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
- A limited schedule was further reduced by a flurry of postponements which led to just six games being played yesterday. The majority of major league bullpens will be fresh and ready for a busy weekend slate of games, however check up on the Tigers, Red Sox, Blue Jays, Royals, Giants, White Sox, Rockies, Nationals, Diamondbacks, Dodgers, Padres and Atlanta, who all played.
- The Mets added Edwin Uceta after being claimed off waivers from the Pirates, sending him to Triple-A. He could feature as a bulk reliever in the near future. Sam Coonrod was transferred to the 60-Day IL adding more misery to the Mets bullpen.
- Atlanta placed veteran Collin McHugh on the 15-Day IL with shoulder soreness. Nick Anderson could be the main beneficiary in the late-innings mix and would be a nice add in for holds.
Yesterday’s Performances
ATL 7 – SDP 6
- Atlanta edged the game of the day at home to the Padres in one of the most entertaining games of the year so far. Lucas Luetge could not preserve a win for Spencer Strider by giving up a homer to Jake Cronenworth. Both bullpens went back and forth in the late innings. Kirby Yates pitched an ugly eighth inning, allowing a run to score on a wild pitch before throwing a bunt from José Azocar into right field to give the Padres a two-run lead – Azocar ended up at third base on the play! A.J. Minter was dominant once again in the ninth and picked up the win thanks to the walk-off.
- The Padres found themselves in trouble multiple times in the late innings after Steven Wilson had fired two impressive shutout frames in relief of Blake Snell. Veteran Tim Hill allowed three straight hits with two outs in the eighth to allow Atlanta back into the contest – Hill also needed a sensational catch from Juan Soto to prevent more damage. Nabil Crismatt surrendered the winning run off a hit from the in-form Orlando Arcia. Josh Hader, who had not pitched since Sunday was unused, a surprising decision given the lefty matchups in tight spots.
ARI 2 – LAD 5
- The Diamondbacks used a couple of low-leverage arms – Kyle Nelson and Carlos Vargas – to eat some innings as the Dodgers were comfortable winners in this one. Kevin Ginkel, assumed to be part of the closer committee, was also used, so read into that what you will.
- Alex Vesia once again struggled as the first man out of the bullpen for the Dodgers. Jake McCarthy bulleted a ball down the right field line and Josh Rojas punished the young reliever to get the Diamondbacks on the board. It has been a worrying start for Vesia. Yency Almonte and Phil Bickford cleaned up the mess before Evan Phillips was handed the save opportunity. Phillips converted his second save opportunity of the season, needing just 15 pitches, striking out one, and looking totally at home with his role as the primary closing option for the Dodgers.
COL 1 – WSN 0
- The Rockies won the battle of the basement by a single run in a forgettable game in Colorado. Justin Lawrence picked up his first hold of the season before the impressive Pierce Johnson, deputizing for the absent Daniel Bard, struck out two to earn his second save of the season.
- The Nationals finally got a good outing from Josiah Gray but failed to give him any run support. Young Mason Thompson looked sharp in two innings of relief.
KCR 3 – TOR 6
- The Royals used both Amir Garrett and Scott Barlow despite never really being in this game. Not the wisest use of the bullpen from stand-in manager Paul Hoover, who is filling in for Matt Quatraro who has COVID.
- Adam Cimber earned the opportunity for the save after both Erik Swanson and Jordan Romano had pitched on back-to-back nights. Yimi García, who was far from steady in his first outings, notched the hold, striking out two before Cimber saw little resistance in the ninth.
DET 3 – BOS 6
- The Tigers look terrible right now and slumped to their fifth defeat of the year despite the bullpen doing its job. José Cisnero, Mason Englert, and Alex Lange all pitched well, but the damage had already been done.
- Veteran Kenley Jansen picked up his first save as a member of the Red Sox thanks to a clean ninth frame to preserve the three-run lead. Jansen now has a win and a save in just two relief appearances.
SFG 16 – CWS 6
- The Giants demolished the White Sox from the off with Lance Lynn once again struggling on the mound for Chicago. Jakob Junis picked up the win after four solid innings in relief of Alex Wood, who went just three innings as he ramps up his pitch count. Junis now has two wins in relief and could be a nice option the next time around for your fantasy streaming.
- Nothing went right on the mound for the White Sox, who coughed up 16 runs and ended up with Hanser Alberto lobbing balls for J.D. Davis to hit a grand slam, which capped off a miserable day. José Ruiz and Gregory Santos were both hit hard too.
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
(Photos by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Doug Carlin (@Bdougals on Twitter)