MLB Bullpen Report: 08/09/12

By Matthew Beck

American League

Baltimore Orioles
(CL) Jim Johnson (R)–Recorded his 33rd save of the season on Monday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up two hits while striking out one batter. Johnson has now pitched three consecutive days and will likely get the day off on Tuesday. (08/07/12)
(SU) Pedro Strop (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Tuesday night giving up one hit while striking out one batter. Strop has now pitched back-to-back days so don’t expect to see him on the mound on Wednesday night. (08/08/12)
(MR) Darren O’Day (R)–Picked up the win on Tuesday night after pitching two innings of relief giving up one hit while striking out one batter. With this appearance O’Day improved to 6-0 on the season with a 2.56 earned-run average. (08/08/12)

Boston Red Sox
(CL) Alfredo Aceves (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation giving up one walk while striking out one batter. Aceves has now put together back-to-back solid relief appearances after giving up four runs last Saturday, so he appears to have moved on. (08/09/12)
(SU) Vicente Padilla (R)–Failed to record an out in his appearance on Sunday allowing three runs on two hits and one walk. He allowed two home runs in the appearance which lead to being replaced by Alfredo Aceves to get the job done. (08/06/12)
(MR) Mark Melancon (R)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Tuesday night giving up one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter. With this appearance Melancon raised his earned-run average to 7.43 on the season. (08/08/12)
Injured–Andrew Bailey (60-Day DL)

Chicago White Sox
(CL) Addison Reed (R)–Recorded his 20th save of the season on Monday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit. Reed has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get the day off on Tuesday. (08/07/12)
(SU) Brett Myers (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He forced three fly ball outs in the appearance on nine pitches thrown in the appearance. (08/09/12)
(MR) Matt Thornton (L)– Took the loss on Saturday after pitching one inning of relief giving up one run on two hits. With this appearance Thornton falls to 4-7 on the season with a 3.64 earned-run average. (08/05/12)

Cleveland Indians
(CL) Chris Perez (R)–Took the loss and was charged with his forth blown-save on Tuesday night after giving up three runs on the ninth inning. Perez has now blown saves in back-to-back games giving up six runs over that span. (08/08/12)
(SU) Vinnie Pestano (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He forced one ground ball out and two fly ball outs to get through the appearance on 11 pitches thrown. (08/09/12)
(MR) Tony Sipp (L)–Picked up his 11th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief. He gave up one run, which was unearned on one walk in the seventh inning before being replaced by Joe Smith. (08/08/12)

Detroit Tigers
(CL) Jose Valverde (R)–Recorded his 22nd save of the season on Tuesday night despite giving up two runs on three hits and one walk in the ninth inning. He needed 33 pitches to get through the appearance, which was his worst outing of the second half. (08/08/12)
(SU) Joaquin Benoit (R)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Sunday surrendering two runs on two hits. He allowed two home runs in the appearance, which raised his earned-run average to 3.10 on the season. (08/06/12)
(MR) Phil Coke (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Wednesday giving up two runs on three hits while striking out one batter on 25 pitches thrown. With this appearance Coke raised his earned-run average to 3.97 on the season. (08/09/12)

Kansas City Royals
(CL) Greg Holland (R)–Recorded his third save of the season on Wednesday despite giving up one run on two hits while striking out two batters in the ninth inning. Holland has now pitched back-to-back day sand may get the day off on Thursday. (08/09/12)
(SU) Aaron Crow (R)–Was charged with his fifth blown-save of the season on Sunday after giving up one run on two hits and one walk in 0.1 innings of relief. With this appearance Crow raised hit earned-run average to 3.77 on the season. (08/06/12)
(MR) Tim Collins (L)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Monday night retiring both batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance and has now pitched back-to-back days so expect him to get the day off on Tuesday. (08/07/12)
Injured–Joakim Soria (out for season)

Los Angeles Angels
(CL) Ernesto Frieri (R)– Recorded his 13th save of the season on Saturday after pitching a 1-2-3 10th inning. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two fly ball outs on 10 pitches thrown. (08/05/12)
(SU) Kevin Jepsen (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out two batters in the appearance while forcing a fly ball out on 12 pitches thrown to get the job done. (08/09/12)
(MR) Jason Isringhausen (R)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Wednesday giving up one hit in the outing. He needed 20 pitches to get through the appearance forcing one ground ball out and two fly ball outs. (08/09/12)
Injured–Jordan Walden (15-day DL), Scott Downs (15-day DL)

Minnesota Twins
(CL) Glen Perkins (L)–Recorded his seventh save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He needed only 11 pitches to get through the appearance forcing two ground ball outs and one fly ball out to get the job done. (08/08/12)
(CL) Jared Burton (R)–Recorded his fifth save of the season on Saturday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Burton has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get the day off on Sunday. (08/05/12)
(MR) Alex Burnett (R)–Picked up the win on Saturday after pitching 0.1 innings of relief giving up one hit while striking out one batter. With this appearance Burnett improved to 4-3 on the season with a 2.81 earned-run average. (08/05/12)
Injured–Matt Capps (15-Day DL)

