Brett Cecil keeps putting up zeroes

September 6, 2015

Toronto Blue Jays – Brett Cecil pitched a scoreless ninth inning with the Blue Jays up four runs yesterday.  Quietly, Cecil has not allowed an earned run in over two months, and he should pair with Aaron Sanchez to give the Blue Jays a great righty-lefty combo to set up closer Roberto Osuna.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Sanchez | Cecil.

Los Angeles Dodgers — For the second night in a row, Chris Hatcher got the call in the eighth inning in a game where closer Kenley Jansen was used in the ninth.  Hatcher has only given up a couple runs in ten appearances since returning from the disabled list in mid-August, and looks to be working his way back to a meaningful role in the back end of the Dodgers’ bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Jansen | Johnson | Hatcher.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Jim Johnson, Los Angeles Dodgers – Kenley Jansen has pitched in two straight
2. Junichi Tazawa, Boston Red Sox –  Jean Machi has struggled recently and the Red Sox might be give Tazawa a chance.
3. Drew Pomeranz, Oakland A’s – Sean Doolittle is still working his way back and Pomeranz could continue to see some saves in the meantime.

Alex Wilson nabs another save; Seattle’s bullpen in flux

August 6, 2015

Seattle Mariners – With a two-run lead and a man on first in the 8th inning, Carson Smith was summoned into the game. He was supposed to be unavailable, but was used for a single batter, and he got an inning-ending double play. After Joe Biemel took the first out of the 9th, Fernando Rodney was brought in to close the door. He imploded, giving up the tying runs and walking another hitter, then he was mercifully removed. Rodney had put together 5 scoreless appearances before this, but given how poor his overall year has been, he may not see many more chances. Smith’s usage in the 8th was odd, too, so Tom Wilhelmsen is someone to keep an eye on going forward in this mess of a bullpen.

Hierarchy remains: Smith | Rodney | Wilhelmsen.

Colorado Rockies – So much for John Axford sneaking back in to the closer conversation in Colorado — he gave up 2 runs in the 7th inning last night, and was on the hook for the loss until Fernando Rodney blew the save. His ERA now sits at an ugly 4.59, after being at 0.47 through his first 20 appearances.

Updated hierarchy: *Kahnle | Miller | Betancourt.
* = closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers – After Blaine Hardy got the first two outs in the 9th, it was Alex Wilson who was called on to pick up the final one. He gave up a single, but got a fly out to end it for his 2nd save. Our favorite for the long term job, Bruce Rondon, struck out 2 in a scoreless 8th inning, but with Wilson picking up another save, he is close to kicking the asterisk.

Hierarchy remains: *Wilson | Rondon | Alburquerque.
* = closer-by-committee.

Texas Rangers – As predicted in the Vulture Save Watch, Sam Dyson was brought in to close out a one-run game. He worked around a leadoff single and a hit batsman to pick up his 2nd save of the year. With Texas having an off day today, look for Shawn Tolleson to resume closing this weekend.

Hierarchy remains: Tolleson | Dyson | Diekman.

Toronto Blue Jays – In a two-run game — and with John Gibbons trying to give Roberto Osuna some extra rest — it was LaTroy Hawkins who got the call to close out the game against the team that drafted him way back in 1991. Hawkins converted, creating a couple fun stats: Hawkins became the 13th player in major league history to record a save against all 30 teams, and the save also meant the Blue Jays have had both the youngest and oldest pitcher in the league record saves for their team, which is the first time that has ever happened. Normally, this would’ve been Aaron Sanchez’s spot, but he had just begun a three-game suspension. Since the suspension is so short, we won’t mess around with the hierarchy, but you can leave Sanchez on your bench for a couple days.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. LaTroy Hawkins, Toronto Blue Jays – If Roberto Osuna needs any more time off, look for Hawkins to get another save chance.

Tommy Kahnle being used like a closer

August 5, 2015

Colorado Rockies – Tommy Kahnle was held out of a 10-4 Rockies loss on Tuesday while committee-mates Rafael Betancourt and Justin Miller were both used. Betancourt was knocked around, and drops out of contention for now, while Kahnle continues to look like Walt Weiss’s first choice for saves, and might run with the job if he can close out his first opportunity or two. Another outside possibility is that the Rockies go so long without a save chance that John Axford sneaks back into contention — he’s pitched two scoreless innings since his demotion.

