Kirby Yates records save, Melancon to begin rehab

July 30, 2017

San Diego Padres — With Brad Hand unavailable yesterday after pitching three games in a row, Kirby Yates recorded his first save of the season.  Phil Maton pitched the eighth inning, so it would appear that Yates is the first choice to close if Hand is dealt.

Updated hierarchy: *Hand | Yates | Maton.
* = closer-by-committee

Chicago White Sox — The White Sox used Tyler Clippard in the seventh inning yesterday with the game tied.  That would typically be enough to remove a guy as the head of a committee, but Clippard threw a scoreless inning, so we will leave him there for now.  Jake Petricka started the eighth inning, and got a couple quick outs before giving up a walk and a hit.  Recently called up lefty Aaron Bummer got the last out of the eighth and the first two outs of the ninth, but left with a couple men on and ended up with the loss.  Gregory Infante relieved Bummer and promptly hit the first two batters he faced to load the bases and and force in the go-ahead run. Basically the White Sox used a lot of relievers and none of them stood out, so we figured we would list the details and hope that one of our loyal followers knew what the heck is going to happen in the White Sox bullpen moving forward.  Any thoughts?

Hierarchy remains: *Clippard | Minaya | Petricka.
* = closer-by-committee

Atlanta Braves — Jim Johnson blew his eighth save of the season on Saturday.  Johnson has been bad for a while now, but manager Brian Snitker is not ready to make a change.  Snitker mentioned Arodys Vizcaino and Rex Brothers as other options to close if he did make a change.  Brothers has not been great since coming back at the end of June, but we will move him to 2nd in line based on Snitker’s comments.  Vizcaino still seems to be the guy to own if/when the Braves finally decide to make a change.

Updated hierarchy: Johnson | Vizcaino | Brothers.

San Francisco Giants — Mark Melancon will begin a rehab assignment today in Sacramento.  Melancon will need a few rehab appearances, but when he is ready to return to the majors, it will be as closer.

Hierarchy remains: Dyson | Strickland | Kontos.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Pedro Baez – Kenley Jansen has pitched in two straight, three of four, and five of seven.
2. Joe Smith – Roberto Osuna has pitched in two of three, including a 27 pitch blown save yesterday.

Monday
1. Andrew Miller/Brian Shaw – Cody Allen has pitched in two of three.  Miller threw 30 pitches yesterday so if he and Allen both pitch today, that could leave Shaw for Monday.
2. Delin Betances – Aroldis Chapman has pitched in two of three, including a two inning effort on Thursday.

Anthony Swarzak traded to Milwaukee; Tyler Clippard gets another shot for White Sox

July 26, 2017

Chicago White Sox — Hey White Sox fans, did you like that clean, drama-free save from Anthony Swarzak the other night? Too bad! With Swarzak headed up I-94 to Milwaukee, it’s Tyler Clippard time again — or whatever gallimaufry of negative-WAR relievers Rick Renteria has left to compose a committee. For second in line behind Clippard and Dan Jennings right now, we’ll put our marker on Juan Minaya, who’s had some bad luck (.333 BABIP, 13% HR/FB), but boasts the best K-rate of anyone on the current roster of mismatched Sox. Recently signed Danny Farquhar could be in the hierarchy very soon.

Updated hierarchy: *Clippard | Jennings | Minaya.
* = closer-by-committee

Milwaukee Brewers — Last season, Anthony Swarzak gave up 10 home runs in 26 appearances for the Yankees, winding up as a nonroster invitee for Chicago in spring training. This season, easily Swarzak’s career-best, the White Sox flipped him to Milwaukee for a 25-year-old outfield prospect. The Brewers will use Swarzak alongside Jacob Barnes to set up Corey Knebel down the stretch, hoping this Cinderella story can keep rolling into the fall.

Updated hierarchy: Knebel | Barnes | Swarzak.

Los Angeles Dodgers — Three scoreless innings from Josh Ravin earned the 29-year-old righty his first save in a tumultuous career. If you can prove he was in your starting lineup for that save, we’ll sign you up for free Closer Monkey Premium!

Hierarchy remains: Jansen | Baez | Morrow.

San Francisco Giants — Chris Stratton was called up from AAA Sacramento on Monday and threw 69 pitches in a four-inning save on Tuesday. Chances are he’ll be headed back down on Wednesday.

Hierarchy remains: Dyson | Strickland | Kontos.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Brandon Maurer — Kelvin Herrera has gone in three straight and four of five. Joakim Soria has gone in two straight and four of five. Maurer’s first appearance as a Royal could be with a ninth-inning lead.
2. Brett Cecil/Seung Hwan Oh — Trevor Rosenthal threw 34 pitches on Tuesday.
3. Cam Bedrosian — Bud Norris has gone in three of four, including a loss on a walk-off grand slam last night.
4. Bryan Shaw — Both Cody Allen and Andrew Miller have pitched in three of four.

