• No save for Jose Leclerc who was ineffective in allowing a hit and a walk while only getting one out in the 9th. Kyle Bird relieved him to get the last two outs and his 1st save of the year. Al mentioned Leclerc’s struggles yesterday and we should consider this a situation worth monitoring early on. Saves are hard to come by and if something is up with Leclerc, look for Chris Martin and Shawn Kelley to get some saves. It’s still very early and the Rangers are committed to Leclerc ($14.75M worth) but it’s certainly a concerning start.

• In Eric Longenhagen’s prospect notes yesterday, he noted how Jeremy Jeffress gave up four hits in his rehab appearance and was sitting at 87-91 while touching 92. If he’s going to be effective, he will need to show improvement on the velo as he was at 95 mph last year. Josh Hader owners should be monitoring this closely. If Jeffress is back to his normal velo he could be getting lower leverage saves for the Brewers but if his injury lingers, it will still be Hader time, at least until they look for a bullpen upgrade in the summer. Read the rest of this entry »

Apologies for a brief and belated Bullpen Report but let’s jump right into Saturday’s games…

• Taylor Rogers pitched in the 8th inning last night with the top of the Phillies lineup up, and no real platoon split to speak of. Although he wasn’t particularly sharp he threw a scoreless inning handing it off to Parker in the 9th. The Twins put the game out of a saves reach in the top half of the inning so there was no save situation for Parker. While this situation was being used as a fairly strict platoon it looks like Rogers 8th and Parker in the 9th might be calcifying somewhat. I’ll keep the committee tag for now but Parker is affirming himself ahead for now.

• No save situation for the Royals last night but that was due to the pen blowing the lead before the 9th. Wily Peralta pitched in the 7th to clean up Kevin McCarthy’s mess but he wasn’t particularly effective himself and now carries a 15.00 ERA with only two strikeouts and four walks in three innings pitched this year. Brad Boxberger and Jake Diekman might be ahead of him in the committee at this point. Additionally, although Ian Kennedy has not been special this year, just exhibiting competence might be enough to run with this job at some point. I would bet on Kennedy’s end of season save total over the others in the Royals pen but I also don’t envision that number being particularly high or with ratios that help a team.

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• Although Jose Alvarado might have a 99 mph screwball he’s not quite the full time closer on the Rays. Last night Alvarado came in 8th inning in a tie game, striking out the side ending with lefty Charlie Blackmon. In the 9th, Diego Castillo came on to face David Dahl, Nolan Arenado, and Trevor Story. This wasn’t quite an obvious lefty/righty situation but Castillo was in there to face the tough right handed hitters on the Rockies. In my first Bullpen Report I suggested that Alvarado was inching towards being the main closer but that certainly doesn’t seem to be the case anymore. Both Alvarado and Castillo are worth owning, almost regardless of if they are receiving saves, but this is a committee situation for the time being.

• Whether or not David Robertson would be used as a traditional closer to reign in Gabe Kapler or not, the Phillies expected better results than he’s providing right now. Robertson entered the game in the 9th with the game tied and proceeded to go single, walk, walk before walking in the winning run. In three appearances this year Robertson has five walks with only one strikeout. It’s definitely still early and there are no velocity concerns but Seranthony Dominguez, who wasn’t effective either blowing the lead in the 8th, could see some more save situations than expected if Robertson doesn’t get on track soon.

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• Due to a right lat strain, the Seattle Mariners placed closer Hunter Strickland on the Injured List. With Strickland out the Mariners closer job is now up for grabs with manager Scott Servais saying “it could be Zac Rosscup one night, it could be Elias, it could be Gearrin or Festa or Rumbelow. Go down the list. We’re looking for somebody to get us three outs.” This certainly sounds like a committee in the making and we have adjusted the grid accordingly. Right now we have Cory Gearrin leading the list but it’s really anyone’s guess on a given night. Yesterday Rosscup started the 9th inning but was unable to finish with Nick Rumbelow coming on to get the final out and his first save.

It might be worth placing a claim on Gearrin for a couple of saves, although I wouldn’t recommend investing much. Of more interest is Anthony Swarzak who should be returning this week from a shoulder injury. Acquired from the Mets in the big Robinson Cano trade this offseason, Swarzak is both the best and most expensive option in the Mariners pen and I would bet on him floating to the top of the committee over all the other names listed.

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• There aren’t many big closer changes this far into the season but it looks like the Braves are going to go with Arodys Vizcaino as the primary closer moving forward in Atlanta. With Vizcaino returning from injury and the calendar already pushing October, I figured the Braves wouldn’t make a full change like this, but Vizcaino has pitched quite well and the committee is now over. With Vizcaino in the top chair, look for A.J. Minter, Chad Sobotka to be the primary set up men with Brad Brach, Dan Winkler and others behind them.

