The Giants-Rockies game at Coors Field on Tuesday night had all of the ingredients for a slugfest. The game-time temperature was 93 degrees, which just added to the hitter-friendly conditions at Coors Field. Somehow, starters Peter Lambert and Drew Pomeranz combined to allow three runs over 11 innings. With Will Smith bringing a 2.11 ERA into the bottom of the ninth inning with a 4-1 lead, it looked as if this would wind up as a low-scoring affair.

Trevor Story turned the tide with a leadoff home run, and three batters later, Ian Desmond tied the game with a two-run drive into the center field stands. That resulted in Smith’s second blown save in 26 opportunities. Raimel Tapia singled on Smith’s next pitch, but he would get stranded on first base after the lefty struck out Ryan McMahon and Tony Wolters.
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Perhaps Al Melchior moonlights reading tarot cards, or he just proved to be prescient highlighting Oliver Drake in yesterday’s Bullpen Report. In a pivotal game for the Rays, they used Diego Castillo to preserve a one run lead starting the sixth inning. Castillo recorded 1.2 scoreless innings giving up a walk and striking out two. Then, Emilio Pagan entered with two outs in the seventh. Pagan coughed up a home run to Giovanny Urshela leading to his fifth blown save. Over his last 15.2 innings, Pagan owns a 3.44 ERA but he’s yielded five home runs within them. He’s been a stabilizing force in the bullpen all season however, the trend of home runs should be taken into account when adding him for saves. Andrew Kittredge took over for Pagan in the eighth allowing a two out single to Aaron Hicks then a two run home run to Edwin Encarnacion giving up the lead. Read the rest of this entry »

Emilio Pagan woke up on Monday morning to find himself near the top of the most-added lists for relievers on ESPN, CBS and Yahoo. (I’m actually guessing he probably didn’t check.) Owners were certainly responding to Pagan’s one-out save against the Orioles on Sunday, as well as his growing prominence in high-leverage ninth-inning situations for the Rays.

If there is a reliever in the Rays’ bullpen to own right now, it’s clearly Pagan, who has two saves in the team’s last five games. However, it is premature to assume that Kevin Cash is going to rely solely on him for saves. Diego Castillo is still only four days removed from being activated, and it is not yet clear what his post-IL usage patterns will look like. Especially with Jose Alvarado (oblique) on the IL, it would hardly be surprising to see Cash turn to Colin Poche for save situations that involve left-handed hitters.
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With less than three weeks to the trade deadline for teams to formulate decisions, bullpens will play a pivotal role in deciding whether to buy, sell or hold. Philadelphia lost on a two run home run allowed by Hector Neris to Juan Soto in the ninth inning yesterday. On the surface, it seems like a blip. However, this loss puts the Phillies on the outside looking due to the Brewers comeback win over the Giants. Injuries have ravaged the depth in Philadelphia’s bullpen but Neris took over as closer early on and did not look back. But, he’s blown two of his last three save chances and served up a home run in consecutive outings spanning the All-Star break.

Neris has shown the ability to bounce back from adversity all season long, so he should remain in his present role. Neris also issue a walk with the bases loaded in the eighth upon replacing Adam Morgan who allowed singles to Soto and Ryan Zimmerman preceding Victor Robles reaching on an error prior to the fateful ninth inning meltdown. Keep tabs on Tommy Hunter who turned in a clean seventh inning for his first hold and has not yielded a run in five outings since his return from the injured list. Philadelphia also awaits the return of David Robertson by the end of the month. (Update, post publish the Phillies placed Tommy Hunter on the injured reserve and promoted Edubray Ramos)

For the Nationals, Sean Doolittle closed the door on his 20th save working around a single by Maikel Franco. Since Washington prefers not to overwork Doolittle, he should receive Sunday off which opens the door for the Fernando Rodney experience in the ninth inning if a save presents itself. Wander Suero recorded his second win retiring the only two hitters he faced in the bottom of the eighth before the Nationals rally in the top of the ninth.

