Bullpen Report: August 13, 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

•Cole Sulser, BAL: Back-to-back days; 16 pitches on Wednesday. | RosterResource

Sulser has thrown 44 pitches in two days, while Miguel Castro and Mychal Givens have also pitched on back-to-back days. Givens (19 pitches on Wednesday) would seem the most likely to get a third consecutive day and a save chance.

 

Injury News

•Keone Kela, PIT | RosterResource

Kela will be activated from the Injured List (COVID-19) on Thursday ahead of the Pirates’ four-game series in Cincinnati. Without any reliable late-inning alternatives, the expectation is that he’ll be the closer right away. Easing him back with a few low-leverage outings is a possibility, but mostly because the Pirates have only won one of their last 11 games and might not be able to offer many save opportunities.

 

Outlier Saves

•Josh A. Smith., MIA | RosterResource

After closer Brandon Kintzler pitched 1.1 scoreless innings to send a tie game into extra innings, the Marlins took a 14-11 lead over the Blue Jays in the top of the 10th. Miami’s eighth and final pitcher of the game was Smith, who pitched a scoreless bottom half of the inning (2 K) for his second career save. His first was last June while he was with the Red Sox.

 

Committee Clarity

•Cole Sulser, Miguel Castro, and Mychal Givens, BAL | RosterResource

For the second time this season, manager Brandon Hyde has gone right back to Sulser the day after a blown save. Both times, Sulser has delivered with a strong bounce-back performance. On Wednesday, he pitched a 1-2-3 ninth (2 K) to close out a 5-4 win over the Phillies and pick up his fourth save. At 9-7, the Orioles could be the most surprising team in baseball thus far and Hyde appears confident with Sulser as the closer on his winning ball club and Castro and Givens as his primary setup men.

 

Losing A Grip

•None

 

Reliever On The Rise

•Blake Taylor, HOU | RosterResource

There aren’t many bright spots in the Astros’ bullpen, but Taylor has been an exception. Acquired from the Mets this past offseason in a trade for Jake Marisnick, the 24-year-old was coming off of his first season as a relief pitcher. He spent most of the season in High-A and Double-A, so his arrival in the big leagues was not highly anticipated on Opening Day 2020. But he won a spot as the team’s lone left-handed reliever and he has not disappointed.

After pitching a scoreless ninth on Wednesday to close out a 5-1 win over the Giants — not quite his first save chance, but he’s getting closer — Taylor has allowed just two runs in 10 innings with four walks and ten strikeouts. He’s been very good against lefty hitters (1-for-13), but right-handers haven’t exactly had much success against him either (5-for-20, HR, 2 2B).

It’s a small sample, but with closer Ryan Pressly struggling, Taylor’s ability to get both left-handed and right-handed batters out is what could earn him a chance to step into the role should the team decide to make a change. If he can continue to paint the outside corner with his mid-nineties fastball as he did here to Anthony Rendon, he should be just fine.

Blake Taylor has arguably been the Astros best reliever thus far in 2020. 93.7 MPH average four-seam velocity, but he has yet to allow a hit with the pitch. Six strikeouts via the four-seam, including this one last night against Anthony Rendon. pic.twitter.com/Knen6eGpdG

— Astros Stats 📈 (@astro_numbers) August 2, 2020