Bullpen Report: May 17, 2019

Even for a 10-game slate, Thursday wasn’t a very eventful day for closers or for relievers in general. The most interesting development may have been the Twins’ promotion of 32-year-old righty Austin Adams. That created the possibility of dueling Austin Adamses in their series against the Mariners. On Thursday night, neither Adams made an appearance in the Twins’ 11-6 victory.

The Twins’ summoning of Adams actually was an important development, as he replaced Trevor Hildenberger on the team’s active roster. Hildenberger was demoted to Triple-A Rochester late on Wednesday, shortly after retiring only one of four batters he faced in the ninth inning against the Angels. He had an effective first month of the season, and despite struggles in early May, Rocco Baldelli used him in some high leverage situations. However, Hildenberger had allowed seven runs over his last three appearances covering 2.1 innings.

Trevor May could be in line for a few more holds as a result of Hildenberger’s demotion. To make room for Adams on the 40-man roster, the Twins designated Addison Reed for assignment.

The other notable occurrences on the Thursday slate also involved setup relievers. Sean Doolittle did stumble on his way to his seventh save, giving up two runs on four hits, but he has been remarkably steady this season. What should catch our attention from the Nationals’ 7-6 win over the Mets was that Wander Suero pitched a scoreless eighth inning. This was the second straight appearance in which Suero pitched the eighth inning in advance of a Doolittle save. Kyle Barraclough was brought in for the seventh inning in Thursday’s game.

Suero had a good rookie season in 2018, but he has been a much better pitcher so far this year. He has increased his strikeout rate from 23.5 to 29.6 percent, and he is complementing his cutter more often with a changeup — a pitch that has yielded a 23.5 percent SwStr%. Suero’s ERA is a still-bloated 5.82, but he has stranded barely more than half of his baserunners (51.0 percent LOB%). Given Doolittle’s history of missing time with injuries, it’s time to put Suero on our fantasy radars, even in traditional leagues that don’t value holds.

The same goes for Evan Marshall, who got the final out in the top of the sixth inning and pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning while the scored was tied at 2 with the Blue Jays. Since joining the White Sox on May 1, Marshall has pitched 6.2 scoreless innings. While he has recorded only three strikeouts, he has compiled a 15.1 percent SwStr% and a 48.0 percent O-Swing%. Like Suero, increased changeup usage has been a key to his success. With Alex Colome and Kelvin Herrera being potential trade chips as the July deadline draws closer, Marshall is someone we should all be watching closely.

If you are in a holds league, Suero and Marshall could have immediate value, especially if you are looking to replace Seranthony Dominguez or Adam Morgan. Both pitchers struggled in the Phillies’ 11-3 loss to the Brewers. Morgan got through the sixth inning, though a Christian Yelich hit-by-pitch nearly led to a run. Then Morgan led off the seventh by walking Ryan Braun and hitting Mike Moustakas. He was relieved by Dominguez, who promptly gave up a home run to Yasmani Grandal. Later in the inning, he had to work out of another jam, having issued back-to-back walks to Orlando Arcia and Jesus Aguilar.

Dominguez’s slump has been the more protracted one. Going back to April 27, he has allowed five runs on 10 hits and three walks over 7.2 innings, and yet he has also compiled some favorable indicators. Over that span, Dominguez has 12 strikeouts, a 15.4 percent SwStr%, a 66.7 percent ground ball rate and a 37.0 percent O-Swing%. In holds leagues, owners may want to give Dominguez a breather, but it may be premature to cut him loose.

Quick hits: Kirby Yates added to his major league-leading save total with a perfect ninth inning against the Pirates. In sealing the Padres’ 4-3 win, Yates now has 17 saves…Raisel Iglesias also pitched a perfect frame, closing out the Reds’ 4-2 win against the Cubs for his ninth save…The Cardinals are planning on activating Carlos Martinez (shoulder) on Saturday, and he will work out of the bullpen. Tyler Webb, Giovanny Gallegos, Dominic Leone and Luke Gregerson are all candidates to lose their roster spot in order to make room for Martinez…The Dodgers activated Caleb Ferguson (oblique) from the IL on Thursday…Richard Bleier (shoulder) was also activated on Thursday, and he pitched in the Orioles’ 14-7 loss to the Indians. He gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in 1.2 innings of work…The Twins and Mariners weren’t the only teams with the potential for a fun reliever matchup. In the Braves’ 10-2 win over the Cardinals, each team had a Webb (Jacob and Tyler) pitching in the sixth inning. Both pitchers were charged with a run in their appearances (Tyler also pitched in the fifth inning), so fans were not treated to any Webb gems.