With teams circling the San Francisco bullpen as the trade deadline looms, Sam Dyson struggled during his outing on Saturday. Dyson coughed up three straight doubles to Mike Moustakas, Jesus Aguilar and Keston Hiura resulting in two runs then a single to Eric Thames before exiting. All told, Dyson gets tagged with four hits and three earned runs to his ledger without recording an out. This results in his first blown save all year and the first runs he’s given up since June 20th in an ugly appearance. Derek Holland walked Yasmani Grandal then induced a sacrifice fly by Orlando Arcia before retiring Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich to end the inning.

Just when it seemed safe for the Brewers, Jeremy Jeffress entered for the save chance with Josh Hader unavailable. Jeffress walked lead-off batter Brandon Crawford then allowed a one out singles to Austin Slater and Stephen Vogt. Two runs scored on Vogt’s single but only one earned due to an error by Lorenzo Cain with the ball going under his glove letting the second run score. Freddy Peralta was in line for the win walking two and striking out three in the top of the eighth, but Jeffress garners the win after the Brewers rallied in the bottom of the frame. Reyes Moronta took over in the ninth of a tied game but an error by Brandon Crawford allowed Ryan Braun to reach base. Moronta rebounded striking out Moustakas and Aguilar before issuing a walk to Hiura. Ben Gamel then doubled driving in the winning run and handing Moronta his fifth loss. Who says high leverage does not matter?

Another game deciding by the bullpens occurred in Texas. Roberto Osuna held on for his 20th save in the 11th inning. Osuna did serve up a lead-off double to Nomar Mazara who later scored on a Delino DeShields Jr. single during the inning. It’s been a rocky start to the second half for Osuna giving up runs in consecutive games along with two hits and a walk in each appearance. Of more concern, the four walks in his last three games after yielding only five in his previous 36 innings of work. Ryan Pressly struck out two in the eighth inning and Josh James gets his fourth win working two scoreless innings walking one while striking out two. Brett Martin of Texas takes the loss after giving up two runs in the top of the 11th on a Jose Altuve double and Myles Straw single.

Last, but not least, the Braves outlasted the Padres in San Diego. Kirby Yates suffered his second blown save entering the eighth inning after a lead-off walk issued by Gerardo Reyes forced him from the game. Yates allowed a single to Nick Markakis then induced a fielder’s choice ground out by Ozzie Albies but Josh Donaldson advanced to third with one out. A sacrifice fly by Austin Riley scored Donaldson tying the game handing Yates the blown save letting an inherited runner score. Yates finished two innings yielding two hits and striking out four. Luis Perdomo imploded in the top of the 10th giving up two hits, three earned runs and two walks for his second loss.

Sean Newcomb benefits for his third win after he walked two and struck out two in the bottom of the ninth for Atlanta. Luke Jackson once again held on for his 16th save but it was a wild ride. Jackson served up a solo home run to Manny Machado starting the 10th inning then faced a bases loaded situation with two outs but struck out Perdomo ending the game. All told, Jackson’s line did not look pretty with two hits, an earned run and two walks with a strikeout, but a save’s a save, right? Anthony Swarzak worked the eighth inning walking one and striking out one in his first outing off of the injured list. Swarzak’s been a stabilizing force for the Braves recording a 0.49 ERA in 18.1 innings during 18 appearances with the team since his acquisition.

Before delving into the Quick Hits, something to track in Toronto. Daniel Hudson notched his second save on Saturday afternoon with Ken Giles not available. Giles last worked on July fourth against Boston. This tweet updated to say the massage happened during the All-Star break, but be aware of Giles health going forward:

Charlie Montoyo says Ken Giles suffered some nerve inflammation in his elbow from a massage earlier in the day. He’s day to day per manager. #BlueJays

— Shi Davidi (@ShiDavidi) July 13, 2019

It could be nothing or it could be something, time will tell. Do know, it was Derek Law throwing with Hudson providing traffic in the ninth before recording the last out on a strikeout of Luke Voit. Also note David Phelps fired 1.1 clean innings of setup relief for his first hold with three strikeouts. This Blue Jays bullpen could be gutted at the deadline so it’s not crazy to think Phelps, with health, could get saves at some point. Stranger things have happened.

