Archive for Twins

Remember when Sean Doolittle was diagnosed with a strained toe and Davey Martinez said he just needed a day off?

That was 38 days and three closers ago. Doolittle’s injury — a stress reaction in his left foot — turned out to be far more serious, and while he is back to throwing off a mound as of Tuesday, the Nationals’ bullpen has been riddled with injuries and instability. They placed Ryan Madson on the 10-day disabled list on Tuesday, as he continued to experience back soreness even after getting treatment. So with Doolittle, Madson and Kelvin Herrera all on the DL, Martinez will now turn to Koda Glover, who is just a few weeks removed from his own recovery from a shoulder injury.
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Sorry for the late entry, received a call to the bullpen to fill-in on short notice, suddenly understanding how a reliever feels. As to the action on Monday night, a small slate of games provided plenty of upheaval. For the third straight game, the Dodgers bullpen cratered giving up a late lead leading to its fourth loss in a row. Scott Alexander, who owns the last save recorded by this bullpen, served up four hits and four runs (three earned) in two-thirds of an inning resulting in his second blown save and first loss of the season. While the team tries to retool the depth in high leverage innings, neither Kenta Maeda nor Ross Stripling have worked since their starts in Colorado. Due to the past performances by Dylan Floro, Alexander and J.T. Chargois, it stands to reason Maeda or Stripling will be available in relief going forward. Do not count out Caleb Ferguson either.

Ferguson’s being prepared to work in back-to-back games and has pitched well as a reliever. In 11 outings as a reliever, Ferguson’s 3-0 with two saves, a 1.14 ERA in 23.2 innings, owns an enticing 28:3 K:BB and a respectable 0.80 WHIP. Also, Julio Urias could rejoin this group soon to add more upside in the late innings. Due to the fluidity, owning a reliever for primary saves could be tough on the Dodgers, so keep focused on how the rest of the week progresses noting how Dave Roberts deploys his new cache of options in order to determine the new hierarchy in high leverage. Read the rest of this entry »

Several closer situations have flipped in recent days, and on Saturday, we got an early look at how four of them could play out in the coming weeks. The Twins’ trade of Fernando Rodney created a void, as well as one of the harder ninth-inning situations to read. Despite his recent difficulties in the setup role, Trevor Hildenberger got the first crack at a save in the post-Rodney era. Unfortunately, he stayed true to recent form, allowing multiple runs for the fourth straight appearance. Fortunately, the two-run homer he allowed to Niko Goodrum was not enough to wipe out a three-run lead against the Tigers. Hildenberger did not allow any further damage, so he was credited with his first save of the season.
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The Twins had a lot more trust in Fernando Rodney heading into this season than fantasy owners did. While Rodney got a $4.5 million deal from the Twins to be their closer last December, fantasy owners typically passed him over until after the first 200 picks were made (220 NFBC ADP, 239 Fantrax ADP). Several opening day closers lost their grip on the role long ago, but Rodney was the Twins’ unquestioned closer all season long.

Until now. The Twins traded Rodney to the Athletics for minor league right-hander Dakota Chalmers on Thursday night, joining an already deep bullpen where Blake Treinen, Jeurys Familia and Lou Trivino have settled into their respective late-inning roles. Holds, much less saves, could be hard to come by for Rodney with his new club.
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When Kyle Barraclough had to get bailed out to prevent him from blowing his fourth straight save on Monday, that was the last straw for Don Mattingly. On Tuesday, the Marlins’ manager announced he was removing Barraclough from the closer’s role, though his replacement “was not going to be one guy.” Drew Steckenrider, who has been used consistently as the eighth-inning setup reliever, would be a strong candidate to get the Marlins’ next save chance, though a report from MLB.com beat writer Joe Frisaro cited Adam Conley and Tayron Guerrero as candidates to close as well.
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Defending World Champions, Houston, entered the relief pitching market adding Ryan Pressly to their bullpen in an effort to rebuild the struggling bridge to current closer, Hector Rondon. It’s evident they need add arms to their bullpen, especially with the recent struggles of Chris Devenski. For the second straight outing, Devenski did not record an out while giving up multiple earned runs in an appearance. Over his last four games, Devenski’s yielded 11 earned runs in 2.1 innings pushing his ERA to 4.19 on the season. On the other hand, Pressly’s surging in July riding a seven game scoreless streak with a 0.90 ERA in July and 14 strikeouts against three walks in 10 innings. Plus, Pressly’s under team control via arbitration through the 2019 season.

