Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List
Dynasty
Nastiest GIFs
The List

Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 5/8/24 Depth Chart

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

Scott McDermott
Fantasy 5/8/2024

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

 

  • After ten teams had the night off Monday, everyone was back in action on a busy and eventful Tuesday.  The same will be true for Wednesday but the A’s and Rangers will play two in a day-night doubleheader.
  • Speaking of the A’s, they promoted RHP Tyler Ferguson and optioned Dany Jiménez to AAA.  Ferguson had a .233 BAA and 24 K’s in 15 IP, so he could be useful in deeper Holds leagues.
  • The Nationals DFA’ed Matt Barnes after Robert Garcia came off the 15-day IL.  Garcia was carrying a 6.48 ERA and 1.92 WHIP in eleven appearances before tonight, but has potential.
  • Diamondbacks closer Paul Sewald was activated off the IL and saw his first action of the season, coming on in the ninth with a five-run lead.  He gave up a solo homer to Tyler Stephenson but otherwise held his own.
  • The Cubs activated Cody Bellinger off the IL, placing RHP Daniel Palencia on it in a corresponding move.  Palencia pitched ten unmemorable innings with the club before experiencing shoulder stiffness.
  • Miami sent starter Roddery Muñoz back to AAA and activated George Soriano, who in 7 IP carries a 17.6% walk rate and an ERA over ten.  Munoz had two solid starts but got shellacked by the Dodgers in his last outing, as many young pitchers have been.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

BAL 0 – WAS 3

HD: Robert Garcia (4), Derek Law (3), Hunter Harvey (12)

SV: Kyle Finnegan (12)

 

  • The Nationals used five pitchers to shut down the Orioles and keep them to just three hits.  The recently-activated Robert Garcia relieved starter Trevor Williams (5 IP, 8 K’s, .40 WHIP) with a perfect sixth.
  • The one-two combo of Harvey in the eighth and Finnegan in the ninth has garnered dividends for the upstart Nats, who are now above .500 and might be replacing the Reds as the National League’s fun underdog team.  Harvey’s ERA is down to 2.33 and Finnegan’s is just 1.76 as they reached a dozen Holds and Saves respectively.

 

SDP 2 – CHC 3

W: Héctor Neris (2-0)

L: Enyel De Los Santos (1-2)

BS: Yuki Matsui (1)

  • Most of the runs came in the last few innings after Shota Imanaga continued his Rookie Reign of Dominance and planted a few more stakes in his quest for a Cy Young.  But after six shutout frames, he would leave the game on the losing side when the not-irrelevant Jurickson Profar blasted a two-run shot deep into the night.  Imanaga still had eight K’s to just one walk and looked dominant until that one mistake.
  • The Padres ‘pen held it together after starter Randy Vasquez left with just 4.1 IP.  Yuki Matsui would lose the lead in the eighth, however, on a sac fly that plated Mike Tauchman.
  • Enyel De Los Santos relieved Matsui and needed just one pitch to end the inning and keep the tie.  Héctor Neris then worked around a hit and a walk to keep it that way.
  • San Diego left De Los Santos in, and his second pitch did not go as well as the first.  Michael Busch jumped on the initial offering and popped it over the fence.  Curtains.

 

MIL 6 – KCR 5

L, BS: James McArthur (1-2, 3)

SV: Trevor Megill (3)

W: Jared Koenig (2-1)

HD: Angel Zerpa (5), John Schreiber (9)

  • James McArthur might have gotten a loss in his last outing (a two-inning effort after almost a week off), but he looked better in this one—at least, at first.  Mixing up 95-mph sinkers and 85-mph sliders will usually bring good results, and he disposed of the first two batters quickly. But after ten pitches to William Contreras ended with a double down the line, McArthur walked Gary Sánchez. Then Willy Adames parked a hanging curveball in the left-field seats for the lead. McArthur would throw thirty pitches in the inning.
  • It was then Trevor Megill’s turn, who now might be the man in Milwaukee (at least, until Devin Williams comes back).  Megill made the top of the Royals’ order look like Little Leaguers, painting the corners with 99-mph fastballs, and went 1-2-3 to break a lot of hearts in KC.

 

BOS 2 – ATL 4

W: Joe Jiménez (1-0)

L: Justin Slaten (2-1)

SV: Raisel Iglesias (9)

  • The Braves broke open a 2-2 tie in the bottom of the eighth, plating two runs after piling up singles against Justin Slaten.
  • That left Raisel Iglesias to come on in the ninth, and he has looked excellent this season, earning his ninth Save in a perfect inning.  Iglesias threw fourteen pitches, and though only seven were strikes he was able to strike out Wilyer Abreu to kick things off and didn’t look back from there.  With the Braves offense yet to hit on all cylinders, they’re finding themselves in a lot of close games—and Iglesias is the main beneficiary.

 

MIN 6 – SEA 10

W: Ryne Stanek (1-0)

L: Jorge Alcala (1-1)

BS: Steven Okert (3)

  • Seattle would do most of their damage in the late innings as they pulled away from the streaking Twins.  Cal Raleigh launched a pinch-hit grand slam to put the M’s up 6-4 in the seventh.
  • The Twins would rally to tie it, however, as Taylor Saucedo and Tyson Miller each gave up a run.
  • Minnesota might have regretted leaving Jorge Alcala in for the ninth, as a leadoff triple immediately put the Mariners in the driver’s seat.  Things got ugly from there as Alcala’s wheels fell off, walking two and giving up four more hits.  Seattle would enter the bottom of the ninth with a four-run leave.
  • That meant closer Anthony Munoz was no longer in a Save situation, but he came out anyway and did his job, going three-up, three-down with a strikeout to end it.

 

The best of the rest…

  • There were more blowouts than close games last night, with lots of crooked numbers put up.  But a shoutout goes to the Tigers’ Tyler Holton, who tossed three perfect innings to get a Win after starter Kenta Maeda lasted just two.  Holton’s now 3-0 and a decent long reliever.
  • The Pirates bullpen got Monday night off after Mitch Keller threw a CG, but Roansy Contreras and Josh Fleming didn’t seem to benefit from the rest.  They each gave up two runs to the Angels in a 9-0 romp.
  • Edwin Diaz was unavailable after throwing thirty pitches on consecutive nights so that left Adam Ottavino to lock down a three-run lead in the ninth.  Ottavino gave up a homer and two more baserunners, so it’s safe to say Diaz’s job is, uh, safe.
  • It was a Grand Slamapalooza last night with Cal Raleigh, Bryce Harper, and Max Muncy all swatting with the bases loaded.  Harper’s came off Blue Jays starter José Berríos and Muncy took Edward Cabrera deep (Cabrera would only last two innings).

 

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.

Leave a Reply

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

Account / Login