• Bobby Parnell and his ailing neck have been placed on the 15-day DL. It was initially not expected to be too serious, but at the moment there isn’t necessarily a timeline for Parnell’s return and surgery remains an option as well. As we mentioned last night, David Aardsma and LaTroy Hawkins are expected to get looks for saves as the Mets mix and match at closer. After Aardsma blew the Mets last save chance, Hawkins was called on for the save tonight and he delivered, pitching around two hits for his first save of the year.  Hawkins hasn’t been anointed closer but expect him to receive the next opportunities until he gives the Mets a reason to make a change.

If the Mets are to mix and match,  the matchup may dictate a Scott Rice opportunity in the ninth. Rice walks way too many batters (5.18 BB/9) but he kills worms at a fantastic rate (58.6% ground ball rate) and he holds lefties to a .222 wOBA. That number rises to an absurd .418 wOBA against right handed hitters making the chances of Rice seeing extended time at closer likely nil (especially if Hawkins keeps converting his chances) but Parnell’s injury certainly makes Rice an intriguing saves + holds option in deep or NL-Only leagues.

• With Tom Wilhelmsen sent to the minors, Carter Capps is coming to Seattle. Capps was a sneaky preseason pick for saves in but the season hasn’t quite gone according to plan as a 6.37 ERA in 35.1 innings brought him a ticket to Tacoma. Capps’ 6.37 ERA is quite unsightly but with a .388 BABIP and 19.6% HR/FB his 3.56 xFIP illustrates he wasn’t pitching quite that terribly. Capps allowed only two earned runs in 11 innings in AAA but actually had worse ratios there than he did struggling in the majors. Capps is currently low on the Mariners bullpen totem pole but he certainly has a chance to make some noise and pitch in more higher leverage innings.

• Josh Fields hasn’t had much success at the major league level thus far in his career, but he looked quite impressive last night recording his first save of the year for Houston. The Astros’ closer situation is very fluid right now  but striking out all four batters you see for the save is a good way to receive the next opportunity. Josh Fields is likely the man right now but Jose Cisnero is still lurking behind.

• Not a bad evening for the back of the Braves bullpen. Jordan Walden and Craig Kimbrel each tossed a perfect inning while striking out the side. Even without Johnny Venters the Braves pen has remained top notch with the best bullpen ERA in baseball (2.41).

Closer Grid:

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

• The Biogenesis fallout today didn’t have too much of an effect on the Bullpen Report but it did snag one victim of note, Philadelphia Phillies lefty and set up man Antonio Bastardo.  Bastardo wasn’t in the initial Biogenesis rumors but he was handed a 50 game suspension today, effectively ending his season. Bastardo was gaining some traction as Papelbon has been more pedestrian this year but any hopes of him sneaking saves for the Phillies will have to wait until 2014 now.

It’s slim pickings as far as Bastardo’s replacements are concerned but one name to keep an eye on is fellow lefty Jake Diekman. Diekman’s numbers (3.72/4.13 FIP/xFIP; 7.11 K/9) aren’t great, but as a lefty in the late innings for Philly, he could be in line for a holds boost.

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Hard to believe we’re already into August…

• Well now look who is getting saves in Seattle. A few nights after Tom Wilhelmsen imploded in a non-save situation against the Boston Red Sox, Danny Farquhar earned save number two as (apparently) the Mariners’ new closer du jour. Farquhar has actually been quite impressive this year once you look past the abysmal 5.09 ERA; a “unlucky” .359 BABIP and 53% LOB% are what is keeping that number so far away from his sparkling 2.13 xFIP.

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–Steve Cishek surrendered a leadoff single, but an induced groundout sandwiched between two strikeouts got him out of the ninth-inning unscathed enroute to his 23rd save. The lanky right-hander is now 23-of-25 on the season — his last blown save coming on June 4th against the Phillies — and sports a 3.08 ERA (2.94 FIP) and a 1.15 WHIP. As we look further into (some of) Cishek’s numbers entering tonight, it seems as if he’s pretty close to being the same pitcher he’s been since entering the league. His velocity appears to be holding steady on each of his offerings, both his swinging strike rate (9.2%) and whiff rate (23.9%) are right inline with his career numbers and his batted ball profile hasn’t changed all that much.
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• Somehow, some way, Kevin Gregg is still with the Cubs. Maybe other teams realized he’s not good? Heck, saying Gregg hasn’t been good lately is a bit of an understatement. He’s posted a 5.79 ERA over the last month (13 appearances) but his 6.67 xFIP is even uglier. As 2013 has marched along his strikeout rate has tailed and his walk rate has climbed. While some speculate Gregg could be moved in August, it’s still somewhat surprising (to me at least) the Cubs didn’t get something (anything?) for him. Even with his recent regressions, his cool 3.05 ERA should have gotten some needy team to toss a C-level prospect back.

