Bullpen Report: August 6, 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.

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).

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.

Notable Workloads

•Jorge López, MIN: 30 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Jhoan Duran has plenty of closing experience this year, so he’d probably be the one to handle the ninth on Saturday if needed.

•Clay Holmes, NYY: 25 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Scott Effross, Wandy Peralta, Jonathan Loáisiga, Aroldis Chapman, and Lou Trivino are all plausible closers if Holmes is down on Saturday.

•Colin Poche, TBR: 25 pitches on Friday; 9 pitches on Thursday. | RosterResource

Co-closers Jason Adam, Pete Fairbanks and Brooks Raley 레일리 should all be available on Saturday.

•Devin Williams, MIL: Three straight days; 10 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Even though Williams has only thrown 24 pitches in his three consecutive outings, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be available for a fourth straight day. That’d leave closing duties to Taylor Rogers or Matt Bush.

•Ryan Helsley, STL: 13 pitches on Friday; 15 pitches on Thursday. | RosterResource

Giovanny Gallegos should be good to go on Saturday.

Injury News

•None

Outlier Saves

•None

Committee Clarity

•Jimmy Herget, LAA | RosterResource

The Angels are likely going to have an incredibly fluid closing situation for the rest of the season with Raisel Iglesias now a Brave, with José Quijada earning the first save in the post-Iglesias era and Jimmy Herget getting his shot in the tenth inning on Friday. Herget was able to strand the zombie runner at second with a one-run lead for his second save of the season.

The sidearming Herget been a solid arm in the Angels bullpen, with a 3.43 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 39.1 innings of work.

Losing A Grip

•Mark Melancon, ARI | RosterResource

To be clear right off the top, Melancon has already lost his grip. Manager Torey Lovullo told reporters that he’s switching to a closer by committee for the time being.

Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo says he will shift to a closer by committee approach for the ninth inning.

— Nick Piecoro (@nickpiecoro) August 5, 2022

That may well include Melancon, who’s actually been good in save situations (a 3.45 ERA in such scenarios). That’s probably just a weird, fluky split, though; he’s been rough on the whole, with a 4.66 ERA and ten losses, and just two walks for every strikeout, with a 15.7% strikeout rate that makes for extraordinarily small margin for error. The .350 BABIP he’s allowed is high but not ridiculously so, and the 13 walks don’t help matters. Simply put, he just wasn’t going to keep the job forever with Ian Kennedy (3.06 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate) and Joe Mantiply (2.21 ERA with a cartoonishly-low 1.9% walk rate) both outpitching Melancon by a wide margin. With Melancon under contract another year, top priority for the Snakes is getting him right, not getting him saves.

Kennedy got the first crack at it on Friday, earning his sixth save of the year on just eight pitches.