not go well in the bottom of the tenth. He gave up consecutive singles by Christian Moore and Jo Adell, scoring the “place” runner and handing him his fifth loss.

Alex Vesia was tagged with his third blown save, giving up a hit, an earned run, and three walks at the bottom of the ninth while recording two outs. He entered against the 7-8-9 lineup pocket.

  • Blake Treinen tossed a scoreless eighth, walking one and striking out two on 23 pitches (47.8% strike rate) and induced two whiffs versus the Angels’ 3-4-5-6 batters.
  • Edgardo Henriquez retired all four batters faced.

Hierarchy Remains: *Blake Treinen | *Alex Vesia | *Ben Casparius

*= closer-by-committee

New York Mets – Providing his team with a much-needed boost, Justin Hagenman logged four scoreless frames, issuing a walk and striking out five for his first career save. He threw 55 pitches (61.8% strike rate) and produced nine whiffs (16.4 SwStr%).

  • Gregory Soto stranded two runners at the top of the fourth and earned his first win, tossing 1.1 scoreless innings while scattering two hits. 

Hierarchy Remains: Edwin Díaz | Ryan Helsley | Tyler Rogers

San Diego Padres – Closing out a four-run win over the Giants, Robert Suarez allowed Casey Schmitt’s two-out single and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless bottom of the ninth.

He has been scoreless in six of his last seven games, posting a win and converting three of four save opportunities.

  • Adrian Morejon retired the side and struck out one against the 6-7-8 lineup pocket in the eighth.
  • Jason Adam collected his eighth win, logging 1.2 scoreless frames, giving up a hit and striking out one. He stranded all three inherited runners at the bottom of the sixth. 

Hierarchy Remains: Robert Suarez | Mason Miller | Jason Adam

Seattle Mariners – Completing a combined shutout, Andrés Muñoz preserved the one-run lead while working around Gunnar Henderson’s two-out walk and Adley Rustchman’s single with a game-ending groundout against Ryan Mountcastle, securing his 28th save. He threw 18 pitches (61.1% strike rate) and produced four whiffs (22.2 SwStr%).

He has been scoreless in 11 of his last 12 appearances, converting all seven save chances since July 13.

  • Gabe Speier notched his 17th hold, stranding a runner and retiring his only batter in the eighth.
  • Eduard Bazardo allowed a hit and recorded two outs in the seventh for his sixth hold.

Hierarchy Remains: Andrés Muñoz | Matt Brash | Gabe Speier

Quick Hits

  • Cincinnati Reds: Protecting a shutout, Graham Ashcraft fired a clean top of the seventh and recorded two strikeouts on 13 pitches (53.8% strike rate) and produced three whiffs (23.1 SwStr%).
  • Miami Marlins: With the score tied at the bottom of the eighth, Calvin Faucher allowed a go-ahead solo home run by José Ramírez and recorded a strikeout, resulting in his third loss. This snapped his eight-game scoreless streak and marked his fifth home run allowed this season. Ronny Henriquez fired a clean bottom of the seventh, striking out one versus the Guardians’ 8-9-1 lineup pocket.
  • Texas Rangers: With the score tied at the top of the ninth, Danny Coulombe allowed his first home run of the season, Ketel Marte’s solo shot with two outs, resulting in his first loss. Shawn Armstrong fired a clean eighth, striking out two. Robert Garcia allowed two hits, including Marte’s game-tying groundout to second, and recorded a strikeout en route to his sixth blown save at the top of the seventh.
  • Toronto Blue Jays: Rebounding from his command issues on Sunday, Jeff Hoffman preserved a four-run lead by retiring the Cubs’ 9-1-2 hitters in order and recording two strikeouts. He threw 14 pitches (78.6% strike rate) and produced two whiffs (14.3 SwStr%). Louis Varland notched his 19th hold, striking out two during a clean top of the eighth.

Closer Monkey Emails for 2025

This year, the daily emails will change. Those interested in daily free updates with links should subscribe to our page at Substack. Subscribers to the former site will not transfer over; readers must register using the new link.

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Thanks for being part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe, and be well.

Statistical Credits:

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BrooksBaseball.net

Closer Monkey’s Leverage Ledger | August 12

As the game progressed, it seemed inevitable that Josh Hader would take over at the top of the ninth against the Red Sox to protect a one-run lead. He has only missed time once, a ten-game stint with a COVID-19 designation in 2021. However, when he was not warming up at the bottom of the eighth, beat writers signaled the alarm. After the game, Joe Espada provided some insight during his post-game presser, covered by Brian McTaggart in his game recap on MLB.com:

While fantasy managers hold their collective breaths in anticipation of the potential fallout if he misses time, Bryan Abreu and Bennett Sousa could figure prominently during save situations. Still, it’s all speculative at this point.