• Earlier in the year, Trevor Hildenberger looked like a sneaky future saves option in Minnesota. While he’s reached the promised land of the 9th, he hasn’t been a particularly good option and after last night’s 4 run blow up, Hildenberger now supports a 5.25 ERA, 4.53 FIP, and more promising 3.68 SIERA. Paul Molitor will now move to a committee with the bullpen and we expect Taylor Rogers or Trevor May to receive the next save opportunity. It’s possible Hildenberger gets another opportunity before the season is over, and we don’t know what 2019 will bring, but Rogers (2.73 ERA/2.35 FIP) and May (3.43 ERA/3.41 FIP) have been better and will likely lead the committee in the last week.

• Jace Fry is slated to start a bullpen game for the White Sox which doesn’t necessarily take him out of the committee in Chicago as he’s not likely to throw more than an inning or two, but it does take him out of a potential save today. If you have him in your daily lineup for saves, I suggest you replace him with someone else today.

• Even though Mike Scioscia is stepping down as the Angles manager, he still finds time in the last week to make some last minute bullpen changes. Ty Buttrey had blown his last two save opportunities and last night Scioscia called on Hansel Robles for the save with Blake Parker pitching in the 8th.  Buttrey could have been unavailable having pitched in two of the last three games so we won’t make a change to the grid as he’s likely given a longer leash with “closer of the future” potential for the Angels. By keeping Parker in the 8th, the Angels could also be dictating this is the order moving forward, with Buttrey just getting a day off and Robles coming in to not upset the order. However, with all of that said, if Buttrey blows a third opportunity in a row, the Angels may not look to go back to him for the 9th in the season’s last days, even if he enters 2019 as the leading saves candidate.

• Due to Brad Boxberger’s recent struggles, the Diamondbacks are going to the most hated word in fantasy baseball – a committee, with Boxberger out. While it’s possible that Boxberger can string together a solid run and get back into the mix, we are going to take him off of the grid for now. In his place I would expect a combination of Andrew Chafin, Archie Bradley, Yoshihisa Hirano, Jake Diekman, and Brad Ziegler to see the ninth. It’s not that helpful to list off 5 names in a committee but that’s why it’s such a pain in our butts. Archie Bradley was always the presumptive favorite but he’s been terrible of late and unless the Diamondbacks want to give him a chance to prove himself in the middle of a playoff race, I’d expect them to mix and match with the other guys. For the first stab I’m putting Hirano, Diekman and Chafin on the list. Hirano is a righty so I’m guessing he could see more than the rest of the committee but with multiple lefty options in Diekman and Chafin it’s possible they see more saves, along with Brad Ziegler who just won’t go away!

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Hoping that everyone had a lovely Labor Day, here’s what went on with the bullpens on Monday…

• Bud Norris is currently struggling and although Jordan Hicks hasn’t been lights out, Norris may not be receiving consistent saves. I don’t want to overdo the alarm but Norris had a very poor Labor Day Weekend. On SAturday Norris received the L giving up 3 earned and 4 baserunners and yesterday he blew the save giving up 2 earned runs and allowing 4 baserunners while only getting two outs in the 9th.  On the year, Norris’ 3.86 FIP and 3.02 SIERA look good enough but with the Cardinals in a playoff race, he might not be their current best option. Additionally, with Norris on a one-year contract in St. Louis they aren’t beholden to him for future years. Cardinals manager Mike Shildt didn’t give Norris a resounding vote of confidence,  and I would bet that Jordan Hicks or a make-shift committee will see the next save opportunity in St. Louis. Without word from Shildt, we will keep Norris on top here, but note he is very red, with Hicks and Daniel Hudson currently behind him.

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• Mildly interesting night in Chicago in the 9th inning for the Cubs. The last third of the game started as usual with Steve Cishek handling the 7th and Carl Edwards pitching in the 8th with the ball being handed to Strop for the final frame.  In the 9th, Strop walked Jose Bautista to start the inning, got Jose Reyes on a force out and then gave up a single to Kevin Plawecki. With two on and one out, Joe Maddon called on Justin Wilson to face the lefty Jay Bruce. Wilson couldn’t get Bruce out and exited the game with bases loaded and still just one out. New-ish Cub Jesse Chavez then came on and struck out Amed Rosario and Austin Jackson for his 3rd save of the year. While Pedro Strop wasn’t given the opportunity to clean up his mess, I believe he’s still very much the Cubs closer. However, we can’t be surprised to see Joe Maddon give anyone the quick hook if he feels someone else gives him the best option. Strop’s done a great job and Morrow doesn’t look likely to return right away so I would still bet on his saves total being the highest from here on out over anyone in Chicago, even if Justin Wilson or Jesse Chavez gets a rogue chance. Note that I didn’t include Brandon Kintzler in that grouping and took him off the grid as he’s been quite abysmal in Chicago. He might play his well into higher leverage set up innings but he’s not sniffing the 9th.

