Bullpen Report: April 16, 2014
• Two games, two shutouts, two saves, two different closers for the Yankees today. Current closer Shawn Kelley polished off Masahiro Tanaka’s gem in game one of a doubleheader, while Adam Warren finished off the day’s eighteen straight scoreless innings against the Cubs in the nightcap. Kelley’s easy save solidifies his role in the ninth; he should be available to finish the game tomorrow. He impressively has yet to walk a batter this season. That the team went to Adam Warren when having the rest of the bullpen available in the second game speaks to his position as second-in-command on the depth chart. The concern about this bullpen appears it will be short-lived, however. David Robertson is going to try throwing off a mound tomorrow and hopes to return when eligible next week.
• Fernando Rodney was unable to get any arrows out of his quiver tonight, blowing his first save since joining the Mariners. It came in interesting fashion. The crooked-lidded-righty notched two quick outs before allowing a weak hit and then a walk. An error by Brad Miller loaded the bases before a wild pitch and walkoff single conspired to waste Felix Hernandez’s gem. While there was plenty of consternation of the Rodney signing this offseason, he’s been at least OK during the young season. His 8/3 K/BB in 20 TBF isn’t a terrible ratio, although his velocity is down a touch, which bears watching. At least it’s trending the right direction. His job is plenty safe for the moment, however.
• The saga that is the Oakland bullpen continues. Sean Doolittle blew a save last night, while deposed closer Jim Johnson pitched well again in a non-save situation. It sounds like Bob Melvin isn’t terribly inclined to shake up the status quo, so expect Luke Gregerson to get the next opportunity, but he also said the team will reevaluate the situation when they return home. The last couple of games have brought Johnson’s absurdly high (small sample size) SIERA down to a more palatable 4.36. The A’s have a vested interest in getting him back in the role, so scoop him up if he’s been dropped in any of your leagues.
• Injury notes: Good news if you are an owner of elite closers. Koji Uehara threw a 34-pitch bullpen session earlier today with no apparent ill effects. While 34 pitches feels excessive, the team appears to think he’ll be available out of the bullpen as early as tomorrow. Get him back into your active lineups if he’s been reserved. Not to be outdone, Craig Kimbrel tossed 14 pitches of his own during a side session this afternoon, saying he “felt great.” Sounds like “crisis averted” for the Braves.
• More injury notes: Casey Janssen and Sean Marshall are both headed out on rehab assignments. Those in deep holds leagues might be interested in the latter, but most fantasy owners are curious to see what happens with Janssen. If he shows he’s healthy and capable of being the same guy he’s been the last couple years, it’ll make the ninth inning situation in Toronto very interesting. Brian Wilson was activated from the DL yesterday. I’m steering clear until he proves his stuff is back. Bullpen Report fave Paco Rodriguez was the odd man out (hey, he has options); he’ll almost certainly be back sooner rather than later. Jeremy Affeldt is also back, although he’s not terribly useful in most formats.
Closer Grid:
[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]
There are few things Colin loves more in life than a pitcher with a single-digit BB%. Find him on Twitter @soxczar.
Lindstrom blew another save.
Go get Daniel Webb?
Oops! Jumped the gun. Yahoo boxscore error. Cleto walked two then Lindstrom came in.
So why Cleto to start the 9th instead of Lindstrom? matchups?
Technically, Lindstrom still blew the save, since he’s the pitcher who allowed the tying run to score – even if it wasn’t his runner.
Lindstrom should’ve started 9th inning. Robin Ventura is almost as stupid as Matt Williams. Ugh.
Hey, I can’t blame Ventura for acting on the edict to build value in relevers who won’t be on the team next year. Jones and Webb are the future… the only thing they can do now for that team is cost them money later!
I see you have strop has CL but doesn’t Rondon have much better numbers and the only save chance of the two?
I like Rondon better personally, but the grid is A) kind of an average of the three BR posters here (myself, Alan, Ben) and B) also meant to be somewhat of a hybrid between what the actual bullpen depth chart is and what we think it will be in the near future (in the case of very muddy structure).
One strike against Rondon is his lack of experience. Strop has a track record that the Cubs could lean on if they wanted to try him in the ninth inning. I don’t think that should matter, personally (PROVEN CLOSER(TM)), but it’s also a very real construct for managers.
Lindstrom still blew the save. Is time for the Webb slinger?
Looks like Webb was scored upon also, unless Yahoo’s website is glitching again.
Webs run was an inherited runner, or so says the play by play. Pedroia singled the Webb came on. Pefroia was the runner who scored. Shouldn’t that be lindstroms earned run?
Scratch that, mlb tells a different story than Yahoo.
Blowing saves and giving up runs to the Red Sox is not exactly like falling on your face. Everybody sucked in that game except Nate Jones, but that’s only because he’s gimpy!
