Reliever Ranks – 10/5

Welcome back to the latest edition of our Reliever Ranks series! This will bring you up-to-date bullpen depth charts every morning for the day’s games and makes for an excellent tool for those looking to stream saves or wins. This series runs seven days a week, so check in every morning to get your daily bullpen fix!

 

Notes

Transaction and Schedule Notes

 

• It’s the final day of the regular season! Congrats on making it this far and good luck if you’re in the throws of a fantasy title chase.
• Three doubleheaders occurred on Tuesday as 17 games were played. The Yankees squared off for two games in Arlington against the Rangers, the Nationals played a pair of affairs in Queens against the Mets, and the Tigers traveled to Seattle to take on the Mariners in a twin-billing. The matchup between the Blue Jays and Orioles was postponed due to inclement weather.

 

• Every team will be in action on the final day of the season. Besides the morning makeup game between the Jays and O’s, every game will start around the same time (4 PM ET).
• The following teams punched their tickets to the postseason and could rest high-leverage relievers for the next two games: NYY, TBR, TOR, CLE, SEA, HOU, PHI, ATL, NYM, STL, LAD, and SDP. Conversely, teams out of it may give higher-leverage looks to different arms.

 

• The Kansas City Royals placed Taylor Clarke on the 15-day IL with a strained right elbow. Carlos Hernández will enter the chart for the final day of the season.
• Matt Bush was placed on the 15-day by the Milwaukee Brewers with an undisclosed illness. Hoby Milner will replace him on the chart as a holds option.
• The New York Yankees placed Ron Marinaccio on the 15-day IL with a stress reaction in his right shin. The recently returned Miguel Castro could have a shot at a hold today.

 

• Many teams have yet to announce their starters for the final day of the season. It would stand to reason that these teams have a high probability of turning to a bullpen game in order to keep their starters healthy heading into the post/offseason. The following teams haven’t decided on a starter today: TOR (x2), STL, NYM, SFG, SDP, ATL, MIA, and COL.

 

NYY 5 – TEX 4 (Game 1)

• Everyone’s eyes were on the Yankees’ offense in game one, but it was the bullpen that shined through. The three-man combo of Aroldis Chapman, Greg Weissert, and Jonathan Loáisiga finished off game one, each of them earning a decision. Chapman was awarded his fourth win after a perfect, two-strikeout seventh. He was followed by a perfect frame from Weissert that resulted in the right-hander’s second hold. In the absence of the injured Clay Holmes, Loáisiga closed out the ninth for his second save.
• One of the great relief stories of the season ended on a sour note. Brock Burke was tagged with his fifth loss and fifth blown save after allowing two runs to score across four outs. He maintained his sub-2.00 ERA though, and it will be interesting to see in 2023 if he is legitimately a relief ace or if he is just a one-year wonder. Dennis Santana and Jonathan Hernández mopped up with five scoreless outs.

 

NYY 2 – TEX 3 (Game 2)

• I don’t think any Yankee fan cared about the final score in game two. Despite a solid starting pitching performance, the Bombers went home defeated. Clarke Schmidt covered the final two frames flawlessly.
• The Rangers utilized the opener strategy and it led to a historic moment. On a 1-1 count with nobody out in the top of the first inning, Jésus Tinoco served up a dinger to Aaron Judge. It was his 62nd of the campaign, setting the American League record for most home runs in a single season. The homer has a silver lining for Tinoco as his name will be in the record books alongside Judge for eternity. Kolby Allard was the follower, going four strong innings, allowing just one run on four baserunners while striking out six. He induced 10 whiffs and a 35% CSW across 60 pitches on his way to his first win. Taylor Hearn pitched the next three innings without surrendering a hit and was awarded his second hold as a result. Matt Moore finished things off in the ninth with a perfect inning for his fourth save. The outing pushed his ERA south of two (1.97, 73 IP) making him one of just four players with at least 70 innings pitched to post a sub-2.00 ERA.

