Bullpen 2024

[interloper]

11 hours ago, Moose Milligan said:

I still think the bullpen needs another quality arm or two.  Perez going down today, with what I assume to be an oblique issue isn’t good. He had a terrible spring and was looking pedestrian before he came out. 
 

I’m assuming the perpetually underwhelming Vespi will be the guy called up which isn’t great. 
 

Fixing this airplane while it’s flying is going to be a task for Elias this year, IMO. 

Yeah it's going to be the main issue all year for sure. 

I wonder... If the rotation is going well and Bradish is miraculously ready to come back, would they try him in the bullpen to conserve his arm? Probably not, but I bet he'd be ridiculous out of the bullpen.

[sportsfan8703]

It wasn’t pretty or dominant, but the bullpen got the job done. A little lucky to get out of that bases loaded jam. Akin-Cano-Kimbrel, didn’t appear to be overpowering. Overall line,

3.2 IP BS W 1ER 4H 4K 1BB

Our first close game. A little dicey, but 1 ER in 3.2 isn’t bad.  

 

[sportsfan8703]

10.2 IP 2 ER In the KC series. 

[Roy Firestone]

4 minutes ago, sportsfan8703 said:

10.2 IP 2 ER In the KC series. 

I thought Danny and Cano threw really well tonight...

[Sports Guy]

Just now, Roy Firestone said:

I thought Danny and Cano threw really well tonight...

They both look very good early on.

[Frobby]

15 games in, the pen has a 3.19 ERA, 6th in MLB.   They lead MLB with a 1.062 WHIP, are 9th at 9.9 K/9, and lead MLB at 3.93 K/BB.

The big blemish is 4 blown saves in 7 chances, with Kimbrel, Cano, Baumann and Coulombe each blowing one.  In the case of Kimbrel and Coulombe, the O’s eventually won those games.   The Cano and Baumann blown saves were in the back-to-back walk-off losses to the Pirates.   

Back to the plus side, the pen has 5-2 W/L record, the result of keeping games close/tied while the offense scored runs late, yesterday being the latest example of that.  
 

[interloper]

Webb has been pretty reliable early on, which has been huge honestly. 

Yohan Ramirez actually looked pretty good when he pitched, and Baumann was the one to allow all his ER. But he was asked to go 1.2, so I don't really fault him for the walk and HBP. I am quickly tiring of Baumann's inability to strand runners. 

Edited April 15 by interloper

[CaptainRedbeard]

Kimbrel, Cano and Coulombe have been excellent and we really can’t afford to have them falter, so that’s been a great development. Cano and Coulombe in particular is encouraging to show that last year was not just a fluke. 

Akin emerging is a huge boost and I hope we start seeing him in higher leverage. 

We still could really use another trustworthy RH RP to bridge the middle innings beyond Cano. Even though Webb’s results have been good I don’t trust him to be that guy when he’s throwing 92. Same with Tate, and Baumann looks pretty much the same as last year in having good stuff but bad command. I hate seeing him out there with a lead. 

[dystopia]

Good thing we didn’t sign this guy 

 

[sportsfan8703]

Who would’ve thought that the bullpen would’ve been this stable in terms of moves since OD?  We’re not seeing the up/down Norfolk shuttle. Vespi was up just because Webb was on Paternity Leave. Heasley and Ramirez have been just because Perez got injured.

The early consistency allowed us to take a chance on a live arm like Ramirez because a team like the Mets is locked into a bunch of relievers that are out of options and making guaranteed money.

Knock on wood, but I don’t think the bullpen has “cost” us a game. Maybe one of the 50/50 games in Pittsburgh.

Everyone hates the small moves, but look at the arms Elias has added via that route since the end of ST 2022. Coloumbe, Webb, Suarez, Ramirez, Krook, and Ort. Building a bullpen isn’t sexy. Unless you sign Robert Stephenson. 

[Sports Guy]

20 minutes ago, dystopia said:

Good thing we didn’t sign this guy 

 

That’s awful. He got a little more than I would have given him but he was high on my list.  

[sportsfan8703]

18 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

That’s awful. He got a little more than I would have given him but he was high on my list.  

Stephenson - Injured

Brasier - 4.50 ERA

Robertson and Ottavino are killing though.

Fuji - 9 ERA in AAA

Uwasawa - 6.30 in AAA

These are the names from the offseason that I remember.  

 

Edited April 18 by sportsfan8703

[interloper]

1 hour ago, sportsfan8703 said:

Stephenson - Injured

Brasier - 4.50 ERA

Robertson and Ottavino are killing though.

Fuji - 9 ERA in AAA

Uwasawa - 6.30 in AAA

These are the names from the offseason that I remember.  

 

Two guys I definitely wanted towards the end of the offseason. Oh well. I did want Stephenson, too, though, but also thought his contract was fairly ridiculous. Glad we dodged that one. 

[interloper]

By the way - it's still early but Jordan Hicks got a lot of grief around here as a bullpen option, and even more when the Giants wanted to try him as a SP.

Well... 4 games started, 1.57 ERA, 0.91 WHIP. Small sample, but he's proving a lot of people wrong so far. 

[Frobby]

On 4/15/2024 at 10:06 AM, Frobby said:

15 games in, the pen has a 3.19 ERA, 6th in MLB.   They lead MLB with a 1.062 WHIP, are 9th at 9.9 K/9, and lead MLB at 3.93 K/BB.
 

It’s been a rough few days for the pen.  After 20 games: 4.37 ERA, 1.214 WHIP, 9.9 K/9, 3.50 K/BB.

I try not to get too down when the pen has a rough patch.   Things haven’t gone well this week.   Hopefully it gets better.