Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List

Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 4/27/24 Depth Chart

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

Justin Havelock
Fantasy 4/27/2024

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

 

 

Yesterday’s Performances

KC 8 – DET 0

HD: John Schreiber (6)

SV: None

  • On a night loaded with strong performances from starting pitchers (exactly half of the teams in action recorded a quality start!), Seth Lugo was quietly one of the best pitchers of the day spinning a seven-inning, nine-strikeout gem. Schreiber and Will Smith finished off the Royals’ shutout of the Tigers, as they continued their hot start to the season.
  • The Detroit Tigers called on Alex Lange in the eighth inning behind their own gem for Reese Olson. Lange did his part and kept the top of the order off of the bases, striking out Bobby Witt Jr. It was Tyler Holton who blew this game wide open in the top of the ninth. Holton walked Nelson Velázquez to load the bases, allowed a pair of earned runs on back-to-back hit by pitches, and was pulled from the game after recording only one out. Will Vest didn’t fare much better as he gave up five runs on a single, a triple, and a sacrifice fly.
  • Tigers closer Jason Foley hasn’t pitched since Tuesday and only threw nine pitches, while Andrew Chafin is also currently sitting on a nine-pitch week himself. It’s likely that one or both will play on back-to-back days this weekend, regardless of whether or not a save situation arises.

 

OAK 3 – BAL 2

HD: Danny Coulombe (5), Yennier Cano (5)

SV: Mason Miller (7)

  • Golly gee, Mason Miller! It’s rare for Corbin Burnes to record 20 whiffs and not be the most exciting pitcher to take the mound in a game. But that’s what happens when you throw a heavy diet of four-seamers sitting (yes, sitting!) at 101 mph against one of the best offenses in baseball to pick up the save.
  • Craig Kimbrel gave up the blown save here for the Orioles in the bottom of the ninth. Kimbrel allowed five consecutive baserunners on three walks and two extra-base hits with the lone out coming off of a “TOOTBLAN” by JJ Bleday after Bleday tried to score on a wild pitch. Keegan Akin came in to finish the ninth and only needed six pitches to do so, notching a strikeout in the process.
  • Miller has now thrown 30 pitches after pitching on back-to-back days so he should be unavailable for the rest of the weekend. Lucas Erceg and Austin Adams are the most likely candidates to pick up a save should another save situation present itself in this series.

 

LAD 12 – TOR 2

HD: None

SV: None

  • Sigh. This one pains me as a Jays fan. Do I have to talk about it? What’s that, the Jays used six relievers, including a position player? Alright, let’s get into it.
  • Shohei Ohtani was inexcusably booed as he stepped up to the plate and responded by hitting a home run off the third pitch of the game. That set the tone in this one as the Dodgers got to Chris Bassitt early and often, scoring six more earned runs in the third inning to force a call to the bullpen.
  • Trevor Richards was the best of the bunch here taking the ball from Bassitt. Richards allowed a solo home run to Will Smith in the fourth but immediately settled back down and struck out a pair to limit the damage (well, his damage at least). Brendon Little made his Blue Jays debut after being called up earlier in the week and went a full turn through the order, striking out Chris Taylor but allowing five hits and three earned runs. Nate Pearson, Tim Mayza, and Erik Swanson combined for 2.2 shutout innings but each failed to record a strikeout. Not wanting to deplete the bullpen any further while down by nine runs, the Jays turned to Isiah Kiner-Falefa in the ninth. The Jays’ super-utility player (now super-super-utility player?) allowed two baserunners and an earned run off a sacrifice fly from Smith before getting out of the inning.
  • Jordan Romano and Yimi García haven’t pitched since Monday, and as the Jays’ top two relievers, there’s a good chance that both will pitch back-to-back games this weekend in the aftermath of Friday’s chaos. Given that Gavin Stone and Nick Ramirez were on cruise control against the Jays, the Dodgers’ bullpen should be loaded with fresh arms. We’ll see if they need to turn to closer Evan Phillips with series against Arizona and Atlanta on the horizon next week.

 

STL 4 – NYM 2

HD: JoJo Romero (9), Andrew Kittredge (9)

SV: Ryan Helsley (8)

  • The St. Louis Cardinals bullpen once again proved to be the bright spot for this team. Romero, Kittredge, and Helsey combined to put up four strikeouts and allow just one baserunner through 3.1 shutout innings on only 35 pitches. All three could still be available throughout the weekend however, as Nick Robertson is the only other reliever to have pitched at all since Monday. That’s a fresh bullpen.
  • José Buttó struggled on the mound last night and wasn’t nearly as dominant as his last three starts. Buttó still managed to give the Mets five and two-thirds innings before passing the ball to Josh Walker in the sixth. Jorge López replaced Walker in the seventh and after recording an error, struck out three of the next five batters he faced. The Mets called on Sean Reid-Foley to take the top of the ninth and he rewarded them with a clean inning and a pair of strikeouts.
  • Edwin Diaz last pitched for the Mets on Wednesday so you can expect him to make an appearance over the next two games against St. Louis.

 

SF 3 – PIT 0

W: Camilo Doval (2)

HD: None

SV: None

  • San Francisco Giants reliever Ryan Walker struggled in the seventh inning after coming in for Kyle Harrison. Despite striking out two without allowing an earned run, Walker needed 33 pitches to get through the inning largely due to some nominative determinism as he gave up a walk and a HBP. Doval picked up his second win of the season in this one but after a long 50-pitch week, might need a few more days off before we see him again.
  • The Pittsburgh Pirates have also leaned heavily on their top relievers with Aroldis Chapman and David Bednar both throwing 50+ pitches over the last six days and Chapman throwing 43 pitches over the past two days.

 

The Best of the Rest…

 

  • Shota Imanaga continued his early season dominance last night before giving the ball over to Keegan Thompson. Thompson delivered 2.2 shutout frames allowing two hits, one walk, and striking out two to finish the game for the Cubs in a 7-1 blowout of the Red Sox. Despite allowing 10 hits, Kutter Crawford managed to record a quality start (aka a Dusty Donut) but Joely Rodríguez allowed three more earned runs in the seventh before getting out of the inning.
  • The New York Yankees went to Michael Tonkins in the 11th inning last night to make his debut with the team. Tonkins may still be a Met at heart though as he notched the Yankees’ second blown save of the night, after Ron Marinaccio gave up a lead in the sixth.
  • Other than Scott McGough and Justin Martinez taking the mound last night, the Arizona Diamondbacks bullpen should be quite fresh this weekend. Keep an eye out for closer Kevin Ginkel who last pitched on Sunday. On the other side of this series, Seattle Mariners‘ closer Andrés Muñoz only threw eight pitches on Thursday and could also be called up on over the weekend.

 

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

 

Photo by Zac BonDurant/Icon Sportswire

Design by Jackson Wallace

2 responses to “Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 4/27/24 Depth Chart”

  1. Jon Dowd says:
    April 27, 2024 at 10:37 AM

    Article is a day behind?

    Reply
  2. Mike Honcho says:
    April 27, 2024 at 10:56 AM

    Weird…pretty sure Brewers played the Yankees yesterday.
    Let me check…
    Yup.
    Do better.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Account / Login