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
- The matchup between the Red Sox and Yankees was postponed, leading to just 14 games being played on Saturday. That means we’ll have 16 games on Sunday as the teams square off in a doubleheader.
- The Los Angeles Dodgers designated Tayler Scott for assignment. Bryan Hudson had his contract selected from the minors and will join the chart as the bulk reliever.
- The Philadelphia Phillies placed Seranthony Domínguez on the 15-day IL with a strained left oblique that’ll likely keep him out for multiple weeks. Jeff Hoffman was added to the chart as a holds option.
Yesterday’s Performances
PHI 3 – OAK 2
SV: Jeff Hoffman (1)
- José Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel pitched the eighth and ninth respectively in a 12-inning victory on Saturday. While Alvarado didn’t hand out a free pass in this one, it’s been interesting to see his walks come back in full after the injury. After going 14.1 innings without a walk prior to the injury, he’s issued four in four appearances. His season-long rate would still be a career-high, but it’s still worth monitoring.
- With the game tied in extras, Trevor May pitched a scoreless eighth. His walks have also been an issue since returning from the IL. While he owns a solid 3.18 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched since his return, it comes with a 6.34 xFIP that roots mostly in his eight strikeouts to seven walks. He’ll need to simmer the walks down and regain his strikeout ability if he wants to avoid another disaster-induced IL stint.
LAA 9 – KCR 10
H: Jacob Webb (3), José Soriano (6)
- It was a complete disaster for the Angels’ bullpen. They entered the bottom of the seventh with a six-run lead and blew it across the final three frames. Their offense even pulled them back in front in the top of the ninth, but Chris Devenski wasn’t able to hold onto it. It’s somewhat curious that rested closer Carlos Estévez didn’t get into this game. I feel like he’d be able to make this at least not look so awful.
- The Royals capitalized on little-league relief pitching to eke out this win. Scott Barlow pitched the eighth in what can be considered a maintenance outing after he hadn’t pitched since Monday. He still has the closer role, but he’ll definitely be one of the more prominent names on the open market next month.
The Best of the Rest…
- Jhoan Duran closed out the ninth for the Twins to earn his ninth save of the season. Outside of the relatively few save opportunities, Duran has been incredible, pitching to a 1.33 ERA (27 IP) with a 34.6% strikeout rate.
- Adbert Alzolay recorded his fourth save with a hitless ninth after Mark Leiter Jr. pitched both the seventh and eighth innings. I’ve been invested in Alzolay for quite some time and expect him to be the go-to option on the North Side throughout the year.
- Will Smith locked down save number 12 for the Rangers. It’s been a renaissance season for the veteran southpaw who has little competition for the closer role in Texas.
- A.J. Puk closed out a game for the second day in a row and is now up to nine saves on the season. With so much usage across the past four days, expect Dylan Floro to be the temporary closer on Sunday.
- Jordan Hicks surprisingly got the save for the Cardinals with Giovanny Gallegos pitching the eighth. This could be indicative of a changing of the guard with Ryan Helsley on the IL and Gallegos struggling. He struck out the side in order and now sports a 1.65 ERA which comes with an exceptional 40% CSW.
- Paul Sewald blew his save opportunity in the ninth, leading to an extra-innings loss for the Mariners at the hands of the White Sox. Setup man Andrés Muñoz has also pitched on back-to-back days, leaving Justin Topa as the most likely candidate to vulture a save.
- Josh Hader picked up save number 17 with a scoreless ninth versus the Rays. He’s been great all year and currently owns a 1.32 ERA (27.1 IP) but that comes with a 36.4% strikeout rate. That would be his lowest mark since his debut campaign in 2017. Yeah, Hader has been that good in his career.
- Scott McGough closed out another game for the Diamondbacks and now has three on the season. It’s looking like he’s taking over the closer role in Arizona, but his ascension will have to be put on hold as he’s been overused recently. Andrew Chafin and Miguel Castro will revert back to their platoon closer role for Sunday.
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)