Fernando Rodney enjoying a nice stretch; Roberto Osuna pulling away

July 6, 2015

Seattle Mariners – Fernando Rodney put two men on in the 9th inning, but managed to earn the save. Despite our continued whining about Lloyd McClendon’s refusal to give the job to Carson Smith, Rodney has been effective lately, and Sunday was his 9th straight scoreless appearance. His ratios are still pretty bad — he’s had 6 Ks and 5 BBs during his scoreless stretch — so the wheels could fall off again at any moment. But he’s likely to continue to get chances if he continues to put up zeroes.

Hierarchy remains: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

New York Mets – Logan Verrett picked up a three-inning save in a blowout on Sunday. Verrett has been solid, but he remains a longshot for holds at this point.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Parnell | Robles.

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.

Toronto Blue Jays – On a day when no other Toronto reliever pitched particularly well, Roberto Osuna picked up his third save of the year. The four-out save came a day after Steve Delabar — his prime competition for the closer role — got roughed up. One more save and we might be ready to get rid of Osuna’s asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Osuna | Delabar | Cecil.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Tony Watson, Pittsburgh Pirates – Mark Melancon has pitched in back to back games and three of four.

J.P. Howell records save, Melancon pitching well

July 5, 2015

Los Angeles Dodgers — J.P. Howell recorded his first save since 2011 last night, as Kenley Jansen was given the night off after pitching in three of the last four days.  Pedro Baez got the last out of the 8th and stayed on to get the first two outs of the 9th, before Howell came on to strike out the only batter he faced.  If Baez had been able to pitch a cleaner 9th inning he would have gotten the save, and since Yimi Garcia was used for one out in the 8th, it looks like Baez could be the go-to righty on days when Jansen is not available.

Updated hierarchy: Jansen | Baez | Garcia.

Pittsburgh Pirates — Remember all the concern over Mark Melancon back in April when his velocity was down?  Well there isn’t any reason for concern now as Melancon recorded his 26th save yesterday, and hasn’t given up any earned runs in last 25 appearances.  Jared Hughes wasn’t needed on Saturday so instead he got to celebrate being the only active player born on the 4th of July with a day off.

Hierarchy remains: Melancon | Watson | Hughes.

Toronto Blue Jays — Steve Delabar had another rough outing on Saturday, giving up 2 runs while only recording 1 out.  Brett Cecil, on the other hand, now has five scoreless appearances since being demoted from the closer’s role.  The Blue Jays bullpen is still unsettled at this point but with Delabar struggling, Roberto Osuna could have a chance to solidify himself as the closer.

Updated hierarchy: *Osuna | Delabar | Cecil.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Justin Wilson, New York Yankees – Dellin Betances has pitched in two straight, and three of the last four.
2. Kevin Siegrist, St. Louis Cardinals – Trevor Rosenthal has appeared in three games in a row.
3. Jake McGee, Tampa Bay Rays – Brad Boxberger took the loss yesterday and has pitched in three straight.

Detroit is Joba-less and John Axford returns

July 4, 2015

Detroit Tigers – Just nine days ago, Joba Chamberlain had an ERA under 2, but after it doubled thanks to a few three-run outings, the Tigers shockingly cut the former Yankee phenom, designating him (and Tom Gorzelanny) for assignment. Bruce Rondon and Al Alburquerque will slide up a few spots in the team’s late-innings hierarchy but, given their recent performance, both should be worried about newly promoted Jeff Ferrell, a converted starter who earned 15 saves between Erie and Toledo this year.

Updated hierarchy: Soria | Rondon | Alburquerque.

Texas Rangers — Well, never mind that business yesterday about Neftali Feliz. After his first outing (two scoreless innings, two hits, 1 K, high of 95 MPH) on Friday, the Rangers immediately designated him for assignment. Feliz will be released if he doesn’t attract trade interest or agree to a demotion to AAA.

Hierarchy remains: Tolleson | Scheppers | Kela.

Colorado Rockies — John Axford returned to the team on Friday and is likely to be reactivated for Saturday’s game. During an incredibly stressful season, Axford has found baseball to be a peaceful haven.

Updated hierarchy: Axford | Hawkins | Kahnle.

Cleveland Indians — After Zach McAllister retired the final batter in the seventh, Bryan Shaw came on and struck out two batters in the eighth. Shaw and his 1.88 ERA have moved ahead of McAllister in the Tribe pen.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Shaw | McAllister.

Pittsburgh Pirates — Over the last 10 days, Arquimedes Caminero has given up six runs in five innings; meanwhile, Jared Hughes has given up no runs and only three hits in his last 10 appearances.

Updated hierarchy: Melancon | Watson | Hughes.

Seattle Mariners — Carson Smith didn’t do himself any favors in the fight for Seattle saves, giving up a couple runs after coming on with a six-run lead in the ninth inning.

Hierarchy remains: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

Atlanta Braves — Jason Grilli got the night off after working in two straight, allowing Jim Johnson to pick up a vulture save.

Hierarchy remains: Grilli | Johnson | Masset.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants — Santiago Casilla saw a team doctor on Friday and is expected to avoid the DL, but he probably won’t pitch on Saturday.
2. Kevin Siegrist/Seth Maness, St. Louis Cardinals — Trevor Rosenthal threw 24 pitches on Friday and has appeared in three of four games.
3. Hector Rondon/Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs — It’s Joe Maddon, you know the routine.
4. Yimi Garcia, Los Angeles Dodgers — Kenley Jansen picked up the loss on Friday and needed 24 pitches. He’s now thrown in three out of four (53 pitches).