Quick Hits: Mychal Givens notched his seventh save firing two clean inning with two strikeouts in Game 1 versus the Rays. It’s his first save since June 11th. Richard Bleier gets his first win walking one in a scoreless seventh inning…Colin Poche suffers his second blown save and loss coughing up a two run home run to Stevie Wilkerson. Yes, Poche has blown the save in two of his last three outings, but heed his 27:1 K:BB to start his career. Emilio Pagan pitched a clean eighth with two strikeouts and Diego Castillo made his first appearance off the injured list in Game 2 recording two outs…Getting in work, Alex Colome allowed a hit, an earned run and a walk with a strikeout. Aaron Bummer tossed a clean eighth inning…Blake Treinen yielded two hits, two earned runs and a walk with no strikeouts. He’s given up runs in two of his three appearances since returning from the injured list…Ian Kennedy locked down his 13th save with a clean ninth striking out one. Kennedy’s converted 11 of his last 12 save chances with a 1.89 ERA and 19:4 K:BB since May 30th…Taylor Rogers pitched a clean ninth with a strikeout, but with a four run lead. Blake Parker logged 1.1 clean innings with two strikeouts for his eighth hold…Save number 20 for Edwin Diaz working around a hit with a strikeout. He’s converted four saves in a row. Seth Lugo gets his 13th hold working a clean eighth with two strikeouts….Strong outing for Carlos Martinez striking out three of the four batters he faced for his fourth save. Giovanny Gallegos recorded his seventh hold striking out two in 1.2 innings…A potential injury to Steven Wright could open the door for a Darwinson Hernandez promotion. Since transitioning to the bullpen at Triple-A, Hernandez has retired all 10 hitters he’s faced as a reliever…Two clean innings with two strikeouts for Julio Urias in Boston but he did not pitch the ninth so no save chance, sigh…Jared Hughes gets the one out win pitching in Colorado prior to a five run rally by the Reds. Michael Lorenzen did record his sixth hold with a clean inning.

Unfortunately, the second half picked up where the tumultuous first half ended in terms of performances in high leverage. Both Josh Hader and Will Smith suffered blown saves in outings against their respective teams last night. Hader entered in the eighth inning serving up a lead-off home run to Tyler Austin. He settled in striking out Brandon Belt, getting Buster Posey to ground out and then a foul tip strikeout of Evan Longoria. Read the rest of this entry »

Thursday night’s schedule wasn’t so much of a slate as a pebble. The Rangers’ 5-0 win over the Astros was the only game on the first night of the second half, and it was a closer-free affair featuring five low-leverage relief appearances.

The only reliever worthy of mention was the Astros’ Cy Sneed, who did the bulk of the mopping up after Framber Valdez, who retired only two of the nine batters he faced. Sneed gave up just one run in five innings while striking out seven batters.
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Two factors could make this a very intriguing trade deadline. First, with seven teams within seven games of each other in the Wild Card race in the American League along with 11 teams in the National League, the sellers face tough decisions. Second, due to a rule change, the July 31st trade date will be a hard deadline with no waiver transactions in August. So, the onset of the second half will not only dictate which players may be traded, it could change how teams finish within their divisions. Read the rest of this entry »

As we enter the All-Star weekend let’s take a look back on how the weekend unfolded across the league’s bullpens and what might be on the horizon with trade rumors starting to swirl…

