Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/6

Welcome to the RP Roundup, my daily fantasy baseball article reviewing every reliever performance from the previous day.

SEA 4 – DET 0

Seattle Mariners
José A. Ferrer	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	27% CSW
Matt Brash	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	29% CSW
Gabe Speier	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	7% CSW

Gabe Speier ran into some trouble here, and sure, there were no strikeouts or whiffs, but I love seeing the fastball velocity in the 96 MPH range for him.

Detroit Tigers
Drew Sommers	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	50% CSW
Ty Madden	2.2 IP	0 ER	4 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	31% CSW

Drew Sommers doesn’t have the flashiest arsenal, but the sinker/slider combo may be good enough to keep him around in this bullpen, especially considering how much fellow lefty Tyler Holton has struggled.

KCR 3 – MIN 2

Kansas City Royals
Daniel Lynch IV	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Lucas Erceg	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Matt Strahm – W (3)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Alex Lange – SV (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW

Alex Lange made things interesting in the ninth (as he is one to do) but ultimately struck out the side and picked up his third save this week. It was good to see the sinker up to 97 MPH here and the new cutter he has been throwing this year could be a difference maker. It’s not an elite pitch, but he can throw it for strikes and it gives hitters another pitch to think about.

Minnesota Twins
Taylor Rogers	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Yoendrys Gómez	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
Eric Orze – L (2)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	41% CSW

I appreciate continuing to give Eric Orze these chances, I do think he’ll eventually be a good reliever (fastball velo was way up here too!) but he’s hard to trust right now. Yoendrys Gómez threw 14 pitches in the eighth, he couldn’t at least start the ninth? Oh well, this bullpen was always going to be frustrating right?

CIN 5 – STL 6

Cincinnati Reds
Tejay Antone – HLD (1)	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	40% CSW
Sam Moll – L (4)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	37% CSW
Tony Santillan	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW

Sam Moll’s velocity was still up in this one, but the sweeper was the culprit here as he left a 1-2 sweeper up over the middle of the plate to Nootbaar with that home run giving the Cardinals the lead in the eighth inning. I guess we are back to speculating Brock Burke as the closer here, then?

St. Louis Cardinals
Gordon Graceffo	1.2 IP	2 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW
Ryne Stanek	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
George Soriano – W (3)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Riley O’Brien – SV (16)	1.0 IP	2 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	35% CSW

Ryne Stanek’s stuff was way down here, not a good sign, as he had been working his way back into the high-leverage conversation.
Riley O’Brien was battling his command demons here again, as (speaking of Stanek) was either throwing sinkers middle middle or missing the plate entirely (I mean, look at that RHB plot). He survived here, but the shaky outing does not instill confidence.

SFG 2 – CHC 3

San Francisco Giants
Caleb Kilian	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Erik Miller	0.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	23% CSW
Keaton Winn	1.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Sam Hentges – L (1)	0.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW

Keaton Winn left a splitter in the zone to PCA here, which tied the game in the ninth, and that was really his only mistake in this one. The stuff has been trending in the wrong direction for him the past month, but this is the first time I remember seeing an F grade for him. Might be something to worry about.

Chicago Cubs
Caleb Thielbar	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	64% CSW
Jacob Webb	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	28% CSW
Daniel Palencia	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Ryan Rolison – W (5)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	38% CSW

Daniel Palencia didn’t get a save chance, but it was a tie game in the ninth when he entered, and the stuff was down, and he left some hittable pitches over the plate as well. I guess the splitter is just completely gone now (I hate that slider he threw to Eldridge here)? He’s thrown one splitter in his past eight outings, which he happened to leave up over the middle of the plate for a home run, but it had been a good pitch for him before landing on the IL. He may be fine without it (he threw it 39 times last season total), but then again, lefties have been hammering him this season (1.214 OPS against).

BAL 4 – TOR 6

Baltimore Orioles
Keegan Akin	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	29% CSW
Albert Suárez	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	31% CSW

Keegan Akin’s stuff has been fine, but the results still aren’t there quite yet. He’s much better than the ratios suggest, but you can leave him on the waiver for now in the deepest of holds leagues.

