Bullpen Report: May 6, 2019

I’m sorry, Luke Jackson, wasn’t sure you were for real.

But you sealed the Braves’ Sunday win.

Now you’re at the head of the closer grid.

This is why I write fantasy columns and not parody songs.

While A.J. Minter has not notched a save since April 24, Jackson has now converted two saves in eight days, and he was unavailable for the one save opportunity that the Braves have had in that span that he didn’t get. On Sunday, Jackson took care of the Marlins in the bottom of the 10th inning to complete a 3-1 win, while Minter did not appear in the game. Brian Snitker did use Minter in the next-closest thing the Braves had to a save situation this past week, having him pitch the ninth inning against the Padres with a 5-1 lead on Wednesday. For his part, Minter pitched an perfect inning.

So for now, I am designating both Jackson and Minter as part of a closer tandem, but Jackson would seem to have the upper hand for future saves.

Raisel Iglesias is still leading off the Reds’ portion of the closer grid, but his grip on the role is getting increasingly tenuous. Entering Sunday’s game against the Giants, Iglesias had allowed a run in back-to-back appearances, and Brandon Crawford’s two-run homer extended the streak to three. It also broke a 4-4 tie and ultimately proved to be the winning run for the Giants. Will Smith did give up a solo homer to Kyle Farmer in the bottom of the inning, but he had enough cushion to earn his ninth save, while Iglesias fell to 1-5.

The combination of a 20.5 percent ground ball rate and a bandbox of a home park is not serving Iglesias well, as opponents have posted a .352 ISO against him at home. The bigger problem, though, is that Iglesias is getting hammered by left-handed hitters. All four homers he has allowed have come against lefties, and they have racked up a .296/.387/.815 slash line against him.

Iglesias is still avoiding the “Hot Seat” tag in the grid, because David Bell assured reporters after the game that he will remain as the team’s closer. If there were a category between “Not Very Stable” and “Hot Seat,” Iglesias would be in it. At least in deeper leagues, now would be a good time to start making bids on Amir Garrett. If nothing else, maybe Bell will start using Garrett in save situations that feature multiple lefties.

Kenley Jansen is yet another flyball-prone closer who got burned by the long ball on Sunday. The Padres led off the bottom of the ninth inning by loading the bases with three straight singles off Jansen. The Dodgers’ closer nearly escaped by striking out Greg Garcia and getting Francisco Mejia to hit an infield fly, but then Hunter Renfroe walked it off with a grand slam.

Even though Eric Hosmer and Renfroe both scorched Jansen with hits traveling at exit velocities exceeding 106 mph, it’s probably an exaggeration to say that he got hit around. The second and third singles he allowed both came on bunts, the first of which rolled away from the base line while Justin Turner waited for it to roll the other way. Jansen is not as dominant as he was as recently as two years ago, but he is a good bet to rebound from Sunday’s debacle. He was even on nice brief roll prior to Sunday’s game, having allowed only one hit over this previous three innings with six strikeouts and a 21.8 percent SwStr%.

For much of his career, Ian Kennedy’s flyball tendencies have made him a risky fantasy proposition, but a greater reliance on his curveball has helped to boost his ground ball rate in his first season as a reliever. However, even Kennedy got burned by a home run on Sunday, as he coughed up a two-out, three-run shot to Brandon Dixon. The walk-off homer gave the Tigers a 5-2, 10-inning win over the Royals and left Kennedy with his first loss of the season.

It was a good news/bad news Sunday for Blake Treinen. He was unavailable to pitch against the Pirates due to a sore right elbow, but he was feeling better than he did on Saturday. At least in the interim, Lou Trivino will be the Athletics’ closer. In Sunday’s game, Trivino pitched scoreless seventh and eighth innings, keeping the game knotted at 1-1. However, the Pirates walked it off in the bottom of the 13th inning on — you guessed it — a three-run homer from Starling Marte. Fernando Rodney, who gave up the homer, had a chance for his first save of the season, as the A’s scored twice off Tyler Lyons in his Pirates’ debut in the top of the inning.

One reliever whom Clint Hurdle did not call on during this tight game was Keone Kela, who was unavailable as a result of tightness in his right shoulder. Kyle Crick will be the Pirates’ primary setup reliever until more is known about Kela’s status.

Archie Bradley faced five batters in his quest to help the Diamondbacks hold on to a 7-3 lead over the Rockies in the eighth inning, but he did not retire any of them. He allowed two singles, a triple and a walk, though he would likely have gotten one out, if not for a throwing error by Eduardo Escobar. A bases-clearing triple by Raimel Tapia tied the game and led to Bradley getting removed in favor of Andrew Chafin.

Over his last five appearances covering four innings, Bradley has exhibited poor control (37.5 percent Zone%) and been amenable to contact (7.5 percent SwStr%). Normally, hitters don’t swing much at his pitches in the strike zone, but over this span, Bradley has an inflated 73.3 percent Z-Swing%.

Quick hits: Josh Hader (9), Aroldis Chapman (7), Wade Davis (5) each recorded a save on Sunday…The Padres placed Trey Wingenter on the 10-day IL on Sunday with a right shoulder strain…Kelvin Herrera allowed the Red Sox to undo a 2-2 tie in the top of the eighth inning, and after having allowed two runs, he was lifted due to a stiff lower back. The White Sox have listed him as day-to-day.