Bullpen Report: May 28, 2018

Felipe Vazquez just hasn’t been himself lately, and now we may have an explanation. The Pirates’ closer blew his third consecutive save on Sunday, and the news got even worse, as he had to leave the game with left forearm discomfort. He was examined after Sunday’s game, and as of Monday morning, Vazquez said that he felt well enough that he expects to available on Tuesday against the Cubs.

Nonetheless, the waiver wire frenzy over a potential new Pirates closer has begun. In Yahoo and Fantrax leagues, Edgar Santana is already near the top of the most-added list for relief-eligible pitchers. It’s actually been Michael Feliz who has entered in the eighth inning to set up for Vazquez in each of his last five save chances, including Sunday’s. Just as Vazquez has struggled lately, so has Feliz, and Sunday’s difficulties made it necessary for Clint Hurdle to call on Vazquez to try to get the final five outs. Over his last three appearances, Feliz has allowed seven runs in two innings of work.

Over the last two weeks, Santana has consistently been used in the seventh inning when the Pirates have had a slim lead or been in a tie game, and he has been effective in that role. Going further back, Santana has not allowed a run over a 12-inning stretch that began on April 28. He has not relied much on avoiding contact during that span, getting swinging strikes at a 9.9 percent rate and striking out only nine batters, but he has issued only one walk and allowed just one extra-base hit (a double).

Since his April 13 callup, Richard Rodriguez has profiled more like a closer, striking out 31 batters and walking three over 19.1 innings, while posting a 1.40 ERA. However, usage patterns would suggest that Santana would be the most likely reliever to succeed Vazquez as the Pirates’ closer, should that be needed. While Vazquez’s statements indicate that a replacement won’t be needed now, his recent performance may be telling us otherwise. If saves are your biggest concern, Santana is the best speculation target. If you could use strikeouts and ratio help, it may make more sense to target Rodriguez, as he’s a better bet to provide those — and he could still eventually be in the mix for saves.

While it is possible that the Pirates will need a new closer, it is an absolute given that the Rays need one, since Alex Colome was traded to the Mariners on Friday. We got a small hint about Kevin Cash’s bullpen plans on Saturday when he used Chaz Roe in the ninth inning with a four-run lead, but on Sunday, a Rays’ reliever actually recorded a save. It was not one that offered much useful information to fantasy owners. Austin Pruitt got a 5.2-inning save, holding the Orioles scoreless and preserving a win for Vidal Nuno in a Sergio Romo “opener” game.

A closer platoon involving Roe and Jose Alvarado would appear to be the most logical move for Cash, as Roe has faced only 16 lefties this season but has allowed them to compile a .402 wOBA. Then again, Cash has flouted conventional wisdom all season, so why should we expect him to stop when it comes to his closer?

John Gibbons has appeared to move on from Tyler Clippard, as Ryan Tepera received both save opportunities in this weekend’s series against the Phillies. Tepera converted both of them, and unlike his first save on Friday, he held the Phillies scoreless on Sunday, preserving a 5-3 win for the Blue Jays.

Even since his infamous “punch” game against the Yankees on May 1, Ken Giles had been drama-free in converting six straight saves. That calm in the Astros’ bullpen was shattered on Sunday against the Indians. Giles, who had not pitched in four days, was brought in to finish out a win with a five-run lead. From the get-go, this was not an ordinary inning, as Giles battled Jose Ramirez for 17 pitches. Ramirez won the skirmish with a line-drive double, and then Giles quickly gave up a pair of singles, the latter of which brought Ramirez home to cut the lead to four runs.

At that point, A.J. Hinch lifted Giles for Will Harris, who allowed both inherited runners to score. What started out as a comfortable ninth-inning lead soon became a tense save situation — one that ultimately would up in the hands of Hector Rondon.  The one-time Cubs closer blew the save, though he kept the Indians from walking off with a win. That would not happen until Greg Allen homered off Brad Peacock’s first pitch in the bottom of the 14th inning.

It’s not clear whether Giles got worn out by his lengthy battle with Ramirez or if he just isn’t taking to non-save situations. Giles has yet to allow a run in any of his nine save situations this season, but over eight innings pitched in non-save situations, he has allowed nine runs on 13 hits. Given that pattern, it seems unlikely that Hinch will be looking to replace Giles as the Astros’ primary closer, but perhaps he will look to avoid using him in non-save situations.

It seems almost certain that, at some point this summer, the Royals will need a new closer. Kelvin Herrera will likely be traded before the July 31 deadline, so now is the time to start scoping out the Royals’ bullpen for a prospective replacement. Brad Keller had been performing well while setting up for Herrera, but on Saturday, it was announced he has been moved to the rotation. On Sunday, we may have witnessed the Royals’ first step towards grooming a successor to Herrera. With a 5-3 lead against the Rangers, Ned Yost summoned Jason Adam to pitch the eighth inning and carry the lead over to his closer. Adam had to work around a single, a pair of wild pitches and a walk, but he did his job, holding the Rangers scoreless. Herrera also held up his end of the bargain, notching his 11th save.

The 26-year-old rookie, who has undergone four elbow surgeries, is showing signs of coming into his own this season, albeit in just 8.2 innings to date. He has struck out 12 batters and walked only two, though a 25.0 percent ground ball rate is a potential warning sign. He has also allowed an average exit velocity of 96.1 mph on flyballs and line drives (per Baseball Savant), so it’s not too surprising that all three runs he has allowed have come on solo homers.

Quick hits: In his first appearance with the Mariners, Colome pitched a perfect ninth inning to seal a 3-1 win over the Twins. It was his 12th save of the season. Closer Edwin Diaz was unavailable due to having pitched in five of the Mariners’ previous six games…Sean Doolittle was also held back on Sunday, having pitched on back-to-back days, so Brandon Kintzler got the save for the Nationals on Sunday. He allowed just a Cameron Maybin single in preserving the 5-2 lead against the Marlins.