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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 7/20

A Review of Key Bullpen and Reliever Usage from Yesterday's Games

Rick Graham

RP Roundup 13 Hours Ago

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

MIN 4 – CLE 13

Minnesota Twins
Kody Funderburk	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	6% CSW
Tommy Nance	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	2 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	33% CSW
Woo-Suk Go	1.0 IP	3 ER	4 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	38% CSW
Alex Jackson	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	9% CSW

Woo-Suk No, that’s not it.

Cleveland Guardians
Colin Holderman	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	14% CSW
Matt Festa	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	6 Whiffs	38% CSW
Shawn Armstrong	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	32% CSW

Colin Holderman has just two holds over the past month, clearly not living up to his namesake. It’s not like he’s been pitching poorly; the Guardians just prefer other options at this point.

PIT 5 – NYY 8

Pittsburgh Pirates
Wilber Dotel	3.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	5 K	8 Whiffs	30% CSW
Brandon Eisert	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW
Dennis Santana	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	30% CSW

Dennis Santana’s fastball was down 1.4 MPH here, and I’m still trying to figure out what the Pirates are holding on for (the slider is still a good offering, I suppose).

New York Yankees
Angel Chivilli – W (1)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	13% CSW
Brent Headrick – HLD (12)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	58% CSW
Tim Hill – HLD (9)	0.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	27% CSW
Fernando Cruz – SV (2)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	65% CSW

Fernando Cruz may be the definition of a reliever Cherry Bomb but we got the good version here as he dominated the final four outs here. I feel good about Cruz and Brent Headrick in front of David Bednar, but the bullpen still feels light.

TBR 7 – TOR 1

Tampa Bay Rays
Cam Booser	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW
Casey Legumina	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Bryan Baker	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	12% CSW

Bryan Baker wasn’t at his best here, but it was also a six-run lead he was tasked with, and at least we saw a slider.

Toronto Blue Jays
Braydon Fisher	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	31% CSW
Brendon Little	2.0 IP	1 ER	4 H	1 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	32% CSW

Brendon Little was throwing harder here at least, and the stuff still grades out nicely. He also didn’t have terrible command, just three bloops and a blast on a hanging slider to a righty.

BAL 5 – BOS 6

Baltimore Orioles
Yennier Cano – BS (2)	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW
Tyler Wells – L (2)	1.1 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	38% CSW

Tyler Wells only blemish was a home run to Durbin here, as it seems nothing can stop the Red Sox right now. It wasn’t even that terrible of a cutter, Durbin just jumped it.

Boston Red Sox
Tyron Guerrero	1.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	2 Whiffs	37% CSW
Garrett Whitlock – W (5)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	45% CSW
Aroldis Chapman – SV (22)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	36% CSW

Aroldis Chapman didn’t have his best stuff here but managed to hold runners on 2nd and 3rd to end the game. A month ago he seemed like a lock to be traded in the next two weeks, but at this point, it seems highly unlikely with the Red Sox now a playoff team all of a sudden.

LAD 7 – PHI 10

Los Angeles Dodgers
Alex Vesia	0.2 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Landon Knack	2.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	33% CSW

Landon Knack’s fastball was impressive here even with the home runs allowed (the location on the second home run wasn’t great) as it sat 95 MPH with 20″ of iVB. Not that the Dodgers need another relief “demon” but… there’s potential here with Knack.

Philadelphia Phillies
Orion Kerkering – HLD (10)	0.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	26% CSW
Jonathan Bowlan	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
José Alvarado	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Chase Shugart	0.2 IP	3 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Jhoan Duran	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW

Jonathan Bowlan’s stuff has been down a bit lately, and I hope it’s just a blip, but I’m a bit worried. Even still, the stuff still grades out well above average, just not the elite level we’ve seen glimpses of from him.

SDP 2 – ATL 3

San Diego Padres
Wandy Peralta	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
Bradgley Rodriguez	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	24% CSW
Kyle Hart	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW

Bradgley Rodriguez went more four-seam than sinker here, and I actually like both fastballs, but the four-seamer doesn’t give up as much damage.

Atlanta Braves
Danny Young – HLD (3)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	23% CSW
Victor Mederos – SV (1)	2.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	31% CSW

Instead of going to Tyler Kinley in the ninth, the Braves just let Victor Mederos get the final 7 outs and pick up his first save. Everyone was off here, but Mederos has been pitching well enough to find his way into leverage situations.

SFG 3 – KCR 4

San Francisco Giants
JT Brubaker	2.1 IP	0 ER	3 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	37% CSW
Dylan Smith	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	67% CSW
Jason Foley	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW
Caleb Kilian – L (6)	0.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	14% CSW

JT Brubaker — Sinker down 0.8 MPH (92.9 vs. 93.7 season avg)
Dylan Smith — Four-Seamer down 1.0 MPH (94.8 vs. 95.8 season avg)
Jason Foley — Sinker down 1.0 MPH (95.1 vs. 96.1 season avg)
But I think we can move on from Caleb Kilian here as well. Erik Miller is the at least option 1A for saves now.

Kansas City Royals
Steven Cruz – HLD (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
Daniel Lynch IV – HLD (11)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Alex Lange – W (1)	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	26% CSW

We can also move on from Alex Lange here, as I can’t imagine he’s going to continue getting save chances. Steven Cruz and Daniel Lynch IV should be getting the bulk of save chances from here on out (will that happen? Probably not).

NYM 3 – MIL 8

Milwaukee Brewers
Craig Yoho – W (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	41% CSW
Lance McCullers Jr. Jr. – HLD (1)	3.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	34% CSW
Grant Anderson	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	50% CSW

Grant Anderson’s fastball was up 1.5 MPH here, and well, look at the results yourself. The four-seamer near 95 MPH with his sweeper could be a really dangerous combo.

DET 8 – CHC 6

Detroit Tigers
Drew Sommers	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	31% CSW
Jacob Waguespack – HLD (1)	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Kyle Finnegan – BS (6)	1.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	38% CSW
Kenley Jansen – W (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	2 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	32% CSW
Tyler Holton – SV (1)	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	15% CSW

Kenley Jansen had a better cutter here at 93.4 MPH and settled in after giving up a leadoff double to Swanson. Hopefully he can build off this (and stay locked in as the Tigers closer after the deadline).

Chicago Cubs
Ryan Rolison	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	35% CSW
Gavin Hollowell	0.2 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW
Caleb Thielbar	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW
Tyler Ferguson	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	35% CSW
Jacob Webb	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	53% CSW
Trent Thornton – L (3)	0.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW
Javier Assad	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW

Jacob Webb looked great here with his fastball up nearly 1.5 MPH and the changeup and slider working as well. The updates for Daniel Palencia lately have not been encouraging, so Webb is getting closer to being a must-roster.

CHW 10 – TEX 3

Chicago White Sox
Chris Murphy – W (3)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW
Jordan Hicks – HLD (4)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	37% CSW
Seranthony Domínguez – HLD (4)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	35% CSW
Sean Newcomb – HLD (8)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	35% CSW
Trevor Richards	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW

Jordan Hicks sinker continues to trend in the right direction, as it was up 1.6 MPH here (averaging 100.3 MPH). Definitely worth keeping an eye on.

Texas Rangers
Peyton Gray	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	19% CSW
Ben Peoples	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	27% CSW
Robby Ahlstrom	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	30% CSW
Jose Corniell	1.0 IP	5 ER	4 H	2 BB	1 K	6 Whiffs	23% CSW

Meh.

MIA 5 – HOU 8

Miami Marlins
Lake Bachar	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
Dax Fulton	3.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	2 BB	4 K	6 Whiffs	24% CSW

I’d love to see Dax Fulton get a chance to start, as he has a legitimate four-pitch mix. As a reliever, I’m not sure what his value will be yet.

Houston Astros
Enyel De Los Santos – W (1)	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	27% CSW
Steven Okert – HLD (13)	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	32% CSW
Bryan Abreu	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW
Josh Hader	1.0 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW

Josh Hader sinker down over a MPH (averaging 94 MPH). Maybe that’s due to the four-run lead and non-save chance, but this is worth keeping an eye on.

WSN 7 – COL 3

Washington Nationals
Riley Cornelio – W (1)	1.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	0 K	4 Whiffs	17% CSW
Matt Krook – HLD (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	25% CSW
Tom Cosgrove – SV (1)	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	10% CSW

Riley Cornelio’s fastball wasn’t great here (and the command was worse), but he got a win, and there’s at least a consistently good slider to work with.

Colorado Rockies
Antonio Senzatela	1.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	32% CSW
Juan Mejia	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	42% CSW
Victor Vodnik	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	28% CSW

Just avoid this headache.

ATH 5 – ARI 2

Athletics
Luis Medina – W (2)	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
José Suarez – HLD (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Hogan Harris – SV (7)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	35% CSW

Hogan Harris is back in the closer role (potentially) and had some extra juice here (#SaveChanceEnergy) as the fastball/curveball looked great, but the command is always going to be a question mark.

Arizona Diamondbacks
Juan Burgos	1.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	11% CSW
Kevin Ginkel – L (3)	1.0 IP	3 ER	4 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	16% CSW
Jonathan Loáisiga	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	40% CSW
Brandyn Garcia	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW

This was actually the fastest Kevin Ginkel’s fastball has averaged, but he was still Singled Out and the slider wasn’t great.

CIN 0 – SEA 8

Cincinnati Reds
Pierce Johnson	0.1 IP	4 ER	4 H	0 BB	0 K	4 Whiffs	38% CSW
Caleb Ferguson	0.2 IP	2 ER	3 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Chase Petty	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	15% CSW

Nope.

Seattle Mariners
Nick Davila – HLD (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	21% CSW
Cole Wilcox	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	24% CSW
Michael Rucker	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	50% CSW

Michael Rucker has gotten roughed up recently, but his fastball was up nearly a MPH here, and there’s definitely some sneaky upside here if this velocity can stick.

STL 2 – LAA 3

St. Louis Cardinals
Ryne Stanek – HLD (17)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	15% CSW
George Soriano – HLD (15)	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	43% CSW
Riley O’Brien – L (4)	0.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	14% CSW

Oh no. Riley O’Brien’s sinker was down a MPH, and he really struggled with command here, allowing the game-winning run to score on a hit by pitch. Things had been looking better recently, but this was certainly a setback.

Los Angeles Angels
Samy Natera Jr.	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	46% CSW
José Fermin – W (3)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	38% CSW

Samy Natera Jr. everyone.

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Rick Graham

Rick resides in the Boston area and has experience as a player and coach at the collegiate level. He has been covering relievers for Pitcher List since 2017.