Bullpen Report: April 12, 2017

With the Rangers heading into the final frame with a 6-3 lead against the Angels on Wednesday night, it looked as if we were going to get our first peek at what the future of the Rangers’ ninth inning will be. Sam Dyson and Matt Bush (shoulder) were unavailable, and with Jose Leclerc throwing the last four pitches of the eighth inning (including a three-pitch strikeout of Mike Trout), he was primed to come out for the ninth. Tony Barnette was an option, too.

The Rangers tacked on two more runs in the top of the ninth, so the save chance was gone if a new reliever was brought in. Instead, Leclerc stayed in the game and finished it, yielding only an Andrelton Simmons single, notching two strikeouts and recording the five-out save. Jeff Banister still thinks Dyson could be the team’s closer, but if Leclerc gets some additional save chances in place of Dyson or Bush, it could be hard to take him out of the role.

Thursday morning update: The game recap from MLB.com confirmed that Banister was intending to use Barnette in the ninth inning if the Rangers’ lead remained at three runs. He also added, “If our bullpen is clicking on all cylinders, I don’t know if (Leclerc) is pitching in that situation.” I still like Leclerc as the long-term stash for Rangers’ saves over the course of the season, but for the short run, Barnette would appear to be the next in line.

A.J. Ramos didn’t blow a save against the Braves on Wednesday night. Junichi Tazawi did that in the eighth inning, allowing a solo home run by Ender Inciarte that made the Marlins’ 4-3 lead disappear. But Ramos lost the game in the ninth, putting Brandon Phillips on with a four-pitch walk, advancing him with a wild pitch and allowing him to score on a Tyler Flowers RBI single.

Ramos had not run into trouble in his first three appearances, and there is no reason to think his job is in imminent danger. Still, he should be viewed as somewhat vulnerable in his role as the Marlins’ closer, given his history of control problems, the willingness of manager Don Mattingly to supplant him with Fernando Rodney last season and the current bevy of viable closing alternatives. Just don’t look to this game for clues as to who might be next in line. Mattingly went with Brad Ziegler in the seventh inning, and in all likelihood, he did so to reserve Tazawa for the eighth when he would conceivably have to face Inciarte and Freddie Freeman. The Marlins do not have a lefty in their bullpen, but Mattingly relies on Tazawa to be a pseudo-lefty specialist.

When Ramos had his lone save opportunity on April 6 against the Nationals, it was David Phelps who pitched the eighth. Yet it’s hard to see Phelps closing because of his ability to provide multiple innings in a middle relief or set-up role. Again, there is no reason to think Ramos will cease to close games anytime soon. However, if you’re looking to speculate on a potential successor, Ziegler is probably a safer bet than Kyle Barraclough, who has made all four appearances in the seventh inning and has struggled with control.

It looked as if we would get a chance on Wednesday to see how Seung Hwan Oh would respond in a save situation, after he had allowed a pair of hits and at least one run in each of his three previous appearances. A three-run homer by Stephen Piscotty in the top of the ninth expanded the Cardinals’ lead over the Nationals to 6-1, so when Oh appeared in the bottom of the inning, he was in a non-save situation. Oh turned in his first scoreless appearance, allowing only a Ryan Zimmerman double, and for the second game in a row, his average fastball velocity was close to 94 mph. The lack of a single swinging strike would be concerning if not for the fact that he induced 10 whiffs over 77 pitches in his previous appearances.

The Cardinals have not had a ninth-inning save situation since opening night, and that game offered no clues about the pecking order, as there was no bridge between Carlos Martinez and Oh, who took over with one out in the eighth inning. Kevin Siegrist and Jonathan Broxton have been pitching in the late innings, but both have struggled so far. Both should have been available for Wednesday’s game, but neither was summoned for the eighth inning. Instead, Trevor Rosenthal kicked off the inning, but he had to be bailed out by Matt Bowman and Brett Cecil after allowing three straight one-out singles.

With Oh showing signs of turning the corner, there is little urgency to speculate on a potential replacement. Rosenthal struck out the side on Monday in his first appearance since returning from a strained lat, and that, coupled with his usage on Wednesday, gives him the appearance of being the front-runner to succeed Oh, should a successor be needed. This situation, though is far from settled.

