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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Rankings – 6/12/24 Depth Chart

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

Scott McDermott
Fantasy 6/12/2024

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

 

Transactions and Schedule

 

  • After a light day Monday with less than half the league in action, Tuesday was at full bore.  The same will be true on Wednesday before eight teams get Thursday off: the Reds, Blue Jays, Guardians, Astros, Braves, Brewers, Giants, and Rockies.
  • Mariners starter Bryan Woo was a late scratch Tuesday night and will be getting an MRI on his arm.  The Mariners had Jhonathan Díaz on the taxi squad and he got the nod instead.
  • Ben Brown, sometimes-starter, sometimes-reliever for the Cubs, was placed on the IL with a neck strain.  He supposedly has been trying to pitch through it but enough was enough.  The Cubs activated low-leverage reliever Colten Brewer in Brown’s place.
  • Both Alex Cobb and Blake Snell will be throwing off a mound this week but with no timetable for either’s return.  Cobb was seen throwing off flat ground before the game.

 

 

 

Yesterday’s Performances

 

CLE 5 – CIN 3

SV: Emmanuel Clase (20)

HD: Tim Herrin (7), Sam Hentges (5), Cade Smith (8)

  • Ahead by one, the Guardians got an insurance run from Josh Naylor’s solo shot in the seventh, and then another run on Naylor’s RBI groundout two innings later.
  • After Triston McKenzie exited in the sixth, the Guardians relievers would keep the Reds the next three innings and allow but a single walk.  Sam Hentges looked especially dominant, striking out three.
  • Down three and facing the indomitable Clase, the Reds got their leadoff man on with a squibber down the line.  They’d make things even more interesting once Jonathan India fisted a blooper to score the runner.  Clase, wilder than usual, uncorked a 101-mph fastball that hit Blake Dunn in the helmet.  Dunn was fortunately okay as he swiveled his head just in time.
  • That left TJ Friedl at the plate to represent the winning run, but he’d line the first pitch to short to end it.
  • This was the second straight game where Clase gave up a run, but don’t fret—his season ERA is still a ridiculous 0.84 and he leads the AL in Saves.

 

WAS 5 – DET 4

W: Kyle Finnegan (2-3)

L: Andrew Chafin (3-2)

  • The Tigers took the lead in the bottom of the fifth as Riley Greene cleared the bases with a three-run triple, then came home himself on an error.
  • The Nats were able to tie things back up, 4-4, netting a sac fly on Shelby Miller.
  • A scoreless ninth meant extra innings, and Washington was able to bring home their ghost runner on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly (the wild pitch was on a swinging strike three).
  • That would be all Kyle Finnegan needed, as he continued his career year by retiring the side in the tenth and getting three strikeouts overall.  Since he pitched some in the ninth, Finnegan got the Win instead of the Save, but fantasy owners should be thrilled with how he’s been all year.

 

PHI 4 – BOS 1

HD: Matt Strahm (7)

SV: José Alvarado (12)

  • Zack Wheeler lowered his ERA to 2.16 by allowing just one run over seven innings, keeping the Red Sox guessing all night.
  • Matt Strahm came on in the eighth and had the benefit of facing the bottom of Boston’s batting order.  He needed twelve pitches to strike out the side, all swinging K’s. Strahm might only have a 93-mph fastball but the rest of his metrics are outstanding, with a 37.1% strikeout rate and 97th-percentile PLV.  He’s a stud and backs up his 0.69 ERA.
  • A three-run lead left Alvarado with the Save opportunity, albeit against the top of Boston’s order.  David Hamilton would be able to get on and cause a little havoc on the basepaths, but he’d get stranded at third as Rafael Devers chased a high cutter to end the game.

 

CHC 2 – TBR 5

W: Chris Devenski (1-1)

L, BS: Héctor Neris (6-1, 3)

  • Tampa Bay’s offense has been quiet all season and this game was no different, at least in the beginning.  Jameson Taillon was able to shut them out through six innings, striking out five.
  • The Rays at least got a couple of runners against reliever Mark Leiter Jr., one of whom scored on a wild pitch by Hayden Wesneski.
  • Their next chance wouldn’t come again until Héctor Neris came on in the ninth.  Tampa’s first sign of life came from a Richie Palacios leadoff double.  A walk and a single up the middle tied the game.  Neris was able to then strike out Yandy Díaz, which left two on with two outs.
  • That left Brandon Lowe to become the hero, and he delivered.  A couple of smart takes left the count full, and the 3-2 pitch was smack down the middle.  Lowe deposited the ball in the right-center bleachers.  Tampa wins in a walk-off with four earned runs credited to Neris, who gets his first loss on the season.

