John Axford looming in Milwaukee; JJ Putz hasn’t lost his job… yet

April 25, 2013

Arizona Diamondbacks – Matt Reynolds got his 2nd extra-inning save in as many nights on Wednesday, but JJ Putz hasn’t lost the closer job yet despite a bad start to the season; last night, he was just unavailable due to being overworked.  Also of note in Arizona is the resurgence of Heath Bell, who started the season badly but has now pitched 5.2 scoreless innings in his last six outings, racking up 11 strikeouts (with 0 walks) in the process.  He pitched the 8th inning of a tie game last night.  Hierarchy change: Heath Bell to 2nd in line, replacing Brad Ziegler.  JJ Putz to Hot Seat.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedARI |Putz |Hernandez |Bell |Putz |4/25/13

 
Milwaukee Brewers – After an April 9th meltdown that cost him his job and sent his ERA to 24.30, John Axford has been turning things around.  With six straight scoreless outings in which he threw a total of 5.1 innings and only allowed to baserunners, Ron Roenicke said yesterday that it wouldn’t take much for him to return Axford to the closer role.  With that comment, suddenly, the reliable Jim Henderson is now looking over his shoulder, and the Ax Man is on the verge of returning to his old role.  Hierarchy change: John Axford to Set-up, Tom Gorzelanny to 2nd in line.  Jim Henderson to Hot Seat.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedMIL |Henderson |Axford |Gorzelanny |Henderson |4/25/13

 
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Darren O’Day, Baltimore Orioles – Jim Johnson has pitched in three straight.
2. Mark Melancon, Pittsburgh Pirates – Jason Grilli has pitched in two straight and four of the last five.
3. Koji Uehara, Boston Red Sox – Andrew Bailey has pitched in four of the last five.

Valverde and Marmol, no strangers to the hot seat

April 24, 2013

Detroit Tigers – After a short stint in the minors, Jose Valverde has been called up to the big leagues and will close starting today.  Joaquin Benoit will return to his familiar 8th inning role. Three innings of class-A ball might have been enough to wow Jim Leyland, but in our book, Valverde starts out on the Hot Seat. Hierarchy change: Jose Valverde to Closer, Joaquin Benoit to Set-up, Phil Coke to 2nd in line.  

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedDET |Valverde |Benoit |Coke |Rondon |4/24/13

 
Los Angeles Angels — With Kevin Jepsen on the disabled list with a strained triceps, Scott Downs has been pitching the eighth inning in front of Ernesto Frieri. Downs blew a save last night, the result of an error, but Dane De La Rosa earned the win with two perfect innings of work.  Hierarchy change: Kevin Jepsen to DL, Scott Downs to Set-Up, Dane De La Rosa to 2nd in line.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedLAA |Frieri |Downs |De La Rosa |Frieri |4/24/13 |Madson(INJ) |Jepsen (DL) |

 
Chicago Cubs — With a runner on second and lefty slugger Joey Votto at the plate with one out in a tight ninth inning, Dale Sveum inexplicably passed over James Russell and put his faith in Votto’s 15 at bats against . . . Carlos Marmol. “Those numbers don’t lie,” Sveum later explained, incorrectly. Marmol gave up a single, the Reds tied the game, and (as predicted, somehow) Kevin Gregg picked up the vulture save. When will the sample size of Sveum’s bullpen mismanagement grow too large to ignore? Carlos Marmol to Hot Seat.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedCHC |Marmol |Russell |Camp |Fujikawa |4/24/13 |Fujikawa(DL)|

 
New York Mets – In both of Bobby Parnell’s saves this year, Scott Rice proved a competent 8th inning bridge. After Brandon Lyon’s debacle in the 7th inning of last night’s loss, we believe Rice will hold on to that position.  Hierarchy change: Scott Rice to Set-up, Brandon Lyon to 2nd in line.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedNYM |Parnell |Rice |Lyon |Parnell |4/24/13 |Francis(INJ)|

 
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Shawn Camp/James Russell, Chicago Cubs – Carlos Marmol has had two straight long outings and Kevin Gregg remains Kevin Gregg.
2. Sean Burnett, Los Angeles Angels — The top three Angel relievers have each pitched in three straight games, leaving the lefty as the most trustworthy option.

