Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/9

Seattle Mariners
Alex Hoppe – HLD (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Gabe Speier – HLD (8)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	42% CSW
José A. Ferrer – W (1)	1.0 IP	2 ER	3 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	21% CSW
Nick Davila – SV (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW

Gabe Speier’s stuff was up again here, and despite the strikeouts, we are starting to see the best version of Speier.
José A. Ferrer’s velocity was also up in this one, but he left a few too many sinkers over the middle of the plate here (he threw 33 total sinkers in this inning!).

Baltimore Orioles
Andrew Kittredge	1.0 IP	1 ER	3 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	26% CSW
Keegan Akin	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	24% CSW
Tyler Wells	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	75% CSW
Rico Garcia – L (1)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW

Tyler Wells velocity was up over a MPH, which is a good development as this Orioles bullpen is searching for some help in front of Rico Garcia.
Speaking of Garcia, the two-run home run he allowed to Arozarena wasn’t even a bad pitch, it was a good foot or two off the plate that Arozarena went the opposite way with. Wisdom also took him to the track on a curveball that caught too much of the plate, and this is a reminder that Garcia’s best pitches remain his fastball and changeup.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Will Klein – W (2)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	43% CSW
Blake Treinen	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	26% CSW
Tanner Scott	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	29% CSW

Blake Treinen had the 3 strikeouts here, but his velocity was way down, and his command was terrible.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Wilber Dotel – L (1)	0.0 IP	6 ER	5 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Brandan Bidois	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	3 BB	1 K	6 Whiffs	25% CSW
Dennis Santana	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	16% CSW
Tyler Callihan	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW

Yea…this was bound to happen with Wilber Dotel as he has an above-average fastball and nothing else. Obviously, the Dodgers lineup is tough for any pitcher, but think Dotel needs some more time at AAA working on his secondaries.

Boston Red Sox
Tommy Kahnle	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Garrett Whitlock	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	41% CSW

Garrett Whitlock made his return here and looked like his normal self, which is great to see. He should be one of the best setup men in baseball the rest of the way (or closer if/when Chapman is traded).

Tampa Bay Rays
Kevin Kelly – HLD (14)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Bryan Baker – SV (18)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	8% CSW

No whiffs from Bryan Baker and just one called strike, but the stuff looked great still, and I have no major concerns with him right now (command could be better).

Minnesota Twins
Eric Orze	1.0 IP	2 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	26% CSW
Taylor Rogers	0.2 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	35% CSW
Justin Lawrence	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	35% CSW
Cody Laweryson	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	25% CSW

Eric Orze is throwing harder lately, but the results haven’t matched the stuff (yet).

Detroit Tigers
Brenan Hanifee – HLD (2)	0.1 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	22% CSW
Drew Anderson – HLD (4)	0.2 IP	0 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	24% CSW
Tyler Holton	0.1 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	25% CSW
Kyle Finnegan – HLD (9)	1.2 IP	0 H	1 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	36% CSW
Enmanuel De Jesús	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW

Drew Anderson’s fastball was up, not quite 97.5 MPH like the other day, but we will take 96.3…now we just need some better command.
Enmanuel De Jesús’s fastball was up 1.7 MPH here into the mid-95 MPH range, and that could be a big difference maker for the lefty.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Taylor Clarke	0.2 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	18% CSW
Ryan Thompson	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	22% CSW
Brandyn Garcia – L (1)	0.2 IP	4 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	12% CSW
Kevin Ginkel	0.1 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	50% CSW

Taylor Clarke’s velocity was down over a MPH here, and he did not have his normal command. Could be an underlying injury or maybe just an off day.

Miami Marlins
Anthony Bender – HLD (6)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	45% CSW
Michael Petersen	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	31% CSW
Tyler Zuber – HLD (1)	0.1 IP	3 ER	0 H	2 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW
Calvin Faucher – BS (3)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	17% CSW
Pete Fairbanks – W (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	25% CSW

Pete Fairbanks was still battling with his four-seam command here, but it did not hurt him in the end. We need this to be better.

