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 10 games scheduled for Thursday, but only nine were played as the Giants/Rockies game was rained out. A doubleheader will now be played on Saturday.
- The Reds placed Tejay Antone on the 15-day IL with right elbow discomfort. Antone has appeared in five games for the Reds this year, compiling a 1.59 ERA. Another injury is unfortunate news as he missed the entire 2021 and 2022 seasons after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Cincinnati will obviously be cautious with Antone’s recovery. The Reds also called up Carson Spiers from Triple-A Louisville. Spiers has a 7.00 ERA in nine innings pitched across two games during which he served as the starting pitcher. He’s expected to work out of the bullpen during this go around.
- The Nationals reinstated Thaddeus Ward from the 15-day IL and optioned Joe La Sorsa to Triple-A Rochester. Ward is a rookie who has shown the ability to pitch for multiple innings out of the bullpen but has struggled during his debut season. He holds a 7.12 ERA and 1.65 WHIP in 22 games this season.
Yesterday’s Performances
MIA 2 – MIL 4
HD: Abner Uribe (6), Elvis Peguero (20), Joel Payamps (25)
SV: Devin Williams (34)
- A trio of Milwaukee relievers locked down holds on Thursday after starter Adrian Houser departed. Uribe, Peguero, and Payamps each pitched a scoreless inning and gave up only one combined hit. Devin Williams came in for the ninth and captured his 34th save of the season, lowering his ERA to a minuscule 1.65.
- For the Marlins, Steven Okert was the only Miami reliever to surrender a hit as he gave up two hits and an earned run in two-thirds of an inning pitched.
TB 4 – BAL 3
HD: Shawn Armstrong (5), Robert Stephenson (15)
SV: Pete Fairbanks (24)
- In a matchup between the best teams in the American League, it was Colin Poche who earned the win in relief and moved to 12-3 on the year. Poche came in for the sixth inning and struck out two. After he departed, the other Rays relievers who appeared in the game locked down the Orioles, retiring all 12 batters they faced. Shawn Armstrong and Robert Stephenson pitched scoreless innings to earn holds. Armstrong is having the best season of his career, with 50 strikeouts across 46.2 IP and a 0.77 ERA in setup duty. Pete Fairbanks came in for the ninth inning and struck out the side to earn his 24th save of the year. With the season coming to an end, Fairbanks has been stingy in September with a 1.17 ERA and six saves already this month.
- Jorge López and Yennier Cano pitched the eighth and the ninth innings for Baltimore, keeping the score close but the Orioles offense couldn’t get anything going and the Rays prevailed 4-3.
WSN 0 – PIT 2
SV: David Bednar (35)
- The Nationals and Pirates game featured masterful performances from both starters as Josiah Gray went 6.1 innings and struck out 10 and Mitch Keller threw eight scoreless innings. David Bednar finished the game off for the Pirates, pitching on consecutive days as he had captured his 34th save on Wednesday, and locked down his 35th save on Thursday.
- Jose A. Ferrer and Jordan Weems made appearances for the Nationals. Weems stuck out one in two-thirds of an inning and struck out one. Ferrer pitched a scoreless inning and struck out two.
NYY 8 – BOS 5
HD: Zach McAllister (2)
SV: Tommy Kahnle (2)
- In game two of the Yankees/Red Sox doubleheader, the Red Sox deployed an opener, Nick Robertson, who pitched an inning to start off the game. Boston then rolled through five other relievers. Brennan Bernardino came in for the second inning and gave up five earned runs, but it was Mauricio Llovera (1-2) who was hit with the loss. Llovera pitched the eighth inning giving up three hits and an earned run.
- Wandy Peralta (4-2) earned the win out of the Yankees bullpen after he pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Tommy Kahnle pitched the eighth and the ninth innings to lock down a multi-inning save, his second save on the year. Kahnle walked one and struck out four. He’s been perfect in September, with a 0.00 ERA through eight innings pitched. He’s added three holds this month in addition to the save last night.
TEX 9 – TOR 2
HD: José Leclerc (6)
- Cody Bradford moved to 4-1 on the season with a multi-inning relief appearance after starter Nathan Eovaldi left after 3.1 IP. Bradford went 2.2 innings allowing a hit, a walk, and striking out four. José Leclerc came in next and earned his sixth hold of the season, going 1.1 innings giving out one free pass and striking out three.
- It was an odd game for the Toronto bullpen as Tim Mayza and Erik Swanson pitched scoreless sixth and seventh innings and Yimi García and Bowden Francis also pitched scoreless innings in their outings in the eighth and ninth. But there was a speedbump in the middle of the quality bullpen work as Trevor Richards started out the eighth inning but was chased after surrendering five earned runs without getting a single out.
The best of the rest
- Will Vest, Tyler Holton, and Jason Foley all gathered holds for the Tigers in their game against the Reds. Each of them has been a reliable arm for Detroit this season. Holton leads the group with a 2.14 ERA in 53 games. He also has 10 holds and one save on the year. Foley has seven saves and 24 holds in 2023, with a 2.45 ERA and 1.11 in 63 games.
- Garrett Whitlock earned his second hold of the season during game one of the Yankees/Red Sox doubleheader that took place on Thursday. Whitlock pitched two innings of relief, striking out one. Whitlock served as a starter for the first half of the season, but after missing most of July, has been serving as a bulk reliever.
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)