Bullpen Report: June 26, 2021

The 2021 version of Bullpen Report includes five differentßsections, 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

•Matt Barnes, BOS: Back-to-back days; 3 of last 4 days; 19 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Adam Ottavino has also pitched back-to-back days and three of the last four. Darwinzon Hernandez is a likely candidate for a save chance on Saturday if neither Barnes nor Ottavino is available.

•Daniel Bard, COL: 27 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Carlos Estévez is a likely candidate for a save chance on Saturday if Bard is not available.

•José Alvarado, PHI: 3 of last 4 days; 31 pitches on Friday. | RosterResource

Archie Bradley has also pitched three of the last four days and threw 26 pitches on Friday. Héctor Neris is a likely candidate for a save chance on Saturday, especially if neither Alvarado nor Bradley is available.

 

Injury News

•None

 

Outlier Saves

•None

 

 

Committee Clarity

•Cole Sulser, BAL | RosterResource

Sulser got the team’s first save after César Valdez was removed from the closer’s role on June 1 and Paul Fry picked up a save three days later. It took three weeks for the Orioles to get another save and, once again, it was Sulser who closed out the win over the Blue Jays.

Tanner Scott and Fry pitched scoreless innings in the eighth and ninth, respectively, before Sulser was called on in the bottom of the tenth after the Orioles took a 6-5 lead in the top half of the inning. He walked the leadoff man to put runners at first and second with no outs, but he got Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to ground into a double play and Teoscar Hernandez on a strikeout to end the game.

 

Losing A Grip

•Héctor Neris, PHI | RosterResource

Neris was listed in this section after blowing his third save in four chances in Wednesday’s loss. While there was certainly a good chance that the Phillies would make a change, I noted that Neris had been in this position various times and always found his way back due to his replacements’ inability to hold down the job.

He continues to be the Phillies’ closer, however, because no one has been able to step up and take the job from him. When he lost the job in 2020, the newly-acquired Brandon Workman struggled badly and Neris ended the season as the closer by default. The top candidate to replace him now would likely be José Alvarado, although he has walked nearly eight batters per nine innings. Archie Bradley has been much better as of late, but still nowhere close to the reliever he was over the past few years

On Friday, manager Joe Girardi confirmed that he was being removed from the closer’s role and that Alvarado would be getting the first chance at the job. Not only did he get that chance in game one of Friday’s double-header, he was called on for a five-out save with a 1-0 lead. He escaped a one-out jam with two runners on in the sixth, but he blew the save on a two-out RBI single by Francisco Lindor in the seventh. It was an unearned run, although it was his own throwing error on a comebacker that put the tying run on second to start the inning.

In game two, it was Bradley who got a chance to close out a 1-0 game in the seventh. Like Alvarado, he was hurt by an error that led to an unearned run and a blown save. After the Phillies took a 2-1 lead in the eighth, guess who got the save chance in the bottom half of the inning? That’s right. Neris pitched a 1-2-3 inning for his 11th save on the day he was removed from the closer’s role.

Despite the blown saves by Alvardo and Bradley, I wouldn’t expect the Phillies to change directions again after one day. But with both pitchers likely unavailable on Saturday after high pitch counts on Friday, Neris could be the top candidate for a save chance and the possibility of two saves in two days after losing the closer’s job.

 

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.