Bullpen Report: July 24, 2023

The 2023 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

•Félix Bautista, BAL: Four of the last five days, including pitching Saturday and Sunday.| RosterResource

Bautista hasn’t worked three straight days this season, let alone five of six days, so it’d be a shock if he was available Monday. Yennier Cano is in the same boat as Bautista so the O’s could be shorthanded in the bullpen, with Danny Coulombe, Shintaro Fujinami, and Bryan Baker the top options to pitch the ninth.

•Scott Barlow, KCR: 26 pitches on Sunday. | RosterResource

If Barlow’s still the closer come Monday (see more on that in Losing A Grip) he might not be available. Carlos Hernández is the best bet to close, with Jose Cuas also an option.

•Jhoan Duran, MIN: 16 pitches on Sunday; 21 pitches on Saturday. | RosterResource

Griffin Jax or Emilio Pagán would probably close Monday if Duran is down for the day.

•Paul Sewald, SEA: Two of the last three days; 11 pitches on Sunday. | RosterResource

Borderline availability for Sewald, but if he’s down on Monday, Andrés Muñoz or Justin Topa would close.

•Jordan Romano, TOR: Two of the last three days; 22 pitches on Sunday. | RosterResource

Erik Swanson has also worked two of three, so he might not be available on Monday either. Yimi García or Tim Mayza could close.

Injury News

•None

Outlier Saves

•Bryan Abreu, HOU | RosterResource

Ryan Pressly pitched Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, and although he didn’t pitch Saturday, Dusty Baker decided to give him an extra day. Abreu had no problem taking his place, pitching a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts on just nine pitches, earning his second save of the season. Abreu leads MLB in appearances to go along with a 2.66 ERA, and is second in the league in strikeouts in relief, behind only Félix Bautista.

•Lucas Sims, CIN | RosterResource

It wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that Alexis Díaz could have been available on Sunday, but he did throw 29 pitches between Friday and Saturday, plus another 11 on Wednesday. As such, David Bell stayed away from him, first going to Levi Stoudt with a four-run lead in the ninth. When Stoudt had runners on the corners and one out and faced his required three batters, he was out of the game for Sims in a save opportunity. Sims walked the first batter he faced but got Lourdes Gurriel Jr. to hit into a double play to end the game for his second save of the year. As one of Díaz’s most-trusted setup men, he’s now got a 3.15 ERA and 48 strikeouts in 40 innings of work.

•Yunior Marte, PHI | RosterResource

Craig Kimbrel blew his first save of the year in the ninth, but the Phillies probably didn’t think they’d need a backup closer after scoring four runs in the top of the tenth. Unfortunately for them, Jeff Hoffman wasn’t at his best, allowing all three batters faced to reach before giving way to Marte with the bases loaded, nobody out and the lead trimmed to three. Marte deftly managed the jam, however, getting a shallow fly ball from José Ramírez, a foul pop out from Josh Naylor, and a grounder from Myles Straw to strand the three runners where they were and prevent a ruinous outing for Hoffman’s line. It was his second save of the year.

Committee Clarity

•None

Losing A Grip

•Scott Barlow, KCR | RosterResource

I wrote last Sunday that Barlow could’ve gone in this section, but I wasn’t sure who there really is to replace him. At this point, though, the Royals may have no choice. Pitching the bottom of the eighth down by two runs to get his work in, Barlow gave up thee runs (two earned) on 26 pitches, and he was unable to get out of the inning. The outing ballooned his ERA to 5.30, more than high enough to justify a reset, especially with Jose Cuas pitching especially well of late and Carlos Hernández a trusted option all season. Barlow’s name has swirled around in trade rumors for a couple Trade Deadlines now, but at this point the Royals would be selling low on a guy who’s walked 13% of batters faced this year.

•A.J. Puk, MIA | RosterResource

Even though he pitched the eighth on Saturday, Puk wasn’t removed from the closer’s job—rather, it was alluded to on the Marlins broadcast that manager Skip Schumaker was simply looking for “pockets” of hitters for Puk and Tanner Scott to match up against, and it happened to work out with Puk pitching the eighth Saturday. The roles were flipped back on Sunday, with Puk getting a save chance, one that he blew by giving up a one-out solo homer to Randal Grichuk. That shot his ERA up to 4.45, and he’s allowed nine runs (eight earned) in 7.1 innings this month, including four homers. It might be time for a reset, giving Scott a chance to claim the role.