• After missing time dealing with personal matters Jose Alvarado returned to the Rays pen and struggle and now he’s on the IL with a strained oblique. The time frame for Alvarado’s return could be a week or so after the break, or a month + long stint. With Alvarado out of the picture for the moment, Emilio Pagan’s value certainly increases. Pagan received the save opportunity yesterday against the Yanks and pitched a perfect frame with two strikeouts for his 5th save. Pagan was a little shaky in his previous outings and this is still a committee but Pagan’s the best guy to own with Alvarado and Diego Castillo on the IL. In the committee remains Chaz Roe but we have replaced Alvarado with Colin Poche who pitched the last out of the 8th inning yesterday and has been pretty incredible this year. In the 16 innings he’s pitched thus far, Poche has a unexciting 3.38 ERA but has 24 strikeouts against just one walk with an outstanding 22.4% SwStr%. Poche has generated a ton of whiffs in his minor league career with solid walk rates so he should continue to be effective in the Rays pen, even seeing a save or two in the committee. Diego Castillo should return at some point after the break as well but there is no guarantee that he or Alvarado jumps ahead in the pecking order as the Rays will roll with their most effective options

• Greg Holland’s grip on the 9th was getting extra loose last week but he helped alleviate some concern, throwing a scoreless 9th for his 13th save on Saturday. On Sunday Holland again received the call and recorded his 14th save, although he allowed a solo shot to Trevor Story in the process. This weekend doesn’t put Holland’s struggles completely in the rear view mirror but he will enter the second half as the closer on a decent team. If you need saves you have to hold onto Holland but if another owner really needs them, I would use the clean weekend to trade him as a change could come quick if he struggles out of the gate after the break.

• Blake Treinen is off of the IL as we all know, but he remains a set up option for the A’s as Liam Hendriks holds onto the closer’s job. Last night that continued with Hendriks getting his 5th save, pitching around a hit with a strikeout against the Mariners. Hendriks made the All-Star team as a replacement this year but will he be closing for the A’s after the break? Nobody is doubting Hendriks’ ability to close, the only question is if and when Treinen finds his groove. I would be lying if I said I had an actual idea on Treinen putting it back together and I am leaning towards buying Hendriks shares. Treinen had the magical year last year but he’s been bad, inconsistent, and kind of hurt this entire year. Henriks is getting the job done and even in Treinen returns he will have to show improvement in non-save situations first, so you should get a handful of saves out of Hendriks in the meantime. I might regret making this call but relievers are fickle and I would bet on the hot hand.

• The Twins have been in command of their division all year and we have mentioned the likelihood of them making additions to the bullpen and that might be starting soon. None of the names that La Velle E. Neal III mentions are surprising but the Twins have checked in on Kirby Yates and Ken Giles. Taylor Rogers has done an admirable job as closer, even throwing 2.1 perfect innings with 5 strikeouts for the save on Saturday, but if Giles or Yates entered the fray, Rogers would likely be demoted to a set up role. No trade is imminent but Giles and Yates will surely have their names thrown around over the next few weeks.

The Twins were also linked with interest in Will Smith earlier this year which would of course help their bullpen and also add confusion to who would be getting saves. As you can see, how the saves fall is completely dependent on which team a closer goes to. If the Red Sox acquire a reliever they would likely leapfrog everyone as the favored candidate for saves, but if the Yankees acquired one they might only see the 6th inning. It’s a little a bit easier to guesstimate on who will gain save opportunities for the selling team but even that is not necessarily obvious in every case. For the Padres, if Yates is moved Stammen is the obvious replacement so I would be buying shares in him. If and when Will Smith is moved the Giants  could turn to Tony Watson or Sam Dyson but it’s possible that one or both of those could be traded as well. Ken Giles has been one of the most dominant relievers this year and could help a team in any role but neither Daniel Hudson or Joe Biagini is an obvious one-man replacement, although both should be monitored in all AL Only leagues. Aaron Bummer might be a lefty but he stands to see saves if Alex Colome is dealt.

