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
- We had all 30 teams in action last night. There was one extra-inning game and one blowout that featured two position players pitchers giving up a combined 10 earned runs.
- There were a total of eight converted saves.
- The Royals selected the minor league contract of Nick Wittgren.
- Oakland activated Trevor May from the 15-Day IL.
- The Blue Jays activated Adam Cimber from the 15-Day IL.
Bullpen to Stream
- Ryan Helsley and Giovanny Gallegos have each pitched in three of the last four games.
- Look to stream Génesis Cabrera for a save and Jordan Hicks for a hold.
- Only Helsley & Gallegos have secured saves for the Cardinals this season—that streak could change today.
Yesterday’s Performances
CWS 4 – CLE 2
SV: Kendall Graveman (6)
HD: Keynan Middleton (2); Joe Kelly (5)
- The White Sox bullpen provided three clean innings in support of a solid Dylan Cease start. Keynan Middleton pitched the 7th inning to pick up his second hold of the season. Both of these holds for Middleton have come in the last two close games. Boasting a 32.9% strikeout rate, Middleton looks to be emerging as a useful arm in deeper Holds formats.
- Joe Kelly pitched a clean the 8th inning to secure his fifth hold. Also with a robust strikeout rate of 36.5%, Kelly is another standout performer for the White Sox bullpen—he even snagged his first save of the season earlier this week when Kendall Graveman was unavailable. Add that to a microscopic .63 WHIP and Kelly is a priority add in deeper Saves + Holds formats if still available.
- Speaking of Graveman, he picked up his second save in five games for the White Sox. It seems that the Reynold Lopez experience is no longer a viable option to close out games and Graveman has responded admirably. Just keep in mind that Liam Hendricks is slated to return at some point soon and will likely shake up this current bullpen structure.
ARI 4 – PHI 3
SV: Miguel Castro (5)
HD: Andrew Chafin (5); Scott McGough (9); Kyle Nelson (5)
- The Diamondbacks deployed both Andrew Chafin and Scott McGough in the 8th inning to deal with the heart of the Phillies order. A two-out Bryce Harper double prompted Torey Lovullo to bring in McGough, who made things interesting by issuing a walk before inducing a Kyle Schwarber flyout.
- Miguel Castro was called upon to get the final three outs and he delivered in short order, needing only 11 pitches to nab his fifth save—his second in four games. It looks like a true co-closer situation in Arizona between Chafin and Castro.
SFG 4 – MIN 3
SV: Camilo Doval (13)
HD: Scott Alexander (5)
- Camilo Doval was dominant yet again striking out all three of the batters he faced to log his 13th save of the season. Now second only to Emmanuel Clase in saves on the season, Doval is making a strong case to be considered among the top-ten closer options in the league.
- Earning a hold in this contest was Scott Alexander who also had the surprise Save during Monday’s action. Alexander has seen an uptick in usage lately in late-inning work, but I wouldn’t recommend chasing this arm for long-term or sustainable opportunities.
MIA 4 – COL 5
SV: Pierce Johnson (10)
HD: Jacob Bird (2); Brett Suter (2)
- Pierce Johnson earned his 10th save of the season becoming the 10th reliever with 10 or more saves this season. A Jon Berti single and Jorge Soler double made things interesting for Johnson, but he buckled down and induced two fly-outs to finish out the frame. This marks consecutive days with saves for Johnson as the Rockies continue to demonstrate a commitment to him for 9th-inning duties. Unfortunately, it comes at a cost for fantasy managers as the ratios have been unkind and the strikeout rate is south of 30%.
OAK 2 – SEA 3
SV: Paul Sewald (10)
HD: Trevor Gott (7); Justin Topa (10)
- The Seattle bullpen went three strong innings while recording five strikeouts and not allowing a base runner. It all went according to plan with Trevor Gott handling the 7th, Justin Topa the 8th, and Paul Sewald the 9th. With the success this crew has had so far this year, it is hard to imagine that Andrés Muñoz will soon get added back into this late-inning mix.
Best of the rest
- Ryan Helsley picked up his 6th save in a bumpy ninth inning—issuing a single and two walks before inducing a Jonathan India groundout. Meanwhile, Gallegos pitched a clean 8th inning for his fourth hold.
- Both Luke Raily and Cristian Bethancourt pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays and were responsible for 10 earned runs in two IP. The Blue Jays’ bats happily padded their stats on the way to a 20-1 victory.
- Michael King pitched the top of the 9th with the Yankees down by one run, and, thanks to a Bronx Bombers rally, was awarded his first win of the season.
- Josh Hader continued his dominance with a clean 9th inning for his 12th save. Boasting a robust 35.5% strikeout rate, a .90 ERA and .80 WHIP, the Hader redemption tour is in full swing.
- After getting called up from AAA earlier this week, Halos reliever Jacob Webb pitched the 9th inning with a four-run lead. He notched two strikeouts without allowing a baserunner. His minor-league numbers aren’t really that impressive but were accumulated in the hitter-friendly PCL. Likely a name to ignore, but could be a fun story to watch.
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