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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 4/10/24 Depth Chart

Breakdowns of key bullpen usage from yesterday's slate of games.

Scott McDermott
Reliever Ranks 4/10/2024

Welcome back to the latest edition of our Reliever Ranks series! This will bring you up-to-date bullpen depth charts every morning for the day’s games and makes for an excellent tool for those looking to stream saves or wins. This series runs seven days a week, so check in every morning to get your daily bullpen fix!

 

Notes

 

Transaction and Schedule Notes

 

  • It was a full slate of games on Tuesday with all 30 teams in action. After their day game today, the Tigers and the Pirates will be off tomorrow.
  • In an expected move, the Milwaukee Brewers transferred Devin Williams to the 60-day IL due to the stress fracture in his back.  He is likely out until the All Star Break and possibly beyond.
  • The Phillies sent Orion Kerkering on a rehab assignment with their AAA affilliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.  He will likely make at least 2 appearances with the Minor League club before being called up, and would then assume a high-leverage / setup role.
  • After starting the season on the IL, both Josh Staumont and Caleb Thielbar have been sent on rehab assignments with the Twins-affiliated St. Paul Saints.  Both had leg injuries so could be back by the end of the week.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

CWS 7 – CLE 5

W: Steven Wilson (1-1)

L: Scott Barlow (0-2)

SV: Michael Kopech (2)

  • Both starters lasted four innings or less in this one with the score tied going into the 5th.  That left the bullpens with a lot of work to do.   When the Sox were able to plate two runs in the top of the 8th off of Barlow, Kopech came in for the 2-inning Save.
  • Kopech has looked somewhat reborn in the ‘pen after a couple of disastrous seasons as a starter.  He now carries a 2.45 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP, though he gave up a run in each of his previous two appearances.  Command had been an issue in previous seasons—in addition to giving up hard contact—but he threw 18 of 24 pitches for strikes.  After striking out the side in the 8th, the hardest contact he gave up was an Andrés Giménez routine fly-out to left.  With the multi-inning effort, expect him to be unavailable on Wednesday.

 

DET 5 – PIT 3

W: Shelby Miller (3-0)

L, BS: David Bednar (1-1)

SV: Jason Foley (4)

  • Martín Pérez twirled a gem for the Pirates, going a full eight innings of 1-run ball before giving way to Bednar.  The Pirates’ closer promptly coughed up four earned runs, mostly on dink-and-dunk singles and a walk, before getting pulled.  He was only able to record a single out.
  • With Aroldis Chapman dominating and throwing over a hundred with decent control (so far), there might be a closer controversy brewing in Pittsburgh.  Chapman threw on Monday and looked great, but Bednar has been a reliable option for a long time.  With this latest appearance swelling his ERA to 12.46, Bednar needs a few good outings to re-assert his claim to the 9th inning.
  • On the Tigers’ side, the bullpen trio of Alex Lange, Shelby Miller, and Jason Foley continue to look fantastic.  Lange was called upon in the 7th with the Tigers down two runs and his only blemish was a walk.  Miller needed only seven pitches to throw a perfect 8th, and after the game turned around in the top half of the 9th Foley worked around two hits to clean it up.  Shelby Miller now leads all of MLB with three wins.
  • With the off day on Wednesday, all relievers should be rested and ready for their respective 4-game series starting on Thursday (the Pirates get the Phillies and the Tigers get the Twins, who strike out more than anyone).

 

MIL 9 – CIN 5

  • It wasn’t a Save situation with a 4-run lead, but the Brewers once again called on Abner Uribe to handle things in the 9th.  Now the clearly anointed closer until Devin Williams returns in the second half, Uribe scattered a hit and a walk before striking out the 2-3-4 hitters on the Reds and ending the threat.
  • Called up just the day before as a result of Tejay Antone’s elbow injury, Carson Spiers pitched four innings of relief for the Reds in the losing effort.  He was shaky early but settled down, yielding seven hits and walking three.
  • Elvis Peguero had been dominant in his previous outings but needed 36 pitches to get just four outs in this one and gave up his first two earned runs of the season.  When coming on in the 7th for starter Joe Ross, he also allowed two inherited runners to score on a Tyler Stephenson double.

 

SEA 3 – TOR 5

SV: Chad Green (2)

  • Chad Green has now pitched in the 9th on two consecutive nights, so it might be time to consider him the preferred option over Yimi García.  That said, both Jordan Romano and Erik Swanson will pitch for AAA Buffalo on Thursday and should join the Jays early next week, so help is coming to the bullpen soon.
  • Green fared better tonight, finishing the game off with a double-play ball after walking Dominic Canzone with one out.  He also recorded an out in the 8th so has thrown 48 pitches in the last two games.

