Bullpen Report: September 14, 2013

• A few weeks ago, it certainly looked like the closer role was Jason Grilli’s upon his return. Well, things apparently have changed. Mark Melancon (he of 2.08 xFIP) tossed a scoreless ninth Saturday for save number 15 in 2013. Grilli has struggled since returning from a forearm strain, allowing earned runs in three of his four post-DL appearances. His 5/2 K/BB in three innings isn’t atrocious, but nonetheless, the hits have been falling. Grilli’s velocity has been down 1-2 mph, a large red flag for a pitcher whose injury originally looked fairly serious. The Pirates (probably rightfully) seem content to let him work out his issues in a setup role, while letting Melancon (third in MLB by WAR) finish out games. I recommended holding Melancon for his rates even if Grilli took the job back, but hopefully his owners are reaping even more dividends now. With the season slipping away, if you can afford to risk missing out on a couple saves, Grilli might be worth tossing back into the pool in redraft leagues, too.

• Grant Balfour was the last pitcher in a game that saw Yu Darvish shut out 1-0 for the fourth time this season. The save was the Aussie’s 38th of the season and the scoreless inning lowered his ERA to 2.50. It isn’t quite all roses for the righty, however, as his xFIP has steadily climbed since the all-star break. His 3.69 mark since (4.08 in August and September) shows that his not-so-stellar pitching lately is not all bad luck. His velocity remains OK but the walk rate has quietly reached into the double digits. Balfour has posted sub-10% BB%’s the last three years, so maybe this is just a blip in the road, but he’ll need to corral the free passes as the Athletics push into October if he wants to regain quasi-elite status. Ryan Cook would be next in line here, but with Balfour’s cumulative stats and the fantasy season in its final throes, I wouldn’t be too desperate to pick him up in standard leagues.

• Other notes: Chase Headley hit a home run off Craig Kimbrel. He still struck out a pair, but his owners aren’t used to seeing a non-zero ERA in his column. Still got save number 47, though. Steve Cishek and LaTroy Hawkins traded saves in a doubleheader. Neither are great bets for copious appearances over the next couple weeks, but both are solidly their teams respective closers. Cishek carries keeper value, but he’ll probably still be outside my top-20 next season. Aroldis Chapman got a four out save, notching all four outs via the whiff. More total strikeouts than Bartolo Colon and Jeremy Guthrie, among many other starters with three times the innings.

Closer Grid:

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