Updated hierarchy: *Kahnle | Miller | Axford.
* = closer-by-committee.

Toronto Blue Jays – Roberto Osuna picked up another save yesterday. We’re removing his asterisk, and continue to be puzzled as to why John Gibbons said that Osuna and Aaron Sanchez would be sharing the late innings.

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Sam Dyson, Texas Rangers – Shawn Tolleson has pitched in back to back games and six of seven(!) and will need a day off today unless he’s made of steel.

Alex Wilson, Tommy Kahnle beginning to emerge from committees

August 3, 2015

Pittsburgh Pirates – Three batters into his appearance, Mark Melancon got ejected for hitting Tucker Barnhart. Joakim Soria entered and picked up his first save as a Pirate. Should Melancon be suspended — and we don’t think he will, since the HBP didn’t seem intentional at all — Soria would pick up any save chances.

Hierarchy remains: Melancon | Soria | Watson.

Detroit Tigers – Alex Wilson’s grip on the closer role got a little tighter yesterday, as he pitched a clean 9th inning in a Tigers victory. It was a 5-run game, but his main competition, Bruce Rondon, was summoned to pitch the 8th, which gave the appearance that Wilson is ahead in the pecking order.

Hierarchy remains: *Wilson | Rondon | Alburquerque.
* = closer-by-committee

Toronto Blue Jays – Since declaring that Roberto Osuna and Aaron Sanchez would share the 8th and 9th innings, John Gibbons hasn’t made any effort to actually turn this into a committee. Osuna has pitched the 9th inning in each of his last three appearances, including yesterday afternoon, when he also got the last out of the 8th inning. We won’t remove the asterisk yet, but we’re growing curious as to why Gibbons ever called this a committee.

Hierarchy remains: *Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.
* = closer-by-committee

Seattle Mariners – Tom Wilhelmsen picked up an 11th inning save on Sunday after Carson Smith and Fernando Rodney had already pitched. He’s not likely to get more save chances, but we’ll bump him up to the hierarchy for his efforts.

Updated hierarchy: Smith | Rodney | Wilhelmsen.

Colorado Rockies – We’re three days into the Colorado closer committee, and looking more and more like Tommy Kahnle is Walt Weiss’s first choice. He got the last four outs of a four-run victory on Saturday, and then was held out of Sunday’s game, while Justin Miller and Rafael Betancourt pitched the 6th and 7th innings. Scott Oberg eventually blew it and took the loss. We’ll continue to monitor the situation.

Hierarchy remains: *Kahnle | Betancourt | Miller.
* = closer-by-committee

Texas Rangers – Bullpen help came at just the right time for the Rangers, who placed Tanner Scheppers on the DL just a day after sending Keone Kela to the minors for some extended rest. With Shawn Tolleson unavailable after pitching four straight, newcomers Jake Diekman and Sam Dyson were summoned to close out the 9th inning. Diekman walked the only batter he faced on four pitches, but his mere usage suggests he’ll get more high leverage chances going forward; Dyson, meanwhile, was able to do the job, nabbing his first save as a Ranger.

Updated hierarchy: Tolleson | Dyson | Diekman.

New York Mets – Tyler Clippard picked up his first save as a Met on Sunday night, pitching a scoreless 9th inning. As mentioned in yesterday’s Vulture Save Watch, Jeurys Familia had pitched in three straight.

Hierarchy remains: Familia | Clippard | Parnell.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Drew Pomeranz, Oakland A’s – Edward Mujica has pitched in three straight.
2. Sam Dyson, Texas Rangers – After going four days in a row from Wednesday through Saturday, it’s possible that Shawn Tolleson needs a second day off.
3. Carter Capps/Mike Dunn, Miami Marlins – AJ Ramos threw 23 pitches yesterday in a blown save, and has thrown 68 pitches over the last four games. Carter Capps also left yesterday’s game with elbow discomfort, so if they both can’t go today, it might mean a save for Mike Dunn.
4. Pedro Strop, Chicago Cubs – Hector Rondon threw 29 pitches yesterday and has pitched on four of the last five days.