The trade deadline closer carousel is just starting and we will be sure to keep you informed of all rumors and possible fall-outs as they happen.

After a couple of days off, the Bullpen Report returns with a host of issues to address. First, Oakland removed the mystery of who will close despite the return of Blake Treinen from the injured list:

Liam Hendriks is now in essence the A’s closer. Team plans to ride his performance as long as possible, with Treinen available if needed at some point when he gets on track. But it’s Hendriks’ job now.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) July 6, 2019

Liam Hendriks notched his fourth save since Treinen landed on the injured list on June 21st with a clean ninth striking out two last night. This extends Hendriks’ scoreless streak to 15.2 innings and he’s not given up a run in 27 of his last 29 outings spanning 34.2 innings (0.78 ERA). Dating back to last September, Hendriks last 53 appearances yields a 1.29 ERA. He will get an extended view as the team’s closer going forward, plan accordingly.

On the other side of the spectrum, Edwin Diaz suffered his sixth loss giving up three hits, four earned runs and a walk in one-third of an inning recording his only out via a strikeout of Maikel Franco. However, Diaz allowed a lead-off double to J.T. Realmuto then a single by Jay Bruce snapping a tied game without recording an out. On April 29th, Diaz owned a 0.84 ERA converting all eight save chances. Since then, he’s worked 22.2 innings with a 7.89 ERA, 1.80 WHIP with 10 saves in 14 opportunities losing six decisions. Within this stretch, Diaz has allowed hitters a .330/.392/.560 slash line and a 47.4 hard hit rate against. But, he’s not alone in struggling in the Mets bullpen:

Of course, it's not just Diaz. Since May 27, the Mets' bullpen has produced an 8.06 ERA.

Let me repeat that: over a span of more than 100 innings, the Mets' bullpen has produced an 8.06 ERA.

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 6, 2019

Quotes from the team and Diaz do not provide a warm fuzzy going forward. Diaz has bounced back from struggles due to performance or his mechanics being out of whack during his tenure in Seattle before, can he do it again? Time will tell.

Edwin Diaz on potentially moving into lower-leverage spots:

"I want to be the closer of this team. But if Mickey thinks that that's the way that I can find my confidence, or just feel more comfortable trying to get right, I'll pitch in whatever role that he wants me to."

— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 6, 2019

For now, it’s been a rough 2019 for the consensus top two closers taken in drafts this preseason.

Just when it seemed safe to trust Ian Kennedy, he struggled during a blown save in Washington. Kennedy allowed three hits leading to two earned runs and a walk with a strikeout on Friday. He notched nine straight saves prior to this meltdown and entered riding a six game scoreless streak. Kennedy should bounce back and remains safe in the closer role with Kansas City. Brian Flynn gets his second win navigating around a hit and two walks for a scoreless 10th inning and Wily Peralta closed out his second save giving up a hit in a scoreless 11th inning. It’s Peralta’s first save since April 13th this year. Jonny Venters absorbs the loss for the Nationals ceding three hits and three runs (one earned) with a walk while striking out one. Fernando Rodney worked for the third straight game giving up a hit with two strikeouts.

A frustrating night for fantasy owners of Brewers and Pirates closers. Josh Hader gets his fourth hold working 1.1 scoreless innings walking one and striking out one. Hader did not return for the ninth inning with Milwaukee ahead by five runs despite only throwing 23 pitches. Instead, the Brewers turned to Deolis Guerra who only recorded two outs while coughing up four hits leading to four earned runs including a three-run home run by Josh Bell. Junior Guerra replaced him but allowed the game tying home run to Jung-Ho Kang. This Guerra received his third win despite his fifth blown save when the Brewers rallied in the top of the 10th against Pirates closer, Felipe Vazquez. After retiring Tyler Saladino, Vazquez served up three straight singles to Orlando Arcia, Manny Pina and Lorenzo Cain resulting in the eventual winning run. It’s the first loss of the season for Vazquez.

