Fantasy Baseball Reliever Roundup

New York Yankees
Paul Blackburn	2.0 IP	3 ER	2 H	2 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	22% CSW
Ryan Yarbrough	3.0 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	24% CSW

Nothing to see here.

Baltimore Orioles
Keegan Akin	1.0 IP	0 BB	0 Whiffs	12% CSW
Dietrich Enns	1.0 IP	1 BB	1 Whiffs	17% CSW
Yennier Cano	1.0 IP	1 BB	0 Whiffs	20% CSW

Keegan Akin has seen his velocity track upward lately, and I think I’d give Akin the inside track on that second lefty role in this bullpen over Dietrich Enns right now.

Los Angeles Angels
Sam Bachman	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	35% CSW
Ryan Zeferjahn	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	32% CSW

Sam Bachman and Ryan Zeferjahn continue to see consistent usage, and they appear to be locked into their roles. The Angels were trailing in this one, but neither had pitched since Sunday and they are off today. Zeferjahn was throwing 99 MPH in this one, which would be a fun development if somehow that velo sticks.

Cleveland Guardians
Matt Festa – HLD (6)	0.1 IP	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Erik Sabrowski – HLD (16)	1.0 IP	1 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	27% CSW
Cade Smith – SV (13)	1.0 IP	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	64% CSW

Erik Sabrowski is currently on pace for 58 holds and 126 strikeouts this season…neither one is reasonable (only five relievers have ever passed 38 holds in a season before, and none in 10 years), but it shows just how dominant his start to the season has been. 58 holds is not going to happen, but he may be able to get to that 40 mark.
If you needed any more confirmation that Cade Smith is back and locked in as one of the best closers right now. He’s been on a tear over the past month.

Washington Nationals
Mitchell Parker	3.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	7 Whiffs	34% CSW
Richard Lovelady	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Orlando Ribalta	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	67% CSW
Gus Varland – W (1)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
PJ Poulin – SV (2)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	27% CSW

Gus Varland working the ninth inning in a tie game…works for me. Can we just make this a consistent role, please?

Cincinnati Reds
Tejay Antone	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	50% CSW
Brock Burke	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	37% CSW
Graham Ashcraft	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Tony Santillan – L (2)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	28% CSW

Tony Santillan over his past 6.1 IP: 15.63 ERA (19.00 xERA), 2.68 WHIP, 5.7% K-BB, 5% SwStr, 21% CSW, 92 Stuff+. Of the SEVEN homeruns he has allowed over this stretch, the last 3 HR’s came off his breaker, while the first four were on the fastball. Nothing is working for him right now.

Colorado Rockies
Antonio Senzatela – W (3)	3.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 K	6 Whiffs	35% CSW
Jaden Hill – HLD (7)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	42% CSW
Brennan Bernardino	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	11% CSW

Antonio Senzatela made things look easy again in his latest outing, leaning on the cutter here, which held a 56% SwStr rate. I guess if you HAD to trust a Rockies reliever, Senzatela is the guy for now.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Evan Sisk	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	41% CSW
Brandan Bidois	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Justin Lawrence	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	14% CSW

Brandan Bidois made his debut here, and first off, there is no question about the stuff. That four-seamer is ridiculous (97.2 MPH, 20.8″ iVB), but he did leave one middle middle on a 3-2 pitch to Rumfield. As long as he is able to consistently locate that pitch near the top of the zone, he should be ok. The command could be the issue, he threw all of his sliders right over the middle of the plate basically, which, yea the slider is a solid offering, but you can’t get away just spamming it over the middle of the plate at the MLB level.

Philadelphia Phillies
Tanner Banks – L (3)	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	50% CSW
Orion Kerkering	0.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	36% CSW
Brad Keller	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	3 K	4 Whiffs	41% CSW
Tim Mayza	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	10% CSW

This may have been the best line for Brad Keller all season, but the stuff and command weren’t exactly great here. He just got to face part of the Red Sox lineup that featured Wong and Durbin.

Boston Red Sox
Justin Slaten – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	14% CSW
Garrett Whitlock – HLD (8)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	45% CSW
Aroldis Chapman – SV (9)	1.0 IP	0 H	2 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	27% CSW

The stuff is still (slightly) down, and the command was non-existent here…but Aroldis Chapman still managed to strike out three and secure the save. Just keep riding it.

Tampa Bay Rays
Hunter Bigge	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	19% CSW
Garrett Cleavinger – HLD (7)	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	50% CSW
Kevin Kelly – HLD (9)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	50% CSW
Bryan Baker – BS (3)	0.2 IP	1 ER	0 H	4 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	19% CSW
Cole Sulser	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	14% CSW
Aaron Brooks – L (1)	0.1 IP	3 ER	1 H	2 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW

The Rays went to Bryan Baker in the 8th inning here with the top of the Blue Jays order due up, and of course, it didn’t work because relievers prefer set defined roles. We saw uncharacteristically poor command from Baker, who walked four while getting just two outs, after walking just four all season coming into this game. Just leave the ninth to Baker from now on, please? Cleavinger and Kelly should be able to get you more than just one combined inning. Or use Sulser in the 8th if needed.

Toronto Blue Jays
Louis Varland	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	26% CSW
Tyler Rogers	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	29% CSW
Mason Fluharty	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Jeff Hoffman – W (2)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	28% CSW

Louis Varland also pitched the 8th inning, as these two managers really love to try and one-up each other in the overmanaging department. Varland also had terrible command, but got away with just one walk allowed and was able to escape the bases-loaded jam he got himself into.
Jeff Hoffman still has the highest BABIP in baseball amongst relievers right now (.489), but the sliders that got tagged for singles here were both not well executed. The stuff and for the most part the command are still good, it’s just a matter of time before his luck turns around, right?

Detroit Tigers
Kyle Finnegan – BS (2)	1.1 IP	1 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	19% CSW
Kenley Jansen	1.0 IP	0 H	3 K	2 Whiffs	57% CSW
Drew Anderson – L (1)	0.1 IP	1 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW

Kenley Jansen made his inning look easy, striking out Baty, Taylor, and Ewing in order. The Mets lineup is down bad right now, but it’s still great to see this kind of outing from Jansen, especially with his cutter velocity up in the 93 MPH range.

New York Mets
Huascar Brazobán	2.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW
Luke Weaver	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	26% CSW
Devin Williams	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW
Brooks Raley – W (1)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	24% CSW

Despite the lack of whiffs and two baserunners, I’m still impressed with the uptick in stuff from Luke Weaver that we’ve seen the past couple of outings. It’s been a rocky start, but I think he’ll settle in here.

Chicago Cubs
Phil Maton	1.0 IP	2 ER	3 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW

Nooo, we were cruising, Phil, what happened? What happened was he left a couple of breakers up in the zone, and they got hammered. I don’t expect this to be a big setback.

Atlanta Braves
Tyler Kinley	0.2 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	11% CSW
Martín Pérez	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	58% CSW
Dylan Lee	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	60% CSW
Robert Suarez – W (4)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	29% CSW
Raisel Iglesias – SV (8)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	12% CSW

Raisel Iglesias success is still confounding (the fastball velocity is up, so that helps), but as long as he keeps rolling, you can keep rolling him out there in your lineups. I would consider selling high, though, if you have reliever depth to spare.

Kansas City Royals
Steven Cruz	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	32% CSW
John Schreiber	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	22% CSW
Alex Lange	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW

Steven Cruz didn’t have that 98+ MPH velo in this one like he has had the past couple outings, but he still had good results in this outing. He’s a much better option than the other two who pitches after him.

Chicago White Sox
Tyler Davis – W (1)	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	30% CSW
Jordan Hicks – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	57% CSW
Sean Newcomb – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
Seranthony Domínguez – SV (10)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	21% CSW

This is the best Jordan Hicks line we have seen in a while, and the difference here was that he threw his sweeper way more than usual. He hit the first batter he faced, then allowed a single, but struck out the next three batters while throwing sweepers on 11 of his final 13 pitches. He should be closer to a 50/50 pitch mix, not the 68/29 fastball/sweeper mix he currently has going.

Miami Marlins
Tyler Phillips	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW
John King	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Josh Ekness	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW

Josh Ekness was sent back to the minors today, but he will certainly be back up at some point this summer.

Minnesota Twins
Travis Adams	2.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	41% CSW
Justin Topa	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	23% CSW
Luis García Jr.	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	44% CSW

The bullpen wasn’t even bad today, Luis García Jr. was actually pretty good, but I just have no interest in talking about these guys. García’s splitter is not going to go 4/6 whiffs again.

San Diego Padres
Jeremiah Estrada	1.1 IP	1 H	0 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
Jason Adam – W (2)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	31% CSW
Mason Miller – SV (13)	1.0 IP	1 H	2 K	4 Whiffs	40% CSW

Jeremiah Estrada’s fastball was back down to 95 MPH here, which is where he was prior to the IL placement. Not great.
Jason Adam, I am begging you to find a way to miss more bats again, please? I know this doesn’t really work for relievers, but…”HAISTBMBWT?!”

Milwaukee Brewers
Aaron Ashby – HLD (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	50% CSW
Abner Uribe – L (2)	1.0 IP	3 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	26% CSW

Abner Uribe got two quick outs, and then things began to unravel. Andujar lined a single up the middle before a walk to Bogaerts (who had 1-2 before throwing three non-competitive pitches) gave Sheets a chance to turn on a hanging slider. This probably isn’t a cause for concern, but Trevor Megill has been much better lately, and maybe the team would even consider Aaron Ashby to close out games given how dominant he has been.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Kevin Ginkel	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	21% CSW
Paul Sewald – L (4)	0.2 IP	3 ER	3 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	30% CSW
Juan Morillo	0.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

This was a mess on both sides. Paul Sewald got a surprise save chance after Latz blew things in the top of the ninth, but Sewald did not look ready to pitch in this one, as his command was a mess. Probably nothing to worry about, as Sewald has only allowed runs in 3 of his 18 appearances this season.

Texas Rangers
Cole Winn – HLD (5)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	11% CSW
Jalen Beeks – HLD (5)	0.1 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Peyton Gray – HLD (1)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	9% CSW
Tyler Alexander – HLD (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW
Jacob Latz – BS (2)	0.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
Cal Quantrill – W (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	38% CSW

So Jacob Latz actually had his better velo in this one…but he could not locate anything, leaving sliders, curveballs, and changeups either up or way down and out of the zone. Hopefully, this is just a blip and nothing more (it should be).

Seattle Mariners
Cooper Criswell – BS (1)	0.2 IP	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	24% CSW
Nick Davila	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	36% CSW
Eduard Bazardo	0.2 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Josh Simpson	0.1 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Andrés Muñoz	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	3 K	8 Whiffs	64% CSW
Alex Hoppe – L (1)	0.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

Andrés Muñoz had great command of his slider here, and even mixed in a nasty changeup to Shewmake. I’d love to see a little more changeup usage, but I know he doesn’t necessarily need the pitch, nor can he locate it for strikes.

Houston Astros
Steven Okert	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	44% CSW
Enyel De Los Santos	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	42% CSW
Bryan King – BS (2)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	3 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Bryan Abreu – W (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	24% CSW

Bryan King had one of the best walk rates in baseball last year, so this is a weird outing to see. Of the 19 four-seamers he threw here, only 4 landed in the zone.
Our weekly Bryan Abreu check reveals that…things still aren’t great. The command was not good here, and the fastball velo remains down.

St. Louis Cardinals
Matt Svanson	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	41% CSW
Justin Bruihl	0.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	36% CSW
Gordon Graceffo	1.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

Gordon Graceffo managed to get five outs without ONE called strike or swing and miss? That’s actually kind of impressive?

Athletics
Justin Sterner – HLD (8)	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 K	4 Whiffs	38% CSW
Hogan Harris – HLD (7)	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	11% CSW
Luis Medina – HLD (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	22% CSW
Jack Perkins	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW

Graceffo did give up a HR in the 9th inning, which blew Jack Perkins chance at a save, but at least he is still getting closer usage. He didn’t have his best stuff here, and the fastball command was off, but he managed to make it through without allowing a run.

San Francisco Giants
Joel Peguero	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	25% CSW
Tristan Beck	2.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	5 Whiffs	22% CSW

Joel Peguero not being able to manufacture any whiffs is frustrating, but what’s more concerning is the fact that his velocity has been down 2+ MPH the past two outings.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Tanner Scott	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Kyle Hurt	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	47% CSW

Tanner Scott got the eighth inning up four runs, which is kind of annoying, I suppose. He did enter to face Lee and Arraez…but that left the righty Kyle Hurt to face Devers, and Eldridge. Hurts changeup is his best pitch, so him facing lefties is not the issue, but you’d think Scott would be the lefty to get Devers.

If you’re looking for potential relievers to stream today, check out RP Streamers

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 5/13

Rick Graham

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 5/13

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