Toronto Blue Jays
Spencer Miles – W (3)	4.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	5 K	5 Whiffs	26% CSW
Jeff Hoffman	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	54% CSW
Mason Fluharty – HLD (8)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	33% CSW
Tyler Rogers – HLD (13)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Louis Varland – SV (10)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW

Jeff Hoffman made one mistake here, but it was a big one, and that seems to be how his last two seasons have gone. He threw a 0-2 fastball to Alonso, which was supposed to be up out of the zone for Alonso to chase (the catcher was basically standing up), but Hoffman left the pitch down and in the zone, and Alonso barrelled it for an opposite-field home run. Just a huge missed location, and he’s not the kind of guy who can afford to be doing that right now.

CHW 6 – PHI 3

Chicago White Sox
Sean Burke – W (3)	4.1 IP	3 ER	3 H	5 BB	7 K	12 Whiffs	31% CSW
Sean Newcomb – HLD (4)	2.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	41% CSW
Grant Taylor – SV (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	57% CSW

Sean Newcomb’s stuff was way up here, and he dominated the Phillies offense with Marsh’s oppo double the only blemish here. If his velocity sticks in this 96 MPH range, he’ll be awfully tough to hit when he can drop that curveball on you as well.
Grant Taylor was the star of the show here, though, and this was the best he’s ever looked, probably. The first two strikeouts came against Garcia and Sosa, but he made Schwarber look foolish on three straight pitches to end the game. I’m all for Taylor taking over the closer role here. I think the White Sox want to see some consistency, though, as his stuff (it’s always good, but just how good?) and command vary from game to game. Either way, it feels like just a matter of time before he is closing out games regularly.

Philadelphia Phillies
Tanner Banks	2.1 IP	1 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	30% CSW
Tim Mayza	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	22% CSW
Chase Shugart	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	3 K	2 Whiffs	53% CSW

Chase Shugart has a 29% strikeout rate this year, but I’m not sure stuff is good enough for this to be sustainable (also just a 8% SwStr rate).

WSN 6 – ARI 1

Washington Nationals
Orlando Ribalta – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Mitchell Parker – HLD (4)	1.0 IP	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	13% CSW
Brad Lord – SV (1)	2.0 IP	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW

Orlando Ribalta has been pitching well as of late, but the fastball velocity was down almost 2 MPH here, and that fastball is really all he’s got (the sliders not bad, I guess).

Arizona Diamondbacks
Juan Morillo	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Jonathan Loáisiga	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Drey Jameson	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	2 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	35% CSW

Drey Jameson debuted in 2022, and I feel like people are still hoping there’s going to be some breakout at this point in his career. The stuff looks OK, but the fastball isn’t what it used to be. Someone to keep tabs on, but not someone you’re rushing to add.

ATH 2 – HOU 13

Athletics
José Suarez	1.0 IP	4 ER	4 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	25% CSW
Elvis Alvarado	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	23% CSW
Carlos Cortes	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	10% CSW

Elvis is back in the building. Elvis Alvarado was pitching well in AAA before this recent call-up, and it seems he has rediscovered his slider, thankfully. He had barely been throwing it earlier in the season, but it made a return here and was very effective (36% SwStr, 46% CSW, 82% Str). Overall, it was a very encouraging outing, and even the double he allowed to Paredes would have been a flyout in almost any other park.

Houston Astros
AJ Blubaugh	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	21% CSW
Alimber Santa	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW

AJ Blubaugh’s fastball was sitting around 94 MPH here, so last week’s 98 MPH outing was, in fact, just a tease as suspected.
Alimber Santa’s fastball velocity was up here at least, but it’s still a bad pitch, unfortunately. I don’t love the slider that much either, but the sweeper is borderline elite. Very interesting mix, but without a decent fastball, I don’t see this ending well.

PIT 3 – ATL 6

Pittsburgh Pirates
Yohan Ramírez	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	26% CSW
Mason Montgomery	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	5% CSW

Mason Montgomery is starting to lean into that changeup a bit more, I guess as long as he doesn’t leave too many up over the plate, that’s fine. It does seem to be getting better. This new four-pitch mix makes me wonder if there is a plan to move him into the rotation at some point (probably 2027, not this season).

Atlanta Braves
Dylan Dodd – HLD (1)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	45% CSW
Dylan Lee – HLD (13)	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	35% CSW
Tyler Kinley – HLD (8)	1.0 IP	2 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	24% CSW
Raisel Iglesias – SV (13)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW

Dylan Dodd and Dylan Lee are the best left-handed bullpen duo in baseball right now and are indeed spitting hot fire, but let’s talk about Dodd and his weird “cutter” here. It actually has arm-side run to it and a super low spin rate, it’s almost like a splitter, but then it also has some rise to it. I can’t find anyone else with a similar cutter (maybe Gavin Williams?); it’s truly a unique pitch.
Raisel Iglesias throwing hittable fastballs and changeups over the plate is working for him, so who am I to disagree? He has been allowing more baserunners over the past month with a 1.18 WHIP, but there’s not much damage to show for it (1.64 ERA).