 

WSN 2 – NYM 4 (Game 1)

• The two Washington relievers matched the starter’s innings total and completely outclassed him. Jordan Weems and Andres Machado pitched a pair of innings apiece and failed to allow a man to cross home. Weems induced six whiffs on 20 fastballs alone as he fanned a batter for half of his outs.
• The Mets didn’t push their starter past four frames, so four relievers were needed to finish off the final five. Drew Smith and David Peterson each posted a scoreless inning. Adam Ottavino set up for the closer by recording five outs and his sixth win. In the ninth, trumpets blared in Citi Field for what could be the last time during the regular season. Edwin Díaz secured his 32nd save across four outs, striking out his 118th batter. He is the only reliever with more than 100 strikeouts. He also lowered his ERA to 1.31 (62 IP), the third-lowest among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched. The last point I’ll make about him is that he leads all relievers with 2.9 fWAR.

 

WSN 0 – NYM 8 (Game 2)

• Game two wasn’t nearly exciting, but the bullpen work made up for it. The Nationals’ starter couldn’t escape the first inning, surrendering seven runs. That forced the relief corps’ hand and seven different arms emerged from the bullpen. Reed Garrett was the only reliever to record more than three outs as he completed the first and pitched a clean second. The next three frames were covered, without event, by Mason Thompson, Hunter Harvey, and Steve Cishek. Carl Edwards Jr. surrendered the only run against the bullpen on Francisco Álvarez’s first career long ball. Kyle Finnegan and Erasmo Ramírez ended things with a scoreless inning apiece.
• Going with the opposite strategy, only two New York relievers appeared but they were forced to cover 14 outs. Stephen Nogosek pitched the first eight, allowing no runs and striking out six batters in a dominant performance. Tylor Megill tossed the final duo of frames without permitting a run.

 

KCR 3 – CLE 5

• No one could touch the two members of the Kansas City bullpen. Collin Snider and Anthony Misiewicz combined for 10 outs and nary a runner reached base during that time.
• The Guardians once again showed off the strength of their pitching staff. After the starter went five innings of one-run ball, Zach Plesac and Sam Hentges each pitched a perfect frame. They were followed by James Karinchak who allowed a run in the eighth. Emmanuel Clase allowed another run in the ninth, but it was of the unearned variety. He also locked down his MLB-leading 42nd save of the season. He sports the lowest ERA (1.36 ERA, 72.2 IP) in the Majors among pitchers who have thrown at least 70 innings.

 

DET 6 – SEA 7 (Game 1)

• The Tigers knew it was going to be a long day as soon as the first half of their doubleheader reached extras. Before that, they blew a save that led to extras. Alex Lange surrendered two runs in the seventh to blow his fourth save. Andrew Chafin finished the seventh, Miguel Diaz pitched a clean eighth, and Jason Foley threw a perfect ninth. With a one-run lead in the 10th, Gregory Soto permitted a walk-off sac-fly to Abraham Toro and was saddled with his 10th loss and third blown save.
• It didn’t start off well but the Mariners’ bullpen finished strong to secure the win. Matt Festa gave up two runs across two innings but was supported by his bullpen mates. Erik Swanson pitched two clean frames before Andrés Muñoz struck out two in a scoreless ninth to force extras. He fired the second, third, and fourth fastest pitches of the day, topping out at 101.7 mph with his fastball. Luis Torrens, a backup catcher, came away as the winning pitcher after allowing just the zombie runner to score in the top of the 10th. It was his first career win.

 

DET 6 – SEA 9 (Game 2)

• In game two, the Tigers turned to an opener. Will Vest got two outs and allowed a run before making way for Elvin Rodriguez. The rookie wasn’t great, surrendering six runs across 11 outs and inducing just 9 whiffs and a 21% CSW across 94 pitches. Garrett Hill allowed a couple more runs across the next five outs and Daniel Norris was the only Detroit arm to go unscored upon. He struck out four across two perfect innings.
• Penn Murfee and Matt Brash set up for the closer in the second half of the doubleheader. Murfee served up a dinger to Spencer Torkelson across two innings to notch his eighth hold. Brash recorded his ninth hold for pitching a flawless eighth. In the ninth, Diego Castillo set down the side in order for his seventh save.

 

STL 8 – PIT 7

• The Cardinals used a variety of pitchers in their victory over the Pirates. The starter exited in the third and needed help from Andre Pallante who also went on to pitch a clean fourth. JoJo Romero tossed two scoreless innings after him and preceded Jack Flaherty’s 2022 bullpen debut. Ryan Helsley began the eighth but exited early due to a jammed middle finger. Nonetheless, the one out he got lowered his ERA to 1.25 (64.2 IP), the second-lowest mark in baseball (min. 60 IP). He also unleashed the fastest pitch of the night in his short time on the mound – a 102.2 mph four-seamer. Zack Thompson closed out that inning before Chris Stratton pitched both the ninth and the 10th to earn his 10th win.
• Going with dual starters didn’t work out for the Buccos. The first starter didn’t survive the third and Bryse Wilson covered the next 10 outs. He allowed two runs on five baserunners and struck out only one batter. He forced just a sole swing and miss and produced a mediocre 20% CSW on 50 pitches. Duane Underwood Jr. permitted an unearned run in the seventh and was tagged with his third blown save despite recording all three of his outs by way of the strikeout. Robert Stephenson pitched a perfect eighth and has now pitched to a 3.44 ERA (13.1 IP) with an 18/1 K/BB ratio since leaving Colorado. David Bednar pitched a scoreless ninth but Chase De Jong allowed the zombie runner to score in the 10th and was saddled with his third loss.

 

CHC 2 – CIN 3

• The Chicago pen was unable to hold the lead handed to it by the starter. Not only did Keegan Thompson blow his first save by permitting two runs across eight outs, but Brandon Hughes also took his third loss when he allowed Spencer Steer to walk things off with a double.
• The Cincinnati pen was able to capitalize on the mistakes made by the opposition. Ian Gibaut pitched a hitless sixth, Fernando Cruz allowed a run in the seventh, and Buck Farmer got the first two outs of the eighth. Alexis Díaz secured the final out of that frame before tossing a perfect ninth. He was awarded his third win for his efforts and likely finishes his season with his current 1.84 ERA (63.2 IP), a top-10 mark among pitchers with at least 60 innings pitched.

 

ATL 2 – MIA 1

• It was a playoff preview for the Atlanta arm barn as they showed what they’re going to be putting forth in the NLDS. Collin McHugh, Raisel Iglesias, and A.J. Minter each recorded a hold with scoreless frames. It was McHugh’s 17th hold as he lowered his ERA to 2.60 (69.1 IP). Iglesias notched his 15th hold and dropped his ERA to 2.47 (62 IP). Minter leads baseball with his 34 holds and now sports a 2.06 ERA (70 IP). Kenley Jansen closed out the ninth in flawless fashion to secure the National League lead with 41 saves.
• The Marlins’ relief corps was just as effective but their offense didn’t back them up. Huascar Brazoban, Tommy Nance, Tanner Scott, and Dylan Floro combined for 4.1 scoreless innings but left with nothing to show for it (other than improved ERAs).

 

TBR 0 – BOS 6

• In a matchup that had no playoff implications, the game was called after five innings. The Rays still found a way to utilize three relievers. Garrett Cleavinger pitched a hitless fourth but Colin Poche served up a grand slam to Xander Bogaerts in the fifth. Brooks Raley was unable to close out the inning before the game was called due to rain.
• Nathan Eovaldi was credited with a complete game when the umpires halted play.

