Keone Kela placed on the DL

July 4, 2017

Texas Rangers — Keone Kela went on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to Friday with a sore shoulder. The good news for the Rangers is he won’t necessarily miss a ton of action due to the All-Star break. In the meantime, Jose Leclerc should take charge of the committee, with Alex Claudio, Matt Bush and Ernesto Frieri all right behind him.

Updated hierarchy: *Leclerc | Claudio | Bush.
* = closer-by-committee

Kansas City Royals – As predicted in yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, Joakim Soria got the call for the Royals in the ninth and converted his first save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Herrera | Soria | Minor.

Washington Nationals – Another game, another blown save. Sammy Solis started the ninth with two lefties due up to begin the inning, but sure enough when he was removed in favor of Matt Albers, the Mets pinch hit left-handed Curtis Granderson against Albers and Granderson hit a game-tying two-run homer. After the game, which the Nationals won in their half of the ninth, Dusty Baker said that they’re going to get the bullpen fixed. So they have that going for them. Which is nice.

Hierarchy remains: *Albers | Romero | Treinen.
* = closer-by-committee

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Tommy Kahnle — David Robertson is still on paternity leave and will also be unavailable Wednesday.
2. Alex Claudio — Jose Leclerc has pitched in back-to-back games and three of the last four.

Wednesday:
1. Tommy Kahnle — See above.
2. Taylor Rogers — If Brandon Kintzler pitches today that will be two straight and three of four.
3. Dellin Betances/Tyler Clippard — Same for Aroldis Chapman. If Betances also goes on Tuesday, Clippard may get the ball on Wednesday.
4. Alex Claudio — Should Leclerc make a third straight appearance today, Claudio will almost certainly get the call on Wednesday unless the Texas committee goes in a different direction.
5. Enny Romero — Matt Albers will have pitched in three straight games if he appears on Tuesday.

Mike Minor becoming an intriguing trade target

June 20, 2017

Kansas City Royals – Mike Minor got into a bit of a mess in the 8th inning last night, allowing two hits and a walk before getting himself out of it with a big strikeout. It was the lefty’s 8th hold on the season, and it came against the Red Sox, a team that might be employing him by the end of July. If Minor is traded, then from a fantasy perspective, it’s unlikely that he’ll be very interesting for the remainder of 2017. But if he stays in Kansas City, there’s a good case to be made that he, and not Joakim Soria, should inherit the closer role from Kelvin Herrera, should Herrera be dealt. We’ll keep an eye on his usage going forward.

Hierarchy remains: Herrera | Soria | Minor.

Texas Rangers – Matt Bush’s recent struggles continued last night, as he blew the save and took the loss against the Blue Jays. In his past seven outings, Bush has allowed 7 runs (6 earned) in 6.1 IP, vaulting his ERA from 0.96 to 2.88, and you won’t find much sympathy for him on Twitter. Keone Kela (20 Ks in his last 12.2 IP) and Jose LeClerc (14 Ks in his last 6.1 IP) are lurking.

Updated hierarchy: Bush | Kela | LeClerc. 

Toronto Blue Jays – Joe Smith was placed on the disabled list yesterday. Set-up roles in the Blue Jays bullpen have been a bit nebulous all season, but with Smith on the shelf, our best guess for 8th inning duties is Ryan Tepera, with Danny Barnes spelling him when necessary.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Tepera | Barnes. 

Los Angeles Dodgers – For two months, Josh Fields toiled in obscurity, racking up strikeouts and posting awesome ratios while mostly pitching when the game wasn’t especially close. But maybe the Dodgers knew something we didn’t, as Fields started to unravel when he was given higher-leverage opportunities, and yesterday, the Dodgers sent him down so he could work out the issues. In a corresponding move, Sergio Romo returns to the bullpen, and will make his way on to the hierarchy if he can prove he’s effective again.

Updated hierarchy: Jansen | Baez | Avilan.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Keone Kela – Matt Bush has gone back to back games, including a 28-pitch blown save yesterday.
2. Drew Storen – Raisel Iglesias has gone back to back games and hasn’t gone three straight all year, while Michael Lorenzen is likely unavailable after pitching 2 innings yesterday, his second straight day of work.

Tomorrow
1. Ryan Tepera – If Roberto Osuna goes today, it’ll be three straight.
2. Nick Vincent – If Edwin Diaz goes today, it’ll be three straight.
3. Joakim Soria – If Kelvin Herrera goes today, it’ll be three straight.
4. Kyle Barraclough – If AJ Ramos goes today, it’ll be back to back and three of four with a high pitch count.
5. Keone Kela – See above. If Bush goes today, he’ll definitely be off tomorrow.
6. Michael Lorenzen/Drew Storen – See above and monitor usage for who will be available for the Reds tomorrow.

Could Juan Nicasio be the next Pirates closer?

