Bullpen Report: September 18, 2012

by
September 19, 2012

Apologies for a shorter Bullpen Report tonight, but here’s the latest…

• Out since late August after suffering from an irregular heartbeat, Kenley Jansen is now cleared to play for the Dodgers.  Jansen will need to have offseason surgery but he’s now able to play for the rest of this season and should immediately take over the closer’s role from Brandon League. When healthy, Jansen and his terrific stirkeout ability (13.66 K/9) make him one of the best closers in fantasy baseball – make sure he’s active on your roster and/or pick him up if he’s available in your league.

•  For the second night in a row, Addison Reed recorded a save while entering the game in the middle of an inning. Reed is still the closer, but with Thornton seeing some time in the ninth inning the last couple of nights, don’t be shocked to see Ventura use him for a save if the matchup dictates it.

• Steve Cishek struggled in the ninth inning tonight, letting three runners reach base while only recording one out. Mike Dunn came on to relieve Cishek but proceeded to blow the lead. Heath Bell pitched a clean 10th inning (receiving the win) and while one might wonder if Ozzie Guillen will go to Bell again, Cichek’s pitched well enough of late and should hold onto the job for the remainder of the season.

For those of you who play daily fantasy games like FanGraphs: The Game, or just like to stream players, here is a matchup you may be able to exploit.

A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Rafael Soriano (NYY) vs. TOR

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I recommended this matchup yesterday and with the Yankees now playing a double-header tomorrow (after tonight’s game was postponed), there is an even greater chance that Soriano receives a save opportunity tomorrow.

Closer Grid:

Closer First Second Off 25-Man
Arizona J.J. Putz David Hernandez Takashi Saito
Atlanta Craig Kimbrel Eric O’Flaherty Jonny Venters
Baltimore Jim Johnson Pedro Strop Darren O’Day
Boston Andrew Bailey Vicente Padilla Junichi Tazawa
Chicago (NL) Carlos Marmol James Russell Shawn Camp
Chicago (AL) Addison Reed Brett Myers Matt Thornton
Cincy Aroldis Chapman Jonathan Broxton Sean Marshall
Cleveland Chris Perez Vinnie Pestano Tony Sipp
Colorado Rafael Betancourt Matt Belisle Rex Brothers
Detroit Jose Valverde Joaquin Benoit Octavio Dotel
Houston Wilton Lopez Wesley Wright Fernando Rodriguez
KC Greg Holland Kelvin Herrera Aaron Crow
LAA Ernesto Frieri Kevin Jepsen Scott Downs
LAD Kenley Jansen Brandon League Ronald Belisario
Miami Steve Cishek Heath Bell Mike Dunn
Milwaukee John Axford Kameron Loe Francisco Rodriguez
Minnesota Glen Perkins Jared Burton Alex Burnett Matt Capps
NY (NL) Frank Francisco Bobby Parnell Jon Rauch
NY (AL) Rafael Soriano David Robertson Boone Logan
Oakland Grant Balfour Ryan Cook Sean Doolittle
Philly Jonathan Papelbon Antonio Bastardo Josh Lindblom
Pittsburgh Joel Hanrahan Jason Grilli Chris Resop
St. Louis Jason Motte Mitchell Boggs Edward Mujica
SD Luke Gregerson Dale Thayer Brad Brach Huston Street
SF Sergio Romo Javier Lopez Santiago Casilla
Seattle Tom Wilhelmsen Stephen Pryor Charlie Furbush
Tampa Bay Fernando Rodney Joel Peralta Kyle Farnsworth
Texas Joe Nathan Mike Adams Alexei Ogando
Toronto Casey Janssen Brandon Lyon Darren Oliver
Wash. Tyler Clippard Drew Storen Sean Burnett

[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]





 

When he's not focusing on every team's bullpen situation, Ben can be found blogging at Ben's Baseball Bias and on Twitter @BensBias

4 Comments
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CoManager
13 years ago

So Thornton might get a save if the situation dictates it, but Brett Myers is still in line as the next closer? I’m confused.

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Benjamin PasinkoffMember since 2020
13 years ago
Reply to  CoManager

If something were to happen to Reed I believe Myers would step in for saves. However, with Reed closing still, if there is a heavy lefty matchup, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Thornton receive an opportunity.

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