Marmol likely to close again until Fujikawa’s return

April 23, 2013

Chicago Cubs — James Russell came on in the 7th and gave up a tying triple. He stayed on for a scoreless 8th, then was relieved by Carlos Marmol, who pitched a passable 9th and 10th, finishing with a strikeout of Joey Votto. The seas are turning blood red, frogs are falling from the sky, and Carlos Marmol is probably the Cubs’ closer again — for now. Beware. Hierarchy change: Carlos Marmol to Closer, James Russell to Set-Up.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedCHC |Marmol |Russell |Camp |Fujikawa |4/23/13 |Fujikawa(DL)|

 
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Koji Uehara, Boston Red Sox — John Farrell is running Andrew Bailey into the ground, sending him out for a third straight game to capture a low-leverage three-run save. Bailey hasn’t had two days of rest in two weeks, but surely must be off tomorrow.
2. Shawn Camp/Kevin Gregg, Chicago Cubs – James Russell has pitched in two straight games and is often saved for lefty matchups, while Carlos Marmol had a lengthy outing yesterday. If the Cubs need a save tomorrow, the options will be even less promising than normal.
3. Joe Smith, Cleveland Indians — Chris Perez and Vinnie Pestano have each pitched in the last two games.

Pedro Strop looking to get back on track; Mitchell Boggs continues to implode

April 22, 2013

Baltimore Orioles – Nearly all season, Darren O’Day has served as the 8th inning man for the Orioles.  Pedro Strop was the go-to set-up man for Baltimore last year, but has struggled out of the box this year, having posted a 9.45 ERA through the season’s first three weeks.  He pitched yesterday in the 7th inning of a game the Orioles were losing, and will need to get back on track before he’s used in high-leverage situations again.  Hierarchy change: Darren O’Day to Set-up, Pedro Strop to 2nd in line.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedBAL |Johnson |O'Day |Strop |Johnson |4/22/13

 
Miami Marlins – Jon Rauch faced six batters on Sunday and five of them reached base, and when the dust cleared, the Reds had plated eight runs in the inning and Rauch’s ERA had ballooned to 9.45.  Until he figures it out, the Marlins are unlikely to go to Rauch in high-leverage spots.  That duty will likely fall to AJ Ramos or Chad Qualls, the former of which has 16 Ks in 11.2 innings pitched thus far.  Hierarchy change: AJ Ramos to 2nd in line, replacing Jon Rauch.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedMIA |Cishek |Dunn |Ramos |Cishek |4/22/13

 
Texas Rangers – Michael Kirkman picked up a 3-inning save in a blowout on Sunday.  He does not figure in to the normal late-inning hierarchy in Texas.  No hierarchy change.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedTEX |Nathan |Ross |Scheppers |Nathan |4/22/13

 
St. Louis Cardinals – Mitchell Boggs’s nightmare season continued on Sunday, as he was summoned in a tie game in the 8th inning, and allowed four runs while only recording one out.  With an ERA that now stands at 12.46, he’s got a long way to go before he returns to any kind of substantial role in the Cardinals bullpen.  Trevor Rosenthal will be the guy to set up Edward Mujica for the time being.  Hierarchy change: Trevor Rosenthal to Set-up, Mitchell Boggs to 2nd in line.

 |Closer |Set-Up |2nd In Line |2014 Closer |UpdatedSTL |Mujica |Rosenthal |Boggs |Motte |4/22/13 |Motte(DL) |

 
VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Koji Uehara, Boston Red Sox – Andrew Bailey has pitched on two straight days and on four of the last five.
2. Carlos Marmol, Chicago Cubs – James Russell pitched in the 7th inning of a game the Cubs were losing Sunday. As we’ve stated before, he is the best reliever in the Cubs bullpen, and it isn’t even close; however, it might be Carlos Marmol who is summoned in an upcoming save situation.