June 9, 2017

Pittsburgh Pirates — The Pirates lost 7-1 Thursday, so we got no more clarity on the team’s bullpen situation. Late Wednesday night, manager Clint Hurdle mentioned that he has given some “serious thought” to making Juan Nicasio his closer, essentially calling Felipe Rivero his Andrew Miller for being the team’s relief ace but not its saves leader. As for Tony Watson, who should be available Friday, he’s still the team’s closer. For now.

Hierarchy remains: Watson | Rivero | Nicasio.

Kansas City Royals — Kelvin Herrera had another disastrous outing Thursday, getting charged with four runs while recording one out after entering a 1-1 game. His numbers now look quite ugly (5.55 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 7 HR allowed), but reports this week suggest there’s interest on the trade market (no word on whether that has changed given the recent struggles). Either way, Joakim Soria could be worth a speculative add as Royals fans wonder why they can’t get nice closers like Greg Holland or Wade Davis.

Hierarchy remains: Herrera | Soria | Minor.

Colorado Rockies — Setup man Adam Ottavino says he’s ready to return, and the expectation is that he’ll be activated from the disabled list as early as Friday. The move isn’t official yet, but it’s coming.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | McGee | Rusin.

Minnesota Twins — Matt Belisle (7.52 ERA, 1.57 WHIP) may be in his manager’s good graces again. He has recorded holds in two Twins wins this week, coming on to induce Albert Pujols into an eighth-inning double play in one game and retiring the side in the seventh inning Thursday with a tidy eight pitches. Tyler Duffey has also picked up high-leverage holds over the last week and has better numbers (3.30 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.30 K/9). Expect both of them to help get the ball to Taylor Rogers and Brandon Kintzler when the Twins have a lead.

Hierarchy remains: Kintzler | Rogers | Duffey.

Philadelphia Phillies – Pat Neshek is likely to get a bunch of save opportunities between now and the trade deadline but maybe not after that, as the veteran fully expects to be traded to a contender. He’ll be OK with that as long as he doesn’t return to the Astros. While he’s happy in Philly, it is still rebuilding, so holding on to Neshek doesn’t make much sense for the Phillies or him. Stay tuned.

Hierarchy remains: *Neshek | Neris | Gomez.
* = closer-by-committee

Houston Astros – The Astros have called up top pitching prospect Francis Martes. It’s not clear what his long-term situation looks like (for some, he projects as a starter), but he’s going to get work in the team’s bullpen out of the gate. The high-leverage looks will probably be few and far between for Martes (who actually has struggled recently in the minors), but in the recent past, top prospects have excelled in bullpen situations — Adam Wainright and Chris Sale, to name a few — before making the journey to being a full-time starter.

Hierarchy remains: Giles | Harris | Devenski.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Michael Lorenzen — Dynamic closer Raisel Iglesias has pitched in two straight and three of the last four (and going further back, he’s gone in five of the last seven).
2. Joakim Soria/Mike Minor — Kelvin Herrera struggled mightily Thursday and has gone in three of the last four days (46 pitches). Soria has a similar workload, but has thrown fewer pitches in that stretch (31) and could still be available. If he needs a breather, too, look for Mike Minor to get a shot if the situation calls for it.

Saturday:
1. Danny Farquhar — Before Wednesday, Alex Colome hadn’t pitched since the previous Wednesday, but he has now worked in two straight. Given the prior time off he’s probably available Friday, but an appearance then would almost certainly mean rest for him Saturday.
2. Derek Law — Mark Melancon threw 31 pitches and allowed two runs (but got the win) in Thursday’s outing. Another stressful outing Friday would likely mean an off day for him Saturday.
3. Brad Hand — Brandon Maurer also had a stressful outing Thursday, allowing four runs without recording an out in a 15-3 loss. He threw 24 pitches, and any outing Friday may lead to rest for him Saturday.
4. A bunch of Twins — Brandon Kintzler has gone in two straight (26 pitches). A Friday outing would likely mean an off day Saturday. If Taylor Rogers also pitches Friday, Matt Belisle or Tyler Duffey could get a look.
5. Felipe Rivero/Juan Nicasio — An outing for Tony Watson Friday would be his fourth game in six days, and he hasn’t pitched so well lately. Felipe Rivero has been dynamite, but he has been busy lately, too.

Shawn Kelley still likely to get next Washington save opportunity

April 20, 2017

Washington Nationals — A 10-run win means the new Nationals closer committee will have to wait for its big debut. Expect Shawn Kelley to get the first shot, but because he probably won’t be used in back-to-back games, Koda Glover could see a fair amount of chances too.

Updated hierarchy: *Kelley | Glover | Treinen.
* = closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers — The active leader in saves and goose eggs would have added another of each — and a Houdini! — Wednesday night, but second base sacked Jose Iglesias and the Rays walked off on a two-run throwing error. K-Rod should be looking over his shoulder at Justin Wilson, who has struck out 11 and allowed no hits over his first 7.1 innings.

