If it seems like its been a while since the last Bullpen Briefing, that’s because it has been. A whole three days extra in fact, as the article’s publish date has been moved from Friday to Monday. On the bright side, we now have a full slate of weekend action we can dig into. We’ll start today with Texas, which is fitting since I attended the Rangers’ game at Yankee Stadium this past Saturday. From there, I’ll touch on Atlanta and a few other pens, before wrapping up with the stars of the week.

Texas Rangers

Back in Week 10 I noted Matt Bush going through a rough patch. He responded with three straight appearances without allowing a run, two of which were save opportunities. However, he blew two save chances in a row this week, giving the Rangers and fantasy owners cause for concern. Bush also struggled back in April before receiving an anti-inflammatory shot in his shoulder to quell the shoulder soreness he was experiencing. He pitched well after the shot, but perhaps the shoulder is flaring up again. Bush finished the week on a positive note, saving a 1 run lead on Sunday afternoon against the Yankees, and in doing so allowed only a 2 out single to Aaron Judge. Still, there have been a few too many hiccups as of late to not raise eyebrows at. I own Bush in one league and I’ve added Keone Kela for the time being to hedge against the possibility of Bush losing the job.

Fun fact: Kela is a Hawaiian name that means One who excels. Keone Kela has been excelling since his mid-April call up, posting a 2.73 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 39 strikeouts in 28.2 innings, hence the title of today’s article. Kela will likely get the first shot at closing. He was warming up to come into the 9th inning of a 4-1 game against the Yankees on Saturday afternoon due to Bush receiving a day off after throwing 31 pitches the previous night. The Rangers blew open the game in the top of the 9th, extending the lead to 8-1 and Kela pitched a scoreless 9th in a non-save situation. Still, it shows the Rangers fancy Kela as the next in line option.

Jose Leclerc has also been a strikeout machine. I’ve been high on him all season due to his strikeout ability: 34 Ks in 20.2 IP in 2017. He’s got just 35.2 career MLB innings under his belt though, while Kela has 123, so I don’t see Leclerc jumping Kela in the hierarchy barring a Kela injury or unexpected struggles.

For those in much deeper leagues, there is also Alex Caludio, a side arming lefty who the Rangers have been going to fairly often in recent weeks. He’s posting respectable ratios in his 2017 campaign. With all side-winders though, the left/right splits become an issue at some point, so be wary if you’re buying in.

Atlanta Braves

It’s been an up and down couple of weeks for Braves closer Jim Johnson. He allowed earned runs in 3 of his last 6, and 2 of his last 3 appearances. This sounds bad on the surface, but Johnson blew just one save during this time and allowed just one home run. In his most recent appearance on Saturday he nailed down his 14th save without issue. It also helps that the Braves won all six games Johnson appeared in, so despite underwhelming performance he isn’t costing the Braves wins just yet.

Johnson’s job appears safe for now, but as we see time and time again that status can change very quickly. Behind Johnson is setup man Arodys Vizcaino, who on the season has an ERA of 1.99 and WHIP of 0.98, to go along with 36 strikeouts in 34 innings. He’s bounced back from a poor 2016 showing, where he finished with a 4.42 ERA and 1.63 WHIP, including allowing 26 walks in 38.2 innings. Vizcaino missed a sizable chunk of time last year with an oblique injury. Looking back, it seems the injury hindered his performance and his bounce back 2017 campaign is in part due to being fully healthy. Vizcaino served as the Braves closer at times over the past two seasons recording 10 saves and 9 saves in 2016 and 2015, respectively. He will be first option to close should Jim Johnson pitch himself out of the closing gig or get traded, and is worth an early stash for saves speculators.

Toronto Blue Jays

Jays closer Roberto Osuna had a couple of days off this week after reportedly experiencing anxiety, apparently an issue the 22 year old reliever has dealt with all season. Osuna returned to the mound yesterday and struck out the side in a non-save situation. As long as Osuna is okay to pitch, he is the team’s closer. In the event Osuna misses time to seek treatment, Ryan Tepara and Danny Barnes are possible options for saves. Both have been pitching well of late, recording 4 holds each in the last month.

Oakland Athletics

Sean Doolittle got a couple saves last week as a result of a weird Santiago Casilla injury. Casilla, sitting in the exposed A’s bullpen, was hit by a foul ball in his non-pitching shoulder. He returned after just a few days off and recorded the last two saves for the Athletics.

Cleveland Indians

Andrew Miller had his two worst games of the season last week, then was named interim closer. The move was an attempt to reduce Miller’s workload, so while it seems odd it makes sense for the Indians, and Miller is certainly capable of closing games. Miller was likely owned in your league prior to the news, and if he wasn’t he surely is now. If you own Cody Allen, hang tight. The move is short term and it seems he’ll get the 9th inning back at some point.

New York Yankees

Yankees 7th inning man Tyler Clippard is having one of the worst stretches I’ve seen from a reliever. In his last three appearances, Clippard lasted 0.1, 0.0, and 1.0 innings, allowing 3, 2, and 4 earned runs respectively. His ERA has more than doubled from 2.22 to 4.85 as a result. Chad Green should see the next hold chance as Clippard needs to get straighten out. Green owns a 2.28 ERA and 0.80 WHIP on the season, as well as 28 strikeouts in 23.2 innings. He makes for a speculative add for those in need of holds.

Three Stars of the Week

AJ Ramos, Mia – Ramos blew a save last Saturday, but has responded strong enough to earn himself the top star of the week. Ramos pitched 4.1 innings, striking out 6 and recording three saves and a win.

Kyle Barraclough, Mia – Barraclough pitched 4.0 innings striking out 7 and allowing two walks and one hit. He also recorded one hold. After struggling with control early on, Barraclough has been better the last couple of weeks.

Kelvin Herrera, KC – Herrera notched four saves in 3.2 innings. He struck out 2 and allowed just three hits.

Thanks for reading, I’ll be back with another round next Monday.

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(Click the RED link below to listen)

Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show: Join guest host Andrea LaMont, and Kyle Amore live on Sunday July 2nd, 2017 from 7-9pm EST for episode #92 of Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio. We are a live broadcast that will take callers at 323-870-4395. Press 1 to speak with the host. We will discuss the latest information in the world of fantasy baseball.

The Legend Lenny Melnick is our guest this week. Check out his work at lennymelnickfantasysports.com, his podcasts every morning on his site, and his Sirius Sattellite radio with Craig Mish every Sunday from 7-10am.

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