New York Yankees
Paul Blackburn	1.2 IP	3 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	38% CSW
Tim Hill	0.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Camilo Doval – W (2)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	38% CSW
Jake Bird – HLD (7)	0.1 IP	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	13% CSW
Fernando Cruz – SV (1)	1.2 IP	0 H	1 BB	4 K	5 Whiffs	40% CSW

Fernando Cruz dominated the Guardians lineup for five outs here, four of which came on strikeouts. His fastball velocity was up 1.4 MPH (#SaveChanceEnergy), and he even got creative with three sliders to Ramirez here (it’s not a bad pitch). His splitter is still one of the best, if not the best, amongst relievers at least. If only the Reds had a guy like this to close out games for them…

Cleveland Guardians
Colin Holderman	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Tim Herrin – L (2)	1.1 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	33% CSW
Matt Festa	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	29% CSW
Shawn Armstrong	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW

Tim Herrin was averaging 95 MPH with his fastball here, but he hung a slider at the top of the zone to Jazz that he deposited into the right field bleachers. That was really his only mistake; this was the best he has looked in some time.

Philadelphia Phillies
Orion Kerkering	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW
José Alvarado	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Jhoan Duran – L (3)	0.0 IP	2 ER	3 H	0 K	1 Whiffs	38% CSW

I suppose Jhoan Duran was due for this, and even with his velocity down, this was just a case of getting Singled Out as the first two hits were turf-boosted infield choppers and the final hit was just a poorly executed grooved fastball. Some bad luck, bad command, but nothing to worry about here.

Toronto Blue Jays
Jeff Hoffman	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	47% CSW
Mason Fluharty	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	50% CSW
Louis Varland – W (3)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	19% CSW

I guess Louis Varland was also due for this, and he just couldn’t locate his four-seam or curveball here. He also walked the lead-off man here, so…that run scoring was inevitable.

St. Louis Cardinals
Justin Bruihl	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW
Matt Svanson	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	36% CSW

Matt Svanson’s back with the Cardinals and pitching the ninth inning in blowouts again. The stuff looks a little bit better, and he had some success in AAA, so hopefully he’s able to contribute in the second half. I still just don’t know about that sinker.

New York Mets
Joey Gerber	2.0 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	38% CSW
Cionel Pérez	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	29% CSW

Cionel Pérez was sitting 97.5 MPH here with his sinker, which, with his already plus curveball, gives him two potentially plus offerings. The Mets don’t necessarily need a third left-handed reliever, but Pérez looks better than Lovelady right now.

Texas Rangers
Jalen Beeks	0.2 IP	1 ER	3 H	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Cole Winn	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 Whiffs	12% CSW
Robby Ahlstrom	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 Whiffs	21% CSW

Cole Winn is back, and his stuff looked good here, with the cutter being up 1.6 MPH and the slider also coming in harder at 87.5 MPH. He should work his way back into a setup role sooner rather than later.

Kansas City Royals
Steven Cruz – W (1)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	60% CSW
Daniel Lynch IV – HLD (8)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	15% CSW
John Schreiber – HLD (4)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	40% CSW
Alex Lange – SV (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	37% CSW

I’ll get to Alex Lange in a second, but John Schreiber was averaging 95 MPH with his fastball here, so this recent development might be for real. The only time Schreiber has averaged over 94 MPH with his fastball was 2022, by far his best season.
Lange started this outing with six straight balls before figuring things out. The changeup and slider are really good, but the supporting cast and command are still a question mark.

Atlanta Braves
Dylan Dodd	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	1 K	6 Whiffs	23% CSW
Carlos Carrasco – BS (1)	1.2 IP	1 ER	4 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	10% CSW
Robert Suarez	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
Raisel Iglesias – L (1)	1.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW

Robert Suarez’s velocity is still down, and the stuff in general is not the best we’ve seen from him. I wonder if he could benefit from a short IL stint, but he is still getting outs, and the team is also without Kinley now.
Raisel Iglesias was fine until he tried throwing back-to-back changeups to Montgomery with two outs in the 10th. Nothing to panic about here, as the stuff was actually up (command wasn’t exactly great though).

Chicago White Sox
Erick Fedde	5.0 IP	1 ER	6 H	0 BB	4 K	8 Whiffs	27% CSW
Tyler Gilbert	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	15% CSW
Tyler Davis	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Seranthony Domínguez	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	15% CSW
Grant Taylor – W (2)	2.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW

Grant Taylor pitching the 9th (and 10th) with Seranthony Domínguez in the 8th is another step in the right direction for us Taylor truthers out there. This is probably your last chance to add Taylor before his value skyrockets.

Chicago Cubs
Ryan Rolison	1.1 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Ethan Roberts	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Hoby Milner	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	42% CSW

Sure

Colorado Rockies
Seth Halvorsen	1.0 IP	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	14% CSW
Brennan Bernardino	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
Antonio Senzatela	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Jaden Hill	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	50% CSW

Sure

Houston Astros
AJ Blubaugh	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	26% CSW
Alimber Santa	2.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	19% CSW

If we could combine Alimber Santa breaking stuff with Wilber Dotel’s fastball, we’d have a breakout reliever. Santa’s fastball is just rough, man (it should also be classified as a sinker and not a four-seamer, right?)

Los Angeles Angels
Brent Suter	2.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	3 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW
Drew Pomeranz	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Kirby Yates	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	58% CSW

Before you get excited about Kirby Yates line above, just know this was against three hitters who were hitting under .235 at AAA this season.

Cincinnati Reds
Brock Burke	1.2 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	43% CSW
Caleb Ferguson	0.1 IP	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Tony Santillan	1.0 IP	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	19% CSW
Sam Moll	0.2 IP	1 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
Tejay Antone – W (1)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Zach Maxwell – SV (1)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW

We had the worst bullpen in baseball against the worst offense in baseball, and the Reds bullpen prevailed here with no earned runs over 5.2 innings. Tony Santillan had his best velocity of the season in this one, averaging 95.9 MPH, and the only mistake he really made was a hanging breaker to Tatis that he lined up the middle. It’s been a rough season, but maybe we are back to Santillan as the best option to close here?

San Diego Padres
David Morgan	1.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	48% CSW
Adrian Morejon	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	32% CSW
Jason Adam	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	35% CSW
Mason Miller	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	43% CSW
Bradgley Rodriguez	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	29% CSW
Yuki Matsui – L (1)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	43% CSW

We got to see how deep this bullpen is with them racking up 13 strikeouts and just one earned run over seven innings of work.

Washington Nationals
Brad Lord – W (4)	2.2 IP	0 ER	3 H	2 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	26% CSW
Richard Lovelady – HLD (5)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	25% CSW
Clayton Beeter – HLD (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW
Orlando Ribalta	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW

Clayton Beeter’s fastball continues to get worse, and it’s not like the command was much better. Him sitting 93.5 MPH after averaging 96.5 MPH last season has me concerned that there is some sort of health issue still going on.

San Francisco Giants
Sam Hentges	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	1 K	7 Whiffs	27% CSW
JT Brubaker	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	35% CSW
Erik Miller	0.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	7% CSW
Dylan Smith	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	26% CSW
Tristan Beck	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW

Erik Miller’s stuff was also way down here, and he had no command, so again, I wonder if he, too, is still dealing with an injury (back injuries can be tricky).

Milwaukee Brewers
Joel Kuhnel	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	30% CSW
Coleman Crow	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	5% CSW

Joel Kuhnel was averaging 99 MPH here, and look, I want to believe the radar gun is just messed up in Vegas, but Coleman Crow’s velocity was down 1 MPH here, so I’m not sure that’s the case. I guess we have to keep an eye on Kuhnel now.

Athletics
Elvis Alvarado – HLD (4)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	4 K	3 Whiffs	50% CSW
Mason Barnett – SV (1)	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	4 K	5 Whiffs	29% CSW

Elvis Alvarado’s velocity was also way up here, but we have seen him average 100 MPH in a game before (March 11th). Having that slider back is a huge difference maker for him. Not to mention the command looks improved. I’m excited for this.

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

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/9

Rick Graham

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 6/9

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