Bullpen Banter - Some Clarity and a Lot of Confusion

Another week, and the closer carousel spins once again. We did get two closers back this week, one from the Injured List, and another should be on his way soon. Beyond that, it feels like we are wading through mud to see the same teams week after week. So let’s not waste any time as we take a spin around the league.

Bullpen Banter - Prospects LiveProspects LiveRay Kuhn

Baltimore Orioles

Andrew Kittredge (Photo Credit: baltimorebaseball.com)

Andrew Kittredge picked up the save on Thursday for the Orioles, but do we really care? Both Rico Garcia and Anthony Nunez have previously been part of the save conversation; relief is on the way. On Thursday, Ryan Helsley headed to Triple-A to begin his rehab assignment. Prior to his injury, Helsley had seven saves, and assuming he has a few smooth rehab appearances, we should see him back in the ninth inning for the Orioles within the next two weeks, at most.

Milwaukee Brewers

Trevor Megill (Photo Credit: mlb.com)

Earlier in the week, Trevor Megill was temporarily sidelined with oblique tightness. After a scoreless inning of work on Wednesday, while striking out two, Megill showed that it truly was a minor issue that’s now behind him. That’s good news as the right-hander has now established himself as the main closer, for now, in Milwaukee. While Megill has a 4.50 ERA, he also has a 2.62 xERA and a 1.52 FIP. That, along with his walk rate decreasing to 6.9%, should provide comfort moving forward. It also doesn’t hurt that Megill has a 30.7% strikeout rate.

Detroit Tigers

Kenley Jansen (Photo Credit: mlb.com)

It might not always be pretty, but Kenley Jansen gets the job done. Prior to heading to the Injured List with a pelvis injury, Jansen had seven saves with a 4.80 ERA and 1.20 WHIP. Jansen has only allowed runs in 4 of 18 games this season, so things might not be as bad as they seem. On Friday, Jansen was activated from the Injured List, and the expectation is that he’s going to return to the ninth inning.

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