Monday’s 11-game slate provided plenty of other high-leverage events of interest with relievers recording five wins and seven saves while suffering four losses. Here are the saves in condensed form:

For the save streamers:

Vulture Save Options for August 12

  • Bryan Abreu (HOU): Josh Hader’s potentially unavailable, and Bennett Sousa having pitched in back-to-back games, puts Abreu in line for the save. 
  • Lucas Erceg (KC): Carlos Estévez has appeared in three consecutive games. 
  • Shawn Armstrong (TEX): Phil Maton has worked in back-to-back contests. 
  • Ben Casparius (LAD): If the team gets a save chance, he may be the preferred option with others in his leverage ladder struggling. 

Vulture Save Stashes for August 13

  • Camilo Doval (NYY): If David Bednar and Luke Weaver pitch today, it’s consecutive outings for both. 
  • Reid Detmers (LAA): If Kenley Jansen pitches today, it’s back-to-back games. 
  • Edwin Uceta (TB): If Pete Fairbanks is deployed tonight, it would be two straight appearances. 

Here are the leverage events of interest from Monday.

Leverage Ledger

Arizona Diamondbacks – Pressed into duty at the bottom of the ninth, Andrew Saalfrank stranded a runner with an inning-ending groundout by Sam Haggerty. Returning for the tenth with the score still tied, he intentionally walked Corey Seager, retired Marcus Semien on a lineout that moved up both runners, then suffered his first loss on Jake Burger’s walk-off RBI single.

Andrew Hoffmann was tagged with his second blown save. He fired a clean bottom of the eighth against the 3-4-5 lineup pocket, but in the ninth, gave up Rowdy Tellez’s home run leading off the inning, tying the contest.

Hoffman finished with two hits, an earned run, and two strikeouts over 1.2 innings.

  • Kyle Backhus stranded a runner and retired both batters in the eighth for his sixth hold.
  • Juan Burgos allowed a hit during a scoreless combined inning for his first hold.

It’s not the result fantasy players hoped for, but seeing Arizona using its young relievers in this type of game will help expedite their development as high-leverage options going forward.

Updated Hierarchy: *Andrew Saalfrank | *Andrew Hoffmann | *Kyle Backhus

*= closer-by-committee

Chicago White Sox – With the score tied at the top of the ninth, Brandon Eisert suffered his fourth loss, giving up Spencer Torkelson’s go-ahead solo home run among his two hits and issuing a walk while recording two outs.

  • Cam Booser stranded two runners after the rain delay, retiring his only batter via strikeout.
  • Grant Taylor tossed a scoreless eighth, yielding a hit and striking out one against the Tigers’ 9-1-2 hitters. Steven Wilson fired a clean seventh, striking out two.
  • Tyler Alexander logged 4.1 scoreless frames as the “bulk follower,” scattering two hits and walking one while striking out five.

Hierarchy Remains: *Grant Taylor | *Jordan Leasure | *Steven Wilson

*= closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers – Following a rain delay with a limited window, Will Vest shut the door on his 17th save, retiring the White Sox 2-3-4 lineup pocket in order while recording a strikeout. He threw 12 pitches (58.3% strike rate) and induced two whiffs (16.7 SwStr%).

This marked his first save since July 20, and extended his scoreless streak to three games.

  • Kyle Finnegan stranded a runner at the bottom of the eighth, on a sacrifice bunt, a strikeout, and an inning-ending groundout. He collected his second win after his teammates plated the go-ahead run at the top of the ninth.
  • Tyler Holton worked 1.1 scoreless frames, yielding a hit and striking out one.

Just when it seemed safe to trust A.J. Hinch, he played matchups in the late innings. Which means this will be the hierarchy until further notice:

Updated Hierarchy: *Kyle Finnegan | *Will Vest | Tyler Holton

*= closer-by-committee

Houston Astros – As for the game: Summoned with a runner on and two outs, Bennett Sousa recorded a game-ending strikeout against Roman Anthony, preserving the one-run margin for his fourth save, throwing four pitches (75% strike rate) with two whiffs. It’s his first save since July 2.

  • Enyel De Los Santos notched his third hold, giving up a hit during a scoreless combined inning.
  • Steven Okert was credited with his seventh hold despite allowing three hits, including Anthony’s solo home run during his combined inning of relief.