New York Yankees
(CL) Rafael Soriano (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out two batters in the appearance while forcing one fly ball out to close out the game. (08/09/12)
(SU) David Robertson (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Wednesday surrendering three runs on five hits while striking out one batter. With this appearance Robertson raised his earned-run average to 2.70 on the season. (08/09/12)
(MR) Boone Logan (R–Picked up his 14th hold of the season on Wednesday after pitching 0.1 innings of relief. He threw just three pitches in the appearance forcing one ground ball out to get out of the eighth inning. (08/09/12)
Injured–Mariano Rivera (out for the season)

Oakland Athletics
(CL) Ryan Cook(R)–Recorded his 12th save of the season on Wednesday despite giving up two runs on three hits in the ninth inning. Cook has struggled as of late, but the Athletics appear to have full confidence that he will be able to work through this. (08/09/12)
(SU) Grant Balfour (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Wednesday giving up one run on one hit while striking out two batters. With this appearance Balfour raised his earned-run average to 2.72 on the season. (08/09/12)
(MR) Jordan Norberto (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Wednesday giving up two walks while striking out two batters. With this appearance Noberto lowered his earned-run average to 2.64 on the season, which is very respectable. (08/09/12)
Injured–Joey Devine (15-Day DL)

Seattle Mariners
(CL) Tom Wilhelmsen (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday retiring all batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two ground ball outs on 11 pitches thrown. (08/09/12)
(SU) Lucas Luetge (L)–Was charged with his first blown-save of the season on Tuesday night after surrendering three runs on three hits in the seventh inning. He recorded just one out on the appearance and was relieved by Stephen Pryor, who cleaned up his mess. (08/08/12)
(MR) Shawn Kelley (R)–Took the loss on Tuesday night after giving up one run on three hits and two walks in 2.1 innings of relief. With this appearance Kelley raised his earned-run average to 3.55 on the season. (08/08/12)
Injured–George Sherrill (15-Day DL)

Tampa Bay Rays
(CL) Fernando Rodney (R)–Recorded his 34th save of the season on Wednesday despite giving up a home run in the ninth inning. Rodney has now pitched back-to-back days and may get the day off on Thursday. (08/09/12)
(SU) Joel Peralta (R)–Picked up his 26th hold of the season on Wednesday after pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning. He struck out the side in the appearance and may be used in the closer role on Thursday if Fernando Rodney is unavailable. (08/09/12)
(MR) Kyle Farnsworth (R)–Picked up his fourth hold of the season on Friday night after pitching a scoreless seventh inning. He retired all three batters he faced in order forcing one ground ball out and two fly ball outs on just eight pitches thrown. (08/04/12)

Texas Rangers
(CL) Joe Nathan (R)–Recorded his 23rd save of the season on Wednesday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit while striking out three batters. Nathan has now pitched back-to-back days, but with a day off on Thursday he will be ready to go for this weekend’s series with the Tigers. (08/09/12)
(SU) Mike Adams (R)–Picked up his 20th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit while striking out three batters. He needed 15 pitches to get through the appearance with 11 pitches going over for strikes. (08/08/12)
(MR) Robbie Ross (L)–Picked up his sixth hold of the season on Tuesday night after retiring the final batter of the seventh inning. He forced the only batter that he faced to ground out on just one pitch thrown. (08/08/12)
Injured–Koji Uehara (15-Day DL)

Toronto Blue Jays
(CL) Casey Janssen (R)–Recorded his 14th save of the season on Sunday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning. He gave up one walk while striking out one batter in the appearance needing 15 pitches to get the job done. (08/06/12)
(SU) Brandon Lyon (R)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Tuesday night retiring both batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing one ground ball out on nine pitches thrown. (08/08/12)
(MR) Steve Delabar (R)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Wednesday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out two batters in the appearance while forcing one fly ball out on 14 pitches thrown. (08/09/12)
Injured–Sergio Santos (out for season), Jason Frasor (15-day DL)

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks
(CL) J.J. Putz (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday night in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. Putz has now put together three straight solid outings striking out four batters over three innings of relief. (08/08/12)
(SU) David Hernandez (R)–Picked up his 16th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two fly ball outs on 10 pitches thrown to get the job done. (08/08/12)
(MR) Takashi Saito (R)–Was charged with his first blown-save of the season on Tuesday night after giving up two runs on three hits and one walk in the seventh inning. He failed to record an out in the appearance on 15 pitches thrown. (08/08/12)

