Archive for Sam Dyson

When the Braves acquired Shane Greene and Chris Martin ahead of Wednesday’s trade deadline, there didn’t seem to be much mystery as to how they would be used. Given Luke Jackson’s struggles in closing out games for the Braves and Greene’s success as the Tigers’ closer, it would have been an upset for the latter reliever to be used as anything but a closer. It also was a natural fit for Martin, who racked up 12 holds (and four saves) with the Rangers, to set Greene up. On Thursday, Brian Snitker confirmed that Greene will, in fact, be his closer, and Martin will be his primary setup reliever.

What was less clear was how Snitker might use Mark Melancon, who was just acquired from the Giants. While Melancon was typically the fifth option in a deep Giants bullpen, the Braves’ manager indicated that he could pitch the seventh inning in addition to other situations. This suggests that Jackson won’t see much action in hold situations, much less as a fill-in closer when Greene is unavailable. During his recent three-week slump, Jackson allowed nine runs on 11 hits (including three homers) and four walks over six innings. Still, there were some positives, such as a 15.0 percent SwStr% and a 60.0 percent ground ball rate, which were right in line with his season-to-date numbers. Despite these impressive skill indicators, there is not much point in rostering Jackson, even in holds leagues.
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In spite of a limited slate which shrunk due to a postponement in Washington, plenty of high leverage events occurred on Monday night. Starting in Pittsburgh in a game which required extra innings to be decided, both bullpens pitched well until the 10th inning. Clay Holmes coughed up a grand slam to Paul Goldschmidt providing the Cardinals with what seemed to be a comfortable lead. Chasen Shreve took the mound with the four run advantage allowing back-to-back doubles to Starling Marte and Josh Bell leading to a run. This prompted the Cardinals to bring in their closer, Carlos Martinez. This marked his seventh appearance over the last 10 days.

Martinez yielded a home run to Jung-Ho Kang cutting the lead to one run. A single by Corey Dickerson put the tying run on base with no outs. Kevin Newman reached on an error by Paul DeJong putting the go ahead runner on base as well. A bunt by Elias Diaz forced out Dickerson at third base for the first out. Jacob Stallings entered hitting a pinch hit single to left field but St. Louis cut down Newman at the plate for the second out. An Adam Frazier fly out ended the game providing Martinez with his eighth save, and fifth in a row despite the drama. It’s been rocky recently for Martinez yielding runs in four  of his last five appearances but he’s getting the work, perhaps too much as the clear cut closer in this bullpen. Shreve garnered his first win of the season despite giving up two earned runs in one-third of an inning.

In Milwaukee, both bullpens imploded ceding leads resulting in a wild finish. Cincinnati used Michael Lorenzen in the seventh inning in relief of Sonny Gray. Lorenzen worked two-thirds of an inning walking two and striking out one for his eighth hold. Amir Garrett entered with runners on walking Christian Yelich but bounced back to strikeout Yasmani Grandal ending the inning. Garrett returned for the start of the eighth inning but left after allowing a lead-off single to Mike Moustakas. Raisel Iglesias took over against Jesus Aguilar giving up a single then issued a walk to Keston Hiura loading the bases with no outs. Iglesias struck out Orlando Arcia then served up a grand slam to Tyler Saladino, his second in two days. After striking out Ben Gamel, Iglesias then allowed a single to Lorenzo Cain leading to his departure from the game recording two outs with three hits and three earned runs against.

Wandy Peralta took over for Iglesias in the eighth inducing a ground out by Yelich to first base. However, the damage had been done by Iglesias resulting in his third blown save of the season snapping his save streak at 11 in the process. Milwaukee turned to Jeremy Jeffress for the save chance with Josh Hader having worked in back-to-back games over the weekend. Jeffress struck out Derek Dietrich starting the ninth but gave up a one out single to Nick Senzel. Joey Votto grounded out to third letting Senzel move up a base before Eugenio Suarez hit his second two run home run off a Brewers reliever last night. The second Suarez homer handed Jeffress his third blown save and third loss of the year. It’s been migration to the mean for Jeffress battling injury issues and too much traffic on the bases. Cincinnati stayed with Peralta in the bottom of the ninth. He retired Grandal on a lineout to and Moustakas on a fly out. Jared Hughes then entered to face Aguilar but walked him prior to striking out Manny Pina ending the game for his first save of the season.

