Archive for Bullpen Report

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 »

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.

Greg Holland picked a very bad time to lose control.

The Dodgers have been the most selective team in the National League, swinging on only 28.3 percent of the pitches they have seen outside of the strike zone. On Tuesday night, Holland was on the verge of collecting his 13th save for the Diamondbacks, pitching to Chris Taylor with a 4-3 lead, two outs and an 0-2 count. None of his next four pitches were close to the zone, and Taylor walked. Then Holland walked Russell Martin, Alex Verdugo and Matt Beaty, allowing the Dodgers to tie the game without getting a hit. He was lifted for T.J. McFarland, and when he left he had thrown 22 of his 30 pitches outside of the strike zone. Martin swung at one of them — a slider that missed the bottom of the zone by more than a foot — and none of Holland’s other out-of-zone pitches induced a swing.
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Desperation’s a stinky cologne remains one of many personal favorite movie quotes, courtesy of Super Troopers. With Boston’s bullpen under constant scrutiny due to usage and performance, it appears a new sheriff will occupy the ninth inning when healthy enough to return:

According to sources, the Red Sox plan on using Nathan Eovaldi as their closer when he returns from the Injured List. https://t.co/cxrS0ZErV0

— Tom Caron (@TomCaron) July 2, 2019

Nathan Eovaldi made three appearances as a reliever in last year’s World Series working eighth innings giving up three hits, one earned run and a walk with six strikeouts. Signed to be a starting pitcher, and even speaking to this prior to agreeing to a free agent deal to return to Boston, the lack of clarity at the end of games along with his injury concerns prompt this move. However, it remains to be seen how often Eovaldi will be able to work as a reliever. Perhaps he gets a Seth Lugo type usage pattern of requiring necessary days off after working and will Eovaldi be able to handle work on consecutive days? As of now, plan on Brandon Workman potentially working the ninth until the All-Star break but if Eovaldi’s been dropped and desperate for saves, stashing him now makes sense for the second half.

It’s been a remarkable year for Josh Hader. He’s already saved 20 games, owns a ridiculous 52.4 strikeout percentage (78 strikeouts of 149 total batters faced) and only one blown save this year with three holds as well. Last night, Hader only recorded a hold working the eighth inning and giving up a two run home run to Eugenio Suarez. Like three outcome hitters, it seems like Hader also produces three outcomes, a strikeout, a walk or a home run. Hader’s only yielded 15 hits all season in 41.2 innings but seven have been home runs. Relying almost exclusively on his fastball, Hader allows hard contact if he misses his spot with batters swinging from their heels to produce contact. This results in Hader’s 24.4 swinging strike percentage with only a 58.3 contact percentage against, but also his 19.4 home run per fly ball rate of the 61 percent of fly balls he generates. Suffice it to say, fantasy owners will accept Hader’s propensity to give up a home run for the strikeouts and saves. In fact, the homer by Suarez snapped a 11.1 inning scoreless streak by Hader and it’s the first home run (and hit) he’s allowed since June first.

After Milwaukee extended the lead back to three runs, they decided to sit down Hader rather than deploy him for a second inning. Jeremy Jeffress entered for the save chance giving up a single to Jose Iglesias then with two outs, Iglesias moved up on defensive indifference and scored on a single by Phillip Ervin before Jose Peraza grounded out to end the game. With a need for the bridge to firm up leading to Hader, the Brewers need Jeffress to round into form. With this outing, he’s allowed a run in four of his last five contests and in five of his last seven growing his ERA from 2.52 to its present 4.18. This, along with the reemergence of Matt Albers as detailed by Al Melchior in yesterday’s Bullpen Report, will continue to evolve. Especially with Milwaukee in on most relievers rumored on the trade block.

As for the Reds, a tough night for David Hernandez from a performance and personal standpoint. People often do not account for the human side from a player’s perspective. As a former teammate of Tyler Skaggs, Hernandez took the mound and did not pitch well in his high leverage moment. Not only did Hernandez suffer his second blown save, also his fourth loss allowing three hits, three earned runs and two walks. This tweet from Reds beat writer R. Trent Rosencrans seemed to encapsulate the night for Hernandez:

David Hernandez stood tall, answered every question about his outing. He took blame. Called it awful, said his mechanics are off. The whole 9. When asked about former teammate Tyler Skaggs, he got emotional and couldn't speak. It was a tough day for him way beyond the game

— C. Trent Rosecrans (@ctrent) July 2, 2019

With deference to the Angels, Skaggs family and the baseball community, thoughts and prayers to all. It should also be noted both Amir Garrett and Raisel Iglesias were not available for last night’s game leaving the Reds shorthanded against the slew of left-handed hitters in the Brewers lineup. This culminated in the game for Hernandez giving up an RBI single to Christian Yelich and a sacrifice fly to Mike Moustakas. Due to the recent fluidity of the Cincinnati bullpen, the high leverage moments remain in flux with Michael Lorenzen and Iglesias sharing recent save chances along with the potential for Garrett to face lefties in the ninth going forward.

