Bullpen Report: August 11, 2014
• Matt Lindstrom will be activated tomorrow and while he may see some time in the ninth inning before the year is over, I wouldn’t drop Jacob Petricka just yet. Petricka isn’t as good as his ERA suggests (2.02) but he’s done well enough to merit holding the job over a just off the DL Lindstrom. If you really need saves then take a flier on Lindstrom but he only has value if he’s seeing the ninth inning as he doesn’t have swing and miss stuff and is unlikely to even help your ratios. However, those in holds leagues could take a more serious look, as Lindstrom should find his way into some later, higher leverage innings, even if it’s not in the ninth.
• As Colin mentioned last night, Mets closer Jenrry Mejia is battling a hernia but he intends to pitch through it and have surgery in the offseason. With Mejia battling a calf injury and hernia and taking a day off, Jeurys Familia came on for the four out save today, closing his third door this year. Terry Collins and Mejia spoke today and Mejia will continue to pitch through the hernia, but if it prevents him from pitching the way he is capable of, Mejia’s season could be shut down. Mejia is still very much so the Mets closer, but with the recent injury news corresponding with mediocre performance (15 base runners and 4 ER allowed in his last 5.2 innings pitched) Familia is becoming a must own, especially for those in need of saves.
• Steve Cishek allowed two hits a walk and two earned runs but managed to escape with the lead and his 30th save of the year. After tonight’s outing, Cishek’s ERA now stands at 3.86 but with a stellar 22.7% K-BB% and 2.40 SIERA I wouldn’t worry about Cishek’s ballooning ERA removing him from the closer’s role anytime soon. Cishek’s had some bad batted ball luck with a .351 BABIP but his K-BB% ranks in the top 25 among qualified relievers in baseball this year, and top 10 in the National League. Cishek should remain a top closing option from here on out in both NL and mixed leagues.
• Greg Holland let the first two batters reach base but then recorded the final three outs for his 35th save of the year. Wade Davis threw a scoreless eighth with two strikeouts for his 25th hold of the year to set up Holland for the save. Holland and Wade Davis have been unbelievable all year for the Royals, arguably the best 1-2 punch of any bullpen in the league. In 51.1 innings this year, Davis has only allowed 5 ER while striking out 78 batters against 20 walks with a 1.44 FIP. Although he doesn’t get any saves, Davis has been one of the most valuable relievers in the game even if you include leagues that count saves. He likely won’t keep an ERA under 1.00, but if you’re looking to improve your strikeouts and/or ratios before the year is up, a guy like Davis might help more and be more easily acquired than a starter.
Closer Grid:
[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]
When he's not focusing on every team's bullpen situation, Ben can be found blogging at Ben's Baseball Bias and on Twitter @BensBias
HELLOOOOOO!
When i am not tending to my children dressed up in drag as their nanny, i watch Giants games here in San Francisco. I believe Santiago Casilla is now firmly entrenched in the closers role and you guys should give him the green light.
Sincerely,
Euphegenia Doubtfire
P.S.
Rest in Peace Robin Williams
Since the lights have no empirical referents anyway (they stand for different volatility, which means, ummm, I don’t know) why bother?