Fernando Rodney’s quiver is almost empty

April 28, 2017

Arizona Diamondbacks –The monkey is keeping a close eye on this situation, folks. With a four-run lead in the ninth Thursday, the D-Backs opted to use J.J. Hoover, who pitched a clean inning. Jorge De La Rosa was available, but Torey Luvullo’s use of Hoover may indicate he’s the man to own behind the tired (he had pitched in three of five days) and bad (11.00 ERA) Fernando Rodney, who has to be on a short leash. Many locals are pulling for long reliever Archie Bradley to close, but he may be better suited for the rotation as Shelby Miller is considering Tommy John surgery.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Hoover | de la Rosa.

Los Angeles Angels – The Angels have used a hodgepodge of relievers to bridge the gap in save situations over the last week, including David Hernandez, Yusmeiro Petit, Deolis Guerra, Blake Parker and Jose Alvarez. But one thing has been most consistent: Bud Norris (four saves)  has picked up each save chance and converted each time the Angels had a slim lead in the ninth lately, including on Thursday. With Cam Bedrosian nursing a sore groin and Huston Street out until at least June 1, Norris is the clear man to own for the Angels.

Hierarchy remains: Norris | Parker | Hernandez.

Toronto Blue Jays — The Blue Jays stink. Nothing has gone right, and that’s especially true for closer Roberto Osuna, who had another rough outing and blown save Thursday. Osuna gave up a game-tying, two-out, two-run HR in the 9th to Randal Grichuk as the Jays lost again. After the game, manager John Gibbons said Osuna “just has to figure it out.” No kidding.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Grilli | Biagini.

St. Louis Cardinals – Seung Hwan Oh pitched a scoreless ninth inning with the score tied in the first game of a doubleheader, so in the nightcap with Oh unavailable, Trevor Rosenthal got his second vulture save. Rosenthal has really pitched well this year (2.84 ERA, 13 K’s, 2 SV in 7 G) and may have the inside track to the closer gig if Oh falters.

Hierarchy remains: Oh | Rosenthal | Bowman.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Blake Parker/David Hernandez — We may find out who the No. 2 man for the Angels is on Friday, as Bud Norris has pitched in two straight and three of the last for days. Looking further back, Norris has pitched in six of the last eight days.
2. Derek Law — Both Mark Melancon (three of the last four days) and Hunter Strickland (three straight, four of five) have been busy and pitched Thursday. Law, who got the night off Thursday, would presumably be available for the save situation Friday if needed.

Saturday:
1. Blake Parker/David Hernandez — If Norris gets the ball AGAIN on Friday, that’ll be three straight and four of five for him. That wouldn’t be shocking, as he pitched in four of five last week, but a Friday appearance would bring his workload to an unsustainable level (pitching in seven of the last nine days).
2. Andrew Miller — If Cody Allen pitches Friday, that’ll be three appearances in three days for him. He would almost certainly get rest Saturday, giving Miller a chance.
3. Sergio Romo — Sergio Romo may get a save chance Saturday because if Kenley Jansen pitches Friday, that’ll be his third appearance in four days.
4. Nick Vincent/Mark Rzepczynski — Edwin Diaz has pitched in two straight games, so a Friday appearance would mean he’d need a rest Saturday.
5. Joaquin Benoit — Hector Neris has pitched in two straight. If he goes again Friday, look for Benoit to get a shot Saturday. Also, these two pitch in a Pete Mackanin committee, so we suppose Benoit could get the call on any given night (but let’s face it – Neris is the guy to own).

Hector Rondon continues to pitch well

April 26, 2017

Chicago Cubs — Hector Rondon has continued his rise in the Cubs’ bullpen, extending his streak of scoreless appearances to five games with an eighth-inning hold on Tuesday. Rondon has walked a man in three of those appearances, but with only one hit scattered amongst those four innings in addition to five strikeouts, he has continuously been solid without getting into much trouble. If he keeps pitching like this, it will be hard to keep him out of the eighth inning in close games going forward.

Updated hierarchy: Davis | Rondon | Uehara.

Milwaukee Brewers – Tommy Milone picked up just the second save of his career Tuesday, pitching the final three innings of a 9-1 win over the Reds. Expect a close check on Milone’s blood and urine after Tuesday’s performance, his first save since Aug. 23, 2015, when he was with the Twins.

Hierarchy remains: Feliz | Knebel | Barnes.

Toronto Blue Jays — Roberto Osuna’s struggles continued on Tuesday as he blew a save chance against the Cardinals. He has now allowed an earned run in three of his first five appearances since returning from the DL. When the Jays regained the lead in the 11th, they called upon Ryan Tepera to earn his second career save and first since 2015. Also, this happened.

Hierarchy remains: Osuna | Grilli | Biagini.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH:
Today
1. Danny Farquhar – Alex Colome has pitched three of the last four days.