For now:

Hierarchy Remains: Josh Hader | Bryan Abreu | Bennett Sousa

Kansas City Royals – Appearing for a third straight game, Carlos Estévez worked around Paul DeJong’s two-out walk with a game-ending groundout, securing his American League-leading 30th save. He threw 18 pitches (55.6% strike rate) without a whiff, and has not produced one in his last two outings.

  • Angel Zerpa tossed a scoreless eighth, giving up a hit and striking out one for his 11th hold.
  • John Schreiber retired the side and struck out one, notching his 13th hold.
  • Daniel Lynch IV was awarded his fourth win despite allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out two over his two innings.

Hierarchy Remains: Carlos Estévez | Lucas Erceg | Hunter Harvey

Los Angeles Angels – Locking down his 22nd save, Kenley Jansen retired the side and recorded two strikeouts while facing the Dodgers’ 7-8-9 lineup pocket. He threw nine pitches (88.9% strike rate) and produced two whiffs (22.2 SwStr%).

This extended his scoreless streak to 15 games, during which he has recorded three wins and seven saves with a 0.458 WHIP and 18 strikeouts versus two walks (30.8 K-BB%).

  • Connor Brogdon retired Miguel Rojas via strikeout for his fourth hold.
  • Shaun Anderson allowed four hits, including two home runs, and four earned runs during two-thirds of the eighth before being removed.
  • Luis García navigated around a hit and two walks during a scoreless seventh.

Hierarchy Remains: Kenley Jansen | Reid Detmers | Luis García

New York Yankees – Preserving a four-run lead over the Twins, David Bednar retired the 1-2-3 hitters in order, including a game-ending strikeout. He threw 12 pitches (75% strike rate) and produced three whiffs (25 SwStr%) while recording two strikeouts.

He extended his scoreless streak to four games, during which he has a 0.755 WHIP with 10 strikeouts against three walks (35 K-BB%) across 5.1 innings.

  • Luke Weaver notched his 12th hold, logging 1.1 scoreless frames and striking out two. He’s been scoreless in all six August appearances, securing three holds with a 0.317 WHIP and eight strikeouts versus one walk through 6.1 innings. 

Hierarchy Remains: David Bednar | Luke Weaver | Camilo Doval

Philadelphia Phillies – Providing his teammates with much-needed rest, Orion Kerkering filled in capably, retiring the side and striking out one for his third save. He threw ten pitches (80% strike rate) and recorded a strikeout without inducing a whiff.

He has been scoreless in seven of his last eight appearances, posting a 0.75 WHIP with ten strikeouts (33.3 K-BB%) through eight innings.

  • David Robertson made his season debut, tossing a scoreless eighth, yielding a hit and a walk while striking out one, securing his first hold.
  • Jordan Romano collected his second win, firing a clean bottom of the seventh and striking out one.

Hierarchy Remains: Jhoan Durán | Matt Strahm | Orion Kerkering

San Diego Padres – Shutting the door on his MLB-leading 33rd save, Robert Suarez retired the side against the Giants’ 2-3-4 hitters, preserving a three-run lead. He threw 19 pitches (78.9% strike rate) and induced one whiff.

He has been scoreless in four of five appearances this month, securing a win while converting three of four save chances with a 1.053 WHIP and four strikeouts versus two walks.

  • Mason Miller recorded his third hold, striking out the side on 13 pitches (69.2% strike rate) with five whiffs (38.5 SwStr%). He has retired nine of his last 11 batters faced via strikeout (81.8 K%) across 3.1 scoreless frames.
  • Jeremiah Estrada gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh for his 25th hold.

Hierarchy Remains: Robert Suarez | Mason Miller | Jason Adam

Tampa Bay Rays – Recording at least 20 saves for a third consecutive season, Pete Fairbanks worked around Nick Kurtz’s lead-off double with two groundouts sandwiched around a strikeout, closing out a three-run margin against the A’s. He threw 12 pitches (66.7% strike rate) and induced one whiff, while extending his modest four-game scoreless streak in August.

  • Edwin Uceta retired the side in the eighth, notching his 16th hold.
  • Griffin Jax posted his 24th hold, retiring both batters at the bottom of the seventh.

Hierarchy Remains: Pete Fairbanks | Griffin Jax | Edwin Uceta

Texas Rangers – Tasked with the top of the tenth, Phil Maton retired the side and recorded a strikeout. He collected his second win on his team’s walk-off rally at the bottom of the frame. He threw 13 pitches (76.9% strike rate) and induced one whiff.

He has been scoreless in four of five appearances for the Rangers, recording a win, a save, and a hold with a 0.60 WHIP across five innings.

