Bullpen Report: July 3, 2019

Greg Holland picked a very bad time to lose control.

The Dodgers have been the most selective team in the National League, swinging on only 28.3 percent of the pitches they have seen outside of the strike zone. On Tuesday night, Holland was on the verge of collecting his 13th save for the Diamondbacks, pitching to Chris Taylor with a 4-3 lead, two outs and an 0-2 count. None of his next four pitches were close to the zone, and Taylor walked. Then Holland walked Russell Martin, Alex Verdugo and Matt Beaty, allowing the Dodgers to tie the game without getting a hit. He was lifted for T.J. McFarland, and when he left he had thrown 22 of his 30 pitches outside of the strike zone. Martin swung at one of them — a slider that missed the bottom of the zone by more than a foot — and none of Holland’s other out-of-zone pitches induced a swing.

McFarland, who has had his own control issues (32.0 percent Zone%), walked Cody Bellinger on six pitches, forcing in the winning run. Holland was charged with his third blown save and first loss of the season.

While control has not been Holland’s strong suit over the last couple of seasons, his problems have deepened recently. Over his last seven innings, he has thrown only 29.5 percent of his pitches in the strike zone, and opponents have chased those out-of-zone pitches at a meager 19.8 percent rate. The results Holland has produced over that stretch have been troubling: six runs on four hits (three home runs) and seven walks with four strikeouts. Torey Lovullo said he does not plan to make a change at closer, saying Holland will “get the baseball again tomorrow if there’s a save opportunity because he’s done it a long time.”

If Lovullo sticks to his word and if Holland continues to struggle, that buys fantasy owners some time to figure out who might be next in line for saves in Arizona. Andrew Chafin and Yoan Lopez have been steady as setup relievers and Yoshihisa Hirano has pitched better lately and has been used in high-leverage situations again. If Lovullo does eventually replace Holland, it’s not yet clear which pitcher in this trio might step up to become a primary closer.

Liam Hendriks has been stellar as the Athletics’ fill-in for closer Blake Treinen (shoulder), and he nailed down his third save against the Twins on Tuesday night. As reliable as he has been, Hendriks may not get the chance to become more experienced at closing, as Treinen will likely be activated on Wednesday.

Roenis Elias‘ status as the Mariners’ closer is not in jeopardy for now, as he held the Cardinals scoreless in the ninth inning of the Mariners’ 5-4 win, earning his 11th save. However, two longer-term threats loom. Hunter Strickland is making progress towards his return from a right lat strain, and he is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Saturday. Should Elias get into a rough patch before Strickland returns, the Mariners appear to have a highly-skilled closer-in-waiting in Austin Adams. The righty got four outs setting up for Elias on Tuesday night, and each out was recorded by way of a strikeout. Of the 17 pitches he threw, six resulted in a swinging strike. This dominant performance marked Adams’ 11th straight scoreless appearance. Over that 12.1-inning span, Adams has allowed three hits and four walks and has struck out 25 batters.

Raisel Iglesias needed only six pitches to get through a perfect 11th inning and notch his second win of the season, but that’s not the biggest takeaway from the Reds’ 5-4 win over the Brewers. David Bell brought in each of his normal late-inning contingent of relievers — Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen and Amir Garrett — but he chose Jared Hughes to pitch the top of the ninth inning with a tie. With the Reds’ closer situation seemingly wide open, one should wonder if Hughes will now be a part of Bell’s committee. Hughes has made a strong case to be included, as he has allowed one run on two hits and four walks over his last 12 innings while compiling a 78.6 percent ground ball rate.

Quick hits: Roberto Osuna (18), Edwin Diaz (18) and Hector Neris (17) each tallied a save on Tuesday night…Scott Oberg may have solidified his standing to be called on for future saves, as he pitched a scoreless eighth and ninth inning in the Rockies’ 9-8 loss to the Astros at Coors Field…The Mets activated Jeurys Familia, Luis Avilan and Justin Wilson from the IL on Tuesday. Of the trio, only Wilson appeared in the Mets’ 4-2 win over the Yankees. He relieved Zack Wheeler in the seventh inning and retired both batters he faced.