It’s been a slippery slope predicting saves for the Reds. Iglesias seemed to regain his hold on the job prior to this meltdown. Home runs continue to plague Iglesias with last night’s slam the ninth against him in only 43 innings. He set a career high last year giving up 12 across 72 innings. Perhaps the team will go back to Lorenzen for the next save or Iglesias or eventually go to a fluid match-up bullpen like their pitching coach deployed with his former team Milwaukee last season.

Although it’s been a slow start to the second half for Will Smith, he did not get the save chance on Monday night due to past usage. San Francisco reported Smith unavailable after working six times in the previous 10 days. Sam Dyson recorded his second save, and first since April 13th navigating around a walk and a hit in the ninth inning. Dyson’s not been scored upon in 14 of his last 15 outings while leading the team in appearances (47) this season. He’s emerged as the number two option in a loaded bullpen. Drew Pomeranz made his debut as a reliever hitting 95 MPH on the radar with his fastball and striking out four of the six batters he faced in two clean innings. Trevor Gott gets his second win in as many days pushing his total to seven this year despite allowing an earned run on two hits. Pedro Strop incurred his fifth blown save and fourth loss giving up four hits and three earned runs in the bottom of the eighth leading to the Giants win. Strop’s allowed four earned runs his last three outings spanning three innings.

As reported by Al Melchior in the column yesterday, the Red Sox continue to explore options to bolster their team, including the bullpen. Nathan Eovaldi made his debut as a reliever last night with less than stellar results. Eovaldi yielded five hits, three earned runs and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning. Of more concern, the 112.9 MPH maximum exit velocity on the batted balls against Eovaldi in this outing. It can take time to transition to the bullpen so it may benefit Eovaldi owners to keep him reserved until he gains footing as a reliever.

No official word from the Rangers about who will replace Shawn Kelley as the closer other than Chris Martin and Jose LeClerc could share them. Kelley landed on the injured list with a biceps strain but hopes to return as close the minimum as possible escaping major injury. Stay tuned. In Seattle, Roenis Elias recorded a one out save after Cory Gearrin coughed up a solo home run to Rougned Odor then walked Ronald Guzman and hit Shin-Soo Choo with a pitch with two outs in the top of the ninth. Elias entered getting Danny Santana to fly out stranding both runners for his 12th save.

Quick Hits: Sergio Romo worked a scoreless eighth inning giving up a hit with a strikeout. He’s not received a save chance since July sixth…Save number 15 for Taylor Rogers working around two one out singles by Aaron Judge and Edwin Encarnacion. Rogers moved to 5-for-6 in save chances this month with 14 strikeouts over 10.1 innings with no walks. Lewis Thorpe gets his first win working 2.2 innings allowing four hits and one earned run with two strikeouts…Greg Holland notched his 17th save giving up a hit with two strikeouts. He’s recorded a save in each of his last five appearances with the last three being scoreless. Stefan Crichton gets his first hold with a clean eighth and Yoshihisa Hirano his ninth hold firing a clean seventh.

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.

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 »

Whether you’re measuring by WAR, SIERA or saves plus holds, Will Smith and Tony Watson were the Giants’ most valuable relievers in 2018. (If we include non-qualifiers, Pablo Sandoval had the lowest SIERA, but I’m not going to dwell on this.) When you think about non-contending teams who don’t need the luxury of going into the season multiple top-flight relievers, the Giants should come to mind first. So it should hardly be surprising that Smith and Watson’s names have been popping up in trade rumors.

Several teams have contacted the Giants about both relievers, and with bigger names like Zach Britton, Andrew Miller and David Robertson recently coming off the board, president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi recognizes that the duo could be a good fit for small market teams still looking for relief help. Even if the Giants dealt both Smith and Watson, they would have a plethora of lefties still in place to fill that need in their bullpen.
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It looks as if we have a full-blown committee situation in San Francisco.

