Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 7/29

Philadelphia Phillies
Seth Johnson – BS (1)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Jonathan Bowlan – L (1)	1.0 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	28% CSW

Jonathan Bowlan’s fastball was down 1.5 MPH here (95.7 vs. 97.2 season avg), and I’m in shambles. The home run to Conine was on a 1-0, middle-middle changeup he hung, so the fastball wasn’t even the issue here (well, the velocity wasn’t an issue; the command was).

Miami Marlins
Dax Fulton	2.0 IP	2 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	27% CSW
Tyler Zuber – W (1)	1.0 IP	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	36% CSW
Pete Fairbanks – SV (15)	1.0 IP	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	54% CSW

Pete Fairbanks keeps stacking up positive outings, which combined with Michael Petersen still being banged up, should keep Fairbanks in a good position to hang on to the closer role (for now).

Arizona Diamondbacks
Brandyn Garcia – SV (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	2 Whiffs	41% CSW

Brandyn Garcia was called upon for the first save in the post-Paul Sewald era (can’t believe it’s over like that…but also, it was a good run with 24 saves). Garcia will be in a mix with Juan Morillo and possibly Jonathan Loáisiga for saves, but Justin Martinez is working his way back as well.

Pittsburgh Pirates
Carmen Mlodzinski	3.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW

This line is fine, but I miss the days of Carmen Mlodzinski throwing 97 MPH out of the pen.

Toronto Blue Jays
Tyler Rogers – HLD (23)	0.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	20% CSW
Louis Varland – SV (23)	2.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	30% CSW

I love how the Jays and Rangers are willing to use Louis Varland and Latz for two-inning saves, especially since they are both efficient, as Varland needed just 20 pitches here to get six outs (Rogers needed 15 pitches to get one out).

Washington Nationals
Max Kranick	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Eddy Yean	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Orlando Ribalta – L (2)	1.0 IP	1 ER	3 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Paxton Schultz	0.2 IP	3 ER	4 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	12% CSW
Trevor Williams	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW

One day after declaring my trust for Orlando Ribalta…

Baltimore Orioles
Anthony Nunez	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	15% CSW
Yennier Cano	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	33% CSW
Tyler Wells	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	17% CSW
Rico Garcia – BS (5)	0.2 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW
Grant Wolfram – W (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	19% CSW
Andrew Kittredge – SV (4)	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	25% CSW

Rico Garcia continues to have a home run problem, with a hanging slider the culprit here, but the fastball continues to look better.

Detroit Tigers
Kyle Finnegan	0.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	20% CSW
Drew Anderson – BS (6)	1.1 IP	2 ER	1 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	20% CSW
Kenley Jansen	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	11% CSW
Jacob Waguespack	1.2 IP	1 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	13% CSW
Drew Sommers – L (2)	1.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	45% CSW
Brenan Hanifee	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

It’s hard to get excited about anyone in this bullpen at this point. It could look very different here in a week as well.

Atlanta Braves
Didier Fuentes	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	40% CSW
Victor Mederos	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Dylan Dodd – L (1)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	2 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	26% CSW
Danny Young	0.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	50% CSW
Tyler Kinley	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW

Didier Fuentes fastball was up again (in both games!), sitting in the 98 MPH range. Love to see it.

New York Mets
Huascar Brazobán – W (5)	1.0 IP	0 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	9% CSW
Luke Weaver – HLD (15)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	33% CSW
Devin Williams – SV (15)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	17% CSW

Luke Weaver’s velocity was still down a bit here, and it will be interesting to see how teams value him at the deadline, as there is a chance he is the best reliever actually moved.

Atlanta Braves
Didier Fuentes – HLD (11)	1.0 IP	1 BB	3 K	7 Whiffs	53% CSW
Dylan Lee – HLD (21)	1.0 IP	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Raisel Iglesias – SV (22)	1.0 IP	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	25% CSW

Dylan Lee: Four-Seamer down 1.4 MPH (91.9 vs. 93.3 season avg)
Raisel Iglesias: Sinker down 1.4 MPH (93.2 vs. 94.6 season avg)
I hope this is nothing to worry about, but Raisel Iglesias has been trending in the wrong direction from a stuff perspective recently (Lee is up and down with his velocity).

New York Mets
A.J. Minter	1.0 IP	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	29% CSW
Cionel Pérez	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Daniel Duarte	1.0 IP	2 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	26% CSW

For all the issues the Mets have had this season, the bullpen has not been one of them. Cionel Pérez has been great for them and very well could be the team’s top left-handed reliever a week from now.

