Bullpen Report: June 2, 2016

Wade Davis was given the night off after recording his 16th save last night. Luke Hochevar and Kelvin Herrera each earned holds (10 and 15 respectively), as Hochevar pitched a clean 7th and Herrera, well, not so much as he gave up a run on two singles and a walk. Joakim Soria pitched the 9th, which is semi-surprising since it seemed like Herrera would be the next in line for saves if the moment arises. Guess Ned Yost thought it’d be best to not mess around too much with the bullpen order and give the save situation to the guy with more experience. Didn’t work out so well for the Royals as Soria blew his second save of the year giving up two runs on two hits (including a triple) and a game-ending sacrifice fly. I could change the chart based on tonight’s usage, but also feel like if a long-term situation was to come up, Herrera would be the guy.

The Yankees three-headed monster combined for to give up three runs tonight, but still earned a win, a hold, and a save as the Yankees defeated the Tigers 5-4. Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller, and Aroldis Chapman each gave up a run, but I guess Betances looked the best allowing only two baserunners over 1.1 innings and striking out three. Chapman and Miller both were not at their best allowing three baserunners each. Still, Betances was able to earn the win (2), as Miller got the hold (7) and Chapman closed out the save (8). Chapman allowed only one ball to the leave the infield to start the inning off. The next two batters reached on a walk and a bunt single. Chapman then induced a double play that scored a run and ended the game on a ground out. Nothing to be too concerned about from a Yankee perspective, but I thought it was worth noting since you rarely see this pen give up any runs, yet alone three in one game.

Will Smith saw his first major league action of the year and looked sharp in 1.1 innings allowing only one hit and striking one out. His velocity seemed a little lower than last year as his fastball averaged 93.3 MPH and he topped out at 91 today. Good news is he seemed to use his slider pretty frequently and effectively, which is arguably his best offering. Jeremy Jeffress pitched the 9th and looked shaky to start giving up a lead-off double, but then settled down to retire the next three batters to earn his 14th save of the year. On the Phillies side, Jeanmar Gomez struggled in the 9th coming into a game down by 1. Gomez gave up a single and two-run homer to Jonathan Villar. It was the first earned run Gomez had given up since May 17th.

Quick Notes: Brad Ziegler earned his tenth save and Kevin Jepsen earned his seventh. Brandon Kintzler earned his first hold for the Twins and has posted solid numbers in limited opportunities this season. He will be someone to monitor for higher leverage situations moving forward.

Closer Grid:

[Green light, yellow light, red light: the colors represent the volatility of the bullpen order.]