That’s because Sam Dyson, who was annointed as the primary closer 10 days ago after Hunter Strickland broke his hand punching a door, has allowed six runs (five earned) in seven innings since said annointment. On Thursday, Dyson blew a save and took the loss against the Rockies, having given the visitors the lead by allowing DJ LeMahieu’s two-run homer.
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Entering the Giants’ Tuesday night game against the Rockies, it had been one week since Sam Dyson had recorded his one-and-only save since Hunter Strickland was placed on the DL. Given that he had a couple of shaky outings in the interim and that Bruce Bochy called on Will Smith to pitch the bottom of the ninth inning in a tie game with the Padres on Sunday, one had to wonder if Dyson was still the Giants’ primary closer.

Whatever worries Dyson — or his fantasy owners — may have had were somewhat assuaged in Tuesday’s 3-2 win. Dyson pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his third save of the season, though there were some nail-biting moments. He gave up a leadoff double to Tom Murphy and issued a one-out walk to pinch hitter Chris Iannetta. Dyson appeared to get out of the inning on a DJ LeMahieu double play ball, but the Rockies challenged the call, which was ultimately upheld.
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Life is coming at the Giants’ bullpen fast. On Monday, Hunter Strickland blew a save against the Marlins and punched out a door. On Tuesday, Strickland had surgery and Sam Dyson was named the new closer. That night, Dyson notched a save, and then on Wednesday afternoon, he came perilously close to blowing a save.

The Giants gave Dyson a three-run cushion in their series finale with Miami, but the Marlins shaved a run off the lead when Starlin Castro brought Miguel Rojas home with a one-out sacrifice fly. Dyson was one strike away from recording his second save in two days, but then Brian Anderson smacked an 0-2 two-seamer into right field for an RBI single. After J.T. Realmuto singled on Dyson’s very next pitch, Bruce Bochy called for Reyes Moronta to get out of the jam. In striking out J.B. Shuck on four pitches, Moronta got credit for his first career save.
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Among yesterday’s developments, I was pretty certain nothing was going to top the Cubs losing their closer due to an injury sustained while taking his pants off. I was wrong.

After blowing a save against the Marlins on Monday night, Hunter Strickland then lost a fight with a door. The Giants’ closer punched said door and broke his right hand. He underwent surgery on his right pinky finger on Tuesday and is expected to be out for six-to-eight weeks. Bruce Bochy wasted little time in anointing Sam Dyson as his new primary closer, and promptly used him to nail down a save against the Marlins on Tuesday night. With Tony Watson apparently off after pitching on consecutive days, Will Smith pitched the eighth inning and stayed in to begin the ninth with lefties J.B. Shuck and Derek Dietrich due up, but after walking pinch hitter Yadiel Rivera and striking out Dietrich, he gave way to Dyson. The sinkerballer, who happens to have a 64.8 percent ground ball rate, got Brian Anderson to hit into a game-ending double play.
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For the second time in less than 24 hours, the Marlins helped themselves with a sacrifice fly off Hunter Strickland. On Wednesday night, it was Brian Anderson’s deep fly to center field that brought in Miguel Rojas to score the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning. Then on Thursday, Strickland was brought in with a one-run lead in the ninth inning. Three batters into the frame, he engaged in a nine-pitch battle with Lewis Brinson that concluded with a flyball to the warning track. That drive scored Starlin Castro and tied the game up. In fairness to Strickland, Castro had reached on a Joe Panik error, and the night before, he had inherited two runners from Reyes Moronta.

With Mark Melancon back, it may seem like Strickland has less margin for error, but the Giants’ former closer is far from the most immediate threat to the incumbent’s job security. Tony Watson has been spectacular lately, not allowing a run over his last 8.1 innings while striking out 13 batters and yielding only a single and a walk. Sam Dyson stumbled a bit in the Marlins series, allowing three runs (two earned) in 1.1 innings, but prior to that, he had allowed one run over a 13.1-inning span with 17 strikeouts and four walks.
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