Bullpen Report: September 27, 2012

• Things were going well in the last month for John Axford, who had saved 15 consecutive games dating back to August 21st, until tonight when Todd Frazier smacked a two-out homerun in the bottom of the ninth to bring the Reds even at 1-1 with the Brewers. Frazier’s long ball was the beginning of the end for Axford and the Crew on Thursday — a subsequent Jay Bruce single and a Dioner Navarro triple resulted in a 2-1 victory for the Reds. The Brewers walked off the field with their heads down knowing their playoff chances may have snuck past them tonight, and no one feels worse than the Brewers’ closer. Axford has now blown nine of his 42 save chances on the year to go with a 4.88 ERA (1.46 WHIP).

• R.A. Dickey headed into Thursday’s start looking to put the finishing touches on his Cy Young Award resume. Dickey didn’t disappoint – dealing just shy of eight innings, giving up three earned runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out 13. The knuckleballer gave way to Jon Rauch in the top of the eighth after surrendering a two-out walk. Rauch got Dickey and the Mets out of the eighth, but allowed a two-run homer to Alex Presley in the top of the ninth, bringing the Pirates to within one run of ruining Dickey’s shot at 20 wins. Parnell got the necessary two outs on nine pitches for his fifth save on the year, and preserved Dickey’s 20th victory of the year.

• Despite not getting a significant amount of save chances in September, Rafael Betancourt is having himself a month. He’s 5-for-5 in save situations with a 1.29 ERA and a 10.0 K/BB. As of now, Betancourt is slated to be back in Colorado next season with a team-friendly $4.25 million salary, and should be considered the team’s top closing option once again.

• Quick hit: Fernando Rodney notched his 46th save tonight in 48 chances while lowering his ERA to 0.62 (0.77 WHIP). Not bad, eh?
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A Pitcher for Tomorrow: Drew Storen (WAS) vs. STL

The Nats seem to be easing Storen into the closer role, possibly to get him ready for the 2013 season. The Nationals face a tough Cardinals team tomorrow with Adam Wainwright on the hill. Expect this to be a close game, and if the Nationals are in striking distance, Storen could see a save opportunity.

Closer Grid:

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