Bullpen Report: July 13, 2022

The 2022 version of Bullpen Report includes five different sections, as well as the closer chart, which can be found at the bottom of the page.

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

•Raisel Iglesias, LAA: 25 pitches on Tuesday. | RosterResource

Ryan Tepera is a likely candidate for a save chance on Wednesday if Iglesias isn’t available.

•Brett Martin, TEX: Back-to-back days; 4 of last 5 days; 9 pitches on Tuesday. | RosterResource

Matt Moore threw 24 pitches on Tuesday. If neither Martin nor Moore is available on Wednesday, Matt Bush and José Leclerc are likely candidates for a save chance on Wednesday.

 

Injury Report

•Kenley Jansen, ATL: Will likely be activated from 15-Day IL on Wednesday | RosterResource

As was anticipated, Jansen’s stay on the Injured List will not be an extended one. He’s expected to be activated on Wednesday, sixteen days after being placed on the 15-Day Injured List due to an irregular heartbeat.

A couple Braves updates:

-Kenley Jansen is expected to be activated tomorrow

-Mike Soroka and Kirby Yates both threw bullpen sessions on Monday in Florida

— Justin Toscano (@JustinCToscano) July 12, 2022

In his absence, the Braves have won 11 of 15 games while co-closers A.J. Minter and Will Smith have been terrific with a combined seven saves in seven chances. The 34-year-old Jansen, who has a 3.58 ERA, 20 saves, and 47 strikeouts in 32.2 innings pitched, should reclaim the closer’s job immediately, though.

 

Outlier Saves

•None

 

Committee Clarity

•Alexis Díaz, CIN | RosterResource

After picking up a save in back-to-back outings on June 24 and June 28, Hunter Strickland appeared to have finally gotten some momentum in the battle for save chances. It was partly by default, though, as the Reds’ bullpen has mostly been a dumpster fire and their best reliever, 25-year-old Alexis Díaz, was on the Injured List. By the time Díaz returned on July 8, Strickland was already losing a grip on the closer’s job with two blown saves in his previous three chances. Reading between the lines, it was only a matter of time before Edwin’s little brother would join him as a big league team’s primary closer.

Fast forward to Tuesday. Both Díaz and Strickland were rested and available to pitch when the Reds took a 4-3 lead over the Yankees in the 9th inning. At Yankee Stadium, facing off against, arguably, the best team in baseball, manager David Bell went with the rookie.

Díaz struck out Aaron Judge to start the inning and then walked DJ LeMahieu to bring the winning run to the plate. But he got Gleyber Torres to ground into a game-ending double play to pick up his third save and, in all likelihood, take hold of the Reds’ closer job.

Continuing to give Strickland save chances isn’t entirely crazy, however, if only because he has limited trade value at the moment and it could increase if he can close out some games prior to the August 2 deadline.

•Giovanny Gallegos, STL | RosterResource

If you were hoping that Cardinals’ manager Oli Marmol would start to use Ryan Helsley exclusively in the closer’s role, Tuesday was a reminder that he is sticking to what he said he was going to do back in Spring Training.

“I want our best guy throwing in the highest-leverage situations — is the way I would answer that,” Marmol said. “And if that means that we believe the game can be decided in the seventh because of where we are in the lineup and who is on base, then that’s where our best pitcher, I believe, should stop the game. If that’s the eighth, that’s the eighth. And if it lines up that the highest leverage is in the ninth, then it’s the ninth.”

With a 6-5 lead in the top of the 8th and the red-hot Gavin Lux leading off the inning, followed by All-Stars Mookie Betts and Trea Turner, Marmol turned to his All-Star reliever. Helsley struck out Lux and Betts before retiring Turner on a flyout. By the time Gallegos came in for the save in the bottom of the 9th, the Cardinals had extended their lead to 7-5, which turned out to be very important because Freddie Freeman led off the inning with a homer. They didn’t score again, though, and Gallegos closed out the win to pick up his 10th save.

 

Losing A Grip

•None

 

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.