Bullpen Report: May 17, 2021

NEW FEATURE ALERT! We have added an upgraded version of RosterResource’s Closer Depth Chart to FanGraphs. Read more about it here.

We will always include a link to the full Closer Depth Chart at the bottom of the Bullpen Report each day. It’s also accessible from the RosterResource drop-down menu and from any RosterResource page. Please let us know what you think.

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).

Notable Workloads

•Tejay Antone, CIN: 15 pitches on Sunday; 22 pitches on Saturday. | RosterResource

The Reds will probably have to go elsewhere in their committee if a save chance pops up on Monday, with Lucas Sims, Sean Doolittle, Heath Hembree and Amir Garrett all options.

•Emmanuel Clase, CLE: 26 pitches on Sunday. | RosterResource

James Karinchak is likeliest to get a save chance if there is one on Monday.

Injury News

•None

Outlier Saves

•Mike Mayers, LAA | RosterResource

Closer Raisel Iglesias pitched in the bottom of the eighth with the Angels down by a run, presumably just to get some work in because he had gone five days without getting into a game. But when Shohei Ohtani gave the Angels the lead with a two-run homer in the top of the ninth, Iglesias’ top setup man, Mayers, came in to close the door. It wasn’t all smooth sailing for Mayers, who walked two of five batters faced. But he struck out the other three, locking down his second save of the year. Iglesias remains in the driver’s seat for saves, however.

Committee Clarity

•Kendall Graveman and Rafael Montero, SEA | RosterResource

Montero entered in the sixth inning and was given the tall task of facing Eddie Rosario, José Ramírez, and Franmil Reyes. He wasn’t quite up to the task, giving up a run and recording just two outs in yet another shaky outing to raise his ERA to an unsightly 5.71.

On the other side of the coin was Graveman, who kept his ERA at a perfect 0.00 in recording the save. He’s been helped by an unsustainably low BABIP (.162) but his strikeout and walk numbers are great (17 K to 3 BB) and has a grounder rate pushing 50%. He’s firmly the top option for saves in Seattle, and Montero might not even be his backup anymore. Erik Swanson pitched the eighth on Sunday, while Anthony Misiewicz and Will Vest have also had their moments this year.

•Tejay Antone, CIN | RosterResource

Antone was the closer du jour for the Reds on Sunday, pitching a rare single-inning appearance (his first appearance of fewer than four outs since April 30) to earn his second save of the season. He’s been the best of the Reds’ back-end relievers, but he’s so valuable as a fireman that he still may not be the top option for saves.

Look for manager David Bell to keep mixing and matching with Antone, Lucas Sims, Sean Doolittle, and Heath Hembree. Amir Garrett just came back from suspension and was eased back in with a sixth-inning appearance on Sunday, but he could be a factor as well.

•Tyler Rogers, SFG | RosterResource

Jake McGee might not have been available after working both Saturday and Sunday (though he threw only 22 pitches total), so Rogers entered for the save opportunity with a three-run lead in the ninth. The submarining righty needed just ten pitches to pick up his fourth save of the season, lowering his ERA to 0.76.

McGee’s earned ten saves, but has been shaky at times, pitching to a 5.09 ERA. His strikeout numbers are better, though, striking out over a third of batters faced; Rogers has struck out only 12%.

Losing A Grip

•None

Click HERE to view the full Closer Depth Chart.