Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report: Manuel Rodriguez seems to have leg up for Rays, Jorge Lopez for Cubs

For the first two-thirds of this season, I felt like the Bullpen Report was obsolete. So stable was every closer scenario that I rarely had reason to write it.

That's changed over the past month. Beginning with the trade deadline (though not entirely as a result of it), we've seen constant turnover, such that the Bullpen Report is back to being a weekly staple.

And many of the scenarios depicted in last week's edition aren't any clearer now. That's especially true for the Rays, Cubs and Dodgers.

Note: "Pecking order" refers to rosterability in Fantasy and not necessarily who's first in line for saves (though it's usually one and the same).

Manuel Rodriguez had assumed the eighth-inning role for the Rays following Jason Adam's departure to the Padres, so by that measure, he seemed like the natural choice to replace the injured Pete Fairbanks, who likely won't have time to make it back from a lat strain. But Edwin Uceta's numbers -- a 0.84 ERA, 0.65 WHIP, and 11.7 K/9 -- are superior, and indeed, he got the first save in Fairbanks' stead Aug. 20. Rodriguez has gotten two of the teams' three saves since then, though, with the other going to left-hander Garrett Cleavinger in an extra-innings affair. While Uceta's only two appearances since his save have come in the sixth inning, Rodriguez's last four appearances have come in the ninth.

With a 1.97 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 11.3 K/9, the 23-year-old Porter Hodge seems like a potential long-term closer candidate for the Cubs, and because he got a save Aug. 20 -- the first following the release of Hector Neris, actually -- we can't rule out that the Cubs are already thinking long-term. But Jorge Lopez has more closing experience and handled their most recent save chance Friday, with Hodge setting up for him. Seeing as Lopez has been nearly as effective as Hodge since joining the Cubs -- putting together a 0.79 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 9.9 K/9 -- I suspect that manager Craig Counsell will lean toward the veteran.

A week ago, Michael Kopech had seemingly assumed the closer role for the Dodgers, having recorded two saves over a three-day span, but he hasn't recorded a save since. Two other Dodgers relievers -- Daniel Hudson and Anthony Banda -- have, and another, former closer Evan Phillips, tried to. Kopech actually pitched ahead of Phillips in that game, though seeing as Phillips blew it, perhaps the roles will be reversed next time.

Kopech has been practically untouchable with the Dodgers, allowing just one run on three hits with three walks and 17 strikeouts in 12 1/3 innings, and he was the last Dodger to take the mound in two of his last three appearances (once with a four-run lead and once with a one-run deficit). There wouldn't seem to be a better candidate to close, then, but manager Dave Roberts may prefer to keep things versatile for now. Notably, Daniel Hudson, who once seemed like the favorite to close, hasn't pitched in a week and wasn't pitching well before then, so he's presumably out of the running.

Williams has barely been back a month and is already dealing with another injury, this time to his shoulder. It's described less as a strain than a "pinch," with the going theory being that he slept on it wrong. He was warming up in the bullpen Tuesday but never had reason to enter the game with the Brewers trailing by a run. Presumably, he's fine, then, but the whole episode makes for a good occasion to remind you of the Brewers' pecking order. Hard-throwing Trevor Megill has himself only recently returned from the IL, having missed a month with a lower back issue, but was so effective filling in for Williams in the first half of the year that he would be the obvious choice to replace him.

Just when you thought it was safe to count on Justin Martinez for saves, manager Torey Lovullo decided to muddy the waters, saying over the weekend that the goal was "to get Sewald back into that role," referring to ousted closer Paul Sewald. He said Sewald is "trending in a very positive direction," though the results haven't necessarily been there. The right-hander has allowed three earned runs over his past two appearances.

Then again, Martinez has allowed a run in each of his past two appearances and four in his past five. He's struggled with walks all season, and it hasn't gotten any better with his move to the closer role despite registering six saves in about three weeks' time. Even if Sewald never reclaims the role, Lovullo could potentially turn to left-hander A.J. Puk, who has a 0.69 ERA, 0.69 WHIP, and 13.2 K/9 in 15 appearances since coming over from the Marlins.

Historically when Craig Kimbrel has fallen into a control rut, it's taken only a few appearances out of the closer role to get him back on track. He'd then reclaim the role and go on to dominate for months at a time, as we saw play out just this May. But this one has lasted over a month now and shows no signs of abating, seeing him allow five earned runs over his past five appearances. Last week, it looked like the door may be open for him with Seranthony Dominguez allowing a solo home run in three consecutive appearances, twice for a loss. But Dominguez has since had three scoreless appearances, all for a save, and seems to be as solid in the role as ever.

Ousted closer Camilo Doval rejoined the Giants Saturday after a two-week stay in the minors and was immediately tasked with setting up for new closer Ryan Walker. And though he looked good doing it, throwing 1 1/3 scoreless innings, manager Bob Melvin isn't looking to move him back into ninth-inning duties, according to the team's official website. Walker's 1.95 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, and 11.7 K/9 on the year and 4-for-4 performance as a closer have assured that much.

"The results speak for themselves," Doval said. "I think it's going to be based on the numbers. I'm going to keep working to see what happens."

Walker has yet to allow an earned run in his seven appearances as a closer, striking out 19 over nine innings.

Jason Foley has been manager A.J. Hinch's go-to for saves basically since opening day but found himself working the eighth inning more often in July as his ERA climbed over 4.00. Hinch apparently decided during that time that the Tigers don't have anyone better suited for the task, though, because all of a sudden, he's handling Foley like a conventional closer again. Each of the right-hander's past five appearances has been to close out a game, including three times for a save. Meanwhile, Foley has brought his ERA down to a respectable 3.23 and his WHIP down to a not-so-terrible 1.27. Ultimately, he gives up too much contact to be a lockdown closer, but if Hinch has accepted that he's the best the Tigers have, then Foley is of some use to us again.

The Angels have been pretty miserable in the weeks since trading away Carlos Estevez, which hasn't made for a clean transition to the next closer. True, two of the team's three saves during that time have gone to Ben Joyce, who has been the odds-on favorite with his 104 mph fastball, but he entered in the eighth inning in both of those instances, which isn't conventional closer use. He was most recently tasked with working the eighth in a setup capacity for Roansy Contreras, who promptly blew the save in the ninth, and that whole episode will likely make manager Ron Washington think twice about using anyone other than Joyce for the next save. Given how infrequent the save chances are, though, the continued lack of clarity might be a deal-breaker for Fantasy.

Just when it seemed like Victor Vodnik had stabilized the Rockies' closer role for the first time in, well, years, a biceps issue forced him to the IL. The odds of him recovering in time to make it back this year are pretty slim, and yet I'm still placing him second in the pecking order because the alternatives are so poor. Tyler Kinley got the save Monday, continuing a nice run that saw him put together a 1.31 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 10.5 K/9 in 20 appearances, but he followed it up with a four-run meltdown Tuesday. Seeing as he has a 6.40 ERA overall and had a 6.06 ERA last year, he's probably not deserving of your time.