Bullpen Report: May 28, 2017

Plenty of bullpen-related news and notes on a busy Sunday afternoon. A few noteworthy items from Saturday are mixed in as well…

• With a 5-3 lead against the Nationals, Brad Hand struck out one in a scoreless eighth, and Brandon Maurer retired Trea Turner, Daniel Murphy, and Anthony Rendon consecutively in the ninth to secure his sixth save of the season. Maurer was temporarily removed from the close’s role, during which time Hand filled in respectably, but at least for today things went back to normal. Although Maurer has a 6.52 ERA on the season, his peripherals suggest he’s been much better than that. He has an excellent 2.59 FIP and 2.66 xFIP on the season thanks to the fact that he’s only allowed four walks and two home runs in 20 innings this year, to go along with 23 strikeouts. While Hand is an excellent reliever in his own right, Maurer still appears to hold the edge in save opportunities, at least for now. If Maurer falters, however, it appears that the Padres are willing to pivot to Hand at a moment’s notice. As such, Hand worth targeting for those speculative on saves, and he’s certainly worth owning in holds leagues, as he’s on of the better set-up men in baseball.

• Edwin Diaz struck out two in a scoreless ninth-inning non-save situation against the Red Sox on Sunday. It was Diaz’s fourth consecutive scoreless appearance since being ousted from the closer’s role, and it brought his ERA on the season down to 3.98 (although he still has high home run and walk rates, leading to a 5.02 FIP and 4.48 xFIP). Before Sunday’s appearance, Diaz last pitched on Thursday night, when he recorded his eighth save of the season. It appears that manager Scott Servais is easing Diaz back into the closer’s role, and shouldn’t come as a big surprise. The 22-year-old boasts a strong 36.8% strikeout rate in his career and was dominant as the team’s closer last season. If Diaz continues to pitch well, he should settle back into the closer’s role. However, if he blows another save in the coming weeks, he could temporarily lose his job again. The situation remains red for the time being, but it is on the verge of being yellow should Diaz successfully convert a few more save opportunities.

• Brandon Kintzler’s contact problems were on display today. He allowed two runs on three hits, and it took 34 pitches, including 11 to Corey Dickerson (who singled with one out and nobody on) and nine to Evan Longoria (who doubled to score Dickerson with two outs). Kintzler then allowed the tying run to score on a Steven Souza Jr. single, after which he was pulled from the game. It was just the second blown save in 15 opportunities for Kintzler, whose career strikeout rate is significantly lower than the league average. Kintzler has a 2.38 ERA on the season, but a less exciting 3.80 FIP and 4.01 xFIP. Despite today’s blown save and the underwhelming peripherals, Kintzler’s job remains safe for the time being, as there are no obvious candidates to replace him and he has performed adequately since taking over the closer’s role last season.

• Al Melchior noted in the last Bullpen Report that Bud Norris exited Thursday’s contest after just three pitches because of a sore knee. Apparently Norris was feeling  much better on Saturday, because he pitched the ninth inning with the Angels leading 5-1. He allowed a solo home run and walked a batter, but was able to finish the inning and close out the game. Norris has filled in spectacularly as the Angels’ closer: he has a 2.92 ERA/2.93 FIP/3.19 xFIP that would make any manager comfortable in the ninth. However, as Melchoir also noted in the last Report, Cam Bedrosian and Huston Street are close to returning from their respective injuries, and that makes the outlook murky for the Angels bullpen. Norris should probably be considered the favorite to see save opportunities once Bedrosian and Street return, considering how well he’s pitched in their absence, but Bedrosian is an intriguing pitcher in his own right, and Street has a long history as a closer. Stay tuned for updates once everybody is healthy.

• With a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning in Toronto, Matt Bush retired Jose Bautista and Kendrys Morales on harmless ground balls, but then allowed consecutive singles to Justin Smoak and Russll Martin. Troy Tulowitzki came to the plate representing the winning run, but Bush retired him on a 6-4 putout. Things got somewhat dicey, but Bush ultimately got the job done to secure his sixth save of the season. It was his 15th straight appearance without allowing an earned run, lowering his ERA to 1.08 on the season. Bush has 21 strikeouts and five walks in 17.2 innings this year, and he’s allowed just one home run. As such, his FIP is a sparkling 2.39, but his xFIP remains much higher at 3.49. Regardless, Bush has demonstrated an ability to limit the home run ball so far in his career, as he’s allowed just five home runs in 78.1 career innings. He is a solid bet to remain a good closer for the Rangers for the foreseeable future.

• Justin Wilson pitched the ninth inning with a 4-0 lead on Saturday, and he allowed three earned runs on four hits. The tying run was on third base with one out, but Wilson was able to strike out Todd Frazier and Adam Engel to slam the door. He threw 32 pitches. Wilson has now allowed two homers and five earned runs in 5.1 innings since taking over as Tigers closer in mid-May. He also has 10 strikeouts and has allowed just one walk in that span. The robust 42.3% strikeout rate and stingy 6.4% walk rate should be enough for Wilson to hold onto the closer’s role, but he has looked more vulnerable in recent weeks than he did to open the season. However, his impressive peripherals suggest he should receive plenty more opportunities and is more than capable of thriving in the role.

Closer Grid:

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