Hierarchy remains: Rodriguez | J. Wilson | A. Wilson.

St. Louis Cardinals — As foretold by the Vulture Save Watch Wednesday morning, Seung Hwan Oh got the day off and Trevor Rosenthal earned his first save since his demotion last June. Rosenthal is throwing harder than ever, with a fastball averaging 98.8 MPH this season. If Oh continues to have problems, Rosenthal (who is only 26) could recapture the closer role.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Siegrist.

Baltimore Orioles — It took only nine pitches for Brad Brach to lock down the first Orioles save chance since Zach Britton’s injury. Britton will have an MRI on Friday.

Hierarchy remains:  Brach | O’Day | Givens.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Jacob Barnes — Neftali Feliz blew his first save of the season in dramatic style, with a walk-off three-run homer. Feliz threw 33 pitches Wednesday and has gone in three of four — as has Corey Knebel, who threw 30 himself. Barnes has pitched in those same three games, but with a lower workload. We’ll see if he gets a shot at his second career save.
2. Jeurys Familia/Fernando Salas — Familia returns from his 15-game suspension on Thursday, although he may be eased back into the closing role. Either way, Addison Reed probably gets the game off after his third appearance in four days.
3. Joakim Soria — Kelvin Herrera hasn’t thrown a ton of pitches, but he has appeared in two straight, four of five, and five of seven.

Friday
1. Ryan Buchter — Brandon Maurer should be available Thursday, but an appearance would be his third in four games.

Justin Haley may win you Closer Monkey Premium!

April 14, 2017

Minnesota Twins — We are offering free Closer Monkey Premium to the first person who sends a screenshot of their fantasy team starting Justin Haley for his beautiful, 3.1 IP save Thursday for the Twins. Email [email protected]. Pics or it didn’t happen!

Hierarchy remains: Kintzler | Pressly | Belisle.

Boston Red Sox – Those in the Boston area have seen milk cartons with Joe Kelly’s mug on the side. Where is he? Manager John Farrell has made it clear he doesn’t trust Kelly in a high-leverage spot (Kelly last pitched earlier this week in a 12-5 loss), opting repeatedly for Heath Hembree in that 7th-inning role (and again on Thursday – 1.2 scoreless innings ahead of Matt Barnes and Craig Kimbrel). Kelly has the better stuff, but his upper-90s fastballs rarely get swings-and-misses, which is an issue for a late-inning reliever.

Updated hierarchy: Kimbrel | Barnes | Hembree.

Kansas City Royals – Kelvin Herrera finally picked up his first save of the season Thursday for the three-win Royals. He’s clearly the guy moving forward, but how many chances he gets is a bit up in the air. Peter Moylan, meanwhile, has been impressive, striking out five in 4.2 scoreless innings to start the season.

Updated hierarchy: Herrera | Soria | Moylan.

Los Angeles Angels – Angels reliever JC Ramirez is making a spot start Friday, so for now that takes him out of the late-innings conversation for LAofA. The Angels’ bullpen situation is pretty rough right now, but we think Yusmeiro Petit (1.50 ERA, 7 Ks in 6 IP) may see more high-leverage work in the near future.

Updated hierarchy: Bedrosian | Parker | Petit.

Chicago Cubs — Hector Rondon hasn’t really been used much in high-leverage situations this year, and now he’s hurt (no, not just his feelings). He felt a pop in his left knee after a home-plate collision this week, and on Thursday he underwent an MRI, which came back clean. Manager Joe Maddon suspects he’ll be available Saturday. Regardless, he’s still behind Wade Davis, Pedro Strop, Koji Uehara and Carl Edwards Jr., at least, in the Cubs bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Davis | Strop | Uehara.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Fernando Salas, New York Mets — If the Mets have two save chances Friday and Saturday, Addison Reed won’t be getting both of them, as Reed has gone in two straight (he threw just 16 pitches over 2 IP Thursday and another 17 pitches Wednesday). Reed will probably pitch if needed Friday, but if not, the Mets could go with Fernando Salas, who has also pitched in two straight. Hansel Robles is definitely out Friday – he has pitched in four straight and five of the last six.

Saturday:
1. Dellin Betances, New York Yankees — Aroldis Chapman has pitched in two straight games, and if he pitches again Friday, he’ll most certainly be out of action for Saturday.
2. Fernando Salas/Hansel Robles, New York Mets — If Salas gets the night off Friday but Reed takes the mound, Salas will get the Saturdaysave chance. If Salas and Reed pitch Friday, we suspect Robles will be rested enough to get the save chance Saturday.
3. Adam Ottavino, Colorado Rockies — Greg Holland has been dynamite this year (6 saves, 0 ER), but he has been used heavily. If he pitches Friday, that’ll be three games in four days for him, so he would likely be rested Saturday, leaving an opportunity for Adam Ottavino.