• Well, it looks like Tyler Clippard’s run as Nationals closer has hit the skids just before the end of the regular season. Yesterday, it was Drew Storen who was called upon in the ninth. Of course, Storen blew the save by serving up a couple hits and a sacrifice fly, but the key fact was that Clippard was deliberately used in his old eighth inning role. I covered Storen’s positive trends last week (velocity up to pre-injury levels, great K/BB ratio) so I won’t rehash here. Clippard has struggled significantly over the last month or so and while his 4.13 xFIP isn’t terrible, it isn’t elite either. Given Washington’s hesitance to move him from setup into the ninth inning earlier this season, it seems more than plausible that the new pecking order has Storen locked into the closer role, especially with the team about to embark on their first playoff run in D.C.

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• After splitting save chances with Jared Burton for a month or so, Glen Perkins has quietly taken over the ninth inning all to himself in the second half of the season. He finished off save number 16 on Friday, throwing a 1-2-3 inning as the Twins upset the Tigers. Perkins has been as steady as relievers come this year, not flashing elite numbers, but putting up monthly xFIPs between 3.02 (April) and 3.67 (July). While his K% has dropped from the high-20% area to the mid-20% realm (possible a result of a slight downtick in fastball velocity), his BB% has plunged from near 10% before the all-star break to a shockingly low 2.5% after. The move the Twins made to buy out a few years of Perkins post-arbitration free agency is looking especially shrewd and he seems to be a near-mortal lock to be the team’s closer come April 2013. He’s only owned in 36% of Yahoo! leagues so run and grab the stat geek if you need saves — keeper league owners would be wise to stash/hold him– a guy with a guaranteed closer job and a plummeting walk rate should sneak into the back end of the top 15 closers on draft boards next year.

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Sorry for the lack of a Bullpen Report last night but I’m here to catch up on the latest and greatest news in bullpens around the league. Also, for those who it applies, wishing you an easy fast.

•  Although there wasn’t a save situation last night, Tyler Clippard pitched in the eighth inning with Drew Storen finishing the game in the ninth and it now looks as if that is the preferred order for Nationals manager Davey Johnson. Tyler Clippard might still see some save opportunities but Storen has been lights out of late, only giving up one earned run in his last 18 appearances, while striking out 15 in 16 innings pitched. Considering Storen’s history (success as closer last year) and Clippard’s recent struggles, I expect this change to continue for the rest of the season provided Storen keeps pitching well.

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• Earlier this weekend, Mike Scioscia announced that he was going back to a closer-by-committee after Ernesto Frieri’s recent rough stretch. Of course, he turned around and rewarded Frieri by — giving him the next save opportunity. Frieri pitched a scoreless ninth on Saturday to preserve a 2-0 lead and emphasize that he’s still probably the favorite even in a committee situation. On Sunday, when faced with a three-run lead, the Angels split up the ninth between Garrett Richards, Scott Downs, and Frieri (nullifying the potential save for anyone). Frieri should be considered at the head of the bullpen, with Downs potentially an option in lefty-heavy innings. Of the other righties, Jordan Walden actually has the best xFIP over the last month (1.93) but doesn’t seem high on the ladder. Other more likely options like Richards (5.03 30-day xFIP), Kevin Jepsen (4.76) and LaTroy Hawkins (4.18) don’t seem like great bets for success. Desperate save chasers can add Downs to squads and hope for a few lefty-righty-lefty ninths, but it seems like a lot of effort with little reward to try and guess which righty might moonlight as the closer one night over the next week and a half.