Thursday
1. Koda Glover – If Shawn Kelley goes on Wednesday it will be two straight for him.
2. Jason Grilli – Roberto Osuna threw 19 pitches in a blown save on Tuesday. If he struggles through a hefy outing again on Wednesday, we may see Grilli on Thursday.
3. Sean Doolittle – Santiago Casilla took forever to get through 16 pitches and a blown save on Tuesday. If he has a lengthy outing on Wednesday, a night off Thursday may in his future.
4. Sergio Romo – Kenley Jansen threw 22 pitches in a four-out save Tuesday. Don’t expect him to go for a third straight day on Thursday should the situation arise.

Sam Dyson on thin ice in Texas

April 12, 2017

Texas Rangers — Sam Dyson’s struggles continued on Tuesday, as he allowed three runs in the ninth to send the game to extra innings, with the Rangers eventually losing in the 10th. That’s now 11 earned runs in four appearances for Dyson, three of which have been bad. After the game, Jeff Banister said that the team will need to consider its options regarding the closer role. Those options are either Matt Bush or Jeremy Jeffress. We still like Bush over Jeffress, despite Bush being “unavailable” on Tuesday, but we’ll hopefully get more clarity from Banister on Wednesday. If Bush can’t go, expect Jeffress to get the call.

Hierarchy remains: Dyson | Bush | Jeffress.

Toronto Blue Jays – Roberto Osuna made his season debut on Tuesday, pitching the ninth in a 4-3 loss. He’ll resume his closing duties immediately, and John Gibbons said that he won’t hesitate to use Osuna on back-to-back days,

Updated hierarchy: Osuna | Grilli | Biagini.

Detroit Tigers — Bruce Rondon was sent to Triple-A to work on getting in shape. While Rondon works on his conditioning, Shane Greene and lefty Kyle Ryan will work ahead of Justin Wilson and K-Rod. This isn’t the first time Rondon has needed a stint in the minors to get right, and we’ll just have to wait and see how long it takes for him to get back to Detroit this time.

Updated hierarchy: Rodriguez | J. Wilson | Greene.

Arizona Diamondbacks — Randall Delgado has been used mostly in long relief duty so far this season, which means his days in the Arizona hierarchy are done. Who replaces him? Right now, nobody has emerged as a clear favorite. Archie Bradley was the last Diamondback to pitch in a tight game ahead of Fernando Rodney, though he may transition back into a starter. Tom Wilhelmsen has ample experience in the late innings as well. We’ll need the 7-2 D-Backs to play a close game to really see how the bullpen lines up, but we’ll give the edge to Wilhelmsen at the moment.

Updated hierarchy: Rodney | Hoover | Wilhelmsen.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Shane Greene, Detroit Tigers – Both K-Rod and Justin Wilson have gone in two straight games, so Greene may get the nod if a save situation arises.
2. Luke Gregerson, Houston Astros – Ken Giles needed 31 pitches to finish off Tuesday’s game, so he may get a night off.

Thursday
1. Jason Grilli, Toronto Blue Jays – While Osuna should be available Wednesday, Thursday may be a different story if he does go back-to-back days.
2. Carlos Torres/Corey Knebel, Milwaukee Brewers – Neftali Feliz may need a breather if he pitches Wednesday. If Corey Knebel pitches on Wednesday as well, he’ll have joined Feliz on back-to-back outings.
3. Andrew Bailey, Los Angeles Angels – Cam Bedrosian may have thrown on two straight days entering Thursday.
4. Justin Wilson/Shane Greene, Detroit Tigers – If K-Rod does pitch Wednesday, don’t expect him on Thursday.
5. Adam Ottavino/Mike Dunn, Colorado Rockies – We don’t expect Greg Holland to pitch three straight days, so if he gets the call Wednesday we expect Ottavino to get the ninth on Thursday. Mike Dunn may get tabbed as well if Ottavino goes on Wednesday as well.

Zach Britton rolls an ankle; Jake McGee looking sharp

April 8, 2017

Colorado Rockies – With the Rockies bullpen having been put to work early this season, it was Jake McGee who got the call to pick up the vulture save. McGee is feeling healthy, and he looked awesome, striking out the side on 14 pitches. With the rest of the bullpen needing rest, we’d like to see McGee in a couple more high leverage spots before he cracks the hierarchy again, but if the former closer can pitch like he did yesterday, he won’t stay out long.

Hierarchy remains: Holland | Ottavino | Dunn.

Baltimore Orioles – Zach Britton suffered an injury scare when he rolled his ankle fielding a comebacker, but stayed in the game and converted his second save of the year. Manager Buck Showalter said the injury didn’t look bad, but they will see how it feels “when the adrenaline wears off.” Britton is outstanding when healthy, having converted 51 straight saves, but if he needs some time off, Brad Brach has three clean 8th innings to his resume so far this season.

Hierarchy remains: Britton | Brach | O’Day.

