Can Cody Allen get on a roll for Cleveland?

July 28, 2018

Cleveland Indians — Cody Allen pitched in the 7th inning of a tie game last night and ended up getting the win. Allen, who faced the 2-3-4 hitters, has been struggling for the past couple of months (7.41 ERA since the start of June) and manager Terry Francona has indicated that he plans to mix and match with the late innings for now to try to “get [Allen] on a roll.” With the acquisition of Brad Hand, and with Andrew Miller returning from the DL soon, the back end of Cleveland’s bullpen is about to get very crowded. Francona has stuck with Allen through many ups and downs, and Friday was a solid outing, but the leash is definitely getting shorter.

Hierarchy remains: *Allen | Hand | Cimber.
* = closer-by-committee

Texas Rangers — The trade market for Keone Kela seems to be heating up, as the Rangers have continued to slide out of the playoff picture. The latest rumor has him going to Pittsburgh, where he probably sets up Felipe Vazquez, at least initially. This deal has been in the works for a couple of days, but with the trade deadline looming it may happen this weekend. If Kela is traded, we expect Jake Diekman to have the inside track for save opportunities, but it will certainly be a committee that also includes Jose Leclerc.

Hierarchy remains: Kela | Diekman | Leclerc.

St. Louis Cardinals – In a move that has been brewing since April, Greg Holland was designated for assignment yesterday, meaning the Cardinals paid him almost $200,000 for each out he recorded. He ended his time in St. Louis with zero saves, two holds and a 7.92 ERA. The Cardinals also DFA’d Tyler Lyons, sent Sam Tuivailala to Seattle and placed Brett Cecil on the DL in one of the biggest bullpen restructurings in recent memory. Bud Norris and Jordan Hicks remain the best options for the Cardinals, and we expect Luke Gregerson to see an increased role now that the path has cleared, though Mike Mayers did get a seventh-inning hold last night. Keep an eye on Dakota Hudson, who was called up in the flurry of moves. He will start in the bullpen and was having an excellent year in Memphis.

Updated hierarchy: Norris | Hicks | Gregerson.

Boston Red Sox – With a two-run lead in the 7th inning, the Red Sox turned to Ryan Brasier to face the bottom of the Minnesota lineup. He gave up a run but earned his second hold of the year. Conspicuously absent from the late innings was Joe Kelly, who has given up eight runs in his last four outings. While Alex Cora has spoken highly of Brasier recently, we think Heath Hembree (four holds in his past six appearances) will take the 7th inning role from Kelly, at least for now. However, Brasier is an exciting young arm, and he may be a fixture for the Red Sox for years to come.

Updated hierarchy: Kimbrel | Barnes | Hembree.

Colorado Rockies — Adam Ottavino shut the door on Oakland last night to pick up his fourth save of the year. After the game, manager Bud Black said that Wade Davis was getting some extra rest after a couple tough outings against the Astros. We expect that Davis will be available today.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Ottavino | Oh.

Houston Astros — In an overnight trade, the Astros added Ryan Pressly from Minnesota. Pressly has been on a tear recently, riding a seven-game scoreless streak, and A.J. Hinch is impressed with his skills, even if he doesn’t know how he will use them just yet. Hinch may want to shake Pressly’s hand first, but we think Pressly jumps right into the hierarchy. Chris Devenski has been horrible lately, giving up eight runs without recording a single out over his past two appearances. Houston’s bullpen as a whole has bad recently, so they may not be done adding arms prior to the trade deadline.

Updated hierarchy: Rondon | McHugh | Pressly.

Minnesota Twins — The Twins traded Ryan Pressly to Houston last night. Pressly had been on a great run recently, but Minnesota is selling anybody it can at the moment. Look for Zach Duke and Matt Belisle to pick up the slack, at least until they find themselves traded as well. Also of note is the fact that Fernando Rodney, who had garnered interest from a few contenders, has not been sharp in his last two appearances. 

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Hildenberger | Duke.

Cincinnati Reds — Amir Garrett hurt himself covering first base on Friday night, but thankfully for him X-rays were negative and he is just day-to-day with a mild Achilles sprain.

Hierarchy remains: Iglesias | Hughes | Garrett.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Heath Hembree – Craig Kimbrel threw 33 pitches last night and Matt Barnes has gone back to back, leaving Hembree the best-rested option for Boston.
2. Trevor Hildenberger – Fernando Rodney has pitched in three straight and four of five.
3. Josh Hader – Corey Knebel has pitched in two straight and three of the last four.

Tomorrow
1. Lou Trivino – Blake Treinen was rested last night, but if he pitches today that would be four of the last five games.
2. Kyle Crick – Today would be two straight and three of four for Felipe Vazquez

Pedro Strop, Brad Hand, and Anthony Swarzak each earn a save

July 26, 2018

Chicago Cubs — Another save opportunity for Pedro Strop moves him to the top of the Cubs’ pecking order. Brandon Morrow is not expected to return anytime soon, so if the Cubs fail to add a big-name reliever, Strop may be able to make the job his own.