With Francisco Rodriguez and Justin Wilson unavailable, Alex Wilson got a two-inning save for the Tigers against the Twins. According to MLive.com, Shane Greene was available, but with Wilson getting through the eighth inning with just 12 pitches, Brad Ausmus was able to save Greene for another day.

The Athletics have been going with a committee at closer, with Santiago Casilla getting the nod on opening night, Ryan Dull getting the call the following night (and blowing the save) and Sean Doolittle receiving the next save chance six days later. Doolittle would seem to be Bob Melvin’s go-to option when at least a couple of lefties are due up in a save situation, and that was the case on Monday, when Mike Moustakas and Eric Hosmer were the first and third batters up. If there is a sign that Melvin might be ready to commit to Doolittle as his primary closer, it may have come on April 6. He brought Doolittle in for the ninth inning with a four-run lead and C.J. Cron, Ben Revere and Andrelton Simmons due up, with Revere being the only lefty among them. Then again, if that’s a sign, it’s not a strong one. This situation needs a little more time to develop.

Aroldis Chapman, David Robertson, Addison Reed, Neftali Feliz, Jim Johnson and Kenley Jansen all recorded saves, and none allowed a run.

Closer Grid:

Closer First Second DL/Minors
Arizona Fernando Rodney JJ Hoover Randall Delgado
Atlanta Jim Johnson Arodys Vizcaino Jose Ramirez Mauricio Cabrera
Baltimore Zach Britton Brad Brach Darren O’Day
Boston Craig Kimbrel Joe Kelly Heath Hembree Carson Smith
CHI (NL) Wade Davis Pedro Strop Koji Uehara
CHI (AL) David Robertson Nate Jones Dan Jennings
Cincy Raisel Iglesias Michael Lorenzen Drew Storen
Cleveland Cody Allen Andrew Miller Bryan Shaw
Colorado Greg Holland Adam Ottavino Mike Dunn
Detroit Francisco Rodriguez Justin Wilson Joe Jimenez
Houston Ken Giles Luke Gregerson Will Harris
KC Kelvin Herrera Joakim Soria Matt Strahm
LAA Cam Bedrosian Andrew Bailey J.C. Ramirez Huston Street
LAD Kenley Jansen Sergio Romo Grant Dayton
Miami A.J. Ramos Brad Ziegler Kyle Barraclough
Milwaukee Neftali Feliz Corey Knebel Carlos Torres>
Minnesota Brandon Kintzler Matt Belisle Ryan Pressly Glen Perkins
NY (NL) Addison Reed Fernando Salas Hansel Robles Jeurys Familia
NY (AL) Aroldis Chapman Dellin Betances Tyler Clippard
Oakland Santiago Casilla Sean Doolittle Ryan Dull
Philly Joaquin Benoit Hector Neris Jeanmar Gomez
Pittsburgh Tony Watson Daniel Hudson Felipe Rivero
St. Louis Seung Hwan Oh Trevor Rosenthal Kevin Siegrist
SD Brandon Maurer Ryan Buchter Brad Hand Carter Capps
SF Mark Melancon Hunter Strickland Derek Law
Seattle Edwin Diaz Dan Altavilla Nick Vincent Steve Cishek
TB Alex Colome Danny Farquhar Erasmo Ramirez Brad Boxberger
Texas Sam Dyson Tony Barnette Jose Leclerc
Toronto Roberto Osuna Jason Grilli Joe Biagini
Wash. Blake Treinen Koda Glover Shawn Kelley

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





Al Melchior has been writing about Fantasy baseball and sim games since 2000, and his work has appeared at CBSSports.com, BaseballHQ, Ron Shandler's Baseball Forecaster and FanRagSports. He has also participated in Tout Wars' mixed auction league since 2013. You can follow Al on Twitter @almelchiorbb and find more of his work at almelchior.com.

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Turd Furgeson
6 years ago

some ppl that watch the rangers seem to think bennett is the best candidate beyond dyson.here in the town im sure theyd prefer doolittle establish himself but might take madson getting flipped. the committee seems more effective. I feel like doolittle walks a fine line & gets smashed with prolonged exposure.