Bullpen Report: September 17, 2018

Adam Conley did not have a save opportunity on Sunday against the Phillies, but nonetheless, I have moved him to the head of the Marlins’ closer committee in the grid. Don Mattingly, like many managers, will sometimes use his closer with a four-run lead in the ninth inning, and that’s what he did on Sunday. With a 6-2 lead, Conley retired the first two batters, but he allowed a hard-hit Aaron Altherr double followed by Roman Quinn’s RBI single. The lefty could have limited the damage to the lone run if Starlin Castro had not been eaten up by a Cesar Hernandez grounder, but the error allowed the Phillies to cut the lead to 6-4. Then the rally ended when Conley struck out Rhys Hoskins.

It was not a sterling performance, but it could have been good enough to earn Conley more save chances. The two relievers who were the most recent recipients of final-inning save chances —  Kyle Barraclough and Drew Steckenrider — set up for Conley, and both righties pitched low leverage innings in a loss on Saturday.

Trevor Hildenberger, who has emerged from a committee situation to settle in as the Twins’ closer, also made an ninth-inning appearance with a four-run lead on Sunday. His outing against the Royals mirrored Conley’s in that he, too, got a pair of quick outs but allowed an earned run before finally closing out the game with a strikeout. Just two days earlier, Hildenberger blew a save and then allowed the Royals to walk off on Salvador Perez’s grand slam.

Since the Twins traded Fernando Rodney to the Athletics, Hildenberger has just the one blown save and one loss, but he allowed home runs in two of his six saves. Meanwhile, Taylor Rogers, who has been Paul Molitor’s primary setup reliever, has rattled off 24 consecutive scoreless appearances, covering 22 innings. Over this seven-week period, Rogers has struck out 26 batters and allowed only seven singles, two doubles and two walks.

Rogers has improved in large part due to the addition of a slider this season, but increased curveball movement has been key to his success as well. Only Ryan Pressly has accrued more pitch value from curveballs than Rogers has in the second half. In a recent conversation, Rogers credited his work with bullpen coach Eddie Guardado for helping him to make adjustments to his delivery, and believes the changes have stuck due to frequent visualizing he does while throwing from flat ground.

Particularly if Hildenberger struggles again, it would not be surprising to see Rogers get some save chances over the season’s final two weeks. If nothing else, he could help owners who are looking to trim their ERAs and WHIPs (or avoid inflating them with risky starters).

One can never be too sure what to expect from a Mike Scioscia-managed bullpen, but for now, Ty Buttrey appears to be settling in as the Angels’ primary closer. Three of Buttrey’s last five appearances have been save situations, and he has three of the team’s last four saves. The most recent one came on Sunday, as Buttrey cemented a 4-3 win over the Mariners by striking out the side. Over his 13.1 innings, the former Red Sox prospect has allowed one run on nine hits and four walks with 16 strikeouts. Like Rogers, Buttrey appears to be a safe play for owners trying to avoid damage to their ERAs and WHIPs, but he seems to be a far better option for saves.

Dellin Betances‘ brief and eventful reign as the Yankees’ closer may conclude on a down note. On Sunday, Aaron Boone brought Betances in for the eighth inning to face the 9-1-2 batters in the Blue Jays’ lineup, and a Reese McGuire single did not bode well for when he got to the meat of the order. Betances would allow three more hits, and the Blue Jays would surge from a run behind to take a 3-2 lead. Mark Leiter and Ken Giles made the one-run lead stand for Toronto, while Betances was credited for his third blown save and sixth loss.

Aroldis Chapman could soon relieve Betances of closer duties, as he threw an encouraging bullpen session on Saturday. He is likely to pitch a simulated game on Monday or Tuesday, and could be activated shortly thereafter. Chapman is certainly an option this week if you need help with saves.

Quick hits: With Craig Kimbrel being rested, Steven Wright was called on the finish out a 4-3 win over the Mets. In working around a walk to Brandon Nimmo, Wright recorded the first save of his career…Paul Fry also notched his first-ever save on Sunday, getting the last five outs against the White Sox. Filling in for Mychal Givens, Fry got four of his outs by way of a strikeout…Despite giving up back-to-back home runs to Jesus Aguilar and Domingo Santana, Felipe Vazquez tallied his fifth save in 12 days in a 3-2 win over the Brewers. The Pirates’ closer has allowed a run or more in three of those five appearances…Collin McHugh was called on to pitch the ninth inning with the Astros leading the Diamondbacks, 5-1, on Sunday, but he was pulled for closer Roberto Osuna after walking David Peralta and allowing a Paul Goldschmidt single. Osuna did get the save, but not before allowing both inherited runners to score. McHugh has now been charged with 10 runs over his last 12 innings…With Jose Leclerc getting a day off, Jeffrey Springs had a chance to record his first career save on Sunday. Instead of preserving a 3-2 lead, Springs allowed the Padres to walk off on a Francisco Mejia grand slam.