TBR 3 – MIA 4

Tampa Bay Rays
Casey Legumina	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	42% CSW
Kevin Kelly	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	29% CSW

Kevin Kelly threw 14/21 sinkers here and still managed two strikeouts. The sinkers fine, but the sweeper and changeup are the stars.

Miami Marlins
Anthony Bender	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	32% CSW
John King – W (3)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	25% CSW
Calvin Faucher – HLD (5)	2.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	3 K	2 Whiffs	39% CSW
Michael Petersen	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	15% CSW
Pete Fairbanks – HLD (2)	0.2 IP	2 ER	2 H	3 BB	0 K	5 Whiffs	28% CSW
Tyler Zuber – SV (1)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	60% CSW

Pete Fairbanks labored through nearly 40 pitches to get just two outs here, before being replaced by Tyler Zuber, who struck out Caminero to finally end the game. Fairbanks issued a lead-off walk (don’t make me tap the sign) before getting out number one, and then allowing a bunt single on a two-strike count, before getting out number two. Then things really unraveled as he walked Simpson, followed by Yandy going the other way for a single, and then he walked Aranda before being pulled. The command was obviously terrible here, but this was not a great time for Fairbanks to have another poor outing. He’ll probably get the next save chance for the Marlins, but he needs to figure things out before Bender or Petersen enter the conversation.

CLE 6 – TEX 0

Cleveland Guardians
Tim Herrin	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	40% CSW

Meh, Tim Herrin’s done a fine job replacing Sabrowski, but I worry about him against righties still.

Texas Rangers
Cal Quantrill	2.1 IP	1 H	1 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	18% CSW
Luis Curvelo	0.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	30% CSW
Robby Ahlstrom	2.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	20% CSW

All three of these guys had fastball velocities down over a MPH here, and while Ahlstrom and to a lesser degree Curvelo are kind of interesting, they aren’t worth rostering in holds leagues for now anyway.

MIL 7 – COL 1

Milwaukee Brewers
Grant Anderson	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	16% CSW
Drew Rom	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	35% CSW

Good to see Grant Anderson is healthy after getting hit with a line drive his last time out.

Colorado Rockies
Blas Castano	2.2 IP	0 ER	3 H	2 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	24% CSW
Brennan Bernardino	0.2 IP	3 ER	3 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
TJ Shook	1.2 IP	2 ER	3 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	33% CSW
Juan Mejia	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	21% CSW

Blegh

LAA 2 – LAD 9

Los Angeles Angels
Brent Suter	2.2 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	36% CSW
Samy Natera Jr.	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	19% CSW
Drew Pomeranz	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW
Ryan Zeferjahn	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	35% CSW

Samy Natera Jr., I was not familiar with your game. He might have three plus pitches if the splitter gets a little better (or maybe this was a blip). This could actually be a nice find by the Angels, who drafted Natera in the 17th round in 2022.
Ryan Zeferjahn’s fastball was up over 1.5 MPH here. Maybe we are heading back up the roller coaster now?

Los Angeles Dodgers
Jack Dreyer	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	43% CSW

Jack Dreyer tried getting a 1-2 fastball by Neto up and in, but Neto was sitting on it and pulled it for a home run. Other than that, Dreyer looked great here, with his fastball averaging 95 MPH with 21″ of iVB.

NYM 2 – SDP 3

New York Mets
Austin Warren – L (2)	2.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	7 Whiffs	29% CSW

Austin Warren ran a sinker back into Fermin’s bat here that led to a two-run home run following an infield single to Song. Warren won’t be asked to do too much here, but he should be a great 5th option or so in this bullpen that, when healthy, looks pretty deep.

San Diego Padres
Adrian Morejon	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	46% CSW
Bradgley Rodriguez – W (1)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
Jason Adam – HLD (13)	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	22% CSW
Mason Miller – SV (18)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW

Mason Miller has come back down to earth after that crazy April, but even if this is the worst we see from him, it’s still better than most relievers.

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

Also, if you’re looking for the detailed list or ranking of Relievers, check out my weekly RP Ranks

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/6

Rick Graham

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/6

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