Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/19

Toronto Blue Jays
Braydon Fisher	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	15% CSW
Tommy Nance	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	11% CSW
Brendon Little	1.0 IP	4 ER	2 H	3 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	29% CSW
Spencer Miles	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	15% CSW
Tyler Rogers	0.2 IP	0 ER	3 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Myles Straw	1.1 IP	0 ER	4 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	10% CSW

Welcome back Brendon Little. The sinker velocity was up from 94 MPH to 95.6 MPH, but he had no command of it.

Chicago Cubs
Ethan Roberts	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	30% CSW
Gavin Hollowell	1.0 IP	1 H	0 K	3 Whiffs	31% CSW
Hoby Milner	1.0 IP	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	44% CSW

Gavin Hollowell has a solid fastball/sweeper combo; the command/control is the issue.

Chicago White Sox
Erick Fedde – L (6)	4.2 IP	2 ER	4 H	1 BB	4 K	10 Whiffs	26% CSW
Chris Murphy	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Seranthony Domínguez	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	17% CSW

Seranthony Domínguez looked fine here. Good enough to be an OK closer, but not nearly the upside of a Grant Taylor.

Detroit Tigers
Drew Anderson – W (3)	1.1 IP	1 H	0 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Will Vest – HLD (7)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Kenley Jansen – SV (8)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	30% CSW

This late-inning trio looked great here (stuff-wise), although Will Vest’s command was not exactly ideal. Neither was Kenley Jansen’s, as he only threw two pitches in the zone here, but we’ll take that stat line at least.

Cincinnati Reds
Caleb Ferguson	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	24% CSW
Zach Maxwell	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	19% CSW

Zach Maxwell’s command is just not close to where it needs to be yet. Maybe one day. It is nice seeing Caleb Ferguson’s fastball improving, and with the curveball, it gives the lefty two plus offerings.

New York Yankees
Jake Bird	1.0 IP	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Brent Headrick	1.0 IP	1 BB	0 K	4 Whiffs	29% CSW
David Bednar	1.0 IP	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	50% CSW

David Bednar used the five-run lead to work on his curveball, it appears, as he threw it more than any other pitch. The strikeouts came on splitters, though, and the flyout from Steer went to the wall in center (HR in 6 parks).

Washington Nationals
Miles Mikolas – L (6)	6.0 IP	5 ER	9 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	21% CSW

Tampa Bay Rays
Steven Matz – HLD (1)	1.2 IP	1 H	1 K	0 Whiffs	16% CSW
Kevin Kelly – HLD (15)	0.1 IP	1 H	0 K	1 Whiffs	40% CSW
Garrett Cleavinger – HLD (11)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW
Bryan Baker – SV (19)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	15% CSW

Bryan Baker’s fastball velocity was up again here, sitting near 98 MPH. It looks like he’s completely abandoned the slider, though, as he’s thrown a total of FIVE since April 11th. He threw a couple of bad ones early in the season, but it’s a great pitch, so I don’t think it needs to go away entirely,

San Francisco Giants
Sam Hentges – L (2)	0.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Ryan Walker	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	38% CSW
Dylan Smith	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Erik Miller	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	60% CSW

Blegh. Hentges and Walker have been useless all year, and Dylan Smith had no command here. At least Erik Miller didn’t walk anyone?

Miami Marlins
John King	1.1 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Anthony Bender	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	21% CSW
Michael Petersen	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Tyler Zuber	0.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	42% CSW
Cade Gibson – W (1)	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Calvin Faucher – HLD (8)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	11% CSW
Pete Fairbanks – SV (10)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW

Who didn’t pitch here? Well, at least we got Pete Fairbanks to double-digit saves, and it was good to see the slider get more love. No whiffs with it (or the cutter) is a bit surprising, but from a stuff standpoint, this was the best his slider has looked in some time. In general, it has been looking better since the start of June.

Milwaukee Brewers
Abner Uribe	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	46% CSW
Craig Yoho	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	46% CSW

Abner Uribe tried to sneak a first-pitch sinker past Yaz here, but he ambushed it for a home run, and from that point on, Uribe went mostly slider (8/12 pitches). Uribe has been about 66% sinkers this year, and I do think he may be better off being closer to 50/50 with his usage. The issue is that the command/control for both pitches is way down for him this season.

Atlanta Braves
Dylan Lee – HLD (15)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	35% CSW
Robert Suarez – HLD (12)	1.1 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Raisel Iglesias – SV (15)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW

Raisel Iglesias escaped with the save here as the tying run was thrown out at the plate (why send with just one out?), but it was yet another shaky outing from him. One more outing like this and we may need to reconsider stashing Robert Suarez again (I realize he wasn’t great here either, but he’s the next man up).

San Diego Padres
Yuki Matsui	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	29% CSW
David Morgan	0.1 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	10% CSW
Wandy Peralta	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	16% CSW
Jason Adam	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	27% CSW

Langford jumped all over a first-pitch middle-middle fastball from Jason Adam here, this being the fourth home run Adam has allowed so far this season. Last year, he allowed four total (five total in 73.2 IP in 2024). Similar to Strahm, Adam’s just aging, and the stuff is not quite what it used to be, so we’re starting to see cracks, and for Adam, it’s an increase in home runs and a decrease in swing and miss (he did strike out Kelenic on a nice changeup here).

Texas Rangers
Jakob Junis – HLD (8)	1.2 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	19% CSW
Jacob Latz – SV (13)	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW

Jacob Latz didn’t strike anyone out here, and the fastball velocity was back down to earth, but it really doesn’t matter because even at 94.5 MPH, that fastball can be elite with 21.3″ iVB.