Thursday:
1. Ryan Tepera/Joe Smith — Roberto Osuna has appeared in two straight games. It’s not totally clear whether Tepera or Smith is the best save handcuff and, as a pending free agent, Smith could be pitching for someone else by Thursday anyway.
2. Andrew Miller — If the Indians do use Allen again, he’ll get Thursday afternoon off.
3. Jerry Blevins — Addison Reed has pitched in two straight.

Anthony Swarzak moves to top of White Sox committee; Brandon Maurer dealt

July 25, 2017

Cleveland Indians – A month or so ago, following a stretch where Andrew Miller looked vaguely human, he and Cody Allen briefly switched roles to give Miller some lower-leverage opportunities. The Indians haven’t had a ton of save opportunities lately, but we’re comfortable saying that they’ve gone back to their traditional roles; last night, Allen got the 9th, where he’s pitched almost exclusively for the last few weeks, while Miller pitched two innings ahead of him. So we’re back to a no-asterisk Indians bullpen.

Updated hierarchy: Allen | Miller | Shaw. 

Chicago White Sox – Anthony Swarzak finished off the 8th inning last night, then stayed on to pick up his first career save. Five days ago, Rick Renteria named Tyler Clippard his new closer after David Robertson was dealt to the Yankees. But after two shaky outings, Renteria now seems to be leaning toward Swarzak, saying after yesterday’s game that he went with the guy pitching the best right now. This looks like a committee going forward, with Swarzak in the lead after his outing yesterday. Swarzak, however, has thrown 94(!) pitches over the last four days; all three of his outings crossed multiple innings. He’ll need the day off today, and might get Wednesday off as well.

Updated hierarchy: *Swarzak | Clippard | Jennings.
* = closer-by-committee

San Diego Padres – Brad Hand is now the likely closer in San Diego after the Brandon Maurer trade, though Hand will also probably be dealt soon, leaving the 9th inning to either Phil Maton, Kirby Yates, or Carter Capps. Yates has the better numbers right now, and hasn’t allowed a run in his last 12 appearances. Maton, 6 years younger, is the likely closer of the future for the Padres, and could get the call if the Padres want to see what he can do. Capps, meanwhile, hasn’t allowed an earned run in his last 13 AAA appearances as he makes his way back from injury. With no clear indication from Andy Green as of yet, we’ll watch this situation closely. By not immediately giving the job outright to Hand, it’s possible Green continues using him all over, which would provide a look at who is the favorite for the post-deadline 9th.

Updated hierarchy: *Hand | Maton | Yates.
* = closer-by-committee

Kansas City Royals – The resurgent Royals, who were looking like sellers a month ago, put together a scorching month and have transitioned to buyers, acquiring Brandon Maurer, Ryan Buchter, and Trevor Cahill from the Padres. Maurer will be the new set-up man for Kelvin Herrera, while Buchter will help Joakim Soria bridge the gap to the 8th.

Updated hierarchy: Herrera | Maurer | Soria.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Brandon Maurer – Kelvin Herrera has gone back to back and three of four.
2. Bruce Rondon – Justin Wilson has pitched back to back games (2.1 IP, 40 pitches) and three of four.

Tomorrow
1. Pedro Baez – If Kenley Jansen goes tonight, it’ll be three straight.
2. Kyle Barraclough – If AJ Ramos pitches tonight, it’ll be back to back and four of five, with a pretty high pitch count (65 pitches already so far).
3. Andrew Miller – If Cody Allen goes today, it’ll be back to back and three of four; he’s thrown 2.2 IP and 46 pitches already in that span.
4. Brandon Maurer – See above. If Herrera goes today, he’ll definitely be off tomorrow.
5. Bruce Rondon – See above. If Wilson goes today, he’ll definitely be off tomorrow.

Not a great first impression from Tyler Clippard

July 22, 2017

Chicago White Sox —  Tyler Clippard’s first appearance with the White Sox didn’t go as planned. Entering a tie game in the tenth inning, he loaded the bases with no outs, taking the loss on a sacrifice fly. If Clippard isn’t more effective in Chicago than he was in New York, he won’t be the closer for long.

Hierarchy remains: Clippard | Swarzak | Jennings.

New York Mets — With the Mets up four in the eighth, they turned to Erik Goeddel. He got himself into trouble, giving up a run and putting two men on, so in came Addison Reed. After a walk and a single, Reed was pulled for Jerry Blevins, who retired five straight to earn his first save of the year. Blevins’s solid performance should cement him in the role of Reed’s handcuff if the closer gets traded.

Hierarchy remains: Reed | Blevins | Sewald. 

Miami Marlins — Don Mattingly likes how Junichi Tazawa has pitched since his return from the disabled list, and will continue to use him in the seventh inning. With trade rumors continuing to swirl around AJ Ramos, Tazawa could earn even greater responsibilities soon.

Updated hierarchy: Ramos | Barraclough | Tazawa.

