Bullpen Report: August 16, 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

•Mark Melancon, ATL: Back-to-back days; 11 pitches on Saturday. | RosterResource

Melancon has only thrown 23 pitches in two days, but the Braves might want to keep him rested on Sunday with a three-game series against the Nationals coming up.

•Liam Hendriks, OAK: Back-to-back days; 3 of last 4 days; 12 pitches on Saturday. | RosterResource

Hendriks hasn’t thrown more than 13 pitches in the three appearances he’s made in the last four days. But with 15 games to play before their next scheduled day off, Sunday might be a good day to stay away from him and go with Joakim Soria in a save situation.

•Trevor Gott, SFG: Back-to-back days; 22 pitches on Saturday. | RosterResource

The workload isn’t Gott’s biggest problem. It’s the back-to-back blown saves to erase ninth inning leads of five runs and three runs in consecutive games. Tony Watson, Tyler Rogers, and Sam Selman should all be in the mix for a save chance on Sunday.

 

Injury News

•Aroldis Chapman, NYY | RosterResource

After a bullpen session on Saturday, Yankees manager Aaron Boone indicated that Chapman was close to a return. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he was back on the roster by Monday. How soon he’s back in the closer’s role is another question, although the 32-year-old probably doesn’t need more than one or two lower-leverage appearances before he’s ready for his first save opportunity.

•Kirby Yates, SDP | RosterResource

Yates was placed on the 10-Day IL with bone chips in the back of his elbow. He will seek a second opinion, presumably to determine if he will be able to pitch through it this season. Drew Pomeranz is expected to be the team’s primary closer in Yates’ absence.

 

Outlier Saves

•Alex Claudio, MIL | RosterResource

With Josh Hader and Devin Williams likely unavailable after high pitch counts on Friday, Corey Knebel and David Phelps were the likeliest candidates for a save chance on Saturday. But Knebel came in with two outs in the eighth — he allowed a game-tying homer — and Phelps pitched the ninth with the game tied. After the Brewers took a two-run lead in the top of the tenth, Claudio retired all three batters he faced in the bottom of the tenth — the runner on second scored on a groundout — to pick up his 13th career save.

 

Committee Clarity

•Andrew Miller, STL | RosterResource

The Cardinals’ return to action couldn’t have gone much better as they swept a double-header from the White Sox while the bullpen was nearly flawless. Six relievers combined to allow two earned runs over six innings — Genesis Cabrera allowed a two-run homer to Eloy Jimenez — with two walks and twelve strikeouts. Miller got a save, while Giovanny Gallegos and Alex Reyes both struck out all three batters they faced.

 

Losing A Grip

•Brad Hand, CLE | RosterResource

Hand has five saves in five chances and has had only one really bad game where he allowed three of his four earned runs on the season. But many of his outings have been a bit on the shaky side, which might be less concerning if he hadn’t struggled in the second half of 2019 (5.40 ERA, 11-for-15 in save chances) and used sparingly in September due to arm fatigue. In 5.2 innings, the 30-year-old lefty has four walks and seven strikeouts.

With James Karinchak waiting in the wings, manager Terry Francona might have a tough decision if the shaky outings turn into blown leads.

•Ryan Pressly, HOU | RosterResource

Back in the hot seat three days after blowing his second game of the season, Pressly had an easy 1-2-3 inning to close out a 2-1 victory over the Mariners on Saturday while striking out both J.P. Crawford and Kyle Lewis on three pitches.

•Trevor Gott, SFG | RosterResource

This is what I wrote yesterday:

“Coming in to Friday’s game, Gott was 4-for-4 in save chances with only one run allowed in six innings. But after blowing a 7-2 lead while recording only one out in the ninth inning against the Athletics (5 ER, 2 H, BB, HBP), however long a leash he had built up with manager Gabe Kapler is probably all but gone now. Best case, he’s one bad outing away from the Giants going with a closer committee.”

That one bad outing happened on Saturday and it was just as bad as Friday’s disaster. In to protect a three-run lead, he allowed a leadoff homer to Sean Murphy and a two-out, three-run homer to Mark Canha before being removed from the game (and probably from the closer’s role).

 

Reliever On The Rise

•Alex Reyes, STL | RosterResource

At age 21, Reyes burst onto the scene in August 2016 with 9.1 scoreless innings of relief to begin his major league career. He finished the season in the rotation, looking every bit the part of a future staff ace. His career was derailed, however, before the 2017 season began when he suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

By the following May, he began what had to be one of the most dominant rehab assignments ever. Making one start at each full-season level, Reyes pitched 23 scoreless innings with seven walks and 44 strikeouts. His return to the majors was no different as he pitched four shutout innings. The next day, however, it was revealed that he suffered a season-ending lat injury.

Reyes returned to action in 2019, but was nowhere near the same pitcher. In four relief appearance with the Cardinals, he walked six batters and struck out only one in three innings. Entering his age-25 season in 2020, it was understandable that his team was not relying on him in any big way. He was buried on the depth chart and would have to win a bullpen spot. But he missed most of Summer Camp recovering from COVID-19 and didn’t have a spot on the major league roster until the team suffered a COVID-19 outbreak that temporarily shut down their season.

Back in action on Saturday, a decimated Cardinals’ bullpen all of a sudden needs Reyes to contribute. Based on his outing — he struck out all three hitters he faced — he sure looks like a guy who was one of the best pitching prospects in baseball only a few years ago. And by the looks of the strikeout pitches, including a 99.5 MPH fastball that was thrown right past Luis Robert, Reyes looks like he could be a major factor in 2020. And it seems like he knows it.

Alex Reyes strikes out the side in the 5th #stlcards pic.twitter.com/8mPBOqGWdE

— cardinalsgifs (@cardinalsgifs) August 15, 2020