Bullpen Report: April 13, 2021

The 2021 version of Bullpen Report includes five different sections, as well as the closer chart, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

1. Notable Workloads: Primary closers or valuable members of a closer committee who have been deemed unavailable or likely unavailable for the current day due to recent workload.
2. Injury News 
3. Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
4. Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
5. Losing A Grip: Struggling closers who could be on the hot seat.

The “RosterResource” link will take you to the corresponding team’s RosterResource depth chart, which will give you a better picture of the full bullpen and results of the previous six days (pitch count, save, hold, win, loss, blown save.)

Notable Workloads

•Will Smith, ATL: 3 consecutive days; 20 pitches on Monday. | RosterResource

Tyler Matzek, Sean Newcomb, and Luke Jackson are likely candidates for a save chance on Tuesday if Smith isn’t available for a fourth consecutive day.

•Emmanuel Clase, CLE: Back-to-back days; 3 of last 4 days; 12 pitches on Monday. | RosterResource

James Karinchak and Nick Wittgren are likely candidates for a save chance on Tuesday if Clase isn’t available for a third consecutive day.

•Gregory Soto, DET: Back-to-back days; 8 pitches on Monday. | RosterResource

Bryan Garcia is a likely candidate for a save chance on Tuesday if Soto isn’t available for a third consecutive day.

•Yimi García, MIA: 3 of last 5 days; 25 pitches on Monday. | RosterResource

Anthony Bass, Dylan Floro, and Richard Bleier are likely candidates for a save chance on Tuesday if Garcia isn’t available for a second consecutive day.

•Aroldis Chapman, NYY: Back-to-back days; 12 pitches on Monday. | RosterResource

Chad Green is a likely candidate for a save chance on Tuesday if Chapman isn’t available for a third consecutive day.

•Diego Castillo, TBR: Back-to-back days; 22 pitches on Monday. | RosterResource

Ryan Thompson and Andrew Kittredge are likely candidates for a save chance on Tuesday if Castillo isn’t available for a third consecutive day.

•Brad Hand, WSN: Back-to-back days; 26 pitches on Monday. | RosterResource

Daniel Hudson and Tanner Rainey are likely candidates for a save chance on Tuesday if Hand isn’t available for a third consecutive day.

 

Injury News

•Jesse Hahn, KCR: Placed on 10-Day IL (shoulder impingement); no timetable for return. | RosterResource

With only eight games played and four days off thus far, it’s been difficult to get a grasp on the Royals’ bullpen situation.

Two of the team’s most talented pitchers, Scott Barlow and Josh Staumont, never really seem to be in the mix for save chances. At least that hasn’t been the case as of yet. Wade Davis and Kyle Zimmer have one save each in 2021, although both opportunities appeared to be incidental. Greg Holland, who was the closer for the majority of last season, and Hahn, who picked up a save in each of the team’s last two wins in 2020 and his first of 2021 last Monday, have been listed (by me) at RosterResource as co-closers. It’s an educated guess, but the truth is that manager Mike Matheny might not even have an answer yet if asked who was his closer.

Now that Hahn is out of the picture for the time being, it’s possible that Holland will be the primary closer. A closer committee could include Zimmer and Davis. Or they could finally begin to phase in Staumont, the hard-throwing 27-year-old who has yet to have a save chance in 45 major league appearances.

Outlier Saves

•Lucas Sims, CIN | RosterResource

The most interesting thing about Sims’ one-out save to close out a 3-0 win over the Giants on Monday wasn’t that he was given the opportunity over Amir Garrett. The right-handed hitting Evan Longoria was the batter and Sims offered a much better matchup for the Reds. The big story is that Tejay Antone was only one out away from picking up a four-inning save in which he was absolutely dominant (3.2 IP, 0 R, 0 H, BB, 5 K). Now, the question is whether he continues his rise up the Reds’ bullpen hierarchy or if the plan is to move him into the starting rotation.

The 27-year-old Antone entered Spring Training as a favorite for a rotation spot, but an injury hindered his ability to build up into the necessary four-to-five inning range. With injured starters Sonny Gray and Michael Lorenzen both expected to return sometime in April, the chances of Antone being a starting pitcher in 2021 were looking slim. But after Monday’s outing, in which he threw 60 pitches, and the uncertainty of Lorenzen’s ability to hold up a starter, I wouldn’t completely rule it out.

 

 

Committee Clarity

•Lou Trivino, OAK | RosterResource

J.B. Wendelken entered Monday’s game in the seventh inning with the A’s ahead 6-3 over the Diamondbacks. He retired the first two batters, but surrendered two runs on three consecutive hits. Jake Diekman came in to get the final out and keep the A’s ahead. The 34-year-old lefty also pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, handing over a 9-5 lead to Trivino in the ninth inning.

It wasn’t a save chance — the A’s still don’t have a save in 2021 —  but it seems highly probable that Trivino was going to pitch the ninth inning if his team was ahead by any amount of runs. The 29-year-old closed out the victory, throwing mostly sinkers in the 97 MPH range, and continuing to put up numbers (7.2 IP, ER, 2 H, 3 BB, 9 K) that make him the most likely candidate to become the team’s primary closer. That is, if he’s not already.

 

Losing A Grip

•None