[dudekid]

hey all, some of you probably have seen my posts, but I tend to do a lot of save chasing and closer updates because I follow them pretty regularly, I tend to draft closers late and shoot for free agent guys so here are some current updates around the MLB:

boston - my hometown sox, bailey just blew another save and has been removed from the closer role. look out for a committee headed by j. tazawa and k. uehara, although they don't like to use uehara on back to back nights due to being 38 years old

detroit - jose valverde, has once again become the gas can we all know and dislike...joaquin benoit is the prime candidate for saves there, with drew smyly as a darkhorse. personally though, i dont think any of them will end up as the full time closer, the options for detroit IMO are to promote bruce rondon (their opening day closer who originally struggled but is pitching great now in AAA) or making a trade for a closer

arizona - heath bell is on red alert. jj putz is coming back from an injury, and bell is doing his usual bell thing, giving up a bunch of hits/runs before converting. I'm gonna go out on a limb though and say putz may not work out either...dark horse here is david hernandez, although putz will obviously have the first crack

la dodgers - beleaguered closer brandon league (see what I did there) has been removed, lights out reliever kenley jansen is now in the hot seat. he is an awesome pitcher who should've been closing all along. HOWEVER, the dodgers signed league to a huge contract (which often times matters more than anything for closers) and they want him closing out games. I still think they will try to get him right to have kenley in the 8th and league in the 9th

miami - no closer trouble here, in fact, the opposite. steve cishek, who was recently primed to lose his job, is now pitching like a lights out closer. he was recently snagged in my league, and I'm bummed I missed out on him. add in the fact that stanton is back crushing homers for Miami, and they've actually strung together some wins. He also is a candidate to be traded at the deadline to hopefully a better team needing a closer. keep an eye out.

that's all I have for now, I will try to keep you guys updated on any potential closer situation changes

[stevenash]

Pittsburgh - With Jason Grilli unavailable after having pitched three of the previous four days, and top setup man Mark Melancon in a similar boat, manager Clint Hurdle gave the ball to Tony Watson to close out Thursday’s 5-3 win over the Reds. Watson didn’t allow a hit or a walk over two innings, and picked up his second save of the season in the process, but continue to expect the save chances to be few and far between for the left-hander. Needless to say, Grilli’s job is secure, as he was a perfect 25-for-25 in save chances prior to Wednesday, and Melancon is the obvious choice to take over the ninth-inning job if anything were to happen to Grilli. Melancon owns a 0.99 ERA, a 0.88 WHIP and a 39:4 K:BB over 36.1 innings so far this season.

Texas - After striking out Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss swinging to begin the ninth inning of a one-run game Thursday, Joe Nathan gave up back-to-back singles to Josh Donaldson and Seth Smith, but Donaldson was thrown out at the plate to end the contest. It earned Nathan his 22nd save of the season, and while he’s come close to blowing saves in his last two outings, the right-hander continues to find a way to get the job done. Tanner Scheppers has pitched well in the setup role (1.00 ERA, 0.94 WHIP), and Joakim Soria(elbow) just began a rehab assignment, but Nathan has blown just one save this year and he doesn't appear to be in danger of losing his title as closer anytime soon.

[playersonly69]

Keep it up, real good idea

[dudekid]

a quick update, the sox plan to use koji uehara at closer...as a fan, i love this move...tazawa just doesnt seem to me to have as much of the mental makeup to be closer as uehara, plus he has past experience and great ratios. he is a must add in all leagues if he isnt owned

[darrell74]

I like Tanner Sheppers.
If he doesn't take Joe Nathan's job, good source for cheap wins. He's 5-0

[LordVodka]

a quick update, the sox plan to use koji uehara at closer...as a fan, i love this move...tazawa just doesnt seem to me to have as much of the mental makeup to be closer as uehara, plus he has past experience and great ratios. he is a must add in all leagues if he isnt owned

I didn't realize Tazawa was still in the league till today's game.

[dudekid]

alert: valverde dfa by detroit...grab benoit

[dudekid]

seattle's bullpen situation is all out of order right now, with tom wilhemsen struggling badly. It's anyone's guess as to who will take the baton for now, but my gut says to go with Yoervis Medina, he is a little wild but has good numbers and is tough to hit against, holding opponents to under .200 BA

it's a little early, but hey, the early bird catches the worm. houston's bullpen is worth a look. Jose Veras, the incumbent closer, is quietly having a pretty solid season. he is not in danger of losing the closing job, BUT, he is a strong candidate to be traded at the deadline. If this were to happen, Jose Cisnero is a strong option to take the reins. he has not allowed a run over his past 18 innings, while striking out 21 over that time. keep him on your watch list and be ready to make a move in the event that veras does get traded

ah, the rex brothers story. i am sad about this one since i own brothers, but it looks like betancourt is nearing a return from his groin injury. hold brothers for now in the hopes that betancourt struggles, and he is always an injury risk, so who knows. but it looks like the story is reaching the end there. if you can get anything of value at all for him, trade brothers immediately. i still wouldn't drop him yet though