(Belated) Bullpen Report: August 22, 2016
• We have Cody Allen in the first chair on the grid below but Andrew Miller secured the win for the Indians getting his 11th save on the year. Cody Allen was never expected to received every save opportunity so he will remain first but this situation is still red and it likely will stay that way for the rest of the season as a somewhat committee between the two. In more exciting news, Miller struck out the side and now has 93 strikeouts in 53 innings pitched, supporting a 44.5% strikeout rate which is only 0.3% behind league leader and former teammate, Dellin Betances. Miller is the more effective reliever but using him in higher leveraged situations is an effective strategy by the Indians.
• Edwin Diaz allowed two baserunners but didn’t allow a run en route to his tenth save for the Mariners. His last few outings haven’t been as dominant as he was previously but his that pace was unsustainable. Still, Diaz has a 42.6% strikeout rate and a 2.25/1.90/1.80 ERA/FIP/xFIP pitching line on the year, cementing him as one of the league’s top closers.
• Speaking of top closers, Zach Britton threw a perfect ninth picking up two strikeouts for his 38th save. Britton is 38 for 38 on save opportunities and has allowed just three earned runs in 51.1 innings pitched. It’s hard to imagine a closer being more valuable than a starter but Britton is getting some deserving Cy Young love along with some MVP chatter as well. We can bicker about if he’s deserving of either but a 0.53 ERA held up by a 31.6% strikeout rate and an insane 80.7% ground ball rate has made Britton an extremely valuable resource to the O’s and fantasy squads. Britton currently ranks 13th on ESPN’s Player Rater and according to Baseball Monster he’s been the fourth best pitcher. It’s hard to imagine Britton matching this season next year but over the past three years he has a 1.44 ERA in 193.1 innings pitched, he clearly knows how to get guys out.
• Quick Hits: Ken Giles allowed two hits and an unearned run working towards his fourth save. Tyler Thornburg was perfect for his fifth save for the Brewers, lowering his ERA to 1.92. Enrique Burgos blew his third save for the Diamondbacks but then got the win. Burgos hasn’t been particularly good at keeping leads but neither was Jake Barrett earlier this year and Dan Hudson has a 6.15 ERA. Barrett or Hudson could see save opportunities in the future but this situation is turning into what we saw with the Reds earlier this season and it might be best to avoid. Arodys Vizcaino allowed four runs while only getting two outs. It will be a little while until he shakes off enough rust to replace Jim Johnson in the ninth.
Closer Grid:
[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
Am I wrong to be surprised Texas is still green? Dyson has been very shaky lately and Jeffress looms large.
Agreed. Shocked about that one. Would be shocked more if it wasn’t just missed, as opposed to a decision being made to keep it green. Also, though I agree that Jeffress is prob next up. I’ve grabbed Diekamn where I could (not Bush).