Bullpen Report: August 5, 2013

• The Biogenesis fallout today didn’t have too much of an effect on the Bullpen Report but it did snag one victim of note, Philadelphia Phillies lefty and set up man Antonio Bastardo.  Bastardo wasn’t in the initial Biogenesis rumors but he was handed a 50 game suspension today, effectively ending his season. Bastardo was gaining some traction as Papelbon has been more pedestrian this year but any hopes of him sneaking saves for the Phillies will have to wait until 2014 now.

It’s slim pickings as far as Bastardo’s replacements are concerned but one name to keep an eye on is fellow lefty Jake Diekman. Diekman’s numbers (3.72/4.13 FIP/xFIP; 7.11 K/9) aren’t great, but as a lefty in the late innings for Philly, he could be in line for a holds boost.

• Colin mentioned Parnell’s neck discomfort last night but it seems as though it’s worse than expected and a DL stint is likely. The usual suspects, David Aardsma and LaTroy Hawkins should fill in for Parnell. David Aardsma’s blown save last night might give Mr. Hawkins the next shot. Although Hawkins might feel like old news (he’s 40 years old), he’s actually been quite effective this year with a 2.98/3.47/3.25 ERA/FIP/xFIP line, keeping the ball on the ground with a 52.3% ground ball percentage. Aardsma can generate a few more swings and misses than Hawkins (8.14 K/9) but he’s generally been pretty lousy this year (4.65 xFIP) and his leash for saves might only extend to the one try he had. Lastly, I wouldn’t expect Scott Rice to see consistent chances if Parnell hits the DL but he could see a save opp or two against a lefty heavy ninth.

• Chris Perez entered the ninth inning tonight looking for his 18th save of the year but four batters and four earned runs later, Perez left with a blown save but without recording an out. Perez’ job isn’t in imminent danger but his 4.11 xFIP is certainly less than impressive. If Perez were to continue to stumble or miss any time with injury expect Joe Smith and Cody Allen to move up the chain.

• Craig Kimbrel had pitched on three consecutive days so Jordan Walden was called upon in the ninth and recorded his first save of the year. Kimbrel’s peripheral stats have gone down a tad but with a 13.92 K/9 and a 2.09 FIP, he’s still a premier fantasy closer, if not the best. Walden has been a little lucky with balls leaving the yard this year (only a 2.1% HR/FB) but with a 10.46 K/9 and 2.12/3.53 FIP/xFIP, he’s making himself rosterable in leagues to help your ratios and certainly a must own in any saves plus holds leagues.

• Ryan Madson was released by the Angels tonight. If healthy, it wouldn’t take much for Madson to take saves away from Ernesto Frieri at the moment but clearly that’s not the case as he hasn’t pitched since 2011 with the Phillies. I don’t expect anything from Madson this year but his name should resurface again this offseason. My guess is that some rebuilding team will take a flier on him returning to form, hoping to flip him at the trading deadline.

• With a bunch of lefties due up in the ninth, Paco Rodriguez stayed in for a second inning and notched his second save of the year. Kenley Jansen is still  the Dodgers closer but depending on the matchup,  Paco could steal a save or two from here on out.

Closer Grid:

 

	Closer	First	Second	DL/Minors
Arizona	Brad Ziegler	J.J. Putz	David Hernandez
Atlanta	Craig Kimbrel	Jordan Walden	Scott Downs
Baltimore	Jim Johnson	Francisco Rodriguez	Tommy Hunter
Boston	Koji Uehara	Junichi Tazawa	Craig Breslow	Andrew Bailey
CHI (NL)	Kevin Gregg	Pedro Strop	Blake Parker
CHI (AL)	Addison Reed	Nate Jones	Matt Lindstrom
Cincy	Aroldis Chapman	J.J. Hoover	Sam LeCure	Sean Marshall
Cleveland	Chris Perez	Joe Smith	Cody Allen	Vinnie Pestano
Colorado	Rex Brothers	Matt Belisle	Mitchell Boggs	Rafael Betancourt
Detroit	Joaquin Benoit	Jose Veras	Drew Smyly
Houston	Josh Fields	Jose Cisnero	Wesley Wright
KC	Greg Holland	Aaron Crow	Kelvin Herrera
LAA	Ernesto Frieri	Dane de la Rosa	Kevin Jepsen	Robert Coello
LAD	Kenley Jansen	Paco Rodriguez	Ronald Belisario	Brian Wilson
Miami	Steve Cishek	Mike Dunn	Chad Qualls
Milwaukee	Jim Henderson	John Axford	Michael Gonzalez
Minnesota	Glen Perkins	Jared Burton	Casey Fien
NY (NL)	Bobby Parnell	LaTroy Hawkins	David Aardsma	Frank Francisco
NY (AL)	Mariano Rivera	David Robertson	Joba Chamberlain
Oakland	Grant Balfour	Ryan Cook	Sean Doolittle
Philly	Jonathan Papelbon	Justin De Fratus	Jake Diekman	Mike Adams
Pittsburgh	Mark Melancon	Justin Wilson	Tony Watson	Jason Grilli
St. Louis	Edward Mujica	Trevor Rosenthal	Randy Choate	Jason Motte
SD	Huston Street	Luke Gregerson	Dale Thayer
SF	Sergio Romo	Jeremy Affeldt	Santiago Casilla
Seattle	Danny Farquhar	Yoervis Medina	Oliver Perez	Tom Wilhelmsen
TB	Fernando Rodney	Joel Peralta	Jake McGee	Jesse Crain
Texas	Joe Nathan	Tanner Scheppers	Jason Frasor
Toronto	Casey Janssen	Sergio Santos	Brett Cecil	Steve Delabar
Wash.	Rafael Soriano	Tyler Clippard	Craig Stammen	Drew Storen

[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]