That’s too reasonable. Yeah, I picked up Webb in some leagues. But I don’t trust Ventura to make the reasonable decision. It will get even messier when Nate Jones comes back from DL lol.
I’m all on board the Webb train. A lot of commenters were annoyed I didn’t move Cleto into the grid, but we saw why he’s not cut out to be a closer last night.
Ventura is the one who has to make that move, though, so I like Webb as a stash, but he’s not “run to the wire and must-add.” Yet.
Farquhar has been seeing 7th inning work while Wilhelmsen is getting the 8th… maybe need to be flipped First/Second in line there?
Farquhar has entered the game in the 8th inning in five of his six appearances this season.
*four of his five appearances*
Whelp. Neither of us are accurate here. He’s entered in the 7th once, 8th once, and three times in the 9th (non-save situations). Lots of 1+ inning stuff. Doesn’t say “setup man” to me…
Something mechanically wrong with Henderson? Fastball speed is all over the place and getting MASHED (Small sample size aside, LD% almost 50%… HR/FB 33%).
Should I have kept Rondon or Strop over Gregerson?
It looks way too easy to hit Gregorson.
Today vs the angels and 1 or 2 appearances ago guys just bloop little singles past the infielders off him.
I mean, he’s throwing mid to low 80s at times yes? He’s not fooling ppl with that.
Satoshi, would you drop Gregerson for Strop or Rondon?
I am avoiding the Cubs situation entirely.
I like Rondon more than Strop bc Strop’s minor league stats are ugly.
While waiting for roles to cement why not add a good 7th/8th inning guy who leeches Wins?
Cubs never win. But if you must, I’d pick up Rondon.
I’m just wondering because Gregerson blew a save today and maybe Melvin decides to go back to Jim Johnson after this outing.
Gregerson has never really thrown harder than 90 but has continued to put up elite SwStr% rates. Similar to the Casey Janssen argument from a few years ago. Also, giving up little bloop singles is the definition of weak contact finding holes, I wouldn’t hold that against him.
His xFIP, while not sterling, has consistently been around ~3.70 or so the last few years. While he’s not going to be a lights-out, shutdown, big whiff type of guy, he’s actually middle-of-the-road as far as closer peripherals go.
My guess is Gregorson wont get saves because he lost/will lose the job or he’ll blow the saves.
In san diego he had more BS than Sv. Maybe he’s just not cut out for it.
*Also, take anything I say with an enormous grain of salt, seeing how I’m amateur hour over here.
That’s unfair to Gregerson, any setup guy will have more blown saves than saves, simply by being a setup guy. If you do your job in the 8th inning, you don’t get a save. If you don’t do your job in the 8th inning, you do get a blown save.
The better comparison there would be BS vs Holds or BS vs Holds + Saves.
You can get a blown save in the 8th inning?
I thought by definition a save had to be 9th inning or later.
I mean, guys don’t get saves in the 5th inning coming in to relieve a starter who reached 120 pitches too fast do they?
HFK is correct. Shamelessly stolen from B-R: http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/save#Blown_Save
“A blown save (abbreviated BS) is charged to a pitcher who enters a game in a save situation but allows the tying run to score. Blown saves were introduced in 1988, but are not an officially recognized statistic although many sources keep track of them. Once a pitcher blows a save, he is no longer eligible to earn a save in that game (since the lead that he was trying to “save” has disappeared) although he can earn a win if his team regains the lead. He could, theoretically, earn the save if he moves to another position and resumes pitching at a later point if a save situation is once again in effect. For this reason, most closers’ records include few wins. Closers make the majority of their appearances with their team already ahead, so when a closer earns a win, he has often blown a save first. Middle relievers often compile many more blown saves than saves, since they get the former every time they fail, but rarely get the chance anymore to finish the game and earn the save when they do their job well. As a result, ignorant commentators will often say that a middle reliever is not cut out to be a closer since he has such a poor save percentage, even though those numbers are not at all comparable to those of closers. To circumvent that problem, the hold statistic has been created, and is in effect a save credited to a middle reliever.”
What do you mean when you say amateur hour?
By amateur hour I was referring to myself.
I’m not a professional baseball or fantasy expert.
I’m just a random person throwing out armchair analysis and shouldn’t be taken seriously.
But someone asked for my opinion so I gave it.
I see. I might end up kicking myself for dropping Gregerson. I’m ok with dropping Gregerson if Sergio Santos keeps the job in Toronto. If not…
@Hfk and colin: I stand corrected. I erroneously assumed blown saves on any reliever’s stats happened when they filled in for an injured or slumping Closer.
Any concerns about Kenley Jansen?
Only because Brian Wilson was awesome last year and is getting 9 mill! A few healthy weeks from him and 2-3 more blown saves and the jig is up!
What is the over under on how long Veras is out as closer? Don’t they need him saving games in order to build up his trade value, or is that theory bunkum?
Can I get some love for Ian Krol?