Bullpen Report: August 23, 2021

NEW FEATURE ALERT! We have added an upgraded version of RosterResource’s Closer Depth Chart to FanGraphs. Read more about it here.

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.

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.

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

•Will Smith, ATL: 17 pitches on Sunday; 13 pitches on Saturday. | RosterResource

Richard Rodríguez, Tyler Matzek and Luke Jackson are the three likeliest to fill in on Monday, if needed.

Injury News

•None

Outlier Saves

•Joe Jiménez, DET | RosterResource

The Tigers’ late-inning triad of Gregory Soto, Michael Fulmer and José Cisnero had all pitched by the time the Tigers took the lead for good in the eleventh, and so too had Kyle Funkhouser. And so, the former All-Star Jiménez was the best option. It was an uneventful save for Jiménez, who didn’t even allow the extra-innings runner to score, striking out two batters and throwing just ten pitches. It was his first save of the season and the 18th of his career.

•Josh Fleming, TBR | RosterResource

It was an unintended bullpen game for the Rays on Sunday, with the just-activated Chris Archer lasting only two innings before being forced to leave with hip soreness. As the Rays have done so well all season, they pieced together the bullpen, with Shawn Armstrong, Adam Conley and Chris Mazza covering innings three through six. Fleming needed just 40 pitches for three shutout innings to earn his first career save. He should continue to log multi-inning appearances out of the bullpen unless he’s needed to plug back into the rotation for Archer.

•Yohan Ramirez, SEA | RosterResource

Co-closers Drew Steckenrider and Paul Sewald did their jobs as asked on Sunday, with eight outs (four strikeouts) between them. But neither of them available to bail out Keynan Middleton in the tenth, and so Yohan Ramirez—the teams’ Rule 5 pick just two offseasons ago—was given the difficult task against the formidable Astros. Ramirez handled it well, though, throwing only nine pitches to strike out José Altuve and induce a Michael Brantley fly ball to end the game.

Committee Clarity

•None

Losing A Grip

•None

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.