Bullpen Report: August 11, 2020

The 2020 version of Bullpen Report includes six 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.
6. Reliever On The Rise: Non-closer who is quickly moving up the depth chart based on potential and recent performance.

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

•None

 

Injury News

•Kirby Yates, SDP | RosterResource

Despite not pitching since Friday, Yates was not available on Monday to close out a 1-run win over the Dodgers. With a deep bullpen and Drew Pomeranz capable of closing out games, Padres manager Jayce Tingler opted to play it safe with his All-Star closer.

Kirby Yates had "soreness in his body" and "we're not going to push it," Jayce Tingler said. "Great chance he'll be in there," for the next save opp, the skipper adds.

— AJ Cassavell (@AJCassavell) August 11, 2020

 

Outlier Saves

•None

 

Committee Clarity

•Ty Buttrey, LAA | RosterResource

Save opportunities have been few and far between for the Angels, but the last two have gone to Buttrey and he has gotten the job done each time. On Monday, he struck out two in a scoreless ninth to shut the door on a 10-9 victory over the A’s.

The trio of Buttrey, Keynan Middleton, and Felix Peña appear to be manager Joe Maddon’s most trusted late-inning relievers, although it seems likely he’ll stick with the same formula — Middleton to Peña to Buttrey — that worked for him on Monday as opposed to mixing and matching in the ninth.

•Drew Pomeranz, SDP | RosterResource

Whether Yates is 100% or not, you get the feeling that Pomeranz will continue to get his share of save chances in 2020. After an easy 12-pitch ninth inning to pick up his third save in Monday’s 2-1 win over the Dodgers, the 31-year-old lefty now has 7.1 scoreless innings with only one hit allowed and 10 strikeouts. He also has four holds in his five non-save appearances.

•Andrew Kittredge, TBR | RosterResource

Eleven different Rays’ pitchers had at least one save in 2019. Kittredge was not one of them despite putting up strong numbers over 37 appearances. But on Monday, he picked up his first career save after recording the final two outs of an 8-7 win over the Red Sox.

How one pitcher, Emilio Pagan, ended up with 20 of the team’s 46 saves last season, is astonishing. There are at least five options that you can imagine manager Kevin Cash using in a save situation on any given day. But, as with Pagan and his zero career saves coming into 2019, there’s always a chance that anyone can emerge as the primary closer.

 

Losing A Grip

•None

 

Reliever On The Rise

•Felix Peña, LAA | RosterResource

At age 29, Peña was finally establishing himself on a big league pitching staff in 2019. Starter or reliever, he was making an impact on an Angels’ staff that was going to need him down the stretch. But on August 3, he suffered a knee injury five outs into his start. Not only was his season over, he would certainly be behind at the beginning of the 2020 season.

The four-month delay allowed him to get healthy, although there was no longer a place for him in the starting rotation. It’s worked out just fine, though, as he’s become one of the team’s most dependable relievers with only one run allowed and nine strikeouts in his first 8.1 innings of work.

As opposed to many starters who stick with their best two pitches once they move to the bullpen, Peña continues to use an effective three-pitch mix — a two-seam fastball, slider, and changeup, described in the following tweets as nasty, nasty, and mesmerizing …

Forgot how nasty Felix Peña’s 2-seam fastball is pic.twitter.com/7hBLbrcKh2

— haloSZN (@haloSZN) March 3, 2020

Felix Peña’s slider remains nasty. pic.twitter.com/lPqwLSyKJU

— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) August 5, 2020

This change-up from Felix Peña was mesmerizing pic.twitter.com/GXmjgGnT3I

— Brent Maguire (@bmags94) August 5, 2020