  • Hoby Milner tossed a clean top of the ninth, striking out one.
  • Shawn Armstrong worked a scoreless eighth, yielding a hit and striking out two.
  • Danny Coulombe fired a clean seventh.

Updated Hierarchy: Phil Maton | Danny Coulombe | Shawn Armstrong

Quick Hits

  • Cincinnati Reds: Called upon with a runner on and two outs, Tony Santillan allowed Kyle Schwarber’s two-run home run and retired Bryce Harper on a lineout during his one-third of the eighth.
  • Colorado Rockies: Entering with a one-run lead at the bottom of the eighth, Juan Mejia issued Nolan Gorman a one-out walk, allowed Thomas Saggese’s bloop single, and Brendan Donovan’s pinch-hit two-RBI double, resulting in his first loss and a second blown save. Jimmy Herget retired the side and recorded a strikeout at the bottom of the seventh, securing his third hold. 
  • St. Louis Cardinals: Capping his team’s come-from-behind rally, Kyle Leahy earned his third win, allowing one hit across 2.1 scoreless frames and recording two strikeouts. He threw 29 pitches (72.4% strike rate) and produced five whiffs (17.2 SwStr%). He has been scoreless in his last six contests, posting a minuscule 0.30 WHIP with nine strikeouts and zero walks (28.1 K-BB%) through ten innings.
  • The Athletics: Working with his team down by two at the top of the eighth, Michael Kelly allowed a hit, an earned run, and two walks while only recording one out, throwing 11 of 22 pitches for strikes. He has allowed a run in three of his last four games.
  • Washington Nationals: Taking over at the bottom of the sixth, Jackson Rutledge suffered his second loss, allowing two hits, inducing Salvador Perez’s go-ahead two-run home run, and a walk during his inning of relief.

Closer Monkey Emails for 2025

This year, the daily emails will change. Those interested in daily free updates with links should subscribe to our page at Substack. Subscribers to the former site will not transfer over; readers must register using the new link.

Premium subscribers can still use this link for daily, ad-free content or submit a rest-of-the-season $15 payment via Venmo to @gjewett9.

If you would like to leave a tip, please use this link for PayPal. Venmo can be sent to the address above.

Thanks for being part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe, and be well.

Statistical Credits:

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BrooksBaseball.net

Closer Monkey’s Updated Rankings | 8.11.2025

Recognizing that ranking relievers can become outdated within hours, Closer Monkey’s updated rankings incorporate in-season results with rest-of-season potential, yielding a number often worth debating. Each week, we are providing saves, SOLDS, and holds rankings. They are a combination of season-to-date, the last 14-day results, and rest-of-season projections, causing fluctuations in reliever valuation.

Before delving into the updated rankings, some notes since the trade deadline. Four teams have not recorded a save in August:

  • Colorado Rockies
  • Houston Astros
  • New York Mets
  • The Athletics

Eight teams have only recorded one save, and only these teams have posted four or more saves:

  • Cleveland Guardians – Cade Smith (3); Hunter Gaddis (2)
  • Milwaukee Brewers – Trevor Megill (4)
  • Philadelphia Phillies – Jhoan Durán (4)
  • Seattle Mariners – Andrés Muñoz (3); Matt Brash (2)
  • St. Louis Cardinals – JoJo Romero (3); Riley O’Brien (1)

Expanding our results to the season, here are the save trends for relievers in 2025, compared with the two previous seasons through games played on August 10:

Link: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/oEvNl/1/

Only Robert Suarez (32) has surpassed 30 saves this year, which lags behind the previous two.

Taking this all into account, here are our updated rankings.

Updated Top 40 Relievers for Saves

RankRelievers
1Jhoan Durán
2Trevor Megill
3Andrés Muñoz
4Edwin Díaz
5Robert Suarez
6Jeff Hoffman
7Aroldis Chapman
8Kenley Jansen
9Emilio Pagán
10Daniel Palencia
11Cade Smith
12Carlos Estévez
13Pete Fairbanks
14David Bednar
15Bryan Abreu
16Kyle Finnegan
17Randy Rodríguez
18Raisel Iglesias
19JoJo Romero
20Phil Maton
21Mason Miller
22Dennis Santana
23Jose A. Ferrer
24Riley O’Brien
25Will Vest
26Justin Topa
27Calvin Faucher
28Matt Brash
29Hunter Gaddis
30Ben Casparius
31Adrian Morejon
32Alex Vesia
33Keegan Akin
34Grant Taylor
35Luke Weaver
36Victor Vodnik
37Bennett Sousa
38Jordan Leasure
39Sean Newcomb
40Yennier Cano