Milwaukee Brewers
Chad Patrick	2.0 IP	2 ER	2 H	2 BB	1 K	0 Whiffs	21% CSW
Aaron Ashby	0.1 IP	4 ER	3 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	17% CSW
Bryse Wilson	1.2 IP	3 ER	6 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW
Andrew Vaughn	1.0 IP	3 ER	3 H	2 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	21% CSW

Didn’t think I’d see Andrew Vaughn with a better pitching line than Aaron Ashby today, but That’s baseball, Suzyn.

San Francisco Giants
Sam Hentges	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	2 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	33% CSW
Caleb Kilian	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	28% CSW
Keaton Winn	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW

Meh. Keaton Winn’s fastball was still down over 1.5 MPH here.

Colorado Rockies
Brennan Bernardino	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	9% CSW
Zach Agnos	2.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	30% CSW

San Diego Padres
Griffin Canning – W (2)	3.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	4 K	9 Whiffs	40% CSW
Wandy Peralta – HLD (4)	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW
Bradgley Rodriguez – HLD (7)	0.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Jeremiah Estrada – HLD (7)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	3 K	3 Whiffs	27% CSW
Mason Miller – SV (28)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	47% CSW

Jeremiah Estrada made his return here, and we’ll say with mixed results. The chart below looks very familiar with Estrada’s previous charts this season, with the fastball velocity down 2 MPH and the command all over the place. That said, he did record 3 strikeouts and still holds a K rate above 30% on the season despite the stuff being down. I like the approach, but the execution could be better, and the velocity remains something to keep an eye on.

Texas Rangers
Ben Peoples	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	16% CSW

Tampa Bay Rays
Casey Legumina	1.2 IP	1 H	0 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Garrett Cleavinger – HLD (19)	0.2 IP	0 H	1 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW
Kevin Kelly – HLD (21)	1.0 IP	0 H	3 K	3 Whiffs	64% CSW
Bryan Baker – SV (29)	1.0 IP	1 H	0 K	2 Whiffs	15% CSW

Bryan Baker’s fastball was down a MPH once again, and I still don’t know if it even matters. The swing and miss has taken a hit, but he’s still getting outs for now, so I guess I shouldn’t be too concerned about it?

Cleveland Guardians
Colin Holderman	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Franco Aleman	0.1 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	40% CSW
Erik Sabrowski – W (4)	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	75% CSW
Matt Festa	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	50% CSW
Hunter Gaddis	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	36% CSW
Cade Smith	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	40% CSW

Hunter Gaddis: Four-Seamer down 1.3 MPH (93.8 vs. 95.1 season avg)
Cade Smith: Four-Seamer up 1.2 MPH (98.3 vs. 97.1 season avg)

Cincinnati Reds
Caleb Ferguson	0.2 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	29% CSW
Chase Petty	1.1 IP	2 ER	4 H	1 BB	1 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW
Julian Garcia	1.2 IP	0 ER	1 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	44% CSW
Pierce Johnson	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	50% CSW

I’d hope for more from Chase Petty, but the fastball hasn’t exactly played up out of the pen.

Kansas City Royals
Daniel Lynch IV	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	10% CSW
Steven Cruz	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	17% CSW

Daniel Lynch IV: Sinker up 1.2 MPH (95.6 vs. 94.4 season avg). Nice seeing the velocity increase, but there’s still a severe lack of swing and miss.
Steven Cruz: Four-Seamer up 1.3 MPH (99.6 vs. 98.3 season avg). This is the Royals closer moving forward.

Minnesota Twins
Kendry Rojas	3.0 IP	0 ER	4 H	2 BB	4 K	9 Whiffs	29% CSW

New York Yankees
Fernando Cruz – HLD (17)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	47% CSW
Paul Blackburn – BS (2)	1.2 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	2 K	4 Whiffs	38% CSW
Tim Hill	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	17% CSW
Camilo Doval – BS (4)	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Ryan Yarbrough – L (1)	0.1 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

I know Paul Blackburn has pitched well this year, but I just can’t get excited about him being a leverage guy for the Yankees. That doesn’t feel sustainable.

