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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 5/1/24 Depth Chart

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

Scott McDermott
Fantasy 5/1/2024

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 on Tuesday, with a bonus game to boot, as the Tigers and Cardinals convened a double-header to make up for Monday’s washout.  Six other teams were off Monday so several bullpens were rested.
  • In a long-awaited move, the Twins activated Jhoan Duran from the 15-day IL.  He should be immediately considered a top-5 closer.  Matt Bowman was DFA’d to make room.
  • In a flurry of transactions that puts Nolan Jones on the IL and brings Jordan Beck up to the Majors, Colorado also transferred LHP Lucas Gilbreath to the 60-day IL.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

STL 2 – DET 1 (Game 1)

W: Matthew Liberatore (1-1)

L, BS: Shelby Miller (3-3, 2)

HD: Andrew Chafin (4), Jason Foley (1)

SV: Ryan Helsley (10)

  • Jack Flaherty came out nuclear against his former team, striking out a career-high fourteen batters during a sunny afternoon in Detroit.  It would be for naught, however, as Shelby Miller failed to complete the shutout and earned his third loss of the season.
  • Somewhat curiously, Jason Foley worked the eighth and was pulled after just nine pitches for Miller (Foley did earn his first Hold of the season).  Detroit might have been saving him for the second game if necessary, but it was still an odd move.  Foley was in fact not needed with Detroit winning the rematch by five runs.
  • Ryan Helsley threw ten pitches, all ten of them strikes, to get his tenth save.  He struck out two and was his usual untouchable self.

 

NYY 2 – BAL 4

HD: Keegan Akin (4)

SV: Jacob Webb (1)

  • With Craig Kimbrel dealing with a back issue and Yennier Cano pitching the last two nights, the big question in Baltimore was who might get the Save opportunity should the need arise.
  • Starter Dean Kremer didn’t dominate but he worked seven solid innings to give most of the ‘pen a break.  He struck out four but had a 10-1 groundout-to-flyout ratio.
  • Though he threw 32 pitches on Sunday, Keegan Akin took the ball from there.  He only got through 2/3 of the eighth though when Jacob Webb was brought in to retire Aaron Judge.
  • Webb was brought back in the ninth and looked like a seasoned closer.  The 30-year-old right-hander is a bit of a soft tosser with a 92-mph fastball, but throws an effective sweeper 33% of the time and it gets a 38% CSW.  He only need fifteen pitches to get the four-out Save and didn’t allow a baserunner.
  • The Orioles are hopeful that Kimbrel avoids the IL, but they activated Cionel Pérez off the IL Monday for added depth.  He figures to be a Middle Relief arm that can get his share of Holds, especially with Baltimore winning consistently.

 

COL 6 – MIA 7

W: Tanner Scott (1-4)

L: Jalen Beeks (2-2)

BS: Justin Lawrence (2)

  • This was almost a game of who wanted to lose it more, as both the Marlins and Rockies are vying for the National League’s worst record.  Miami would walk it off in the tenth inning on a Dane Myers single to give struggling reliever Tanner Scott his first win of the season.
  • The Rockies, after putting up five runs in the first inning off Sixto Sánchez, would not score again until plating the inherited runner in the top of the tenth.  Miami, who didn’t score until tying the game with five runs in the ninth, took advantage of tiring starter Ryan Feltner to bat around and force extras.
  • Though he did allow that inherited runner to score, Tanner Scott looked effective, hitting 97 mph when striking out Brenton Doyle and rookie Hunter Goodman.  Scott may get a little longer leash with his second solid outing in a row.
  • Another Rockies, call-up, Jordan Beck, had two hits in his debut at 99 and 102 mph off the bat.  He hit eighth but could move up quickly in the lineup if he clicks.

 

CHC 2 – NYM 4

W: Sean Reid-Foley (1-0)

L: Adbert Alzolay (1-3)

HD: Reed Garrett (1), Adam Ottavino (4)

SV: Jorge López (2)

  • After Edwin Diaz threw 39 pitches over the last two nights, he and Timmy Trumpet had the night off.
  • Starters Javier Assad and Sean Manaea both left the game locked at one after five innings.  The Cubs brought on Adbert Alzolay in the sixth, and his stock will continue to sink after he gave up a three-run shot to DJ Stewart to break things open for the Mets (all three runs were unearned, however, with a Dansby Swanson error prolonging the inning).
  • Reed Garrett, perhaps the most dominant reliever this side of Mason Miller, got his first Hold of the season while working the seventh.  His ERA is down to 0.57 and he had one strikeout.
  • Jorge López took the ninth in Diaz’s place, spotted a three-run lead.  Though the scorching Mike Tauchman would eventually score after a leadoff double, Lopez avoided serious trouble and retired the next three batters.

