Grading the playoff bullpens: O's, Cubs highlight a stellar field

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[h=1]Grading the playoff bullpens: O's, Cubs highlight a stellar field[/h]Jim Bowden
ESPN Senior Writer

[h=2]American League[/h]
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Baltimore Orioles: A
Saves/Opportunities: 54/68
Bullpen ERA rank: 3rd

Zach Britton is the best reliever in baseball. He'll bring home the Mariano RiveraAward for the American League's best reliever -- and in my mind, he should win the Cy Young Award as well. He led the AL with 47 saves -- converting all of his opportunities -- and finished with a 0.54 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. His 97-mph sinker is simply unhittable, and this allows the Orioles to essentially shorten games to eight innings.
Brad Brach slipped a bit in August, perhaps due to fatigue. But he was better down the stretch and still profiles as one of the league's best setup men. The rest of the pen is strong as well, especially if sidearmer Darren O'Day is back to full health after dealing with shoulder problems this season.
O's manager Buck Showalter is one of the game's best at manipulating a bullpen. He has a knack for making changes before pitchers fatigue and is always prepared for the best possible matchups, and he has plenty of matchup-favorable guys to work with.

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Cleveland Indians: A
Saves/Opps: 37/48
Bullpen ERA rank: 4th

The Indians already had a very good bullpen before the trade deadline -- then it acquired the second-best reliever in the league (behind Britton), lefty Andrew Miller, and became one of the league's best. Miller's versatility allows manager Terry Francona to use him in the highest-leverage part of any game, and for multiple innings.
Cody Allen has been one of the most underrated closers in baseball the past two years -- he has a 12.0 K/9 rate since the start of 2014 -- and the rest of the bullpen is strong and deep, including Bryan Shaw, Dan Otero and Jeff Manship.
Due to injuries to two of their best starting pitchers, Carlos Carrasco and Danny Salazar, Cleveland's bullpen will have to play a major part in any postseason success the Indians have, and this group has the ability to do that.

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Boston Red Sox: B
Saves/Opps: 43/61
Bullpen ERA rank: 9th

The Red Sox's bullpen has been on a roller-coaster ride all season, but for the most part, it has gotten healthy and come together at exactly the right time. Their lone concern now is with closer Craig Kimbrel, who has had control problems of late. He has been one of the league's best in recent years, and the Red Sox will need him to be.
Meanwhile, any doubts about Boston's middle relief seem to have been silenced by Koji Uehara, Junichi Tazawa and sidearmer Brad Ziegler, who have been solid of late, as have long relievers Joe Kelly, Matt Barnes and lefty Robbie Ross.

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Texas Rangers: B
Saves/Opps: 56/73
Bullpen ERA rank: 25th

The statistics and metrics don't seem to like the Rangers' bullpen, but those numbers are deceiving because many of the poor performances came from middle relievers who won't be on their postseason roster. The Rangers' playoff bullpen will be filled with power arms and strike-throwers, and have many different looks.
Sam Dyson and his power sinker racked up 38 saves this season, and Texas has two good southpaws in deceiving crossfire pitcher Jake Diekman and sidearmerAlex Claudio. Matt Bush and Jeremy Jeffress provide more power from the right side.
Don't sleep on the Rangers' bullpen; manager Jeff Banister knows how to get the most from this group.

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Toronto Blue Jays: C
Saves/Opps: 43/66
Bullpen ERA rank: 22nd

Here's a rather dubious stat: The Blue Jays became the first team in baseball history to make it to the playoffs with a bullpen that lost more than 30 games. Toronto's bullpen lost 32 games during the regular season and blew 23 save opportunities.
They do have a few effective relievers, including closer Roberto Osuna (0.93 WHIP, 36 saves), Rule V selection Joe Biagini and in-season acquisition Jason Grilli, but this unit could really miss Joaquin Benoit, who is still out with a calf injury, and the rest of the bullpen is filled with inconsistency and question marks.
There's no other way around it: The Jays won't match up well in the middle innings against playoff teams, which could become a real problem.
[h=2]National League[/h]
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Chicago Cubs: A
Saves/Opps: 38/53
Bullpen ERA rank: 8th