Edward Mujica to close in Oakland; new committee in Toronto

July 29, 2015

Oakland A’s – While still unconfirmed that he subscribes to Closer Monkey, A’s manager Bob Melvin made sure Edward Mujica will remain at the top of our hierarchy, saying before the game that Mujica will close following the Tyler Clippard trade. Mujica’s experience was the main factor in Melvin’s decision. Drew Pomeranz will remain in a set-up role, but Melvin also mentioned he can be used in multiple situations out of the bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Mujica | Pomeranz | O’Flaherty.

Toronto Blue Jays – Prior to Tuesday’s tilt, manager John Gibbons stated that Roberto Osuna and Aaron Sanchez will share the 8th and 9th innings, while newcomer LaTroy Hawkins and Bo Schultz will split the 6th and 7th innings. Hawkins made his Toronto debut on Tuesday with the Jays trailing, and since Toronto lost, it remains a mystery as to who will get the first crack at a save between Osuna and Sanchez.

Updated hierarchy: *Osuna | Sanchez | Hawkins.

* = closer-by-committee

Philadelphia Phillies — The Phillies finally dealt away Jonathan Papelbon yesterday, clearing the 9th inning for longtime heir apparent Kenneth Giles, who earned his first save of the season last night. Giles first turned heads at the major league level in 2014, when he posted what was one of the best seasons for a reliever in the game (1.18 ERA, 0.79 WHIP, 64 Ks in 45.2 innings). He hasn’t been quite as dominant this year, but early-season nagging injuries may have played a role. We’re guessing he’s already owned if your league is even remotely deep, but if not, he’s a must add. We expect he’ll be the closer in Philadelphia for a good while. Luis Garcia got the 8th on Tuesday, and he’ll join Jeanmar Gomez and occasionally Jake Diekman as the bridge to Giles.

Updated hierarchy: Giles | Gomez | Garcia.

Washington Nationals — Jonathan Papelbon was officially traded to the Washington Nationals on Tuesday. This is bad news for Drew Storen owners, as Papelbon said he would only waive his no-trade clause if he was going to continue to close games on the other side. Papelbon, for all his general repulsiveness, is still a very good closer. With a strong Washington team behind him, he’s among the favorites to lead the league in saves the rest of the way. Storen, meanwhile, becomes one of the best middle relievers in baseball.

Updated hierarchy: Papelbon | Storen | Janssen.

Chicago Cubs – Jason Motte had a much better appearance yesterday than he did on Monday, but his clean inning of work was in a 7-2 loss. After the game, Joe Maddon was asked about Hector Rondon, and Maddon indicated that not only could Rondon win the job back, but that he anticipates Rondon will do just that. Maddon then praised Pedro Strop while acknowledging that Rafael Soriano “is still not on the top of his game.” What does this mean for Motte? We’ll keep him at the top of the heap for now, but Rondon is closing in fast.

Updated hierarchy: Motte | Rondon | Strop.

New York Mets – Tyler Clippard made his Mets debut on Tuesday and recorded the final three outs of a 4-0 win. His addition came at the perfect time for the Mets, as Jenrry Mejia was suspended for 162 games due to PED use. This means that Bobby Parnell will get the majority of the seventh-inning holds going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Familia | Clippard | Parnell. 

Cincinnati Reds – Aroldis Chapman pitched the 9th in a non-save situation after the Reds took a 4-0 lead in the top half of the frame. That’s normally not newsworthy, but Chapman may not be pitching for the Reds much longer. Both the Diamondbacks and the Giants are reportedly interested in Chapman, with Arizona’s GM confirming that the D-Backs are “going down that path.” If Chapman does move, J.J. Hoover is our most likely candidate to take over the closer’s role.

Hierarchy remains: Chapman | Hoover | Badenhop.

New York Yankees — Adam Warren picked up a three-inning save as the Yankees crushed the Rangers, 21-5. He does not factor into the Yankees’ late-inning plans.

Hierarchy remains: Miller | Betances | Wilson.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
1. Hector Rondon, Chicago Cubs – Jason Motte has pitched in back-to-back games, and as mentioned above, Rondon may win the job soon enough.
2. Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays – Sanchez and Roberto Osuna will be sharing the 8th and 9th innings.