Bullpen Report: August 22, 2022
The 2022 version of the Bullpen Report includes five different sections, as well as the closer chart, which can be found at the bottom of the page.
We will always include a link to the full Closer Depth Chart at the bottom of the Bullpen Report each day. It’s also accessible from the RosterResource drop-down menu and from any RosterResource page. Please let us know what you think.
- 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.
- Injury News
- Outlier Saves: Explanation for a non-closer earning a save during the previous day.
- Committee Clarity: Notes on a closer committee that clarify a pitcher’s standing in the group.
- Losing A Grip: Struggling closers who could be on the hot seat.
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).
Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.
Notable Workloads
•Brandon Hughes, CHC: Three of the last four days; 16 pitches on Sunday.| RosterResource
Co-closer Rowan Wick pitched Saturday and Sunday, but on just 28 pitches total, so he might be available Monday. If not, a save chance could fall to Mark Leiter Jr. or Michael Rucker.
•David Robertson, PHI: 21 pitches on Sunday; 36 pitches on Saturday. | RosterResource
•Brad Hand, PHI: 24 pitches on Sunday; 14 pitches on Saturday.| RosterResource
The Phillies might be operating with a very short-staffed bullpen on Monday, with Connor Brogdon and perhaps Nick Nelson doubtful to be available as well. That leaves José Alvarado and Andrew Bellatto as the likeliest closers.
Injury News
•Seranthony Domínguez, PHI: Placed on the 15-day IL (triceps soreness) on Sunday. | RosterResource
This is a massive blow for the Phillies bullpen, who even after acquiring David Robertson at the Trade Deadline had relied heavily on Domínguez in the ninth inning. The team appears optimistic that he’ll only miss the minimum 15 days, but that still keeps him out the rest of the month.
Phillies backdated Domínguez's IL placement. So, if he spends the minimum 15 days, he could return as soon as Sept. 2. (Same day as Harper?) Phillies face Reds, Pirates, DBacks in next three series.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) August 21, 2022
Domínguez has been brilliant this year, with a 1.64 ERA across 44 innings, having struck out 32% of opponents with just two homers allowed. Robertson will be leaned on heavily in Domínguez’s absence, as he was on Sunday (pitching after throwing 36 pitches Saturday) but the plan is to mix and match.
Thomson said he'll continue to mix and match in the later innings. He listed Brogdon, Alvarado, Hand, Robertson, and Bellatti as options to close.
— Alex Coffey (@byalexcoffey) August 21, 2022
Hand seems like the second-likeliest option thanks to his wealth of closing experience.
Outlier Saves
•Austin Pruitt, OAK | RosterResource
Mark Kotsay and the A’s pieced things together quite well after J.P. Sears’ five solid innings, using six relievers over the final four innings. Of those six, A.J. Puk and Dany Jiménez were shaky, but the other four did their job, with long reliever Pruitt ultimately recording the final two outs. His 4.78 ERA, middling strikeout stuff and general usage as a multi-inning mop-up guy won’t get him many more chances even though he did his job on Sunday, though.
•Taylor Hearn, TEX | RosterResource
With Jonathan Hernández and Matt Moore unavailable, what Hearn did to save the rest of the bullpen on Sunday was pretty important for Texas: he came into a two on, nobody out mess in the seventh, and took the game to the house by retiring all nine men he faced, with five strikeouts to boot, on 43 pitches. Hearn opened the season in the rotation, so it’s no surprise that he could give some length, but he might have opened eyes by showing he can be a real relief weapon from the left side, along with multi-inning lefties Moore and Brock Burke. Sunday’s save was the first of Hearn’s career.
•Taylor Rogers, MIL | RosterResource
It was no surprise at all that Devin Williams wasn’t going to be used on Sunday after a laborious 37-pitch outing on Saturday that may leave him down on Monday as well. So, deadline acquisition Rogers was brought in for the save, and while he did give up a hit, he had no real issue shutting the Cubs down on 18 pitches, 14 for strikes.
It’s been an uneven start to Rogers’ Brewers tenure: on the one hand, he’s given up six runs on two homers in eight innings. But on the other hand, he’s struck out 11 and walked just two, so maybe better things are to come. This was Rogers’ first save as a Brewer and 29th overall this year.
•Zack Littell, SFG | RosterResource
Yes, the Giants played at Coors Field on Sunday. By the time the 11th inning rolled around, they had burned through their entire bullpen except for Littell and Thomas Szapucki, with Alex Young blowing the other extra-innings save chance in the tenth. Enter Littell, who just came off the IL and rejoined the bullpen on Wednesday. Littell induced a bunt pop out before benefitting from a fantastic tag from Evan Longoria on a tag up to third base on a flyout. Thanks to the zombie runner on second, Littell only had to face two batters and throw seven pitches to earn the save.
Committee Clarity
•Nick Martinez, SDP | RosterResource
Another day, another closer for the Padres. Luis García apparently wasn’t available for a third day of work, but Martinez was, having not pitched on Saturday. In a one-run game against a Nationals team that’d been surprisingly pesky against the Padres over the course of the series, Martinez put them to bed with a 1-2-3 inning on eleven pitches for his fifth save of the season. Martinez has been a valuable Swiss Army knife pitcher for the Dads, with a 3.20 ERA in 90 innings, including ten starts.
Losing A Grip
•None
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