Bullpen Report: May 29, 2019

Tuesday night’s games confirmed for us what we have learned all too well through the first two months of the season, at least as it concerns the closer situations for the Twins, Red Sox and Rays. Their managers are committed to not having a set closer, and on any given night, they can make an unexpected decision in the late innings.

The final two innings of the Twins’ 5-3 win over the Brewers started off normally enough. Blake Parker came in for the top of the eighth with the Twins up, 5-0, and while that’s not his normal type of spot, he had appeared only twice in the previous 11 games. In yielding Keston Hiura’s two-run homer, Parker created a save situation, and it was no surprise to see Taylor Rogers come in to try to finish it off in the ninth. He started off the frame by hanging a slider to Yasmani Grandal, which he drove into the second deck to cut the lead down to two. Rogers rebounded to strike out Mike Moustakas and Jesus Aguilar, and it looked as if he was about to walk away with his fifth save.

That’s when Rocco Baldelli threw us a curve, bringing in righty Ryne Harper to retire Hernan Perez. Harper accomplished his mission, as the majors’ IFFB% leader among relievers (34.8 percent) got Perez to pop out. It was the 30-year -old rookie’s first career save. He also helped Devin Smeltzer contribute to a win in his major league debut, even if he didn’t get credited with the win.

Perhaps this situation is merely a one-off, resulting from Parker having already been used in what was a non-save situation. If Baldelli had used, say, Trevor May or Tyler Duffey in the eighth inning, maybe he would have called Parker in for the final out. Maybe he would have even brought him in a batter earlier to face the righty Aguilar. We’ll never know, but now Harper is on our radar as a potential late-inning option, and he has pitched well enough to earn more save and hold opportunities.

Alex Cora may have had to adjust his bullpen plans on the fly as well in the Red Sox’s 7-5 loss to the Indians. He started setting up for a save in a conventional way, bringing Brandon Workman in for the seventh inning with a 3-0 lead. He did his job and handed off to Marcus Walden for the eighth inning. Even though Walden had received the last two save chances for the Red Sox, this fit Cora’s usual pattern of saving the heart of the opposing order for Matt Barnes. Walden was tasked with facing the Indians’ 8-9-1 hitters, but he allowed all of them to reach base, with Francisco Lindor’s double bringing in both Greg Allen and Mike Freeman. Cora kept Walden in to retire Oscar Mercado, but pulled him in favor of Barnes when Carlos Santana came up.

Just as Baldelli didn’t allow Rogers to finish the job, Cora pulled Barnes for the ninth inning, with the Red Sox now up 5-2. For the first time since April 21, Ryan Brasier got a save opportunity. Based on how this one went, it could be a long time before he gets another one. He gave up a leadoff homer to Roberto Perez, and after a walk to Jake Bauers and an Allen home run, the Red Sox’s lead had suddenly vanished. Brasier exited without retiring a batter, and Travis Lakins came in, ultimately giving up Jordan Luplow’s game-winning two-RBI double.

With Jose Alvarado having just pitched in consecutive games, it was no surprise to see Diego Castillo called on to pitch the ninth inning with the Rays leading the Blue Jays, 3-0. Emilio Pagan, who had not pitched in five days and had not recorded a hold or a save since May 15, held Toronto scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings for his fourth hold of the season. Castillo did manage to nail down his sixth save, but he gave up a run on two hits. Over his last five appearances covering 5.1 innings, he has allowed four runs, walked four batters and posted an abysmal 19.3 percent O-Swing%. After compiling a 15.0 percent SwStr% through his first 22 innings, he has induced whiffs on only 9.9 percent of his pitches in his last five outings.

In the each of the three cases (Twins, Red Sox and Rays), the top two closing options appear to be clear for now, but the pitchers on the periphery, such as Harper, Workman and Pagan, need to be watched closely. They could get their opportunities for at least occasional saves if the primary closers become more vulnerable.

Heading into Tuesday, Scott Oberg and Bryan Shaw had been used in back-to-back games, and Carlos Estevez had been used twice in a three-game span, so it was up to Chad Bettis to secure a win for the Rockies on Wednesday night. With a 4-2 lead, Bettis kept the Diamondbacks scoreless in the eighth inning, and with two runs added to the lead, he returned to toss a perfect ninth inning. It was the first save of Bettis’ seven-year career. He may have more value to the team as a long reliever, but he has pitched well enough to earn more work in high-leverage situations. Over his last 11.1 innings, Bettis has allowed two runs (one earned) with an 81.8 percent ground ball rate. It’s not clear if Wade Davis (oblique) will be out long enough for Bettis to make a case for saves, but it’s a situation worth tracking.

It was a rough night for several setup relievers. Nick Wittgren, Robert Stephenson, Junior Guerra, Archie Bradley, Brandon Brennan and Joakim Soria all allowed multiple runs, combining to give up 13 runs in 6.1 innings. Soria’s difficulties are part of a longer-running trend, as he has now pitched four straight innings without getting a swinging strike.

Quick hits: Kirby Yates (21), Shane Greene (17), Roberto Osuna (15), Brad Hand (14), Sean Doolittle (10), Alex Colome (10), Hector Neris (10) and Hansel Robles (6) all added to their save totals on Tuesday…Pedro Strop (hamstring) began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday. He is expected to pitch for Iowa on Thursday and could be activated by this weekend…Jose Leclerc was pulled from an appearance on Monday due to calf cramps, which he blamed on wearing commemorative Memorial Day cleats that were too tight. He will return to the mound on Wednesday as the Rangers’ opener against the Mariners…A.J. Minter has yet to give up a run in 6.1 innings at Triple-A Gwinnett, striking out 13 batters while allowing only five hits and two walks.