Two days removed from a diving tag play to get Kevin Kiermaier out, Mychal Givens did not receive the save chance last night in Toronto. Instead, Paul Fry locked down his second save with a clean ninth striking out one. It’s Fry’s first save since March 31st against the Yankees on the road. There’s no word about an injury to Givens so he should get the next chance if one presents itself, but with him representing one of the Orioles few trade chips, he will be handled with care.

With Diego Castillo not slated to return until after the All-Star break, and Jose Alvarado struggling since his return from the restricted list, it’s fallen upon Emilio Pagan to anchor the bullpen. However, he served up the tying run on a home run by Aaron Hicks last night leading to an eventual loss in extra innings. It’s Pagan’s fourth blown save this year. He did work two innings giving up two hits, one earned run and struck out two. Colin Poche, an arm of intrigue going forward, fired a scoreless 10th inning allowing a hit with a strikeout. Ryne Stanek gets collared with his second loss yielding to home runs, four hits and four earned runs in the top of the 11th. This benefited David Hale, who gets his second win working 2.1 scoreless innings scattering three hits and a walk with two strikeouts. Aroldis Chapman notched his 24th save walking one and striking out one in two-thirds of an inning.

Quick Hits: Boston welcomed back Heath Hembree to the bullpen. He served up a home run to John Hicks but finished the ninth with two strikeouts. Hembree entered this appearance only giving up one earned run in his previous 17.1 innings. Matt Barnes fired a clean eighth with two strikeouts and Ryan Brasier gets his seventh hold working 1.2 innings allowing two hits and striking out one…Adam Morgan gets his third win retiring the only two batters he faced prior to the Phillies rally versus Diaz highlighted above. Hector Neris walked one in a scoreless ninth in a non-save outing…Luke Jackson nets his fourth win giving up a hit with two strikeouts in a scoreless top of the ninth preceding a Braves rally….Save number 12 for Hansel Robles. He fired a clean ninth with a strikeout. It’s his first save since June 18th and his sixth in a row…Kirby Yates keeps adding to his breakout season. He recorded his first five out save retiring all five Dodgers he faced, two via strikeout. Yates has converted 28 of 29 save chances in the first half, snapped a three game losing streak for the Padres and ended the Dodgers streak of five straight come from behind wins at home.

A few bullpen notes as you enjoy whatever it is you choose to do this July 4th…

•  Welp, after I mentioned last week that Greg Holland’s job seemed safe he decided to implode, blowing another save last night and now he might be in danger of losing his job. Al did a great job going through the possible options last night so there’s no reason to relitigate the back of the Diamondbacks pen. Bat Flip Crazy also had a Tweet worth mentioning here showcasing Holland’s struggles and decline this month. A replacement for Holland hasn’t been mentioned yet so he will stay on the grid below but it’s unlikely that he continues to see save opportunities with Andrew Chafin, Yoan Lopez, and Yoshihisa Hirano all possible alternatives. Whoever Torey Lovullo chooses is worth an add but this is a situation that could use some time to sort itself out.

• Blake Treinen returned from the IL last night and promptly received the loss, allowing an earned run and three base runners to the Twins, while only recording one out. The A’s end goal is for Treinen to return to closing but until he shows signs of improvement his seat is going to be hot and shared with Liam Hendriks who has been consistently better than him all season. I’m giving Oakland the committee designation for now. If Treinen doesn’t start stringing together some scoreless appearances then he might return to the IL but would definitely lose his grasp on saves. If Treinen shows improvement then I would expect him to receive the majority of saves here on out. This is a tenuous situation and both players are worth owning for any teams in need of saves. My hot take would be that Treinen has looked off all year and his minimum IL stint hasn’t done anything to convince me otherwise and I would look to buy low-ish on Hendriks with an owner afraid that it’s Treinen’s job again.

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