His former team, Minnesota could see more upheaval in the bullpen in the days ahead. Fernando Rodney did blow his sixth save on Friday night allowing a home run to Rafael Devers while pitching in his third consecutive game, and fourth in five days. He’s been in trade rumors as a potential setup pitcher on a contending team due to his experience and 2.90 ERA over 32 games since May first converting 19 of 22 save chances. Many believed Pressly or Trevor Hildenberger would replace Rodney in the event of a trade, however Pressly will not be a factor. If Rodney does get moved, the Twins could use Addison Reed as the closer keeping Hildenberger in the eighth inning role. Reed’s had a tough transition to the team, but could return soon after receiving a cortisone shot in his elbow and a clean image on his MRI. Reed’s been a very effective reliever and being paid as the backup to Rodney, so overlooking him going forward could be a mistake. Read the rest of this entry »

On Tuesday night, the Twins shut out the Blue Jays, 5-0, and while it was a superb performance by Jose Berrios, there wasn’t much of interest as far as relief work goes.

Or so I thought. A commenter for Wednesday morning’s Bullpen Report, docgooden85, pointed out a few things that are worth noting for those speculating on future Twins saves. Trevor Hildenberger, who we have listed in the “First Up” column in the closer’s grid, did pitch the eighth inning, but in the aftermath of a couple of recent ineffective performances, he did it with a five-run lead. Also, in Ryan Pressly (1.38 ERA and 18 strikeouts over his last 13 innings) and the recovering Addison Reed (elbow impingement), Hildenberger has a couple of rivals for saves down the stretch, should the Twins trade Fernando Rodney.
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It’s no secret many players push through nagging injuries with the All-Star break fast approaching. Aroldis Chapman’s no exception and left Saturday’s game early when the tendinitis in his knee flared up after striking out Randal Grichuk. With a four run lead, there was no need to push him. However, the recurrence of this injury means it’s something fantasy owners remain cognizant of going forward. Chapman’s been terrific this year converting 24 of his 25 save chances with a 1.42 ERA and 66 strikeouts in 38 innings, including 24 over his last 14.2 innings. Working three games in a row to start the month could have prompted this flareup. As for his backup, it’s unlikely Dellin Betances sits on a waiver wire. He’s in the midst of a tremendous stretch during which he’s recorded 18 straight scoreless outings, spanning 17.2 innings, allowing three hits and 11 walks with 30 strikeouts against 67 total batters faced.

Trying to predict the machinations of Gabe Kaplar and how he will deploy the bullpen remains confounding. Eight different Phillies pitchers have notched a save this year as this hierarchy continues to evolve. It seemed like Seranthony Dominguez could emerge as the ninth inning option with four saves his previous four outings leading up to yesterday. But, Dominguez pitched the eighth inning for his 10th hold giving up a hit and striking out two. Victor Arano recorded his second save, in consecutive outings, also allowing a hit and striking out two. Philadelphia’s beat writers did not broach the subject suggesting a clear cut closer exists on the team. Delving into the batters faced, Dominguez faced Starling Marte, Gregory Polanco, Colin Moran and Elias Diaz, hitters two through five in the Pirates order. It remains to be seen if Dominguez was used in the highest leverage spot, regardless of role or if Arano’s moving up in the pecking order. For now, leaving Dominguez atop the committee but also promoting Arano to second on the list. Read the rest of this entry »

A two-start streak — good or bad — is typically not enough for drawing strong conclusions about a pitcher’s value, but hey, a meaningful upturn or downturn has to start somewhere.

For Wei-Yin Chen and Kyle Gibson, a change in fortune would not be totally unexpected. Chen’s three-year tenure with the Marlins has been marred by injury and a level of performance that has paled in comparison to that which he enjoyed with the Orioles. Perhaps we’re finally starting to see the version of the lefty the Marlins expected when they signed him to a five-year, $80 million deal. Gibson, on the other hand, is enjoying the best season of his career, but could he be on the precipice of regression?
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In the nine days since Jeurys Familia was shelved with a sore right shoulder, the Mets have had just one save situation. They did not have one on Saturday against the Diamondbacks, but in holding a 5-1 lead over the final three innings, they were close to having one. Mickey Callaway went with the same late-inning combination that he used in the save situation against the Yankees on June 1o: Robert Gsellman providing the bridge from the starter in the seventh and eighth innings to Anthony Swarzak in the ninth.

Both pitchers performed admirably in Familia’s absence, but they are now expected to return to their prior roles, as the Mets are planning on activating their closer on Sunday. Familia is expected to move immediately back into the closer’s role.
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