April 19, 2013
Chicago Cubs – James Russell is, overwhelmingly, the best reliever in the Cubs bullpen, but the young lefty, who hasn’t given up a run all season, still hasn’t appealed to Dale Sveum as a 9th inning reliever. Last night, with the Cubs up four runs, it was Carlos Marmol who pitched the 9th, after Russell had mowed down three lefties in the 8th. This all might be elementary at this point, since Kyuji Fujikawa will probably return to the role when he comes off the DL. But for the next week or so, Marmol could be the preferred closer for the time being. No hierarchy change.
|Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedCHC |Russell |Marmol |Camp |Fujikawa |4/19/13 |Fujikawa(DL)|
Atlanta Braves – Jordan Walden’s usage has been sporadic thus far this season, which perhaps stems from the coaching staff’s reluctance to overwork him after he missed time during the spring. With his electric stuff, we expect him to take over the 8th inning role at some point, but so far this season, Eric O’Flaherty has been the man bridging the gap to Craig Kimbrel. O’Flaherty pitched again last night, and despite underwhelming peripherals (4/3 K/BB ratio), he picked up his 5th hold of the season. Hierarchy change: Eric O’Flaherty to Set-up, Jordan Walden to 2nd in line.
|Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedATL |Kimbrel |O'Flaherty |Walden |Kimbrel |4/19/13
Seattle Mariners – Stephen Pryor hit the disabled list earlier this week, so last night, it was Carter Capps who bridged the gap to Tom Wilhelmsen. Capps threw 2 scoreless innings and picked up the win, and could share 8th inning duties with Charlie Furbush until Pryor’s return. Hierarchy change: Charlie Furbush to Set-up, Carter Capps to 2nd in line, Stephen Pryor to DL.
|Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedSEA |Wilhelmsen |Furbush |Capps |Wilhelmsen |4/19/13 |Pryor(DL) |
St. Louis Cardinals — As predicted, Edward Mujica got his chance to close tonight, and although he made things interesting with a couple singles to lead off the ninth, he managed to escape with the save. He should be the man in St. Louis going forward. Hierarchy change: Edward Mujica to Closer, Mitchell Boggs to Set-Up.
|Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedSTL |Mujica |Boggs |Rosenthal |Motte |4/18/13 |Motte(DL) |
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Charlie Furbush, Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen has pitched 3 innings over the past two days.
2. Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs – With the Cubs bullpen completely unsettled, Marmol could return to the role.