Roto-Wan is at the Jersey Shore this week, home to the iconic reality show of the same name. Much like that cast of misguided Jerseyites our MLB season is already riddled with disease. I won’t depress you with talk of how this kind of travel and interaction is a slap in the face of a contagious virus. COVID will do that enough. I’m here to try and catch up on the widespread bullpen carnage of this very early season. Hopefully, you heeded my advice and discounted closers in your drafts. Now’s the time to plug those holes. You’ve got plenty of options. Unlike the guys that settled for going home with Snooki.
- It sounding like Ken Giles season may be in doubt, or at least a good chunk of it. Anthony Bass is next on my depth chart but he’s not a good enough pitcher to have all that much confidence. Rafael Dolis is the other name to mention.
- What can I say? Rays gonna Rays. Oliver Drake got the ninth in the first save opp for Tampa Bay. Nick Anderson was given the eighth and came away with the win. Drake racked a second save when Anderson was required to get the final out of the seventh against the heart of the Braves order last night. Tampa was always going to be progressive with their bullpen deployment. Drake’s worth an add but don’t go nuts.
- Kansas City is hard at work on a couple of career revivals. Greg Holland got the save in extra innings. Trevor Rosenthal was the talk of their spring training and pitched the inning prior. I’m sure both will be great and not burn you at all. Yes, I also put claims in for them.
- Atlanta is in need of fill-ins for the ninth. Mark Melancon and Will Smith are both ailing. They turned to ground ball machine Luke Jackson for the final two innings in their last save opp. A.J. Minter worked a clean inning, as well. I’m sure Atlanta would love for him to rebound into the closer they hoped he could be.
- With the bullpen being called on for six innings San Francisco manager Gabe Kapler got a little creative. Trevor Gott was the one getting the ninth and converting a save. I’d tread very, very lightly with that entire closer committee.
- Kyle Crick is hitting the IL. Fireballer Nick Burdi notched the first save chance in his stead. That Burdi pitched so few innings last year with a major injury and the team still trusts him enough to get a save opp says something.
- Someone named Cole Susler of Baltimore earned a two-inning save against Boston, giving up only one hit. It was the 30-year-olds seventh MLB appearance. I don’t know what to tell you there. Anything is possible in Baltimore.