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• After being used like a yo-yo in the rotation and relief, Sergio Romo has had his ups and downs this year but has actually been quite terrific of late in the closer’s seat in Tampa. On the year he’s supporting  a 3.48 ERA/3.40 FIP/3.26 SIERA and since June 19th he has an ERA of 1.33. With all of that said, the Rays went to Jose Alvarado last night for the save with Sergio Romo available as far as we know. Lefty Lucas Duda started the inning which could be why the Rays went to Alvarado over Romo but it wasn’t a particularly strong lefty heavy lineup that followed. The Rays situation was as fluid as any this year before Romo started putting up consistent zeroes, so we are keeping Romo alone in the chairr for now but if Alvarado starts seeing the ninth again we will have to consider moving this situation back to the frustrating committee situation we had to endure earlier.

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• Although he’s not pitching particularly well and he’s not on a particularly good team saves are saves and Trevor Hildenberger is getting them for the Twins. Hildy closed out a 6-4 win for the Twins for his third save of the year, issuing one walk and striking out a man in the 9th inning. This situation still might be fluid but after going 3-3 on saves I’m expecting Hildenberger to receive the lion’s share of opportunities as we close out the season.

• On August 7th, Ken Giles allowed 5 earned runs without completing an inning and his role at the MLB level let alone as closer seemed to be in jeopardy. Since then he’s allowed 2 runs in 4 innings but is also 3-3 on saves, suggesting the Blue Jays are going to roll him out  for each save opportunity moving forward. Of course nobody is immune to multiple melt downs but I’d expect Giles to have a solid leash moving forward. On the season, his 6.04 ERA looks unsightly but he’s also running a 41/4 k/bb with a 3.45 FIP and 2.85 SIERA. Giles peripherals are always dominant but he’s been prone to gopheritis this year. He may not be as dominant as his line would suggest but if he can avoid the long ball, he could have a strong finish.

• Every year there are a few bullpen situations that arise that give you a heart attack on who to pick up for saves, and right now that seems to be the White Sox. Jeanmar Gomez started the ninth but was unable to finish the inning as Luis Avilan came in for the save. I’m fairly certain Gomez won’t see the next save opportunity but I’m not sure if Avilan will either. I’m calling this a full on committee with Xavier Cedeno, Juan Minaya, Jace Fry, and honestly anyone else in the pen who is scheduled to be available that night in Chicago. While I said saves are saves for Hildenberger above, this might actually be a different situation where the recommended course of action is to avoid.

• No save situation for the Cubs as it was a four run lead but Pedro Strop threw a scoreless ninth nonetheless. Strop’s done an excellent job filling in for Morrow and on the year has a 3.16 FIP and 3.56 SIERA. He’s not elite but he’s plenty good enough and closing on a top team that should provide many save opportunities for the rest of the season. How many saves go to Strop and not Morrow depends on the latter’s recovery. Right now Morrow is expected to throw from a mound this weekend but his return date to the majors is still in question. Maybe this is an optimistic Strop owner talking, but I don’t expect Morrow to be back soon and when he does return I’m not confident that he will immediately take over his old role. Strop is doing the job and so long as he’s putting up 0’s in the 9th, he should continue to rack up saves.

• Quick Hits: Another game another Edwin Diaz save as he picked up his 47th in extras against the A’s. Pairing 47 saves with an ERA under two and 103 strikeouts and counting, Diaz has been a top 10 player in fantasy this year. You can’t predict guys to get 60 saves in a season but he’s proven to be one of a few elite options for this year and likely in next year’s drafts. Seranthony Dominguez got four outs for his 13th save. The Phillies might throw a wrench or two and give some others a save chance but Dominguez is still the man to own there. Cody Allen pitched a perfect 7th and 8th innings with four strikeouts handing the ball to Hand for his 28th save, continuing what has become a committee of great options in Cleveland. AJ Minter struck out a pair and received his 11th save. He’s closing with Arodys Vizcaino is on the DL but considering this job became fluid when he was healthy, I would bet on Minter holding the job even when Vizcaino returns.