 

MIN 6 – CWS 5

W: Caleb Thielbar (1-1)

L: Michael Kopech (0-3)

SV: Jhoan Durn (1)

  • As mentioned in the Notes, Jhoan Duran is BACK to throw 100-plus and mow down batters.  He looked solid but not exactly sharp (though he’s more of a blunt instrument anyway).  Up just one in the bottom of the ninth, Duran would immediately be tested after Tommy Pham reached base with a grounder up the middle.
  • Duran got two ground balls from there, both nearly double plays but not quite, before Gavin Sheets waved wildly at a third strike to end it.
  • The Twins are on a roll, winning their ninth in a row.  Playing the White Sox in five of those games can’t hurt.
  • Michael Kopech continues to be up and down—he was down in this one, walking the leadoff batter who would come home on a sac fly and be the deciding run.

 

KC 4 – TOR 1

HD: John Schreiber (7)

SV: James McArthur (7)

  • AGA hopeful and SPaRP extraordinaire Cole Ragans got his second win by dominating the Blue Jays once again.  He went 6.2 IP and struck out nine, allowing a run.
  • The Royals bullpen continues to shine as they shut the door from there, recording seven straight outs.  McArthur is quickly rising in the closer ranks and should be a top-15 option if the Royals can keep winning.  Like the rest of the AL Central, they seem to always find themselves in close games.

 

CLE 9 – HOU 10

W: Josh Hader (1-2)

L, BS: Hunter Gaddis (1-1, 3)

  • What’s this?  Josh Hader throwing multiple innings?  That’s but one indicator of how wild this one got.  The Astros had a five-run lead for much of the game but gave it all back in the sixth as Hunter Brown started missing spots and Rafael Montero couldn’t bail him out.
  • Hader worked the ninth and looked like his old self, striking out two.  He was rolling again in the tenth until a two-out David Fry double scored the free runner.
  • Clase worked the ninth for Cleveland to force the game to extras, but was pulled after fourteen pitches to let Hunter Gaddis get the Save.  Gaddis has had a fine year in his own right and struck out the debuting Joey Loperfido to start the tenth.
  • Then, a bit of magic happened when Houston needed it most.  The pinch-hitting Victor Caratini pulled an inside fastball just inches over the wall to give the Astros a dramatic walk-off victory.

 

The best of the rest…

  • It was Miller Time in Oakland and the hundred or so people in attendance were treated to another masterful performance.  Miller struck out the side and made it look easy, getting Oneil Cruz to look wobbly on some knee-buckling sliders to end it.
  • A bee colony managed to delay the Dodgers and Diamondbacks by nearly two hours, which threw enough of a wrench in Jordan Montgomery’s routine to scratch him.  Arizona opted for the bullpen game instead, no word yet on whether JorMont will go tomorrow.  Christian Walker (Christian Walk-off?) blasted his second homer of the game to win the game in extras.  This gave Scott McGough his first Win and Nabil Crismatt the Loss.
  • Andrés Muñoz inherited a tough situation against the Braves, which grew instantly worse after a throwing error.  The bases were loaded with one out but Munoz was able to wiggle out of it with a strikeout to Marcell Ozuna.  He came back to finish the ninth and Seattle took the series from a suddenly-scuffling Atlanta.
  • If the Angels are serious about competing, they need to find a new arm for the ninth inning.  The late-inning woes of Carlos Estévez are widely noted, but a pair of ninth-inning homers to the Phillies might be the last straw.
  • The Padres were able to get Yu Darvish his first Win, coming off the Injured List to throw five scoreless frames.  Robert Suarez earned his tenth Save working a perfect ninth with one strikeout, bringing his ERA down to 0.71 and his WHIP to 0.87.

 

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.

One response to “Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 5/1/24 Depth Chart”

  1. Johnny Gee says:
    May 2, 2024 at 5:19 PM

    Look at the UI/UX of your webpage… I get the ads; just don’t have them block an entire column of info…

    Reply

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