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Closer Report for Week 19

By Jason Hunt
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News and Notes From Around the Bullpen

  • Having the team win a lot of games will always help a closer get save chances. Case in point: Carlos Marmol. Marmol went 4 for 4 in save chances last week, including 3 in a row. 
  • Chris Sale recorded a save on Friday night, and there doesn't appear to be any reason why Santos was not available. Santos did pitch the ninth on Saturday, albeit in a non-save situation.
  • Lance Lynn got the save for the Cardinals on Friday night, and that appeared to be to help rest Salas a little bit. Octavio Dotel got one for the team in Wednesday's game, but he pitched in the 11th inning after Salas had thrown 2 innings.
  • Brad Lidge got the save on Wednesday for the Phillies. Which is just what the confusing closer situation needed in Philadelphia. 
  • Scott Elbert got the save for the Dodgers on Saturday night, but this was after Javy Guerra had thrown 31 pitches to get the save on Friday night. I wouldn't put too much stock into this.
  • Mike Adams got the save for the Rangers on Sunday, but it was because Neftali Feliz was unavailable after throwing 3 straight days. I would not think that Adams would get more opportunities than Feliz going forward, but Feliz has really not pitched all that well over the span of the season.
Not a lot of changes to the reliever rankings this week, as it didn't really seem like anyone made any specific push in either direction. There were closers who had excellent weeks (Marmol, Valverde), but I don't think that they necessarily have changed their value particularly since last week.

Closer Rankings from Today Forward [Change from Last Week]

  1. Brian Wilson (Giants) 
  2. Heath Bell (Padres) 
  3. Mariano Rivera (Yankees) 
  4. Huston Street (Rockies)
  5. Joel Hanrahan (Pirates) 
  6. Leo Nunez (Marlins)
  7. Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox) 
  8. Joakim Soria (Royals) [+1]
  9. Craig Kimbrel (Braves) [+1]
  10. Neftali Feliz (Rangers) [-2]
  11. Jose Valverde (Tigers) [+1]
  12. Drew Storen (Nationals) [-1]
  13. Carlos Marmol (Cubs) 
  14. Andrew Bailey (Athletics) 
  15. Francisco Cordero (Reds) 
  16. Brandon League (Mariners) 
  17. John Axford (Brewers) 
  18. Joe Nathan (Twins) 
  19. Chris Perez (Indians) 
  20. Sergio Santos (White Sox) 
  21. Kyle Farnsworth (Rays) 
  22. Jordan Walden (Angels) 
  23. Fernando Salas (Cardinals) 
  24. J.J. Putz (Diamondbacks) 
  25. Mark Melancon (Astros)  
  26. Jason Isringhausen (Mets) 
  27. Kevin Gregg (Orioles)  
  28. Jon Rauch (Blue Jays) 
  29. Javy Guerra (Dodgers) 
  30. Antonio Bastardo/Ryan Madson/Brad Lidge (Phillies) 
Top Non-Closing Relievers Most Likely to Get the Chance
  1. Mike Adams (Rangers)
  2. Chad Qualls (Padres)
  3. Francisco Rodriguez (Brewers)