Bullpen Report: April 9, 2016
- Santiago Casilla blew his first save of the season against the Dodgers today, though a key bobble by Kelby Tomlinson is taking away some of that heat. Casilla loaded the bases with one out, then induced what seemed to be a game-ending double play ball to Tomlinson. Tomlinson bobbled the ball, allowing the run to score, and only getting one out. Casilla’s job is safe for now, but Sergio Romo and Hunter Strickland both pitched scoreless innings, earning themselves holds, and would be next in line for saves. Again, don’t see it happening just yet as a result of today’s blown save since Casilla is not 100% to blame. Romo pitched the 7th and Strickland came in with a runner on in the 8th. Don’t think this is indicative of who is necessarily next in line, just thought it was worth noting.
- Last night, Oakland showed their hand in how they going to operate their bullpen, and it looks like it may be a frustrating season for fantasy owners. Tied at 2 going into the bottom of the 8th, instead of using set-up man Ryan Madson, Oakland put in Sean Doolittle to face the heart of Seattle’s line-up. Oakland would score in the top of the 9th, earning Doolittle the win, and Madson would be called upon to close his second game of the year. After his first save, it was assumed Madson was used to give Doolittle a rest. It now appears Oakland will make decisions based around leverage, so saves may be spread across the pen. Doolittle should still get most of the saves, but I downgraded their bullpen color because the save opportunities should continue to be shared. Smart for real baseball, but not very helpful in fantasy.
- Quick hits: Luke Gregerson and Kenley Jansen earned their second saves of the season, with Ken Giles earning his second hold and Chris Hatcher getting the win in front of them. Giles and Hatcher are strong middle relief candidates in terms of getting K’s and holds, if your league is slick like that. David Hernandez had 2 K’s to get his second hold, but more importantly, Jeanmar Gomez pitched a perfect 9th to earn his first save of the season. Gomez forced two weakly hit grounders and a line out to end the game. Arodys Vizcaino tries to further cement his role as closer after replacing Jason Grilli who loaded the bases. Vizcaino forced the Cardinals to ground into three ground balls, but it wasn’t until the final one that the Braves could end the inning. In a non-save situation, Brad Ziegler struggled letting the first two men on, inducing a double play, then loading the bases. He escaped unscathed, but not the ideal outing even if it wasn’t for a save. Hector Rondon pitched a perfect ninth, striking out two.
Closer Grid:
[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]
Who should I pick up: Strickland, Kela or Zych?