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• Kenley Jansen may have returned from the disabled list, but it’s clear the Dodgers are easing him back into the closer role rather than just throwing him to the National League. He pitched one-third of an inning Thursday to get his feet wet and, while fans thought Friday might be the day he sees the ninth inning again, he pitched the seventh in a tie game versus the Reds. Manager Don Mattingly saved Brandon League for the save opportunity which eventually cropped up in the tenth inning. Jansen is clearly the superior pitcher (and is one of the best relievers in baseball when healthy) but League has put up a solid 3.04 xFIP over the last month while going four-for-four in the save conversion department. There’s no telling when Jansen might get the ninth inning back but owners should be prepared to wait a bit longer than they first expected — meanwhile, League might be a guy to snag until that time comes (available in 50% of Yahoo! leagues). Maybe savvy owners can squeeze a few more saves out of him before he is moved back to a setup role.

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Apologies for a shorter Bullpen Report tonight, but here’s the latest…

• Out since late August after suffering from an irregular heartbeat, Kenley Jansen is now cleared to play for the Dodgers.  Jansen will need to have offseason surgery but he’s now able to play for the rest of this season and should immediately take over the closer’s role from Brandon League. When healthy, Jansen and his terrific stirkeout ability (13.66 K/9) make him one of the best closers in fantasy baseball – make sure he’s active on your roster and/or pick him up if he’s available in your league.

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L’Shana Tova and wishing everyone a sweet new year, at least as far as your fantasy team’s relievers are concerned…

•  After going all of last season without blowing a save, Jose Valverde blew his fifth save of the year last night, raising his ERA to 3.77. That ERA isn’t so terrible but behind it is a horrid 5.10 xFIP. Valverde has never been a control pitcher but his ability to miss bats at least made him respectable, if you are able to dismiss his celebrations of course. However, after posting strikeout rates of 8.59 K/9 or above for his entire career, Valverde’s strike out rate has dropped to 6.39 K/9 this season. Jim Leyland is a loyal guy and nothing has been said about a potential closing change, but in the midst of a playoff race you have to wonder if Leyland will want to go down with a sinking ship. We will be sure to monitor this situation, and teams in need of saves might want to take a look at Joaquin Benoit.
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Looking for some cheap steals and saves down the stretch? Here are two players for that late-season/playoff push…

Eduardo Nunez | 2B, SS, 3B | Yankees | Owned: 1% Yahoo!

I touted the 25-year-old Nunez as a steals sleeper way back in February, but he quickly played his way off New York’s big league roster not with his bat, but with his defense. He struggled with the routine play and was demoted to Triple-A in mid-May despite a solid (for a utility infielder) .294/.356/.373 batting line, then resurfaced when rosters expanded in September.

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• The struggling Addison Reed was finally yanked from a save opportunity on Saturday after giving up a pair of walks and a single. Robin Ventura apparently had enough and called on Matt Thornton to get out of the bases loaded jam — Thornton complied by inducing a double play and then another ground out to preserve the win for the White Sox. Reed has now given up earned runs in seven of his last nine outings, although his biggest problem his the 0.538 BABIP over that span (7 innings since August 24th). His 30-day xFIP is a slightly more bearable 4.13 (which only barely trails his top right-handed setup man in Brett Myers (4.11)), although Thornton’s xFIP over the same period is 3.35. It’s unlikely we’ve seen a changing of the guard, but this serves notice that the White Sox are not messing around — they don’t have margin for error and the leash on any of their relievers is getting shorter as the end of September draws closer. Reed owners scraping for saves should acknowledge that (and maybe snag Thornton if they have an extra bullpen slot).

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• Two nights after Grant Balfour was passed over for a save situation, he was right back at it in locking down a one run game versus the also-contending Baltimore Orioles. Balfour’s season-long 4.01 xFIP isn’t fantastic, but a lot of damage was done in June/July. Since August 1st, he has a 2.63 xFIP with a K% (33.3%) which puts him within sniffing distance of baseball’s elite relievers. His fastball velocity has been climbing all season and he’s currently throwing the hardest he has since the 2008/2009 seasons. Barring multiple meltdowns, Oakland will ride him to find their playoff fate so make sure he’s active as you try to tick off the last few saves in your roto leagues.

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