Never to be overlooked in the world of fluid bullpens, Jose Alvarado resurfaced in Tampa Bay recording his first save since May 26th working around a double by Jonathan Villar striking out two in a scoreless ninth. It’s Alvarado’s seventh save of the season and an encouraging outing. He’s struggled with command and wild pitches so far but if Alvarado can right the ship, he shores up the Rays bullpen. With Diego Castillo slated to rejoin the team in Baltimore after the All-Star break, perhaps the team will add to its depth without needing to make a trade. Emilio Pagan locked down his sixth hold firing a clean eighth inning with two strikeouts. He also faced Renato Nunez, Pedro Severino and Hanser Alberto, who fare better versus southpaws paving the way for the Alvarado save chance. Pagan’s ability to work multiple innings and in high leverage moments at the team’s need probably caps his save opportunities but he’s an invaluable member of this bullpen. His last save occurred on June 21st and Pagan could receive another save prior to the break hence his position in the closer grid, even though it’s tenuous based on usage patterns.

Nothing frustrates fantasy owners more than a closer getting work in during a blowout. Case in point, Craig Kimbrel pitching in Pittsburgh last night. Kimbrel entered a game which the Cubs trailed by 10 runs and proceeded to allow a lead-off home run in the eighth to Jose Osuna along with a double to Adam Frazier and a two out, two run home run to Josh Bell. All told, Kimbrel yielded three hits and three earned runs with two strikeouts. It’s merely a blip in terms of his role as the closer and Chicago used Daniel Descalso to pitch the seventh. So, getting work in may make sense, but it rarely goes great when a closer works in situations without meaning.

With a very limited slate on Monday night, there’s no need for quick hits with most situations already covered. Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Just as fantasy owners were likely questioning whether Raisel Iglesias would get another save for the Reds, he came through with his first one in three weeks on Sunday. However, the way Iglesias’ performance unfolded raises more questions than it answers.

David Bell brought Iglesias in for a two-inning save after Amir Garrett walked Jason Heyward to lead off the eighth inning, with the Reds out in front of the Cubs, 4-3. Iglesias preserved the lead, and with the Reds scoring four times in the bottom of the inning, he came back out for the ninth. Though he yielded a single and a walk, Iglesias appeared to be headed for an uneventful save, as he had Heyward in an 0-2 count with two outs. That’s when the Cubs’ outfielder pulled an inside fastball into the right field seats to cut the lead to two runs. Iglesias did retire Javier Baez for the final out, but that one swing increased his ERA to 4.41.
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With July on the horizon and the trade deadline set to take center stage after the All-Star break, bullpen hierarchies will remain fluid. Ahead of all of this, things seem to be intensifying in Cincinnati with Michael Lorenzen receiving the save chance against the Cubs on Friday night. Lorenzen converted his fifth save, and third in a row giving up a hit in 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts. More intriguing, Raisel Iglesias did not make an appearance in this game with the Reds protecting a three-run lead. Momentum and performance tilt to Lorenzen’s favor to the chagrin of Iglesias owners. Read the rest of this entry »

Roughly 24 hours ago, we may have wondered how soon the Cubs would use Craig Kimbrel as their closer once he was called up. That question was answered quickly and definitively on Thursday night. Mere hours after getting promoted from Triple-A Iowa, Joe Maddon called on Kimbrel to protect a 9-7 lead against the Braves in the top of the ninth inning. He got off to an auspicious start to his tenure with his new team, throwing strikes on each of his first six pitches and retiring former battery mate Brian McCann and Johan Camargo. Kimbrel struck out McCann on three pitches, though the called third strike did appear to be just outside the strike zone.

After getting Ronald Acuna into a 1-2 count, Kimbrel’s night took a slight turn for the worse. Acuna worked his way into a seven-pitch at-bat, ultimately blemishing Kimbrel’s debut with a ground rule double. Then his control briefly abandoned him in a four-pitch walk to Dansby Swanson. It only took one pitch for Kimbrel to end the threat, as Anthony Rizzo snagged a Freddie Freeman grounder hit down the first base line and got to the base just in time to get the final out.
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