Tampa Bay Rays – Xavier Cedeno has been bad in the early going this year. One day after giving up a hit to the only batter he faced, he was called on in a bases loaded jam only to walk in two runs before getting out of the inning. He did back into the win after the Rays took the lead in the bottom of the inning, and Alex Colome pitched a clean 9th for his 2nd save. Erasmo Ramirez took the 7th and 8th inning on Wednesday, and may get the next 8th inning shot.

Updated hierarchy: Colome | Ramirez | Cedeno.

Toronto Blue Jays – Roberto Osuna is on pace to return for the Blue Jays home opener on Tuesday. Jason Grilli will likely slot into the setup role after Osuna’s return, but could get a couple more chances this weekend.

Hierarchy remains: Grilli | Smith | Biagini.

 

VULTURE SAVE WATCH

1. Shawn Kelley / Koda Glover, Washington Nationals – Blake Treinen pitched in his 3rd straight game last night, and will get Saturday off. Shawn Kelley is better rested having been held out last night, but Koda Glover only threw 9 pitches yesterday so could be available.
2. Drew Storen, Cincinnati Reds – Raisel Iglesias pitched 2 scoreless innings to pick up his 2nd save throwing 32 pitches in the process.
3. Corey Knebel, Milwaukee Brewers – Neftali Feliz has pitched in three straight.

Sunday
1. Ryan Pressly, Minnesota Twins – Brandon Kintzler has pitched two straight.
2. Ryan Buchter, San Diego Padres – Brandon Maurer has pitched in two straight.

Cam Bedrosian might have to share save chances

April 4, 2017

Los Angeles Angels – Despite his excellent spring training, Cam Bedrosian will share closing duties while Huston Street is out. Mike Scioscia shied away from calling the arrangement a “committee,” saying instead that he wants to retain the flexibility to use his ‘closer’ earlier in the game if matchups require. Wise though this might be, the downside to fantasy owners requires us to brand this ‘pen with the committee asterisk.

Updated hierarchy: *Bedrosian | Bailey | Parker.
* = closer-by-committee

Oakland A’s — The A’s played matchups in the late innings, deploying Sean Doolittle against Kole Calhoun, then bringing in Ryan Madson to face Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. This left Santiago Casilla to grab the save in the ninth. Bob Melvin has talked about doing things a little differently in the bullpen, and this looks like the makings of a full-fledged closer committee.

Updated hierarchy: *Madson | Casilla | Doolittle.
* = closer-by-committee

Toronto Blue Jays — With Roberto Osuna on the DL, the Blue Jays have slotted 40-year-old Jason Grilli at closer in the meantime. Seizing the opportunity, Grilli gave up a walk-off home run on Opening Day. Blue Jays fans can console themselves with the knowledge that Osuna will be back in five days, and the performance of Joe Biagini, who kept the game tied in the seventh and eighth. Manager John Gibbons has spoken highly of Biagini, even suggesting that he may get some save chances with Osuna out.

Updated hierarchy: Grilli | Smith | Biagini.

Minnesota Twins — Despite cruising to a 7-1 victory, the Twins took no chances in the ninth, calling on closer Brendan Kintzler to slam the door. In the eighth, veteran righty Matt Belisle needed just 11 pitches to retire the side, and won plaudits for his high socks. Belisle could be the veteran presence Minnesota needs to help stabilize its bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Kintzler | Pressly | Belisle.

Philadelphia Phillies — After Jeanmar Gomez (ranked as our #30 preseason closer) gave up a two-run homer in his 2017 debut, manager Pete Mackanin allowed that he was “concerned.” With several superior arms backing Gomez up — Hector Neris, Joaquin Benoit, Edubray Ramos, and Pat Neshek — Mackanin should probably go ahead and act on that concern.

Hierarchy remains: Gomez | Neris | Benoit.

Boston Red Sox – In a bit of a surprise, Joe Kelly didn’t see action in Boston’s opener, even though the situation seemed to call for him. The Sox won, but Boston writers are already nervous.

Hierarchy remains: Kimbrel | Kelly | Barnes.

Baltimore Orioles – Darren O’Day has been suffering from the flu and was unavailable on Monday. The Orioles have today off, but if O’Day isn’t healthy by Wednesday, Buck Showalter says he might go to the disabled list.

Updated hierarchy: Britton | Brach | O’Day.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Jeremy Jeffress, Texas Rangers — Sam Dyson had a rough time on Monday, giving up three runs on 23 pitches. Jeffress wasn’t used. If Dyson does get the call again tonight, look for Jeffress or Matt Bush on Wednesday.

Wednesday (new feature):
2. Randall Delgado/J.J. Hoover, Arizona Diamondbacks — Fernando Rodney threw 30 pitches on Monday. If he’s used in Tuesday night’s game, we don’t expect to see him on Wednesday.
3. Adam Ottavino, Colorado Rockies — Greg Holland isn’t likely to go in three straight, so expect a pending vulture if he pitches this evening.
4. Andrew Miller/Bryan Shaw, Cleveland Indians — If Cody Allen or Miller pitch on Tuesday, they probably won’t go again on Wednesday.