Coming off the All-Star break, I will focus on bullpens with possible trade implications and recent questions about who is the lead arm to close games.
Arizona Diamondbacks
Since June, Mark Melancon has had a 3.12 ERA and 1.33 WHIP over 17.1 innings with 16 strikeouts. He converted four of his five save chances to push his season total to 14-for-16. Despite having plenty of saves on his career resume, Melancon hasn’t pitched well enough to be an arm of desire in the trade market.
Baltimore Orioles
After his first four months with the Orioles (1.71 ERA with 52 strikeouts and 19 saves in 23 attempts over 47.1 innings), Jorge Lopez should be shipped out of town to a contending team. He is on a minimal one year-contract, but Baltimore remains in the hurt in the AL wild-card race. Felix Bautista looks positioned to be their next closing option after extending his no-hit shutout streak to 7.1 innings with one walk and 11 strikeouts. He should be rostered in all leagues until the ball drops on the major league trade deadline.
Boston Red Sox
With the Red Sox struggling to win games, Tanner Houck hasn’t earned a save since June 25th. His command (six walks) started to go awry over his past nine innings, but he only allowed a pair of runs with five strikeouts and a blown save. His closing opportunity looks at risk with Garrett Whitlock now pitching in Boston’s bullpen. Over his first four appearances after coming off the injured list, he tossed six shutout innings with one hit, one walk, nine strikeouts, and a save.
Chicago Cubs
David Robertson expects to be traded over the next couple of days. He is 14-for-19 closing games with a 1.83 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, and 50 strikeouts over 39.1 innings. Mychal Givens pitched his way into their closing conversation after improving his scoreless run to 16.1 innings with 18 strikeouts, and one save.
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Chicago White Sox
The injured list appears to be the next stop for Liam Hendriks after getting drilled over his previous three innings (five runs, eight baserunners, and two home runs with four strikeouts and one save). Before the All-Star break, he pitched 15.1 shutout innings with 22 strikeouts and nine saves. Hendriks has 19 saves in his 22 opportunities. Kendall Graveman hasn’t looked sharp in July (5.40 ERA and 1.90 WHIP over 10 innings with 10 strikeouts). The White Sox don’t have another arm worthy of pitching in the ninth inning if Reynaldo Lopez lands on the injured list with his back issue. He is on a one-year deal, so another contender may try to pry him from Chicago.
Cincinnati Reds
Since the middle of June, Hunter Strickland has a 3.52 ERA and 0.98 WHIP over 15.1 innings with 10 strikeouts, five saves, and two blown leads. The Reds will continue to give him closing chances until he hits a bad stretch. Alexis Diaz pitched well in July (no runs over 6.1 innings with six baserunners, eight strikeouts, and one save) after missing about three weeks with a biceps issue.
Miami Marlins
Tanner Scott hasn’t pitched well since July 3rd (5.06 ERA and 1.88 WHIP over 10.2 innings), leading to four saves in his seven tries. His regression came from a lack of command (11 walks). His closing opportunity appears at risk while going 13-for-17 when asked to finish games. Anthony Bass saw his 16.2 innings scoreless string end on July 24th when Miami gave him a chance to close a win vs. the Pirates. His season stats (1.48 ERA and 0.94 WHIP over 42.2 innings with 43 strikeouts) appear closer-worthy, but Bass doesn’t have a save this season.
San Diego Padres
Over his last 11 games, Taylor Rogers had been one of the worst relievers in baseball. He allowed 11 runs and 22 baserunners over 11.1 innings with 14 strikeouts while converting six of his 10 saves. However, Rogers does rank highly in saves (28) despite blowing seven games. Luis Garcia hasn’t allowed a run over his previous 4.1 innings with four strikeouts and four holds. The Padres turned to Nick Martinez to finish games four times over the past five weeks, leading to a 2.12 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 17 innings with 10 strikeouts. In three of those chances, he pitched a minimum of three innings.
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