Fantasy Baseball Reliever Roundup

St. Louis Cardinals
Ryne Stanek	1.0 IP	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	32% CSW
George Soriano	1.0 IP	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	38% CSW
Matt Svanson	1.0 IP	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW

Ryne Stanek has only allowed two earned runs over his previous nine innings, and that comes with 30% strikeout and 17% swinging-strike rates. The walks are still a massive issue, though, with a 16.2% walk rate over that span leading to a 1.22 WHIP.

Cincinnati Reds
Sam Moll	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	10% CSW
Connor Phillips	1.0 IP	2 ER	1 H	2 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	32% CSW
Jose Franco	2.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	3 BB	1 K	9 Whiffs	26% CSW

Connor Phillips was optioned to AAA after this one, and it’s probably long overdue. He has elite stuff, but just hasn’t figured out the command part yet.

St. Louis Cardinals
Justin Bruihl	0.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Gordon Graceffo	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	24% CSW
Ryan Fernandez	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	4 K	4 Whiffs	46% CSW
JoJo Romero	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Riley O’Brien – L (2)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	30% CSW

Ryan Fernandez was called up as the 27th man for the doubleheader, but over 7.2 IP at the MLB level this season, he holds 34.4% K-BB and 21% swinging-strike rates (plus a 1.39 xFIP). The stuff is average, maybe slightly above average at best, but he still belongs in this bullpen.

Cincinnati Reds
Brock Burke – HLD (6)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	27% CSW
Graham Ashcraft – HLD (10)	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	34% CSW
Tony Santillan – BS (3)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	2 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	29% CSW
Pierce Johnson – W (2)	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	39% CSW

Tony Santillan entered with a two-run lead and immediately allowed a home run to Fermin to start things off. He eventually walked two and allowed a game-tying hit. He’s now allowed eight home runs over the past month, with the next closest relievers being Aaron Bummer (recently DFA’d and released) with five and Tyler Kinley with four. Santillan doesn’t have any options left.

Houston Astros
Steven Okert – HLD (5)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
Enyel De Los Santos – HLD (4)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	38% CSW
Bryan King – SV (6)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	29% CSW

I don’t have much faith in Bryan King, but it shouldn’t matter, as Josh Hader likely has just three more rehab appearances before being reinstated. One could be today, and I’d imagine they’d like him to get in one back-to-back before he is activated. I’m guessing sometime in the upcoming Brewers series is Hader’s return date.

Chicago Cubs
Trent Thornton	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	14% CSW
Ryan Rolison	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	19% CSW

Ryan Rolison has some great breakers, so it’s surprising to see zero whiffs. Just need to be careful with that fastball.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Yohan Ramírez	1.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	37% CSW
Evan Sisk	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW

Yohan Ramírez has so much potential, but we can’t be giving up home runs to Heineman and his wRC+ of 8.

Toronto Blue Jays
Braydon Fisher – HLD (6)	1.0 IP	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	43% CSW
Yariel Rodriguez	0.2 IP	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	10% CSW
Adam Macko – HLD (2)	0.1 IP	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW
Jeff Hoffman – SV (5)	1.0 IP	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	54% CSW

Jeff Hoffman now has two saves this week, and I think I’d consider making a bid on him today just to see how things play out. He’s not going to straight overtake Louis Varland, but we could see more of a timeshare moving forward, especially if they continue using Varland in multi-inning stints.

Cleveland Guardians
Matt Festa	1.0 IP	0 H	2 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	26% CSW
Shawn Armstrong	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Peyton Pallette	1.0 IP	0 H	3 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	28% CSW

Shawn Armstrong’s velo was down, and while the results were fine, I can’t see the team giving him high-leverage chances over Holderman or even Festa right now.

Philadelphia Phillies
Orion Kerkering – HLD (2)	1.0 IP	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	50% CSW
Brad Keller – HLD (5)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW
Jhoan Duran – SV (9)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW

Jhoan Duran allowed a leadoff double to Bazzana before settling in and getting the next three hitters out, so this was a nice bounce-back after Friday’s outing. Not dominant, but the command was better, and he got the job done.

Chicago White Sox
Erick Fedde – L (5)	3.1 IP	8 ER	10 H	2 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	28% CSW
Jordan Leasure	1.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Trevor Richards	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	18% CSW

Jordan Leasure is back and proceeded to give up a grand slam to the first batter he faced (although he did get Bader to pop up in that AB). He looked solid for the most part. The command seemed better, but this still isn’t something to get excited about yet.

San Francisco Giants
Matt Gage – W (4)	1.1 IP	1 H	0 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	35% CSW
Sam Hentges	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	44% CSW
Joel Peguero	2.0 IP	2 H	0 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	34% CSW

The left-handed relievers feasted on a primarly left handed dominant lineup here, but then we saw Joel Peguero go two innings to finish things off, which was a good chance for him to work on his slider. He threw it nine times here, getting just one whiff, but I think the usage helped get more whiffs on his fastball as a result. It’s more like a cutter at 93+ MPH, but I like the mixed usage here, and I feel like an even split between his four-seam, sinker, and slider could be the ticket to success.

Seattle Mariners
Alex Hoppe	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	30% CSW
Nick Davila	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	25% CSW

Minnesota Twins
Kendry Rojas – HLD (1)	3.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	29% CSW
Andrew Morris – HLD (6)	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	3 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW
Taylor Rogers – SV (2)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	50% CSW

Kendry Rojas should be in the rotation. He has three good pitches, but who does he bounce from the rotation at this point?

Boston Red Sox
Brayan Bello	5.0 IP	8 H	1 BB	5 K	12 Whiffs	27% CSW
Tyler Samaniego	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
Ryan Watson	2.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	40% CSW

Ryan Watson has survived this far, and I get why. The breakers are great. The fastball is so vulnerable, though, I don’t think any team truly trying to contend would keep him on their active roster this long.

Washington Nationals
Brad Lord – HLD (5)	3.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	32% CSW
Richard Lovelady – SV (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW

This was definitely a weird game as the Braves could only manufacture ONE hit against Jake Irvin, Brad Lord, and Richard Lovelady. I guess Lovelady is just the closer for the Nationals now? He’s not that bad. The sweeper is a legit offspeed pitch, but can the fastballs hold up?

Atlanta Braves
Dylan Dodd	3.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	37% CSW
Tyler Kinley	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW

It took a while, but it’s great to see Dylan Dodd back in the Braves bullpen, where he should remain for the rest of the season now that Aaron Bummer is out of the picture. Dating back to last year, Dodd now holds a 2.08 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP with 26% strikeout and 17% swinging-strike rates over his past 30 innings in the Braves bullpen. Based on the swing and miss he’s generating, that strikeout rate may even improve.

New York Mets
Jonathan Pintaro	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	17% CSW

Jonathan Pintaro has an interesting pitch mix with his cutter/changeup/sinker mix and sidearm delivery. This is probably not the last we’ve seen from him.

Miami Marlins
Anthony Bender	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	50% CSW
Andrew Nardi	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	8% CSW

Anthony Bender has been awesome for the past month+ now, with a 0.71 ERA (1.67 SIERA), 0.32 WHIP, and 31% strikeout rate over his past 12.2 IP (122 Stuff+ and 38.5% CSW rate as well). Yet, he has just one hold over this span as the team is infatuated with Andrew Nardi and Michael Petersen, which I totally get because I am too, but Bender has been lights out for a while now, so get him back in high-leverage spots, maybe?

Los Angeles Dodgers
Alex Vesia – HLD (5)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	39% CSW
Kyle Hurt – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	0 H	2 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	20% CSW
Tanner Scott	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	53% CSW
Jonathan Hernández	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	36% CSW

Kyle Hurt finally showed some cracks here as the command was not as great as it has been, but I still love the attempt at the BSB. I doubt this sets him back or anything, but it’s also the Dodgers, so who knows what his role truly is anyway?

Milwaukee Brewers
Grant Anderson	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	19% CSW
DL Hall	1.1 IP	3 ER	2 H	2 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	17% CSW
Jake Woodford	1.2 IP	4 ER	4 H	4 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW

Meh

Athletics
José Suarez	2.2 IP	1 H	1 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	35% CSW
Joel Kuhnel	2.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	38% CSW
Scott Barlow	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	8% CSW

Joel Kuhnel started throwing a slider, curveball, AND four-seamer earlier in the month, and since then (8 IP), he holds a 2.25 ERA (2.71 SIERA), 0.88 WHIP, with a strikeout rate over 20% and a swinging-strike rate over 12% (both better than Jack Perkins over that span). This is a different Kuhnel than we saw in April, who had two, maybe three pitches, and he’s now throwing six pitches regularly. None of the pitches are particularly great, but just having the deep mix should help him out, at least in the short term.

San Diego Padres
Jeremiah Estrada – HLD (6)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Adrian Morejon – HLD (10)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	30% CSW
Jason Adam – HLD (11)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	39% CSW
Mason Miller – SV (16)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	46% CSW

Ayyy, there we go Jason Adam. Three strikeouts in this one inning after totalling just three in the month of May leading up to this game. That makes me feel better about him moving forward, even though all the underlying metrics suggested he’d be fine.

Texas Rangers
Cole Winn	0.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	12% CSW
Tyler Alexander	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW

I thought Cole Winn was the other reliever we could trust in the bullpen outside of Latz, but he’s been a bit too inconsistent, which is not ideal, especially considering how bad this team is right now. At least the stuff still looked good here; the command just was not there (and Alexander allowed his runners to score).

Los Angeles Angels
Ryan Zeferjahn – HLD (4)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
Tayler Saucedo – HLD (2)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW
Chase Silseth – HLD (4)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	75% CSW
Jose Fermin – HLD (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	31% CSW
Kirby Yates – SV (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW

Kirby Yates shut the door on the 2-3-4 hitters in the Rangers lineup here for his first save of the season, but I’m still not in on this. The hitters he faced were Nimmo (0-2 fastball over the plate caught him by surprise), Helman (who?), and McCutchen (who was dreadfully late on a 2-0 fastball here), not exactly the most threatening trio. Yates’ fastball is still a significant problem, and while it hasn’t hurt him yet, it’s bound to. Yates just looks like a Romano replacement who will eventually be DFA’d himself. The Angels refuse to use Bachman on back-to-back days at this point, but he should be the preferred closer here.

Colorado Rockies
Keegan Thompson	2.2 IP	0 ER	3 H	2 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	25% CSW
Seth Halvorsen	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW

I’ll have some interest in Seth Halvorsen once he’s on the Yankees, but I just can’t get excited right now.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Brandon Pfaadt – HLD (2)	1.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Kevin Ginkel – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	21% CSW
Paul Sewald – SV (12)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	42% CSW

Paul Sewald’s ERA this season is a bit inflated, but he’s had just three outings where he’s allowed runs, and outside of that, he’s been near perfect. Great for those in weekly head-to-head leagues. A.J. Puk began his rehab assignment yesterday, but I don’t see him as a true threat to the role unless Sewald completely collapses.

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

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 5/23

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 5/23

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