One perk of covering closers is that there are always discussion topics in the ever-evolving world of high-leverage situations. Since my last post, leverage pathway changes have taken place in Colorado and Cincinnati. San Francisco continues to mix and match, which cost the team a game in Arizona and resulted in a sweep. The CliffsNotes on recent updates:
Cincinnati: Tony Santillan recorded the last save for this beleaguered bullpen and may stabilize the unit until Emilio Pagán returns, which allows Terry Francona to deploy Graham Ashcraft against an opponent’s toughest lineup pocket, in the seventh or eighth inning.
Colorado: Victor Vodnik has been removed from the leverage pathway and replaced by Juan Mejia and Jaden Hill, with Antonio Senzatela logging multiple-inning appearances.
Washington: Clayton Beeter will be activated on May 21 and will form a leverage triumvirate with Gus Varland and Richard Lovelady.
Still to come: the recent struggles of Seranthony Domínguez and David Bednar. My leverage pathways try to provide the best angles at procuring saves despite the multitude of confusing usage patterns throughout the league. Each team will receive one of the following labels:
