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!
Transaction and Schedule Notes
- Despite some serious rain and flooding in some parts of the country, 14 games went off without a hitch last night. PHI vs. NYM was rained out and rescheduled for today. As a result, we’ll see 16 games today. If you’re still fighting for a fantasy championship on this penultimate day of the season, be careful not to ask too much of playoff-clinched bullpens – especially those who will be playing Tuesday – as managers may choose to get their main guys a three-day break heading into October.
- The Astros placed Ryne Stanek on the paternity list.
- The Cubs activated Adbert Alzolay from the IL, optioning Keegan Thompson.
- The Twins released Dylan Floro. The midseason acquisition pitched to 5.29 ERA over 19 games with his new team.
Bullpen to Stream
- If you’re hunting for a win vulture – Alec Marsh is the only confirmed bulk reliever today as the Royals face the Yankees. Marsh has pitched well enough lately, going four to five innings while following an opener and picking up the win in each of his last three appearances. He’s also a decent strikeout play (9 K/9 in September) but the ratios can get iffy. Sticking with the Royals, Angel Zerpa is a good bet for Sunday.
Yesterday’s Performances
With real-life and fantasy championships on the line, I’m going to focus on the highest-leverage games — which is also where you should be directing your streaming focus if you have any hope of guessing usage patterns.
CHC 3 – MIL 4
HD: Bryse Wilson (5), Clayton Andrews (1)
SV: None
- The Cubs lost a heartbreaker here, as Jose Cuas allowed a walk-off double to Carlos Santana in the 10th. Today’s 7:10 ET rematch against the Brewers is now a must-win game (although Chicago will be eliminated regardless if the Marlins win), so expect them to roll out anyone and everyone. Unfortunately, they needed to use some of their better arms in this one, as Julian Merryweather, Drew Smyly, Adbert Alzolay, and Mark Leiter Jr. pitched before Cuas. On the bright, side, none of those four pitched the day before, so expect all of them to be ready again tonight. In particular, check if Alzolay is available in your league – he’s arguably the team’s top closing option, but he might have gotten forgotten on the waiver wire while on the IL (he came back yesterday).
- The Brewers pen almost blew this (meaningless) game, allowing all three Chicago runs in the 8th and 9th. Very firmly entrenched in their position as the third-best division winner in the National League, I wouldn’t try to guess at their usage plans for the final two games of the season. With that said, I’d expect them to try to get Devin Williams the ball at some point (likely tonight if at all) as he’s only pitched once in the past week – in the unlikely event someone has dropped him in desperation for another category, scoop him up.
TEX 0 – SEA 8
HD: None
SV: None
- Texas went down early in this one after an electric 3rd inning grand slam from J.P. Crawford. Brock Burke allowed the homer although all three baserunners (and four runs prior) belonged to starter Nathan Eovaldi. Post-grand slam, the Rangers used Josh Sborz, Will Smith, and two innings of Jake Latz. While Texas is still in the upper position in the AL West, they obviously don’t want to let things come down to the final game of the season. Andrew Heaney gets the start tonight, but he hasn’t pitched three innings in almost three weeks while working out of a bullpen role, including his last appearance which came just two days ago. I’d be surprised if he went more than two innings, leaving many critical outs for a beleaguered Ranger bullpen. Martín Pérez could make a bulk appearance, and Aroldis Chapman and José Leclerc are guaranteed in the late innings if the Rangers have the lead. If not…I might expect someone to just eat innings following Heaney and keep the rest of the arms fresh for a very exciting game 162.
- The Mariners used 5 relievers here following a good but short start from Bryan Woo, but they didn’t need any of their high-leverage arms. This actually puts them fairly in parallel with Texas – if starter Luis Castillo can get to the 6th with a lead, some combination of Matt Brash, Justin Topa, and Andrés Muñoz will be tasked with preserving it. Starter Bryce Miller is also available out of the bullpen per manager Scott Servais. If the Ms are losing…I suppose it depends on what’s going on with the Astros.
Best of the Rest
- Ryan Pressly locked up his 31st save of the season as the Astros beat the D-Backs in an important game. Houston moves just one game back of the AL West lead while preserving their one-game lead over Seattle for the third AL Wild Card. Hector Neris also recorded his 30th hold. Both arms are available (and likely to be used, especially with Ryne Stanek on the paternity list) in tonight’s matchup.
- Emmanuel Clase picked up his 44th save, leading the MLB by far. It’ll be interesting to see where he gets drafted next spring given his no longer sparkling ratios.
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