Adbert Alzolay and Mark Leiter Jr. each have 4 SV+HLD’s this past week as the Cubs continued their hot steak. The late inning duo have been incredible this season, and a big part of the reason the Cubs are only 4 games out of a playoff spot. Alzolay has had an up and down July (4.09 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 15/1 K/BB ratio) but is a fairly safe bet to remain in the closer role for this team the remainder of the season.
Notes
- The stove is officially hot as we’ve had a few moves the past couple of days, with the biggest reliever move being David Robertson heading to Miami. Robertson should slide right into the closer role for the Marlins with A.J. Puk and Tanner Scott working in setup roles. The Mets will likely turn to Adam Ottavino and Brooks Raley for save chances, for the time being at least as both could be moved by Tuesday as well.
- John Schreiber returned to the Red Sox bullpen this week, giving them a much needed boost as a late inning high leverage reliever Alex Cora can trust. Chaim Bloom had mentioned the Red Sox being in the market for right handed 7th inning reliever, perhaps he was alluding to the return of Schreiber as being that guy.
- Seranthony Domínguez also returned this past week, giving the Phillies bullpen another late inning option along with Craig Kimbrel and Gregory Soto. Domínguez was not pitching well prior to landing on the IL, but we know what kind of upside he possesses and the Phills will likely need to lean on him to get high leverage outs.
- After a fantastic start to the season, things have started to unravel for Astros reliever Phil Maton a bit lately as he has an ERA of 9.82 and WHIP of 2.59 (9/5 BB/K ratio) in July. Maton has just 4 holds since the start of June (and one save) and the Astros will likely add a reliever or two at the deadline, which could bump Maton out of holds chances altogether.
- Joe Kelly also returned this week, just in time to show teams that he is healthy and ready to be traded. Despite the 4.97 ERA, teams should be interested in adding the veteran reliever as he has dealt with some bad luck (2.84 xFIP) and his stuff continues to miss bats (34.3% CSW rate).
- Pierce Johnson was traded to Atlanta, netting the Rockies the Braves 10th and 25th ranked prospects according to MLB.com. Johnson made his debut with the Braves yesterday allowing a hit and unearned run in the loss. It’s been a rough season for Johnson (1.84 WHIP) but he still possesses a plus curveball that gets plenty of swings and misses and I’d imagine the Braves will be able to get more out of Johnson than the Rockies.
And if you want more daily reliever updates, please check out our Reliever Ranks series.
Injured List
| PITCHER | TIER | INJURY (SURGERY DATE). NOTES |
|---|---|---|
| Liam Hendriks | 2/3 | Elbow. Has been throwing simulated games and could start a rehab assignment shortly. |
| Ryan Helsley | 3/4 | Forearm. Has begun throwing bullpens, and could face hitters shortly. |
| José Alvarado | 3/4 | Elbow. Playing catch from 60 feet, looking like he’s at least a month away. |
| A.J. Minter | 3/4 | Shoulder. No timetable yet. |
| Josh Sborz | 3/4 | Bicep. No timetable yet. |
| Andrew Nardi | 4/5 | Tricep. Playing catch, but no bullpens yet. |
| Brock Stewart | 4/5 | Elbow. Progressed to long toss but still weeks away. |
| Hunter Harvey | 5/6 | Elbow. no timetable yet, but don’t expect him back after 15 days. |
| Jonathan Loáisiga | 5/6 | Elbow. Set to face live hitters soon. |
| Chris Devenski | 6/7 | Hamstring. No timetable yet. |