Bullpen Report: May 27, 2019

The Red Sox did something on Sunday that they hadn’t done since April 21. They had a reliever in consecutive save situations. Marcus Walden got the team’s last save chance, back on Wednesday against the Blue Jays, and in giving up a Danny Jansen RBI single in the bottom of the ninth, his first save opportunity of the season was an unsuccessful one. The 30-year-old righty made amends on Sunday, closing out a 4-1 win over the Astros with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

So should we assume Walden is the Red Sox’s new closer? Probably not, if for no other reason than Alex Cora doesn’t seem to be too concerned about using a specific reliever consistently in that role. Also, he had Matt Barnes pitch the eighth inning, starting off against the 9-1-2 hitters. Cora still seems to favor Barnes against some of the tougher batters in the opposing lineup (on Sunday, he wound up facing Alex Bregman and Michael Brantley), and if some combination of the 2-3-4 hitters were due up in the ninth inning, I suspect Cora would use Barnes then.

Having said that, it’s still worthwhile to pursue Walden in leagues where closers are scarce on waivers. Ryan Brasier had a good run following up Barnes earlier this season (six saves through April 21), and now it may be Walden’s turn.

The Cardinals’ closer situation, which looked uncertain in spring training, has been one of the steadier ones through the first two months of the season, but that might change. Jordan Hicks has not been as effective in his last three appearances, including on Sunday night, when he allowed the Braves to whittle a 3-0 lead down to 3-2. He failed to get any of the four batters he faced to make an out, leaving it up to Andrew Miller to get out of a no-outs, runners on second and third situation. Miller allowed one run in, but he and John Brebbia prevented the go-ahead run from scoring. Over his last three outings, Hicks has given up five runs in 2.1 innings, with one swinging strike and three swings on out-of-zone pitches in 66 pitches total (33 in the strike zone).

Oddly enough, Hicks has actually been throwing harder (102.4 mph average fastball velocity) during this stretch. His mini-slump does coincide with him releasing his pitches farther from the plate, so perhaps he can make an adjustment and regain his prior form. It still might not be a bad idea to keep Miller and Carlos Martinez on your radar.

While the Cardinals’ bullpen prevented the Braves from winning the game in the ninth inning, they forged ahead in the 10th, and Luke Jackson got the save in the bottom of the inning. He has rebounded nicely from consecutive blown saves to throw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts over the last four days.

Scott Oberg’s first save chance since Wade Davis (oblique) went on the IL did not go as he (or his fantasy owners) would have liked, as he allowed the Orioles to take a 7-6 lead in the eighth inning on a Trey Mancini triple. He did, however, set the Orioles down in order in the ninth inning, and the Rockies rallied in the bottom of the ninth to give Oberg a win to go with his blown save.

For the Orioles, it was yet another late-inning meltdown. Mychal Givens, who issued a game-tying walk and allowed a game-winning sacrifice fly, now has two blown saves and three losses since May 20. Over that three-inning span, Givens has been charged with eight runs on seven hits and six walks. He is now on the “hot seat” in our closer grid, but the Orioles’ alternatives are not inspiring. Paul Fry and Shawn Armstrong would appear to be next in line for saves if Brandon Hyde were inclined to move away from Givens.

Quick hits: Edwin Diaz (13), Greg Holland (9) and Jose Alvarado (6) all recorded saves, though Holland’s and Alvarado’s were of the two-out variety…With Hansel Robles, Ty Buttrey and Cam Bedrosian all having been used on Friday and Saturday, Justin Anderson got the save for the Angels on Sunday against the Rangers…Ian Kennedy allowed the Yankees to overcome a 7-4 deficit to the Royals in the top of the ninth, earning his second blown save. He has now given up eight runs over his last six innings…Roenis Elias was charged with two runs (one earned) in an inning of work against the Athletics in a non-save situation. He has a 7.27 ERA in the month of May…Tyler Duffey pitched two scoreless innings for the Twins against the White Sox, getting all six outs with strikeouts. He has 22 strikeouts in 13.2 innings on the season…After appearing to be on the cusp of activation, Pedro Strop (hamstring) will need to throw another bullpen session and may still need to go on a rehab assignment…The Phillies placed Pat Neshek on the IL on Saturday, and he has been diagnosed with rotator cuff inflammation…The Blue Jays put Tim Mayza on the IL on Sunday with left ulnar neuritis.