In this week’s Closer Report, Mason Montgomery has been lights out for the Pirates in the second half. The Marlins lost Pete Fairbanks to the injured list just as he’d been pitching well. And Elvis Alvarado has quietly been great since the All-Star break, taking the lead for the closer role in Sacramento.
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▶ Tier 1
Mason Miller – San Diego Padres
Jhoan Duran – Philadelphia Phillies
Cade Smith – Cleveland Guardians
Bryan Baker – Tampa Bay Rays
Louis Varland – Toronto Blue Jays
Josh Hader – Houston Astros
Miller made four appearances for the Padres this week, picking up a save against the Twins on Saturday. In his fourth outing in five days, he surrendered a solo homer in a tied game on Tuesday against the Pirates, falling in line for the loss. It was only his second run allowed in the second half and sixth all year for a 0.96 ERA, 0.82 WHIP, and 102 strikeouts over 56 1/3 innings.
Duran struck out two in a scoreless inning against the Cardinals on Friday, then pitched the ninth with a six-run lead against the Mariners on Wednesday. Jonathan Bowlan has worked his way into primary setup duties with a strong season, posting a 2.83 ERA over 47 2/3 innings.
Smith made up for a slow month with four saves this week. He’s up to 35 with a 2.40 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 84 strikeouts over 60 innings. He trails Baker, who locked up two more saves for the Rays, pushing his total to 38. Meanwhile, Varland added two saves, including a four-out save against the Royals on Wednesday.
Hader struck out two in a scoreless inning in a non-save situation on Sunday against the A’s, then converted a four-out save against the Yankees on Tuesday. Despite the abbreviated season for Hader, he’s converted 19 saves with a 0.81 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, and 44 strikeouts over 33 1/3 innings.
▶ Tier 2
David Bednar – New York Yankees
Trevor Megill – Milwaukee Brewers
Aroldis Chapman – Boston Red Sox
Jacob Latz – Texas Rangers
Raisel Iglesias- Atlanta Braves
Tanner Scott – Los Angeles Dodgers
Bednar converted his 30th save against the Blue Jays on Friday, striking out one in a scoreless inning. In Milwaukee, Megill picked up a pair of saves, giving him 24 with a 2.28 ERA over 51 1/3 innings. Abner Uribe, on the injured list with a forearm injury, began a minor league rehab assignment this week as he progresses towards a return.
Chapman secured three more saves for the Red Sox this week. The 38-year-old left-hander is up to 30 with a 1.81 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 58 strikeouts over 44 2/3 innings. Erik Miller has turned out to be an excellent pickup by Boston at the trade deadline. He’s pitched 10 1/3 scoreless innings with 18 strikeouts.
Latz converted a pair of saves against the Nationals and Angels. His strikeout rate has spiked in the second half as he continues to dominate the ninth inning for the Rangers. Meanwhile, Iglesias bounced back from a rough stretch with three scoreless outings, converting three saves for the Braves.
Scott continues to work as the Dodgers’ closer, picking up his 19th save against the Pirates on Saturday. He then gave up runs in a tie game to take the loss on Tuesday and Wednesday against the Braves. Manager Dave Roberts told reporters this week that Edwin Diaz will move into a lower-leverage role once he returns from the injured list.
▶ Tier 3
Mason Montgomery – Pittsburgh Pirates
Riley O’Brien – St. Louis Cardinals
Andrés Muñoz – Seattle Mariners
Emilio Pagán – Cincinnati Reds
Kenley Jansen – Detroit Tigers
Ben Joyce – Los Angeles Angels
Yoendrys Gómez – Minnesota Twins
Montgomery picked up another save for the Pirates on Tuesday, striking out two against the Padres for his sixth of the season. He’s been outstanding in the second half and one of baseball’s best relievers since the All-Star break, giving up just two runs with a 32/5 K/BB ratio across 16 2/3 innings.
O’Brien picked up a save against the Reds last Thursday, then was torched for six runs to take a loss against the Phillies on Sunday. He then gave up a run to take a loss against the Orioles on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Muñoz suffered his eighth blown save against the Cubs on Friday, giving up a solo homer. He bounced back with two strikeouts in a scoreless inning on Tuesday against the Phillies for his 24th save.
Pagán pitched a scoreless inning in a non-save situation against the Giants on Monday, then struck out two for his 17th save on Wednesday. And in Detroit, Jensen pitched a clean inning against the Rays on Tuesday for his 17th save, fifth in August.
Joyce was charged with a blown save, giving up two unearned runs in the tenth inning against the Rangers on Friday. He bounced back in a non-save situation on Tuesday, striking out the side against the Guardians.
Some regression finally caught up to Gómez on Monday as he surrendered four runs against the Athletics. Andrew Morris finished out the inning for a save, though Gómez should continue to get most save chances in Minnesota.
▶ Tier 4
Jordan Romano – Colorado Rockies
Jacob Webb/Daniel Palencia – Chicago Cubs
Kodai Senga – New York Mets
Clayton Beeter – Washington Nationals
Grant Taylor/Sean Newcomb – Chicago White Sox
Elvis Alvarado/Hogan Harris – Athletics
Romano made two scoreless appearances, picking up his 13th save against the Nationals on Tuesday. He’s posted a 2.30 ERA with nine saves since joining the Rockies on July 4.
Webb blew back-to-back save chances this week. Palencia didn’t fare much better on Tuesday, giving up three runs against the Diamondbacks. Webb remains likely to get the next save chance. Still, it’s a situation to watch, one that’s hardly provided any consistency all season.
Senga made two appearances this week, striking out two in a scoreless inning against the White Sox on Saturday. He then gave up one run on Sunday to take a loss. Beeter also came away with just a loss this week, giving up a run against the Marlins on Friday. And in Chicago, it was a bit of everything for Taylor. He picked up two wins and a blown save before converting his eighth save against the Rangers on Tuesday.
Alvarado and Harris exchanged save chances for the A’s this week, with Alvarado converting two in a row and three of the last four. It seems like the team will be going with a matchup-based committee down the stretch, with Alvarado possibly leading the way.
▶ Tier 5
Calvin Faucher – Miami Marlins
Nate Pearson/Steven Cruz – Kansas City Royals
Rico Garcia/Andrew Kittredge/Yennier Cano – Baltimore Orioles
Dylan Smith – San Francisco Giants
Brandyn Garcia/Justin Martinez/Kavin Ginkel – Arizona Diamondbacks
Pete Fairbanks was forced to depart Monday’s game against the Red Sox and was placed on the 15-day injured list on Tuesday with right medial nerve irritation. Faucher will likely lead a committee for the Marlins in Fairbanks’ absence.
Of the pitchers remaining in volatile committee situations, Nate Pearson, Rico Garcia, and Dylan Smith seem like the best options to stream in deep leagues if desperate for saves.
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