Cleveland Guardians
Matt Festa – BS (1)	0.2 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	14% CSW
Daniel Espino	1.0 IP	2 ER	3 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	40% CSW
Erik Sabrowski	0.1 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	30% CSW
Shawn Armstrong	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	24% CSW

Erik Sabrowski made his return from the IL here, and this is why Nick has the Still ILL tag for starters, as Sabrowski did not look ready to return here, quite frankly. The return does feel rushed as the original timeframe had Sabrowski back in early July, and his velocity was down, under 93 MPH. Assuming he’s healthy, he should bounce back and be fine. The breakers looked fine, and the fastball shape is still great.

Houston Astros
Steven Okert – HLD (8)	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	48% CSW
Mike Burrows	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	43% CSW

Mike Burrows, the reliever, is…still not great. To be fair, he only threw 7 pitches, but I’m not sure he’s got good enough stuff to slide into a high-leverage role, even in this bullpen.

St. Louis Cardinals
George Soriano	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	11% CSW
Matt Svanson	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	30% CSW

Matt Svanson has been pitching better lately, yes, but I still don’t see enough or anything here to make me want to buy back in yet.

Kansas City Royals
John Schreiber	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Daniel Lynch IV	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	27% CSW
Matt Strahm	0.2 IP	3 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Alex Lange – SV (5)	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

I still can’t believe the Royals traded Jonathan Bowlan with six years of team control for one season of Matt Strahm. I didn’t think it was going to be this bad, but the warning signs have been there with Strahm the past couple of seasons as he’s been trending the wrong way. Strahm isn’t this bad, and he deserves a chance to turn things around (possibly with another team), as he should still be an OK fastball/slider lefty.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Yohan Ramírez	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Mason Montgomery – L (2)	0.2 IP	2 ER	3 H	0 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	21% CSW

A couple of weakly hit ground balls found their way through the infield before Mason Montgomery grooved a 3-1 fastball middle-middle to Fulford for a two-run double here.

Colorado Rockies
Jaden Hill – BS (3)	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
Antonio Senzatela – W (7)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	21% CSW

Antonio Senzatela picked up another win here, and he now has nearly 1/4 of the Rockies wins. I still would try to stay away from him unless we are desperate for a stream win/save or in a deep NL-only.

Los Angeles Angels
Mitch Farris	2.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	2 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	27% CSW
Chase Silseth	1.0 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	35% CSW
Sam Bachman – BS (2)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Kirby Yates – L (3)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	30% CSW
Samy Natera Jr.	0.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

Sam Bachman and the Angels bullpen got a taste of Sacré Verde here (the Heim HR is not a home run in Angel Stadium), and if anything, this should give Ryan Zeferjahn some wiggle room to run away with the closer role (he won’t, the command is way too terrible, but we can dream).

Athletics
Justin Sterner	1.1 IP	4 ER	4 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	27% CSW
José Suarez	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	33% CSW
Scott Barlow	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	64% CSW
Elvis Alvarado – W (3)	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW

Elvis Alvarado shook off his latest dud here and really dominated with just his fastball as he threw only 3 sliders (the splitter is AWOL). The fastball command was impressive here, though, and I’d still prefer him to Hogan Harris.

Minnesota Twins
Travis Adams	1.1 IP	3 ER	4 H	1 BB	4 K	8 Whiffs	31% CSW
Cody Laweryson	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	40% CSW

Arizona Diamondbacks
Taylor Clarke	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW
Ryan Thompson	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	30% CSW
Drey Jameson	1.2 IP	1 ER	3 H	2 BB	1 K	6 Whiffs	30% CSW
Jonathan Loáisiga – W (2)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW
Brandyn Garcia – HLD (6)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	43% CSW
Kevin Ginkel – HLD (6)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	38% CSW
Paul Sewald	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	15% CSW

Kevin Ginkel was still throwing harder here, but things started with back-to-back home runs allowed here, on a fastball to Bell and a slider he left up to Lewis. This is a reminder that even with his best stuff, Ginkel is still a league-average (at best) reliever.

Baltimore Orioles
Andrew Kittredge	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Tyler Wells – HLD (9)	1.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	38% CSW
Yennier Cano – HLD (6)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	67% CSW
Ryan Helsley – L (3)	0.2 IP	2 ER	2 H	2 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	17% CSW

Ryan Helsley got a first-pitch groundout from Freeman here before things unraveled on him. He hung a slider to Mookie, who took him deep to make it a one-run game. He then walked Muncy, got Edman to pop up, and then walked Ward on four pitches, which was the real blunder. Rushing then singled, and Basallo let the ball get past him at home to allow the winning run to score as well. The stuff was fine, just some classic poor Helsley command here, as he either missed over the middle of the plate or outside of the zone.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Jack Dreyer	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Will Klein	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	23% CSW
Kyle Hurt	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Blake Treinen – W (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	44% CSW

Will Klein’s velocity was down a little bit here, but the real issue was the command, or lack thereof. That’s been an issue for him throughout his career, but this year he’s managed to keep that walk rate under 10% with a zone rate above 50%. Those numbers likely need to stay that way for him to still see high-leverage usage in this bullpen.

Boston Red Sox
Justin Slaten – HLD (8)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	50% CSW
Greg Weissert	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	30% CSW
Tommy Kahnle	1.0 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	26% CSW

Justin Slaten only threw six pitches here, but he looked good doing so, with the fastball velocity back up into the 97 MPH+ range.

Seattle Mariners
Luis Castillo	4.0 IP	4 ER	7 H	0 BB	4 K	11 Whiffs	40% CSW

I don’t love this “piggybacking” approach as currently constituted, but at least it should keep this bullpen fresh (hypothetically).

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/19

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/19

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