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• “I wish they all could be California girls beards.” The Beard returns, this time to LA as Brian Wilson signed with the Dodgers today. The deal is worth $1 million with incentives. Wilson will start in the minors but should be in LA by mid-August, at which point he should be used as a righty in late innings, setting the table for Kenley Jansen. I’m not sure what to expect from Wilson but the Dodgers weren’t the only interested team, so he certainly showed something enticing during his throwing sessions. We’ll have to see how Wilson looks like before making any conclusions but Wilson certainly has a good chance of pitching in big spots in LA and should be monitored by those in hold leagues. And if it doesn’t work out, I guess Wilson just wasn’t meant for these times.

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• By now you have heard the news, Jose Veras has been shipped out of Houson to Detroit. Veras was closing games for the Astros but in Detroit he will be relegated to setup duty as Joaquin Benoit will continue to pitch in the ninth, something he’s done quite well going 10/10 on save opportunities. When Benoit needs a break, I’d put Veras second in the pecking order ahead of Drew Smyly. Smyly has been the better pitcher this year and even  fares well against opposite handed hitters with a .281 wOBA against right-handed batters this year. However, Veras comes with the Closer Experience™ label that  Jim Leyland seems to prefer, and this could also allow Smyly to throw multiple innings on occasion.

As far as the Astros side is concerned, Mike Petriello had a great breakdown on what Houston’s bullpen will look like following the trade. I also agree with Mike that Jose Cisnero will take over the ninth in Houston and rather than echo all of his points, I suggest you read his take. Setting up Cisnero should be lefty Wesley Wright who has a pretty solid 3.55 xFIP on the year, but has struggled against right-handed batters his whole career (.369 wOBA against righties in 126.1 IP). Placing whoever is behind Wright might be anyone’s guess at the moment. Previously I might have said Hector Ambriz but he was sent to AAA today with Josh Zeid and Chia-Jen Lo getting the promotion to Houston. Although he just got the call, with names like Travis Blackley, Brett Oberholtzer and Josh Fields my money is on Josh Fields seeing some of the more higher leverage innings that are left. Acquired from Philadelphia in the Hunter Pence trade, Fields is a tall right-hander with some swing and miss stuff (10.92 K/9 in AAA this year), the Astros should be curious to see what he has.

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• For those clinging to hope that John Axford will get the ninth inning role back for the Brew Crew this year… well… let’s say today didn’t go so hot for you. Coming in with a one-run lead in the eighth inning (Ron Roenicke would have gone to Jim Henderson in the ninth), Axford coughed up three hits and two runs, taking the “BS” and “L” as lovely parting gifts. Axford has curbed the walks recently (that’s good!) but has seen his already-below-career-average whiff rate continue to tumble (that’s bad!). His fastball velocity, while up a tick from his early season woes, remains down about one mph, although his SwStr% is right in line with his career norms. At this point, however, it’s fruitless to dissect his peripherals. Even though Axford had a great stretch until yesterday (0.32 ERA over 32 games), he still struggled gaining his manager’s confidence, and another outing like today may have “The Ax Man” right back in the doghouse.

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-Apparently, Joe Nathan is the newest closer on the trade market. It’s being reported that the Rangers have had “internal discussions” about dealing from an area of surplus to possibly increase the supply of relievers available to other organizations in order to acquire the offensive spark they covet. If by chance the Rangers moved their ninth-inning man to a team like the Tigers, Red Sox or Dodgers, Texas could slide former closer Joakim Soria, Alexi Ogando or even Neftali Feliz into that role. Nelson Cruz’s association with the Biogeneisis scandal could have accelerated this process as well.
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-In today’s episode of “Anything Can Happen At Coors Field,” the visiting Marlins held a five run advantage over the hometown Rockies heading into the last half of the ninth until Kevin Slowey was asked to take the hill. Slowey surrendered a couple of runs on three hits without logging an out before being pulled in favor of Miami’s closer, Steve Cishek, with men on first and second. Cishek allowed one of the inherited runners to score on a single off the bat of Nolan Arenado, but he got out of the jam to earn his 20th save of the season. Cishek is now 20-of-22 on the season with a 3.02 ERA (2.95 FIP) and a 1.05 WHIP.
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