San Diego Padres — The bad Brandon Maurer showed up last night. Up three in the ninth, he got two quick outs, raising the Padres’ win expectancy to 99.6%. Then came a walk, single, and three-run homer. San Diego ultimately came back to win in 11, thanks to two perfect innings from Phil Maton. If Maurer hasn’t killed his value — and if the Padres aren’t asking too much for Brad Hand — Maton and Kirby Yates could be the last arms left here very soon.

Hierarchy remains: Maurer | Hand | Maton.

Texas Rangers — Alex Claudio has been impressive as the head of the Rangers’ committee. While he didn’t earn a save last night, he pitched a clean ninth in a tie game, then returned to protect a one-run lead in the tenth. The biggest thing keeping the asterisk next to Claudio’s name is that he’s the only lefty in the Texas pen, which may lead to some situational usage. It remains to be seen how Jeff Banister will deploy Keone Kela, who just returned from the DL, but Claudio may be able to hold the job.

Hierarchy remains: *Claudio | Kela | Leclerc.
* = closer-by-committee

Detroit Tigers — With a killer slider and a 100 MPH fastball, Bruce Rondon is making a strong case to take over the closer role in the likely event that Justin Wilson gets moved.

Hierarchy remains: J. Wilson | Rondon | Greene.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today:
1. Jerry Blevins/Paul Sewald — Reed has gone in three straight, and Blevins was used for five outs Friday.
2. Phil Maton/Kirby Yates — Maurer and Hand have gone in two straight, and Maton pitched two innings last night.

Sunday:
1. Archie Bradley — If Fernando Rodney pitches today, that would be three in a row. Bradley threw 34 pitches last night and likely won’t pitch today.
2. Hunter Strickland — A Sam Dyson appearance would be two straight and four of five.
3. Bruce Rondon — Justin Wilson pitched yesterday and in two of three.
4. Joakim Soria — Same for Kelvin Herrera.

White Sox, Yankees shuffle bullpens in monster trade

July 19, 2017

Chicago White Sox — Both David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle were traded to the Yankees late Tuesday night, with Tyler Clippard part of the package that came back to the White Sox. Clippard has struggled lately, but he has experience as a closer and is likely to take over the ninth inning for Chicago. Anthony Swarzak will be next in line for save chances if he also doesn’t eventually get traded.

Updated hierarchy: Clippard | Swarzak | Jennings.

New York Yankees — The Yankees bolstered their bullpen by trading for both David Robertson and Tommy Kahnle. Robertson instantly becomes one of the top setup men in baseball, and should be first choice to close if Aroldis Chapman is unavailable. Kahnle and Dellin Betances will get the ball ahead of Robertson and Chapman – we’ll keep an eye on how Joe Girardi deploys those two arms.

Updated hierarchy: Chapman | Robertson | Betances.

Washington Nationals – Prior to Tuesday’s game, Dusty Baker made clear that he won’t have a traditional closer/setup situation. He wasted no time practicing what he preached, using Ryan Madson in the eighth inning before Sean Doolittle got the ninth and the save. Matchups probably played a part in this decision, as two lefties were due up in the ninth. However, Baker also said that Madson felt more comfortable in the eighth. It truly could be either Doolittle or Madson in the ninth if the Nats have a lead, which means frustration for fantasy owners.

Hierarchy remains: *Madson | Doolittle | Albers.
* = closer-by-committee

Oakland A’s – Blake Treinen impressed on Tuesday, pitching a clean eighth inning in a one-run game before Santiago Casilla blew the save in the ninth. It’s early in his tenure with Oakland, but Treinen appears to have quickly earned Bob Melvin’s trust.

Updated hierarchy: Casilla | Treinen | Hendriks.

Houston Astros – The Vulture Save Watch picked a winner in Luke Gregerson on Tuesday, but it was not a conventional save. Gregerson entered the eighth inning with the tying run on deck in a 6-2 game, picked up the final out of the frame, and then stayed on to complete the ninth for his first save of the season.

Hierarchy remains: Giles | Devenski | Gregerson.

VULTURE SAVE WATCH
Today
1. Andrew Miller/Bryan Shaw – Cody Allen has pitched in three straight games. Miller needed 28 pitches yesterday, so Bryan Shaw may be an option depending on the game situation.
2. Pat Neshek/Joaquin Benoit – Hector Neris has pitched in three straight. Neshek has gone in three of four, so Benoit may get the call.
3. Ryan Tepera  – Roberto Osuna has pitched in three straight games.

Thursday
1. Matt Barnes/Heath Hembree – If Craig Kimbrel pitches tonight, it will be back-to-back and four of five. Matt Barnes will also need a day off if he pitches on Wednesday.
2. David Robertson – The Yankees acquired Robertson to win, so no sense in holding him back if Aroldis Chapman needs a day off. That may be on Thursday – Chapman will have gone in back-to-back games and four of five if he gets the ball on Wednesday.
3. Juan Nicasio – If Felipe Rivero pitches on Wednesday it will be three straight.