Atlanta Braves
(CL) Craig Kimbrel (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out two batters in the appearance while forcing one fly ball out on nine pitches thrown to close out the game. (08/09/12)
(SU) Eric O’Flaherty (L)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday giving up one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. With this appearance O’Flaherty lowered his earned-run average to 2.43 on the season. (08/09/12)
(MR) Jonny Venters (L)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Wednesday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two ground ball outs on 10 pitches thrown. (08/09/12)

Chicago Cubs
(CL) Carlos Marmol (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Monday night retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing one ground ball out and one fly ball out on 10 pitches thrown. (08/07/12)
(SU) James Russell (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Wednesday giving up one run on two hits in the outing.  Russell has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely be unavailable to pitch in Wednesday’s game. (08/09/12)
(MR) Shawn Camp (R)–Took the loss on Sunday after surrendering one run on three hits and one walk while striking out one batter. With this appearance Camp falls to 2-5 on the season with a 3.60 earned-run average. (08/06/12)

Cincinnati Reds
(CL) Aroldis Chapman (L)–Recorded his 25th save of the season on Saturday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning. He has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get the day off on Sunday. (08/05/12)
(SU) Jonathan Broxton (R)–Took the loss on Wednesday after giving up two runs on three hits in 0.2 innings of relief. He was also charged with his first blown-save since joining the Reds and is now sitting on a 5.40 earned-run average since coming over from the Royals. (08/09/12)
(MR) Sean Marshall (L)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Tuesday night giving up one hit in the outing. He needed only eight pitches to get the job done which lowered his earned-run average to 2.34 on the season. (08/08/12)
Injured–Ryan Madson (out for season), Nick Masset (15-Day DL)

Colorado Rockies
(CL) Rafael Betancourt (R)–Recorded his 19th save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Betancourt has now pitched back-to-back nights and will likely get the day off on Wednesday. (08/08/12)
(SU) Matt Belisle (R)–Picked up his 16th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching 0.1 innings of relief giving up one hit in the outing. Belisle has now pitched three straight days and will likely be unavailable on Wednesday. (08/08/12)
(MR) Matt Reynolds (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Sunday giving up one hit in the outing. Reynolds needed a solid outing after allowing six runs his last two appearances, so this was nice to see. (08/06/12)

Houston Astros
(CL) Wilton Lopez (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday in a non-save situation giving up one hit while striking out two batters. With this appearance Lopez lowered his earned-run average to 2.30 on the season. (08/08/12)
(SU) Fernando Rodriguez (R)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Tuesday night retiring all four batters he faced in order. He threw 18 pitches in the appearance striking out two batters while forcing two fly ball outs. (08/08/12)
(MR) Rhiner Cruz (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He threw just four pitches in the appearance forcing two ground ball outs and one fly ball out to get out of the inning. (08/09/12)
Injured–Francisco Cordero (15-Day DL)

Los Angeles Dodgers
(CL) Kenley Jansen (R)–Recorded his 22nd save of the season on Wednesday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He struck out two batters in the appearance while forcing one fly ball out on 11 pitches thrown to get the job done. (08/09/12)
(SU) Ronald Belisario (R)–Picked up his 18th hold of the season on Wednesday giving up one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. With this appearance Belisario lowered his earned-run average to 2.93 on the season. (08/09/12)
(MR) Brandon League (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Monday night giving up two hits while striking out one batter. League has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get the day off on Tuesday. (08/07/12)
Injured–Matt Guerrier (15-Day DL), Todd Coffey (15-Dal DL)

Miami Marlins
(CL) Steve Cishek (R)–Recorded his seventh save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Cishek had yet another solid outing striking out two batters while forcing one fly ball out on 14 pitches thrown. (08/08/12)
(SU) Heath Bell (R)–Picked up his sixth hold of the season on Tuesday night after retiring the final two batters of the eighth inning. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing one ground ball out on six pitches thrown. (08/08/12)
(MR) Mike Dunn (L)–Picked up his 12th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching a 1-2-3 seventh inning. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing one ground ball out and one fly ball out on 10 pitches thrown. (08/08/12)
Injured–Juan Oviedo (15-Day DL)

Milwaukee Brewers
(CL) John Axford (R)–Picked up the won on Wednesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance and is now 4-6 on the season with a 5.10 earned-run average. (08/09/12)
(CL) Jim Henderson (R)–Recorded his second save in as many days on Wednesday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one walk while striking out two batters.  It appears the Brewers have found a solid option for the ninth inning, but there has been no official word about Henderson being the team’s new closer. (08/09/12)
(SU) Francisco Rodriguez (R)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Monday surrendering two runs on two hits and one walk. Rodriguez has really been struggling lately and at this point he can’t be trusted even in holds leagues. (08/07/12)