Updated hierarchy: *Strop | Edwards | Cishek.
* = closer-by-committee

Cleveland Indians — Both of the Indians’ recent bullpen acquisitions came up big on Wednesday. Adam Cimber induced a double play in the eighth and Brad Hand finished the inning with a strikeout. After Cleveland scored twice in the bottom of the inning, Hand stayed on to finish the game and earn his 25th save and first for the Tribe. It’s still Cody Allen’s job; this was just one of those situational matchups Francona warned about. With Neil Ramirez’s recent struggles, however, we’ll slide Cimber into the hierarchy.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Hand | Cimber.

New York Mets — The Mets used Robert Gsellman in a tight spot in the seventh, leaving Anthony Swarzak to pick up his second save of the season with an impressive two-inning appearance. Swarzak is better than his numbers suggest (though not nearly as good as his contract suggests), and if Gsellman is going to be used in high-leverage spots before the ninth, Swarzak could grab some more save opportunities. Over the long-long-term, however, advanced stats suggest you might want to look into Bobby Wahl (subscription).

Hierarchy remains: *Gsellman | Swarzak | Lugo.
* = closer-by-committee

Tampa Bay Rays — When the recently returned Johnny Venters replaced Sergio Romo to start the ninth inning of a one-run game against the Yankees yesterday, it looked like the Rays might be easing back into some kind of committee mode. Until, that is, one took a closer look at third base, where the Rays had stashed Romo while Venters retired lefty Greg Bird. With Bird out of the way, Romo jogged back to the mound to pick up the save and deliver a most unusual box score.

Hierarchy remains: Romo | Alvarado | Stanek.

Toronto Blue Jays — The Blue Jays have traded Seung-Hwan Oh to Colorado. Replacing him in the middle innings should be a combination of Aaron Loup, John Axford, and maybe even Jaime Garcia.

Updated hierarchy: *Tepera | Clippard | Loup.
* = closer-by-committee

Colorado Rockies — We expect newly-acquired Seung-Hwan Oh to shore up the seventh inning for the Rockies. Oh might not be “The Final Boss” anymore, but he’s still a pretty tough one: think Mouser or Bald Bull.

Updated hierarchy: Davis | Ottavino | Oh.

Texas Rangers — We accurately predicted a Jose Leclerc vulture save opportunity last night, but the young righty couldn’t capitalize, giving up two runs on a Khris Davis home run to set up Blake Treinen instead.

Hierarchy remains: Kela | Diekman | Leclerc.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Pat Neshek — Seranthony Dominguez has gone in three of four (27 pitches yesterday) and Victor Arano has pitched in two straight.
2. Ryan Madson — Kelvin Herrera hasn’t thrown many pitches, but he’s worked in three of four games.

Friday:
1. Jose Alvarado — Romo threw 32 pitches on Wednesday.
2. Lou Trivino — Blake Treinen has gone in two straight.

Jeurys Familia won’t be a Met much longer

July 21, 2018

New York Mets — Robert Gsellman picked up a two-inning save against the Yankees on Friday night, as Jeurys Familia was held out of the game because a trade was close to finalized. Oakland is the most likely landing spot for Familia if the two sides can complete the deal. While trade negotiations can always fall apart, this move seems imminent, and you should grab Gsellman right now if he is available. Don’t be surprised when an alert hits later today that Familia has been traded.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Gsellman | Swarzak.

Cleveland Indians — Terry Francona indicated that after the trade to acquire Brad Hand, Cleveland will still use Cody Allen as the primary closer, but that matchups will determine who gets the ball on any given night. During Friday’s game, Hand was brought on to protect a three-run lead with one out and one on in the 7th, and he did his best Andrew Miller impression by immediately allowing a homer. Hand got out of the inning and stuck around for a single out in the 8th before the other new acquisition, Adam Cimber, finished up the frame for his first hold with Cleveland. After Allen blew the save in the 9th, Zach McAllister was next for Cleveland and gave up three straight singles before recording three straight outs for a self-imposed Houdini. Eventually, Dan Otero pitched a perfect 11th for his first save of the year. Despite all the fireworks, we believe that Francona will stick with his plan of using Allen as the closer most of the time while Hand will be used in high-leverage spots whenever the matchups are best, which may include the 9th.

Hierarchy remains: Allen | Hand | Ramirez.

Atlanta Braves — A.J. Minter pitched a perfect 9th on Friday to pick up his fifth save of the year. Minter has the last three saves for the Braves, and is close to kicking the asterisk of the Atlanta committee. Dan Winkler has still been effective, but has mostly seen the 8th inning in recent weeks. The Braves have not announced a timeline for Arodys Vizcaino’s return, making Minter the best option for saves in the near future.

