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
- There were nine games on Thursday’s slate, and only two games did not produce a save.
- The Astros recalled Brandon Bielak from Triple-A Sugar Land and sent Seth Martinez down to Triple-A. Bielak is expected to fill a long relief role for Houston. He is 5-6 with a 3.74 ERA and 1.50 WHIP. Martinez has a 5.23 ERA and one save on the year.
- The Rays optioned Jacob Lopez to Triple-A Durham. Lopez appeared in three games earlier this month and captured a three-inning save on August 14th. He was off to a solid start with a 1.29 ERA and 0.86 WHIP as a long relief arm out of the bullpen. Tampa Bay also recalled Trevor Kelley from Durham. He is 0-1 and a 4.05 ERA in nine games this season.
- Danny Coulombe was reinstated from the 15-day IL on Thursday. His return will bolster the already formidable Baltimore bullpen. He has a record of 3-1 with a 2.77 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, and 48 strikeouts through 39 innings pitched in a setup role.
Yesterday’s Performances
WAS 6 – NYY 5
HD: Hunter Harvey (15), Jordan Weems (6), Jhony Brito (1)
SV: Kyle Finnegan (23)
- The Yankees’ slide continued Thursday with a 6-5 loss to the Nationals. In an opener game for New York, a total of six pitchers appeared. Michael King started the game and went 2.2 innings, giving up one hit, one run, and two walks. He also struck out three. Jhony Brito captured the first hold of his career as he pitched 2.1 innings. Tommy Kahnle fell to 1-3 on the year as he gave up two home runs in the seventh inning.
- The Nationals’ duo of Hunter Harvey and Kyle Finnegan were once again the arms of note in the Washington bullpen. Harvey earned his 15th hold as he pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Harvey has three holds and hasn’t surrendered a run during August since returning from the IL. Finnegan went 1.1 innings and did give up three hits and an earned run, but still escaped with his 23rd save. He is 2-0 and has eight saves this month.
COL 3 – TB 5
HD: None
SV: Pete Fairbanks (16)
- The Rays deployed an opener (Shawn Armstrong) followed by four pitchers (Jake Diekman, Erasmo Ramírez, Jason Adam, and Pete Fairbanks) in their matchup against the Rockies. Adam was excellent in earning the win (4-2) as he struck five out of the six batters he faced and lowered his ERA to 2.77. Fairbanks entered the game for the ninth inning and pitched a scoreless inning to earn his 16th save.
- On the Rockies side, Tommy Doyle suffered his first blown save of the season and Matt Koch (2-2) was hit with the loss. They each gave up home runs during their outings.
CHC 5 – PIT 4 (F/10)
HD: None
SV: Adbert Alzolay (20)
- Adbert Alzolay pitched a bonus inning in the tenth to capture his 20th save on the year. He was appearing for the second day in a row and the fourth time this week, and each of these outings produced a save. Expect him to be resting today.
- For the Pirates, Andre Jackson did the bulk of the work, throwing six innings after opener Rob Zastryzny pitched one inning to start the game. He gave up two runs on six hits and struck out two. Colin Holderman, David Bednar, and Thomas Hatch also appeared for Pittsburgh. Hatch (1-1) was hit with the loss as the Cubs scored two runs in the tenth inning to win the game.
TOR 3 – BAL 5
HD: None
SV: Félix Bautista (33)
- The Orioles only used two pitchers as starter Kyle Gibson went eight innings before Félix Bautista came in for the ninth. Bautista locked down the save, moving into a first-place tie with Emmanuel Clase for the most saves in the American League with 33. Bautista lowered his ERA to 1.49 on the year. He also has a 0.93 WHIP and 109 strikeouts in 60.1 IP. In his second season, he’s quickly risen to the top echelon of closers.
- The Blue Jays deployed Tim Mayza and Yimi García after starter José Berríos departed. They each threw a scoreless inning of relief.
CIN 2 – ARI 3
HD: None
SV: Paul Sewald (28)
- Diamondbacks starter Merrill Kelly was masterful as he went seven scoreless innings, allowing only one hit and striking out 12. However, the Diamondbacks bullpen almost gave the game away as Kyle Nelson allowed two earned runs during the eighth. Miguel Castro earned the last out of the eighth inning and the win, moving to 6-6 on the year. Then Paul Sewald closed the game out in the ninth to earn his 28th save on the year.
- Both of the Reds relievers who appeared in the game surrendered earned runs. First, Buck Farmer gave up three hits and one earned run in the seventh inning. Then it was Alex Young’s turn and he gave up a two-run game-deciding home run to Corbin Carroll. Young fell to 4-2 on the year and blew his third save of the 2023 season.
The Best of the Rest…
- The Dodgers and Guardians each had relievers pitch multiple innings during LA’s 9-3 victory. After opener Caleb Ferguson threw an inning, Ryan Yarbrough went three innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs. Next, it was Ryan Pepiot‘s turn. He spun four innings and struck out six, earning his first win of the season. Evan Phillips pitched the ninth in a non-save situation. For the Guardians, Hunter Gaddis pitched 4.2 innings of relief giving up two earned runs on seven hits.
- Griffin Jax saved his second game of the year in the Twins 7-5 victory over the Rangers. Josh Winder (2-0) also put in three innings of relief work for the Twins and got the win. Josh Sborz (5-6) lost his sixth game of the year for the Rangers.
- Each of the five A’s relievers who appeared during their game against the White Sox came away with a positive statistic. Dany Jiménez, Spencer Patton, and Kirby Snead earned holds and Lucas Erceg pitched a scoreless sixth inning to earn the win. He moved to 3-3 on the year. Trevor May also appeared for Oakland and locked down his 14th save. Jimmy Lambert fell to 2-3 after allowing two earned runs in the sixth inning.
Bullpen Depth Charts
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)