Bullpen Report: July 7,2015
• No save situation for the Cubs this afternoon, but they had to bring in their closer Jason Motte to get the last two outs of the game. Every day that goes by seems to cement Motte’s role in the ninth. The Cubs bullpen use could be Maddon-ing to Hector Rondon owners, but moving forward expecting Motte to receive the lion’s share of saves.
• Rough day for closers in the Royals-Rays game today. Greg Holland came on to secure the win in the ninth but blew his second save of the year after Kevin Kiermaier started the ninth with a triple and scored on a wild pitch. In the bottom half of the inning, the rays called on Brad Boxberger. After getting Kendrys Morales to ground out, Boxberger allowed the next three batters to reach base which lead to a walk-off grand slam by Paul Orlando. Jake McGee hasn’t been used much lately, I assume he’ll be used in the second game of the double header if a save situation arises but I’m keeping the closer grid as is below.
• It’s Mejia time again folks as the Mets activated Jenrry Mejia. Jeurys Familia is the closer and nothing is changing that but Mejia could pitch himself into a more prominent role in the pen. However, Mejia is ineligible for the playoffs after his PED based suspension so it’s unlikely the Mets (or any team) will want to commit to using him in too valuable spot without being able to rely on him in the postseason. The Mets aren’t a likely playoff contender right now but still have almost a 20% chance to reach the Wild Card game. I feel confident that Bobby Parnell and Familia will maintain their current roles but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Mejia eclipse Carlos Torres if he pitches like he did at times last year.
• Earlier this year I was throwing some shade on Koji Uehara as a top closing option and after tonight’s save (20) he’s supporting a 2.61/2.31/3.35 ERA/FIP/xFIP line with a 34/6 K/BB in 31 innings. Uehara can’t replicate his 2012-2014 seasons anymore when he was a legitimate top tier closer, but he’s still one of the best, even at age 40. Junichi Tazawa threw one and a third scoreless to hold the lead and has an eerily similar line to Uehara with a 2.45/2.67/2.97 ERA/FIP/xFIP with a 39/7 K/BB in 36.2 innings. Those numbers are ownable in any league and although Uehara isn’t linked to any rumors at the moment, it’s not out of the question to see Tazawa closing games in Boston this year.
• Quick Hits: The Yankees activated Andrew Miller from the DL and it’s expected that he will replace Dellin Betances as closer. Betances is a top tier reliever and will remain so in spite of the role change. Also, a removal from the ninth might entail longer outings for Betances. Betances. Tyler Clippard pitched around a couple of walks for his 16th save of the year. If/when the A’s decide to pack it in, Clippard could be on the move. Bryan Shaw was called on for the save today and converted his second of the year. Cody Allen’s job isn’t in danger but on the occasional day off Shaw will seethe ninth. Roberto Osuna pitched a scoreless ninth for his fourth save on the year. Legitimate or not, the Blue Jays will be tied to rumors for relievers but each converted save by Osuna makes it seem less likely.
Closer Grid:
[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]
When he's not focusing on every team's bullpen situation, Ben can be found blogging at Ben's Baseball Bias and on Twitter @BensBias
Given how well Fernando Rodriguez is pitching in Oakland, could he be a low-budget stopgap to avoid boosting Scribner’s arbitration cost?
How was Motte not credited with a save in the first game? He came in with one out in the 9th up by three runs. Retired the next two batters.
It would have been if there had been no outs, or the tying run at least on deck, but it wasn’t since there was no one on.
Scorekeeper’s decision.
Cody Allen had a stiff back. Sure, he’s probably still quite secure, but it wasn’t a routine night off. Thanks for these reports. I read them everyday and benefit greatly.
Saw this news after posting. Good looks. It doesn’t look too bad but Shaw could sneak another save or two.
safe to drop mcgee in saves only leagues? he hasnt gotten a chance in a while
After Box’s performance last night I’d hold.
Yeah, if you had him before Boxberger’s explosion you should hold after.
Fernando Rodney with the BS in the 8th, Carson Smith comes in and Ks 5 in the next 2 IP. Does this move the needle back in his direction in Seattle? Any commentary from LM?
We never changed Smith even though Rodney was lurking. I feel confident keeping Smith there still.
Well, Rodney had gotten two saves in the last week, one which saw Carson Smith setting him up. So even if you didn’t change him, it sure looked like a shift was happening.
That’s true but in an effort to not change however the wind blows it stayed. Maybe it was poor form on us but we’ll keep it as is now.
So why was it that Rondon got replaced in the first place? I don’t think I ever caught that…
He had a rough-ish run in late May and Strop and Motte starting getting involved. Even though he’s thrown 16 scoreless innings (one unearned run) since May 25th, it looks like Maddon is sticking with Motte.
However, Motte hasn’t pitched that well, in spite of a shiny ERA. Things could change but it would be performance based, reliant on Motte struggles.
Great, thank you.