Chicago White Sox
Chris Murphy	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	2 K	1 Whiffs	26% CSW
Trevor Richards	1.0 IP	1 H	0 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW
Grant Taylor	2.1 IP	0 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
Bryan Hudson	0.2 IP	1 H	0 BB	0 K	3 Whiffs	45% CSW
Jordan Hicks – W (1)	1.0 IP	1 H	1 BB	1 K	3 Whiffs	21% CSW

Jordan Hicks: Sinker up 2.3 MPH (101.2 vs. 98.9 season avg)…this Hicks transformation has been wild.

Chicago Cubs
Jacob Webb	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	3 K	4 Whiffs	62% CSW
Caleb Thielbar	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	39% CSW
Trent Thornton – L (4)	0.1 IP	2 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	19% CSW

Jacob Webb got the eighth here to face the middle of the Cardinals lineup and dominated. He’s still closer option 1A despite the usage here.

St. Louis Cardinals
Justin Bruihl	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	18% CSW
Ryne Stanek	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 BB	2 K	6 Whiffs	29% CSW
George Soriano	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW
Riley O’Brien	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	1 K	4 Whiffs	44% CSW
Luis Gastelum – W (2)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	1 Whiffs	23% CSW

Riley O’Brien: Sinker down 1.2 MPH (96.9 vs. 98.1 season avg). Fastball velocity remains down for O’Brien, but he pitched fairly well here regardless.

Houston Astros
Bennett Sousa – HLD (4)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	0 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW
Steven Okert – HLD (15)	0.2 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW
Bryan Abreu – SV (7)	1.1 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	22% CSW

Bennett Sousa: Four-Seamer down 1.3 MPH (92.9 vs. 94.2 season avg). NO, c’mon man. He has been in the 95 MPH range since returning from the IL, so this should be a concern given his injury history.

Los Angeles Angels
Mitch Farris – L (3)	1.0 IP	3 ER	2 H	3 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	20% CSW
Kirby Yates	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	3 K	5 Whiffs	29% CSW
Brent Suter	2.0 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	2 Whiffs	23% CSW

Blegh.

Boston Red Sox
Tyron Guerrero	1.0 IP	0 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW
Justin Slaten	1.0 IP	1 H	1 K	1 Whiffs	21% CSW
Garrett Whitlock	1.0 IP	1 H	1 K	3 Whiffs	38% CSW
Aroldis Chapman – W (2)	1.0 IP	1 H	2 K	4 Whiffs	36% CSW
Greg Weissert – SV (1)	1.0 IP	0 H	2 K	2 Whiffs	33% CSW

Aroldis Chapman looked great here; the four-seamer was up nearly a MPH, and the splitter got a pair of whiffs. The stuff’s trending in the right direction at the right time.

Athletics
Hayden Juenger – BS (2)	1.1 IP	0 ER	2 H	1 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	15% CSW
Elvis Alvarado	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	2 K	5 Whiffs	33% CSW
Brady Basso	1.1 IP	0 ER	2 H	0 BB	2 K	3 Whiffs	41% CSW
José Suarez – L (6)	1.0 IP	1 ER	1 H	0 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	25% CSW

Elvis Alvarado’s slider looked better here, in limited usage, but this stuff will certainly play as long as the command (which was not ideal here) is good enough.

Seattle Mariners
Michael Rucker	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 K	1 Whiffs	26% CSW
Cole Wilcox	1.0 IP	0 ER	1 H	0 K	0 Whiffs	27% CSW
Alex Hoppe	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	2 K	3 Whiffs	36% CSW

Alex Hoppe’s fastball was sitting at 99.7 here, up 2 MPH on average, and with his slider, yeah, that can work. Hopefully this can be consistent.

Los Angeles Dodgers
Alex Vesia	1.0 IP	0 ER	0 H	1 BB	0 K	2 Whiffs	31% CSW
Tanner Scott	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	1 K	5 Whiffs	36% CSW
Edwin Díaz – SV (5)	1.0 IP	1 ER	2 H	0 BB	0 K	0 Whiffs	0% CSW

Edwin Díaz made his long-awaited return here and ultimately looked…OK, I guess. It’s good to see the fastball velocity improved from earlier in the season, but a 0% CSW on 13 pitches does not instill a ton of confidence that he’s back to his old self. A lot of hard-hit balls in this one too (Naylor’s double is a home run in 12/30 parks, and Raleigh’s flyout is a home run at Yankee Stadium). Maybe we should be hanging on to Tanner Scott for another week or so?

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

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 7/29

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Fantasy Baseball Relief Pitcher Roundup: 7/29

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