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
- Thursday’s MLB slate included nine total games that produced two saves on the day.
- The Rays reinstated Jason Adam from the 15-day IL and optioned Jalen Beeks to Triple-A Durham. Adam has been a solid arm in the Tampa bullpen going 4-2 this year with 12 saves and a 2.67 ERA.
- The Giants recalled Tristan Beck from the minors on Thursday and sent Sean Hjelle down to Triple-A Sacramento. Beck has served in long relief duty for the Giants this season and has compiled a record of 3-3 with two saves and f0ur holds. Hjelle has appeared in the majors sporadically this season with one appearance in May, one in June, one in August, and one in September.
Yesterday’s Performances
NYM 4 – PHI 5
HD: Craig Kimbrel (7), Jeff Hoffman (10)
SV: José Alvarado (9)
- A day after José Alvarado and Craig Kimbrel locked down a hold and a win, the duo was back at it again on Thursday. Kimbrel clinched his seventh hold of the season despite giving up two hits, and Alvarado struck out two and gave up a hit to notch his ninth save of the season. If a save chance arises on Friday, there’s a potential for Gregory Soto or another Philly bullpen arm to get the opportunity with Kimbrel and Alvarado looking at a rest day.
- Jeff Brigham fell to 1-3 for the Mets after allowing a 454-foot home run to Nick Castellanos in his 1.2 inning outing. Brigham’s ERA rose to 5.25 on the year.
BAL 2 – CLE 5
HD: Sam Hentges (16), Reynaldo López (19)
SV: Emmanuel Clase (42)
- Emmanuel Clase locked down his major league-leading 42nd save as the Guardians prevailed over the Orioles, which matches his save total from 2022 when he was 42-46 in save opportunities. Despite leading the majors in saves, this has probably been Clase’s worst season as his ERA and WHIP are the highest of his career and he’s blown 11 saves. Trevor Stephan gave up two runs to blow his eighth save of the season but earned the win for Cleveland to move to 7-7 in 2023.
- Cionel Pérez (4-2) was hit with the loss after a rough outing for Baltimore. Perez hit Josh Naylor and then walked pinch-hitter Tyler Freeman without getting a single out and was tagged for three earned runs in the eighth inning.
PIT 8 – CHC 6
HD: Colin Selby (3), Ryan Borucki (7)
SV: None
- David Bednar gave up earned runs for the first time this month as Dansby Swanson hit a two-run home run in the ninth inning. Bednar then promptly retired the Cubs’ next three hitters to finish out the game in a non-save opportunity. Colin Selby and Ryan Borucki added holds for the Pirates.
- On the Cubs side, Brad Boxberger and Julian Merryweather struggled out of the bullpen allowing a combined five earned runs as Chicago took the loss. The Cubs continued their September slide and fell into a tie with the Marlins for the third and final NL Wild Card spot.
SF 2 – LAD 7
HD: Ryan Brasier (11), Joe Kelly (13)
SV: None
- Shelby Miller moved to 2-0 on the year as he earned the victory for the Dodgers. Miller pitched a scoreless sixth inning, lowering his ERA to 1.85 ERA on the year. He’s been excellent since returning from the 60-day IL in late August after recovering from a neck and shoulder injury. After Miller completed his outing, Ryan Brasier closed out the seventh inning to earn his 11th hold, and Joe Kelly pitched the eighth to earn his 13th hold. Evan Phillips was the last arm out of the bullpen for the Dodgers throwing a scoreless ninth inning in a non-save outing. It was his second consecutive appearance so he will likely be resting on Friday. Expect Brusdar Graterol to make an appearance if the Dodgers need a save today.
- John Brebbia (3-1) lost his first game of the season, allowing an earned run in his two-thirds of an inning pitched.
TOR 3 – NYY 5
HD: None
SV: None
- Not many relievers were needed in the Blue Jays/Yankees game as Gerrit Cole pitched a gem of a game. Cole went eight innings and gave up two hits and struck out nine while surrendering one earned run. Clay Holmes pitched the ninth inning for New York but allowed two runs and did not get the save.
- The Yankees got the first earned run of September, and just the fourth earned run since the All-Star break, against typically reliable setup man Tim Mayza. Mayza gave up a double to Aaron Judge which scored DJ LeMahieu. Prior to this game, Mayza had six appearances in September during which he struck out seven. Nate Pearson pitched the final 1.2 innings after Mayza had departed.
Best of the Rest
- The Brewers and Cardinals each had relievers pitch multiple innings during their Thursday matchup. Julio Teheran was just activated from the injured list on Wednesday and in his first appearance back, worked two innings out of the Milwaukee bullpen. He gave up one hit and no runs. For the Cardinals, Andrew Suárez went three innings, giving up one hit, one walk, and striking out two.
- The Angels had a number of relievers clinch holds as Ben Joyce, José Soriano, and José Marte each had one inning outings and each came away with a hold. Carlos Estévez blew the save and was hit the loss to fall to 5-5 on the year. He was appearing for the second day in a row. For the Rays, Andrew Kittredge pitched the ninth inning, giving up two hits but avoiding any major damage to earn the win.
- Cory Abbott was the last out of four Nationals pitchers that was used in the game yesterday, but oddly enough, had the longest outing from the group. Abbott had a strange stat line with eight hits and four earned runs, but also eight strikeouts in 4.2 IP. The Braves used a more traditional gameplan on their side, with Joe Jiménez, Kirby Yates, and Jackson Stephens each pitching an inning of relief once starter Max Fried departed.
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)