 

NYY 3 – MIA 2

HD: Ian Hamilton (3)

SV: Clay Holmes (5)

  • Carlos Rodón threw 6 strong innings against the struggling Marlins, giving up 2 runs (0 earned) and leaving things to the Yankees’ capable bullpen.  Ian Hamilton has looked phenomenal so far this year and pitched two hitless innings here—his ERA might be over 3 but opposing batters are hitting just .120 against him.
  • Clay Holmes might lead the league in Saves this year.  He now has five and has already made six appearances on the young season.  He threw just seven pitches in this one, so he should be fine to go again tomorrow if needed.

 

LAD 6 – MIN 3

  • With Tyler Glasnow making the Twins look silly all night, Connor Brogdon stepped into the 9th with a 5-run lead.  It was his first appearance as a Dodger since being traded by Philadelphia last week.  Brogdon immediately ran into trouble with Carlos Correa and Alex Kirilloff going back-to-back on him for their first homers of the season, but a couple of ground balls and a fly-out later ended things quickly.  Brogdon carries an unsightly ERA of 24.00 but managed a 4.03 ERA off of a 1.45 WHIP in 29 innings for the Phils last year.

 

HOU 3 – KC 4 (10)

W: James McArthur (1-0)

L: Wander Suero (0-1)

  • The Astros and Royals needed an extra frame to decide things after the much-anticipated matchup of Cole Ragans and Cristian Javier proved indecisive.  Josh Hader came on in the bottom of the 9th and kept the game locked, throwing just 11 pitches to get his three outs.  But after the Astros were unable to plate the 2nd-base runner in the top of the 10th they were forced to go to Chase Suero.
  • On his second pitch of the 10th, Suero served up a belt-high fastball to Salvador Perez, who hammered it into the gap to end it.  This being his first appearance, Suero has to carry the unfortunate label of an ERA and WHIP of ‘INF’ until his next appearance.
  • McArthur, for what it’s worth, pitched the 9th and 10th and now looks like the guy for the Royals.  Will Smith might get some opportunities but is more and more looking like the setup option.  Note that Josh Hader is getting paid $19 million this season and McArthur is not.

 

OAK 4 – TEX 3

W: Michael Kelly (1-0)

L, BS: José Leclerc (0-2)

HD: Kirby Yates (2)

BS: David Robertson

SV: Mason Miller (1)

  • The moment finally arrived: Mason Miller came into the 9th with a 1-run lead.  He threw pure rocket fuel to strike out 2 and fire a clean frame to earn Oakland their 3rd straight win.  It’s his first career save.
  • The Rangers had two relievers with blown saves as they spoiled an excellent start from Nathan Eovaldi to lose the lead both in the 7th and the 9th.  Shea Langeliers homered in both instances, putting Leclerc’s first offering into the bullpen to make it 4-3 A’s.

 

The Best of the Rest…

  • You may not have heard, but a certain stud prospect is on his way from Norfolk to Baltimore tonight.  The Tides will miss you, Jackson Holliday…
  • Kevin Ginkel needed just 14 pitches to get his first Save for the Diamondbacks, in a rare 3-2 game at Coors Field.  He struck out two.  Ryan Thompson and Kyle Nelson both earned Holds by giving up a single hit each.
  • Ben Brown threw some nasty curveballs in his first career start.  He got his pitch count past 75 and was able to leave with a 5-run lead.
  • Kyle Finnegan earned a 4th Save by somehow keeping any runs from scoring after immediately loading the bases in the 9th.  A play at home netted the first out, and then a double-play ball ended the game. Hunter Harvey got his 4th Hold but left early after a 95-mph comebacker hit him in the hand.  He’s considered day-to-day and x-rays came back negative.
  • Pete Fairbanks also made things interesting with a 3-run lead, giving up a run and leaving two on before striking out Miguel Sano to quench the threat.  Some guy named Trout was waiting in the on-deck circle.  Fairbanks earned his first Save and now has an ERA of 15.00.

 

Bullpen Depth Charts

 

Also, if you’re looking for a detailed list or ranking of RPs, check out Rick Graham’s weekly pieces:

The Hold Up: Ranking the Top 100 Relievers for Holds Every Thursday

Closing Time: Ranking the Top 30 Closers

Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues

 

Scott McDermott

Scott lives in Virginia Beach with his wife, two daughters, and a couple of furballs. When he’s not dissecting box scores and pondering over the optimal starting lineup for the Cincinnati Reds, he covers fantasy baseball for Pitcher List. He’s also the author of the award-winning book series 'Election 2064', available on Amazon.

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