Hierarchy remains: *Minter | Winkler | Carle.
* = closer-by-committee

Miami Marlins — Kyle Barraclough was out due to illness, so the Marlins turned to Javy Guerra to start the 9th inning with a five-run lead. He got an out, but left the bases loaded for Drew Steckenrider, who gave up a bases-clearing triple followed by a sac fly to make it a one-run game. Adam Conley then came in and shut the door for his first career save. Barraclough may be unavailable tonight as well and has been mentioned as a potential trade target, but as you can see in our trade deadline article, it will take a high price to pull Barraclough from the Marlins.

Hierarchy remains: Barraclough | Steckenrider | Ziegler.

Colorado Rockies — Adam Ottavino got the last out of the 8th inning and stuck around for the 9th to record his third save of the year. Wade Davis was recovering from an illness and had been sent back to the hotel prior to the game. Bud Black did not indicate how serious the illness was, so we expect Davis to be day-to-day going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Ottavino | McGee.

Kansas City Royals – With a four-run lead going into the 9th, the Royals brought out Wily Peralta to finish the game. Peralta stuggled, loading the bases before giving up back-to-back RBI groundouts. He then gave way to Brandon Maurer, who walked in another run but got a flyout to end the game and earn his first save of the year. Peralta had looked like he was ready to take the closer’s role for good, but we’ll see how the Royals proceed after last night’s struggles.

Hierarchy remains: *Peralta | McCarthy | Maurer.
* = closer-by-committee

Toronto Blue Jays – Tyler Clippard blew another save last night, giving up three runs thanks to two homers in the 9th. Ryan Tepera struck out the only batter he faced to get out of the inning with the score tied, and the Blue Jays won in extra innings. This is Clippard’s second straight blown save and and sixth of the year. With Seung Hwan Oh and Tepera both pitching well, it is hard to see how Clippard gets another save opportunity. However, we’ve said that in the past and he was still out there last night.

Hierarchy remains: *Oh | Tepera | Clippard.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Robert Gsellman/Anthony Swarzak — Jeurys Familia should be traded today, and Gsellman threw 44 pitches last night.
2. Drew Steckenrider — Kyle Barraclough is still recovering from an illness and may need another day off.
3. Adam Ottavino/Jake McGee — The same is true of Wade Davis. Ottavino threw 27 pitches last night, so he may get a breather as well.

Sunday:
1. Brad Hand — Cody Allen threw 28 pitches last night so another long outing could mean he gets Sunday off.

Brandon Morrow hits DL again; Kirby Yates to close after Brad Hand traded

July 20, 2018

Chicago Cubs — As we reported yesterday, Brandon Morrow hit the disabled list again before Thursday’s game. Morrow said the biceps injury is “a new one,” but he doesn’t expect to be out long. In the short term, Joe Maddon will play matchups, turning the Cubs’ situation into a volatile committee. Steve Cishek (three saves this year) is likely to pick up some opportunities, but he got his first shot in the seventh inning ahead of Justin Wilson, CJ Edwards and Pedro Strop, who got one out to earn the save. Late last night, the Cubs traded for reliever Jesse Chavez. With Morrow’s health in doubt, the Cubs may be all the more likely to make a more significant bullpen move — perhaps for Zach Britton — before the deadline.

Updated hierarchy: *Cishek | Edwards | Strop.
* = closer-by-committee

Cleveland Indians — The newly acquired Brad Hand likely slots in as Cleveland’s setup man ahead of Cody Allen. Hand should help stabilize the Indians bullpen, which has missed Andrew Miller most of the year, and has pitched to an awful 5.28 ERA.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Hand | Ramirez.

San Diego Padres — With Brad Hand off to Cleveland, Kirby Yates will take the reins as the new closer for the Padres — at least as long as he remains on the team. Craig Stammen and Phil Maton would be likely to benefit if Yates moves too.

Updated hierarchy: Yates | Stammen | Maton.

Tampa Bay Rays — Jose Alvarado is back with the team and should return to getting occasional save chances in the Rays’ pseudo-committee. Diego Castillo is right on his heels and may be the better long-term bet.

Updated hierarchy: *Romo | Alvarado | Castillo.
* = closer-by-committee

Milwaukee Brewers — The Brewers will not discipline Josh Hader for the offensive tweets that came to light during the All-Star game. Major League Baseball has ordered Hader to undergo sensitivity training and participate in diversity initiatives, and MLB executive Billy Bean will be present at Hader’s meetings with team officials and teammates on Friday.

Hierarchy remains: Knebel | Hader | Jeffress.

Minnesota Twins — Some observers questioned why Fernando Rodney appeared in the fifth inning of Sunday’s game — turns out he had to leave the game early to become an American citizen. Congratulations!

Hierarchy remains: Rodney | Hildenberger | Pressly.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
None

Saturday:
1. CJ Edwards/Pedro Strop — A Friday appearance would be a second in a row for anyone in the Cubs hierarchy. Joe Maddon will continue to play matchups, making things dicey for fantasy owners.