Bullpen Issues Brewing
By: Nelly's Sportsline
Bullpen pitching can be an overlooked aspect in baseball handicapping but it can prove to be critically important as many games are decided in the final innings and in this era of baseball, few starters go the distance. A quick glance at the overall season team bullpen statistics can be helpful, but it can be more important to find out which teams are on the verge of trouble. Teams like Milwaukee and Arizona have displayed very clear problems in the late innings but here are a few other teams that could be in line for some bullpen issues in the coming weeks even if the statistics do not look overly negative at this point.
Colorado Rockies:
Statistically Colorado has received very solid late-inning work with a 3.25 bullpen ERA but Rockies relievers are just 4-8 on the season as this is a team that has lost a lot of close games. Incumbent closer Huston Street has been on the disabled list all season long and he had a recent setback as he was taken out of a minor league appearance with a groin strain. It is not expected to be a major issue but it is another hurdle that the Rockies will face once they attempt to bring him back to the big league level. That transition can always be difficult and the primary closer in the first month of the season Franklin Morales has hit the DL as well. Manny Corpas appears to be taking over the role for the time being and as a team the Rockies have only converted five save opportunities all year. Colorado ' s overall bullpen numbers have been helped tremendously by Joe Beimel with a 0.63 ERA and Matt Belisle with a 2.77 ERA. Rafael Betancourt has struggled and the bullpen has seen a lot of strain in recent weeks. Jason Hammel and Greg Smith have not pitched well in starting roles which has led to some longer stretches of relief work. With Jorge De La Rosa on the DL and Jeff Francis just now working his way back into the rotation this is a unit that could continue to have a major workload in the coming weeks. If the closer situation becomes a greater issue, this is a team that could fail to meet high expectations. Already the Rockies have appeared to underachieve despite getting strong relief pitching so there is a real risk for this projected NL contender.
Seattle Mariners:
At first glance it appears that all of Seattle's problems have been on offense as the Mariners have an average 3.82 bullpen ERA and closer David Aardsma has only blown two saves while featuring a very respectable ERA. Seattle's starting pitching has been very good however as Cliff Lee has enjoyed strong results in his return and Doug Fister and Jason Vargas have both delivered impressive starts to the season. Felix Hernandez has not been quite as sharp as last season as the ace of this team but he has still pitched fairly well. Ryan Rowland-Smith is struggling but with four of the five starters throwing well Seattle should have a much better record at this point in the season. In reality the Mariners have one of the worst records in baseball and in a season that opened with high expectations Seattle has to be considered one of the most disappointing teams in the league. A big reason for the struggles has been eleven losses by Mariners relievers as few of the middle-inning pitchers are getting the job done. Brandon League was a big pick-up from Toronto in the off-season but he has already been credited with blowing three save situations and opponents have had success against him. Veteran Jesus Colome also has very average numbers and newcomer Kanekoa Texeira has been unspectacular. Moving Ian Snell into a long relief role as has also failed to provide positive results. There is no glaring example to point at for the Seattle struggles in the bullpen but given the low-scoring ballpark and how well the starters have thrown the bullpen has not done its job to seal up enough wins. The frustration will continue to build if more quality starts are wasted and with a limited track record of success for Fister and Vargas the bullpen could be headed for more issues if the workload increases.
New York Yankees:
New York is going to continue to win games but surpassing the Rays and running away in the American League will be difficult to do unless the bullpen shows some improvement. New York had a lot of success in the late innings on the championship run last season but the loss of Phil Coke and Phil Hughes from the bullpen has had an impact. Hughes has had great success in a starting role so far this season but the Yankees have not been able to replace his set-up role. Joba Chamberlain's move back to the bullpen has not been smooth and even Mariano Rivera has ran into some recent problems. Alfredo Alceves has shined in the bullpen but he is mainly used in very specific situations and he is now on the disabled list. Sergio Mitre has also proved to be an effective long relievers and spot starter. The rest of the pen has provided marginal results however. David Robertson has been among the biggest disappointments with an 8.49 ERA and two losses after a great 2009 season. Picking up Chan Ho Park has not helped the cause and Damaso Marte does not appear to have found his form yet. Rivera should be fine, he has been hammered in his last two appearances but he did not allow a run in his first twelve games. Chamberlain could prove to be a dilemma as the talented pitcher who had such great results early in his career has not been able to find a comfortable role on this team. He will continue to face scrutiny and eventually the team will be forced to make a decision with him if he continues to struggle. New York has a 4.21 bullpen ERA for the season and that number has been on the rise. The numbers are particularly poor at home with a bullpen ERA of over 6.00. New York will still likely be a playoff contender but these are issues that the team did not have much of last season and could be the difference in preventing another possible championship year.
Cincinnati Reds:
The Reds have used late game heroics in the last two weeks to charge to the top of the NL Central standings. Cincinnati has a solid team and there is a chance this year ' s version will stick around in contention but the bullpen appears to still be an obstacle in those hopes. The Reds are getting excellent starting pitching with Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake delivering somewhat unexpected great starts to the season. Veterans Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo lack strong numbers but both have at least ate their share of innings. Homer Bailey has also taken some positive steps. With Aroldis Chapman in waiting Cincinnati could prove to have a very solid rotation. The bullpen might appear to be in fine hands with closer Francisco Cordero off to a steady start with a 3.15 ERA while converting 13 of 15 save situations. Veteran Arthur Rhodes continues to be highly effective with a 0.60 ERA in 16 appearances so far this season but the bright spots end there. The biggest disappointment for the Reds has been Nick Masset, who was a dominant set-up man last year. In 20 appearances he has a 6.63 ERA so far this season, nearly triple his mark from last year. Getting that bridge to Cordero will be vitally important for Cincinnati and the candidates to get it done have struggled. Mike Lincoln has been very average and while Micah Owings is 3-0 he has not been reliable. Logan Ondrusek and Carlos Fisher also have disastrous numbers in limited showings. Cincinnati has received great starting pitching in the last few weeks to make a big move in the standings but once that run of success ends the bullpen will feel the effect. With a 4.82 bullpen ERA for the season the Reds have poor relief pitching numbers even though they only have blown four save opportunities and relievers own a 10-6 record.