New York Mets
(CL) Frank Francisco (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Wednesday giving up two runs on two hits while striking out one batter. This was just his second appearance since returning from the disabled-list so don’t look too much into this outing. (08/09/12)
(CL) Bobby Parnell (R)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Tuesday night retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two ground ball outs on 17pitches thrown. (08/08/12)
(MR) Jon Rauch (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday night in a non-save situation giving up one hit in the outing. With this appearance Rauch lowered his earned-run average to 3.55 on the season and has now put together three straight solid outings. (08/08/12)
Injured– Tim Byrdak (15-Day DL)

Philadelphia Phillies
(CL) Jonathan Papelbon (R)–Picked up the win on Sunday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit and one walk in the outing. With this appearance Papelbon improved to 3-4 on the season and has now pitched back-to-back days. (08/06/12)
(SU) Antonio Bastardo (L)–Took the loss on Wednesday after giving up three runs on one hit and two walks while striking out one batter. Bastardo lasted just 0.2 innings in the appearance and is now sitting on a 5.45 earned-run average. (08/09/12)
(MR) Josh Lindblom (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief surrendering three runs on two hits and two walks in the outing. Despite the rough outing Lindblom is still sitting on a 3.40 earned-run average and has given up three runs in his last three appearances. (08/09/12)
Injured–David Herndon (15-Day DL)

Pittsburgh Pirates
(CL) Joel Hanrahan (R)–Recorded his 33rd save of the season on Wednesday after striking out the side in the ninth inning. With this appearance Hanrahan lowered his earned-run average to 2.68 with 53 strikeouts on the season. (08/09/12)
(SU) Jason Grilli (R)–Took the loss and was charged with his second blown-save of the season on Tuesday after surrendering four runs on four hits in the eighth inning. He failed to record an out in the appearance, which raised his earned-run average to 2.66 on the season. (08/08/12)
(MR) Tony Watson (L)–Picked up his 12th hold of the season on Wednesday after pitching 0.1 innings of relief. He faced just one batter in the appearance forcing one strikeout on 10 pitches to end the seventh inning. (08/09/12)
Injured– Juan Cruz (15-Day DL)

San Diego Padres
(CL) Huston Street (R)–Recorded his 20th save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out one batter. Street has now pitched three straight days and will likely be unavailable on Wednesday. (08/08/12)
(SU) Luke Gregerson (R)–Picked up his 17th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. He gave up one walk in the appearance while forcing two fly ball outs and one strikeout to get the job done. (08/08/12)
(MR) Dale Thayer (R)–Picked up his seventh hold of the season on Monday night after pitching a 1-2-3 seventh inning. He struck out one batter in the appearance and has now pitched back-to-back days. (08/07/12)

San Francisco Giants
(CL) Jeremy Affeldt (L)–Recorded his third save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching 1.1 innings of relief. The Giants removed Santiago Casilla from the closer role and are now going with committee in the ninth, so expect Affeldt and Sergio Romo to split the saves moving forward. (08/08/12)
(CL) Sergio Romo (R)–Picked up his 18th hold of the season on Tuesday night after pitching 0.2 innings of relief. He gave up one hit in the appearance while forcing one strikeout and one fly ball out on just seven pitches thrown. (08/08/12)
(MR) Santiago Casilla (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Saturday forcing the only batter that he faced to ground out on three pitches. He as now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get the day off on Sunday. (08/05/12)
Injured–Brian Wilson (out for season)

St. Louis Cardinals
(CL) Jason Motte (R)–Recorded his 24th save of the season on Sunday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning. He gave up one walk while striking out two batters in the appearance lowering his earned-run average to 2.68 on the season. (08/06/12)
(SU) Mitchell Boggs (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Wednesday surrendering four runs on two hits and two walk. This was Biggs’ worst outing of the season and is now sitting on a 2.25 earned-run average to the season. (08/09/12)
(MR) Marc Rzepczynski (L)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Wednesday retiring both batters he faced in order. He needed eight pitches to get through the appearance forcing two fly ball outs to get out of the ninth inning. (08/09/12)

Washington Nationals
(CL) Tyler Clippard (R)–Recorded his 23rd save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a scoreless 12th inning. Clippard has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get the day off on Wednesday so expect Sean Burnett to get the save chance in his place if one arises. (08/08/12)
(SU) Sean Burnett (L)–Picked up his 26th hold of the season on Monday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief. He gave up one hit in the appearance and has now pitched back-to-back days so expect him to get the day off on Tuesday. (08/07/12)
(MR) Drew Storen (R)–Picked up the win on Tuesday night after pitching 0.2 innings of relief striking out one batter in the outing. Storen has now pitched three straight days so don’t expect to see him take the mound on Wednesday. (08/08/12)
Injured–Henry Rodriguez (15-Dal DL)

Get all your latest up-to-date daily bullpen news by following @mlbdailybullpen.