Santiago Casilla out a few days; Bruce Rondon gets doors blown off

July 3, 2015

San Francisco Giants — Manager Bruce Bochy said Thursday that he’s going to “back off” from using closer Santiago Casilla for a few days after the pitcher reported a “tired arm.” Casilla didn’t record an out Wednesday night, giving up a three-run shot to Justin Bour to blow the game. As you might expect, Sergio Romo will get the first shot at closing, but Bochy could also play the matchups, which means lefty Javier Lopez or righty Hunter Strickland might get a shot.

Hierarchy remains: Casilla | Romo | Strickland.

Texas Rangers — Former Rangers closer Neftali Feliz was activated from the disabled list Thursday and could factor into the team’s late-inning plans, despite a rough time of it during his rehab outings (7.36 ERA over 11 innings). We’ll see how manager Jeff Bannister chooses to use Feliz in the early going, but have no fear — Shawn Tolleson is still the closer moving forward. If Feliz continues to struggle, Texas might have a difficult decision to make, because (as a veteran with five years of service time) Feliz can decline any minor league option.

Hierarchy remains: Tolleson | Scheppers | Kela.

Detroit Tigers – What’s going on out in the Tigers bullpen on a nightly basis? Other than Joakim Soria, this team can’t seem to find any stability from its relief corps. The latest example of inconsistency was Bruce Rondon, who allowed four runs on four hits while recording just one out before getting yanked. Rondon’s outing was especially crushing, as Detroit had just scored three runs to get within one. One bad performance won’t shake our confidence in Rondon yet, but that 12.00 ERA sure doesn’t look pretty in the box score.

Hierarchy remains: Soria | Chamberlain | Rondon.

Toronto Blue Jays — Setup man Steve Delabar has been dynamite for the Jays all season, but he came unglued Thursday night against the Red Sox, uncorking three wild pitches in just two-thirds of an inning (he only had two all year entering the game). Delabar also allowed three runs on three hits and a walk. Perhaps this disastrous outing was an aberration, but his command was all over the place, so his performance moving forward bears watching. In other news, the Jays had to use every member of the bullpen in Thursday’s 12-6 loss after starter Matt Boyd failed to record an out, allowing seven runs in the first inning.

Hierarchy remains: *Osuna | Delabar | Schultz.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Sergio Romo, San Francisco Giants — With Casilla out the next few days, Romo is the most likely to get the call. If Bochy decides to play matchups, he could end up using lefty Javier Lopez.
2. Jeremy Jeffress/Jonathan Broxton, Milwaukee Brewers — Closer Francisco Rodriguez has pitched in four of the last five days and may need a break Friday. It’s also Independence Day weekend, so Will Smith — who has also pitched in four of five — may be a bit busy with other… matters. Look for Jeffress or maybe even Broxton, who has that invaluable “closing experience” managers love, to close if needed.
3. Hector Rondon/Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs — Nothing is ever easy with Joe Maddon as the closer committee drags on in Chicago. Jason Motte had the most recent save, but Rondon or Strop get the next chance?
4. Carson Smith, Seattle Mariners — Smith was warming for the ninth inning on Wednesday, and could get the call in Seattle’s continued closer-by-committee.
5. Tommy Kahnle, Colorado Rockies — If John Axford remains out on Friday, the Rockies will turn to LaTroy Hawkins or Kahnle.

Luke Gregerson protects lead and gets…a win?

July 2, 2015

Houston Astros — Trivia question: When a relief pitcher (Luke Gregerson) enters the game in the 9th inning with his team up by one and retires the first three batters he sees (like he did last night) what does he earn? If you said “save” you’d be right…except if you were in Houston on July 1, 2015. The official scorekeeper decided that when Josh Fields surrendered a two-run triple in the top of the 7th, this made him unworthy of the win so he invoked MLB rule 10.17. This let him award the win to the “most effective” reliever. He decided that this was Gregerson and his perfect 9th inning, so instead of his 19th save, Gregerson picked up his third win. This isn’t the first time 10.17 has given a closer a surprise win in a save situation, and the rule even showed up in Game 7 of last year’s World Series. (although it was later overturned).

Hopefully this rare decision doesn’t cost any of our loyal readers!

Hierarchy remains: Gregerson | Neshek | Fields.

Seattle Mariners – Just when it seemed like Fernando Rodney had resumed his 9th-inning duties, manager Lloyd McClendon opened up the committee again. Rodney came into the 8th inning to protect a three-run lead. This makes sense if he was facing the heart of the order, but he was facing the 7-8-9 hitters. Not really a place where you would find your closer. Carson Smith was warming up for the save opportunity, but when the Mariners tacked on four runs in the top of the 9th, they sat him down and turned to Tom Wilhelmsen. We are still big fans of Carson Smith, and this seems to suggest he will still see some save chances down the road despite McClendon’s affinity towards Rodney.

Hierarchy remains: *Rodney | Smith | Lowe.
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago Cubs – Justin Grimm picked up a one-out save after he bailed out James Russell in the 12th inning. Pedro Strop, Hector Rondon and Jason Motte all pitched earlier in the game, in that order. Grimm is another Cubs reliever who is having a great season, but with the logjam at the top of the hierarchy, his first career save might be his last for the foreseeable future.

Hierarchy remains: *Motte | Rondon | Strop.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Hector Rondon/Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs – Strop, Rondon and Jason Motte have all pitched in two straight, so Joe Maddon’s options are seemingly endless.
2. Darren O’Day, Baltimore Orioles – Zach Britton has pitched back-to-back games, but has been efficient, needing only 24 pitches. He has yet to appear on three straight days this season, however.
3. Tommy Kahnle/Scott Oberg, Colorado Rockies – The Rockies are in a committee until John Axford returns.
4. Carson Smith, Seattle Mariners – Smith was warming for a save chance on Wednesday, which means he could get the nod Thursday.