Aroldis Chapman hasn't disappointed for the Cubs since being traded there just before the trade deadline, with 16 saves, a 1.01 ERA and 46 K's and only 12 hits allowed in 26 2/3 innings for the North-Siders. He could prove critical for the Cubs.
The rest of the Cubs' bullpen is both strong and diverse. Pedro Strop and Hector Rondon are high-90s setup men, Joe Smith provides a different look with his low arm angle, Justin Grimm and Carl Edwards are right-handed specialists, Trevor Cahill has the nasty sinker and lefties Mike Montgomery and Travis Wood can be more than just situational guys.

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Los Angeles Dodgers: A
Saves/Opps: 47/69
Bullpen ERA rank: 1st

Kenley Jansen is the best right-handed closer in the National League, and he had rode his unhittable cutter to another dominant season. And whereas the Dodgers' middle relief has been shaky at times in recent seasons getting the ball to Jansen, this year it was strong thanks to the trio of Pedro Baez, Joe Blantonand Grant Dayton.
Worth noting: Both Baez, a right-hander, and Dayton, a lefty, were extremely effective against lefty hitters during the regular season; Baez limited lefties to a .178 batting average against him, while Dayton held them to a .140 mark. The Nationals' best two hitters, Daniel Murphy and Bryce Harper, happen to be left-handed, so the two relievers could be factors in their Division Series.

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Washington Nationals: A-
Saves/Opps: 45/59
Bullpen ERA rank: 2nd

That's not a typo; the Nats' bullpen quietly finished second in the majors in ERA. Trade-deadline acquisition Mark Melancon has solidified the closer role, posting a 1.82 ERA and 0.81 WHIP for Washington. For the year, he finished more games than any other pitch in baseball.
But the bullpen getting to Melancon has been almost as strong. Scouts rave about the stuff Blake Treinen has, and Shawn Kelley proved to be a solid offseason signing; he posted a 0.90 WHIP, including just one hit in his last 12 appearances. The Nats also have a nice trio of effective lefties in Marc Rzepczynski, Sammy Solis and Oliver Perez.

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New York Mets: B+
Saves/Opps: 55/71
Bullpen ERA rank: 6th

The Mets' bullpen is led by impact closer Jeurys Familia, who led the majors with 51 saves during the regular season, but also have a few other unheralded but effective middle men, led by Addison Reed, who posted a staggering 40 holds this season, 11 more than the next guy. He showed he can pound the strike zone and miss bats, racking up 91 K's and just 13 walks in 77 2/3 innings.
One thing that concerns me about the Mets' bullpen is they don't have a true lefty specialist. Jerry Blevins was OK versus lefties but better versus righties, and Josh Smoker was hit hard by lefties. That could hurt them.

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San Francisco Giants: C
Saves/Opps: 43/72
Bullpen ERA rank: 15th

The Giants bullpen had 29 blown saves this year, including nine in September, which almost cost them a postseason appearance. The team is hoping newly converted closer Sergio Romo and his nasty slider (and command of it) can be reliable in the role; they have to be encouraged by his late-season work in the role.


Derek Law and former closerSantiago Casilla will set up Romo. Law had a breakout year (50 K's, 9 walks in 55 innings), and while Casilla struggled as the closer, he continued to be effective against righty hitters and posted a career-high 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings. From the left side, Javier Lopez continued his effectiveness as a situational lefty, while trade-deadline acquisition Will Smith proved to be a helpful addition. Of course, the Giants also have Hunter Strickland and his high-90s fastball, but his inability to command it on both sides of the plate and failures in high-leverage situations again make him a concern.

The Giants' "postseason experience" will have to play a factor for this bullpen, because let's face it: It just isn't as good as it has been in past years.
 

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