Bullpen Report: August 18, 2014
• Jenrry Mejia’s woes continued in today’s game against the Cubs. Mejia entered in the ninth inning with the Mets down 2-1 and allowed two runs off of a Javier Baez homer. Mejia has dealt with a calf issue previously and will need surgery on a hernia in the offseason and it’s clearly affected his performance of late. As of this writing, Terry Collins hasn’t said anything about Mejia’s role moving forward but Jeurys Familia should be owned in all league’s, check your wire immediately. It’s also worth noting that with knowledge of all these ailments, Terry Collins had Mejia pitch the fourth time in five games, probably not the smartest decision by his manager. A few weeks ago I felt safe assuming Mejia as the Mets closer on opening day 2015 but there is a real chance Familia takes the role this year, muddling Mejia’s chances next year along with Bobby Parnell who should be back from TJ surgery. Also of note, Vic Black recorded two outs in today’s game, lowering his ERA to 2.01. Although he profiles as a potential closer, he’s still behind Familia in the pecking order but that may be the best for his future health on the Mets.
• Neil Ramirez pitched a perfect eighth inning setting up Hector Rondon for his 18th save of the year. Ramirez was briefly on the DL with a sore shoulder but he’s back to his familiar role setting up Rondon. Ramirez lets a lot of balls reach the air (only 29% GB%) and has been a tad lucky with those balls going over the fence (5.7% HR/FB) and balls in play generally (.254 BABIP) but he continues to miss bats (39 strikeouts in 30.2 innings) and should remain a second tier level setup man so long as his shoulder holds up for Chicago. The Cubs likely won’t win too many games moving forward but Rondon will continue to see a few save chances with Ramirez and Pedro Strop accruing holds along the way.
• Ken Giles allowed a couple of hits but also struck out three batters for a scoreless eighth, holding the lead for Jonathan Papelbon to secure his 29th save. So long as Johnathan Papelbon and his contract remain in Philly, Giles won’t see the ninth inning but he’s certainly ready for prime time. On the year Giles ERA/FIP/xFIP now stands at an impressive 1.27/1.33/1.80. Giles never displayed control in the minors with BB/9 rates often at 5.00 BB/9 or above but in the majors it’s been a pristine 1.91.Given that history, I wouldn’t expect Giles to consistently exhibit above average control but with his ability to miss bats (16.4 SwStr%) and 97+ mph heat, he should remain a top set up option in fantasy and real life.
• With Huston Street having the night off, Mike Scioscia called on Kevin Jepsen to get the save against the Red Sox. Kevin Jepsen owners have enjoyed a surprisingly effective year (2.05 ERA, 30.2% K%) and were treated to a pleasant save in addition to his ratio, holds and K help tonight. Jepsen is still behind Street, Joe Smith and Jason Grilli but tonight’s outing is indicative of the strides Jepsen has made this year.
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
Rosenthal just blew another save.
Yeah but the Cards won so i doubt Neshek will ursurp him for the closing gig.
Winning doesn’t mask 2 weeks of not being good. Hell, he was only good in June! Every other month has been shaky at best. Granted, most of May and most of July was solid, but pointing to his good stretches just highlights how many bad stretches he’s had.
I heard the dopes on MLB Network comparing his striggles to Kimbrel’s 2nd year. Kimbrel ‘struggled’ with a ERA increase from .044 to 2.10, but he dropped his xFIP from 2.48 to 1.94. So first of all, ‘struggling’ with a 2.10 ERA is just a stupid statement, but he was still a better pitcher! Rosenthal seems like he’s really losing it this year. If the Cards was to make the playoffs, they need to secure 1 run wins better than Rosenthal can do!
Yeah, I’m not sure what the Cards winning has to do with Rosenthal here.
I’m still hoping it was sarcasm… but that was waaaayyyyy to subtle.
Winning is everything. Only we care about the stats you used as the argument. Go bring all these facts to the guys managing or actually playing the game. They will laugh in your face and say “but we won the game”.