Save Stashes

  • Andrew Hoffmann (ARI)
  • Bobby Miller (LAD)
  • Elvis Alvarado (ATH)
  • Dietrich Enns (BAL)
  • Juan Mejia (COL)
  • Joe Jiménez (ATL)

Link: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/afsde/1/

Top 75 for SOLDS

RankReliever
1Edwin Díaz
2Andrés Muñoz
3Jhoan Durán
4Bryan Abreu
5Robert Suarez
6Aroldis Chapman
7Trevor Megill
8Mason Miller
9Cade Smith
10Jeff Hoffman
11Abner Uribe
12Randy Rodríguez
13Emilio Pagán
14Jason Adam
15Garrett Whitlock
16Adrian Morejon
17Jeremiah Estrada
18Daniel Palencia
19Kenley Jansen
20Kyle Finnegan
21JoJo Romero
22Hunter Gaddis
23David Bednar
24Matt Brash
25Pete Fairbanks
26Phil Maton
27Luke Weaver
28Tony Santillan
29Will Vest
30Riley O’Brien
31Andrew Kittredge
32Raisel Iglesias
33Brad Keller
34Carlos Estévez
35Edwin Uceta
36Ronny Henriquez
37Alex Vesia
38Orion Kerkering
39Ryan Helsley
40Tyler Rogers
41Brendon Little
42Louis Varland
43Lucas Erceg
44Matt Strahm
45Danny Coulombe
46Dennis Santana
47Bennett Sousa
48Reid Detmers
49Jared Koenig
50Ben Casparius
51Griffin Jax
52Seranthony Domínguez
53Camilo Doval
54Gregory Soto
55Bryan King
56Caleb Thielbar
57Ryan Walker
58Reed Garrett
59Calvin Faucher
60Anthony Bender
61Nic Enright
62Kyle Leahy
63Dylan Lee
64Hunter Harvey
65Tyler Holton
66Luis García
67Eric Sabrowski
68Garrett Cleavinger
69Hoby Milner
70Yariel Rodríguez
71Graham Ashcraft
72Yennier Cano
73Caleb Ferguson
74Pierce Johnson
75Angel Zerpa

Relievers on the Rise

  • Ben Casparius (LAD): He has been scoreless in five of his last six appearances, posting two saves and three holds with a WHIP below one across his 5.1 innings. With Blake Treinen struggling, he could take over the highest-leveraged right-handed reliever spot in his leverage ladder.
  • Dietrich Enns (BAL): He notched his first hold with the Orioles, and in three games since his promotion, has racked up ten strikeouts versus zero walks (52.6 K-BB percentage) through 4.1 innings.
  • Matt Brash (SEA): He has been scoreless in nine of his last 10 games, recording two saves and three holds with ten strikeouts versus two walks (one intentional) across 7.1 innings.

Link: https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/xNABN/1/

Top 50 for Holds

RankReliever
1Jason Adam
2Mason Miller
3Jeremiah Estrada
4Abner Uribe
5Adrian Morejon
6Luke Weaver
7Tyler Rogers
8Matt Brash
9Ronny Henriquez
10Garrett Whitlock
11Tony Santillan
12Brad Keller
13Jared Koenig
14Hunter Gaddis
15Louis Varland
16Yariel Rodríguez
17Riley O’Brien
18Griffin Jax
19Seranthony Domínguez
20Orion Kerkering
21Reed Garrett
22Reid Detmers
23Lucas Erceg
24Ben Casparius
25Eric Sabrowski
26Caleb Thielbar
27Ryan Walker
28Edwin Uceta
29Gabe Speier
30Camilo Doval
31Matt Strahm
32Tyler Holton
33Bryan Abreu
34Bennett Sousa
35Garrett Cleavinger
36Anthony Bender
37Brendon Little
38Danny Coulombe
39Bryan King
40Gregory Soto
41Kyle Leahy
42Scott Barlow
43Dylan Lee
44Tim Hill
45Jordan Hicks
46Greg Weissert
47Caleb Ferguson
48Jordan Leasure
49Bryan Baker
50Robert Garcia

Closer Monkey Emails for 2025

This year, the daily emails have changed. Those interested in daily free updates with links should subscribe to our page at Substack. Subscribers to the former site will not transfer over; readers must register using the new link.

Premium subscribers can still use this link for daily, ad-free content or submit a $25 payment via Venmo to @gjewett9.

If you would like to leave a tip, please use this link for PayPal. Venmo can be sent to the address above.

Thanks for being part of the Closer Monkey community. Stay safe, and be well.

Statistical Credits:

Fangraphs.com

Baseball-Reference.com

BaseballSavant.com

BrooksBaseball.net