 

ARI 0 – MIL 3

• Just two arms appeared for the DBacks but they couldn’t do much to change the fact their offense couldn’t score. Ian Kennedy tossed a scoreless sixth and Taylor Widener did the same across the seventh and eighth.
• The Brewers also tapped into their bullpen to the same tune as the opposition, but they had the support of runs. Jake Cousins locked down his first hold by holding the Snakes scoreless across the seventh and eighth. Peter Strzelecki then came aboard and set Arizona down one-two-three to secure his first career save.

 

PHI 0 – HOU 10

• Not at their best, the Phillies’ pitching staff didn’t have much to play for considering the lack of offense. Chris Devenski surrendered two runs across five outs before turning the ball over to Connor Brogdon and David Robertson. Each of them posted a scoreless outing, pushing the game to the eighth. There, Seranthony Domínguez allowed two more runs to increase the deficit to double-digits.
• The Astros nearly threw a no-hitter. The starter kept the opposition hitless through the first five frames. Hunter Brown kept it going across the next seven outs as he lowered his debut season ERA to 0.89 (20.1 IP). Héctor Neris finish the eighth without allowing a hit, setting up one final inning before a combined no-no. Unfortunately, Will Smith allowed a single to the first batter he faced before completing the shutout.

 

MIN 3 – CHW 8

• The Twins turned the game over to the bullpen in the third inning. Aaron Sanchez finished the third and the fourth, allowing four runs (three earned) along the way. The next four frames were perfect. Jovani Moran pitched a pair of innings while striking out three, Emilio Pagán K’d two in the seventh, and Jorge López punched out one in the eighth.
• Jake Diekman and José Ruiz were the only arms to pitch for the South Siders. The former was perfect in the eighth and the latter served up the first dinger of Jermaine Palacios‘ career before closing out the game.

 

LAA 1 – OAK 2

• Unable to hold on in extras, the Angels suffered another tough loss. Andrew Wantz surrendered a run across four outs and Rob Zastryzny completed the final two outs of the eighth. Ryan Tepera pitched a clean ninth before permitting a walk-off walk to Shea Langeliers in the 10th.
• The Oakland bullpen was pretty lights out. Austin Pruitt tossed a perfect seventh before Tyler Cyr pitched a scoreless eighth. Domingo Acevedo pitched the ninth but was tagged with his fourth blown save upon surrendering an unearned run. A.J. Puk pitched the top of the 10th prior to the walk-off and was subsequently awarded his fourth win for his hitless frame.

 

SFG 2 – SDP 6

• A lack of offense was the main reason for a loss, but the Giants were also hurt by their arm barn. Jharel Cotton surrendered four runs in the sixth to set San Francisco back. Luis Ortiz finished that frame and pitched a scoreless seventh. Cole Waites ended SF bullpen work but not before serving up a dinger to Wil Myers.
• The Padres would have thrown a shutout had it not been for Luis García surrendering two runs in the eighth. He made up for it by firing the fifth-fastest pitch of the day – a 100.6 mph fastball. Before his poor outing, Robert Suarez pitched a perfect inning and after Nick Martinez recorded all three of his outs via the strikeout in the ninth.

 

COL 5 – LAD 2

• Closing the victory out in impressive fashion, the Rockies took down the mighty Dodgers. It took two scoreless innings from Dinelson Lamet who struck out four and recorded his fourth hold. In the ninth, Daniel Bard closed things out to secure his 34th save of the season. He dropped his ERA to 1.79 (60.1 IP) in what has turned out to be an incredible season from a 37-year-old pitcher in Colorado.
• The Dodgers found no reason to waste arms this late in the season so they piggybacked Andrew Heaney with the starter. The left-hander pitched four innings, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out seven. He induced 11 whiffs on 62 pitches while producing a 35% CSW.

 

Bullpen Depth Charts

Also, if you’re looking for a detailed list or ranking of RPs, check out Rick Graham’s weekly pieces:

The Hold Up: Ranking the Top 100 Relievers for Holds Every Thursday

Closing Time: Ranking the Top 30 Closers

Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues

 

Photos by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Doug Carlin (@Bdougals on Twitter)