Bullpen Report: August 10, 2016

– It was Matt Bush, not Sam Dyson or Jeremy Jeffress that earned the save in Texas tonight. Somewhat interesting play — Dyson and Jeffress had only pitched Tuesday (not Monday) but tossed 24 and 19 pitches, respectively. Bush continues his renaissaince as a relief pitcher, lowering his ERA to 2.56 (xFIP to 3.73). He hasn’t been the most lights out stopper (“only” a 22% K% and an 11% SwStr% with a 97mph average fastball) but he’s minimized the free passes and should be a nice option to pick up some holds on a team that wins more than it loses. He’ll crack the grid, but I don’t sense any imminent shakeups here.

– After three consecutive scoreless innings, Jake Barrett had another ugly outing, giving up a two-run tater to Kelly Johnson and spoiling a Robbie Ray gem (although Arizona did win — they just needed a few extra innings). Yes Barrett has had a few saves but the peripherals aren’t terribly inspiring. The strikeout rate isn’t bad but it’s not elite. And you can’t get by with an 11% BB% if you don’t have elite stuff. Small sample size, but the swinging strike rate (13%) portends better things but the double-digit walk rate has been a consistent problem for him through the minor league ladder. Worth noting that Enrique Burgos tossed a scoreless 8th tonight. Like Barrett, he has a live arm with some control issues. He’ll crack the grid behind Randall Delgado and we’ll turn this red (while giving Barrett a very short leash). Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks don’t have an elite lockdown setup guy waiting in the wings so this might be a hot potato pen for a while.

– Quick hits: Kenley Jansen wasn’t very good in a save situation. Hurts the rates but otherwise nothing to fear. Seung Hwan Oh keeps looking good, notching save number 10. The Final Boss now owns a tidy 2.11 FIP. Mark Melancon had a nice, easy, 3-run save against the Indians. The Indians losing didn’t help tip their committee beyond the fact that Andrew Miller has been working as a non-traditional fireman lately. I nudged Raisel Iglesias just ahead of Tony Cingrani on the grid. It’s a committee, but Iglesias is easily the better pitcher moving forward. Right as I get ready to publish, David Robertson blows another save. Going to move this yellow — the peripherals are equally as mediocre as the 4.12 ERA would lead you to believe…

Closer Grid:

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