 

PIT 2 – STL 1

W: Colin Holderman (2-0)

L: Ryan Helsley (2-3)

SV: David Bednar (14)

  • Paul Skenes took his one-man fireball show to St. Louis and did his thing, striking out seven in 6.1 innings.  The Pirates are running him deeper into games than many expected as he topped 100 pitches again.
  • Skenes met an unlikely match in Cardinals starter Miles Mikolas.  Mikolas might be Skenes’ total opposite in terms of pitcher profile, topping out at 93 with possibly the world’s worst swinging-strike rate (7.8%).  But he was money, throwing six no-hit innings.  Both starters matched zero for zero and the game remained scoreless until the ninth.
  • The Cards brought in their stud closer Ryan Helsley, but he looked sloppy, loading the bases on two walks and a single without getting any outs.  Pittsburgh would get two runs without getting another hit, as a grounder and sac fly brought them in.
  • David Bednar would come on to close it, and St. Louis had a chance once a Nolan Gorman homer cut the lead in half.  Bednar retired the next two batters before walking José Fermín.
  • After that, it looked at first like Bednar got Iván Herrera to tip a curveball into the catcher’s glove to end the game.  But WAITJUSTAMINUTE, a replay confirmed it was catcher’s interference.  The reprieve would only last a moment, though, as Bednar struck out the next batter, and this time the swing was clean.

 

TOR 2 – MIL 0

SV: Yimi García (5)

HD: Nate Pearson (4), Chad Green (5), Trevor Richards (5)

  • It was the Yusei and Yimi show in Toronto.  Yusei Kikuchi, always underrated, walked four but kept Milwaukee scoreless through five.
  • The Brewers brought up Carlos Rodríguez to make his MLB debut, and though he struck out four he didn’t last long as Toronto netted seven hits against him.
  • Still, the game stayed close at 2-0 through the eighth, and Toronto would scratch a third run off Enoli Paredes in the ninth.
  • Yimi García had come on in the eighth to strike out Blake Perkins, but he stayed on and continued rolling.  Garcia has been pitching so well that the Blue Jays can be patient with Jordan Romano’s rehab, and Yimi recorded four straight outs to complete the shutout against Milwaukee.

 

MIA 4 – NYM 2

SV: Tanner Scott (8)

HD: Anthony Bender (6), Andrew Nardi (6)

  • It might be hard to believe, but Tanner Scott has quietly gone seventeen innings without yielding a run.  After starting the year 0-4 with an unsightly ERA, Scott’s won five straight decisions and is up to eight saves.  When given the chance—not that he gets many in Miami—he is getting it done.
  • The Marlins showed their trust in Tanner by letting him work both the eighth and ninth innings.  He retired the side to keep the one-run lead, and the Miami bats added another run in the top of the ninth.
  • Scott came back in the bottom half to close the game, and the Mets went three-up, three-down once again.

 

HOU 3 – SFG 1

HD: Adrian Morejon (2), Jeremiah Estrada (5)

  • With Hader throwing the last two nights, Ryan Pressly was called upon in the final frame with a two-run lead.  Houston had kept the Giants in check all night with Ronel Blanco bouncing back to give six strong innings.
  • Tayler Scott and Bryan Abreu kept San Fran hitless in middle relief, and though Pressly has struggled this year in his setup role he looked relaxed in the Save situation.  The Giants had the middle of the order up—but they’d go down in order.  The Giants would only tally three hits on the night.

 

CWS 3 – SEA 4

SV: Ryne Stanek (5)

HD: Michael Baumann (3), Tayler Saucedo (3), Tanner Banks (3), Justin Anderson (2)

  • The Mariners apparently don’t yet trust the health of Andres Munoz in high-leverage situations as they’d turn to Stanek to close things out for the second straight night.  Munoz has only appeared once this past week, getting a hold on Sunday.
  • Stanek benefited from a tremendous play by JP Crawford to get the first out, then would cruise to retire the side in fifteen pitches.  Munoz figures to be back in his usual role sooner or later but Stanek’s been good in the last two.

 

The Best of the Rest

  • The Yankees have won nine of eleven and they continued their run of dominance by stomping all over the Royals and starter Brady Singer.  Judge went deep for his 25th homer but New York got a lot more than that and won 10-1.
  • Not to be outdone, the Dodgers put on a Home Run Derby in their game against the Rangers and won going away, 15-2.  Texas, playing embarrassingly flat for a World Series team, dropped to four games below .500.
  • Oakland and San Diego were knotted 3-3 in the ninth, which probably should have meant MILLER TIME.  But Oakland kept their star in the bullpen, perhaps waiting for a lead that would never come.  Scott Alexander’s been good with a 0.67 WHIP, but it took just three pitches to Kyle Higashioka to lose the game in a walkoff home run.  Ranger Suárez got the Win for the Pads.

 

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.

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