Reliever Ranks – 4/13

Welcome back to the newest 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

 

• Nothing to note. Every game went as planned and no notable roster moves occurred.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

 

• In the early afternoon affair between the Red Sox and Tigers, the bullpen usage was completely different on both sides. Boston allowed Rich Hill to pitch into the fifth, letting Hirokazu Sawamura clean up his mess after his exit, but then turned to Garrett Whitlock for the rest of the game. Whitlock came away with the win, tossing four hitless innings with two strikeouts, giving the other bullpen arms a break. He will most likely be unavailable for a couple of days after throwing 39 pitches in this one.
• Detroit, on the other hand, didn’t need a reliever until one out into the sixth inning, but wound up using five different relievers from then on and failed to keep the game tied. Jacob Barnes finished up the sixth after starter Tyler Alexander’s exit but took a blown save as he allowed an inherited runner to score. From there, Joe Jiménez pitched a scoreless seventh before Alex Lange was saddled with the loss after he allowed two runs to cross the plate in the eighth. Will Vest and Jason Foley capped off the eighth and ninth, holding the score at 5-3, but the Tigers were unable to mount a comeback.

 

• Cleveland starter, Shane Bieber, was hitless through five, but fell apart in the sixth, forcing the bullpen into action. Former position player Anthony Gose was called upon first and he promptly gave up a homer to the first batter he faced before escaping the inning without any further damage. Anthony Castro pitched a perfect seventh, setting up Trevor Stephan to blank the Reds in the eighth, securing himself a win after the Guardians exploded for six runs in the top of the ninth. Sam Hentges was easily able to close things out in the ninth with the huge lead provided to him.
• The other Ohio team was forced to use five relievers after starter Tyler Mahle lasted just four innings. Jeff Hoffman made it easier on the rest of the relief corps by making it through two innings without giving up a run, while Art Warren and Tony Santillan tacked on two more scoreless innings to keep the game tied. Offseason addition Hunter Strickland undid all of their hard work by giving up a home run to Andrés Giménez and allowing two more baserunners before being replaced by rookie Daniel Duarte who walked the first batter he faced before giving up a grand slam to perennial AL MVP candidate José Ramírez. It was a rough ninth inning for the Reds, to say the least.

 

• On the South Side, the Mariners’ offense spoiled Matt Brash’s debut by giving the pitching staff just two runs of support, leaving them little room to make mistakes. After Brash’s electric debut, manager Scott Servais turned to Matt Festa, Drew Steckenrider, and Diego Castillo. Both Festa and Steckenrider were unscored upon while Castillo allowed Luis Robert to score in the eighth following two stolen bases subsequent to a base on balls.
• The White Sox pen had to cover six innings and were definitely up to the task. Rookie Bennett Sousa was the first reliever out of the bullpen and he was followed by 1.2 perfect innings from the arm of Reynaldo López who walked away with the win. Aaron Bummer and Kendall Graveman each secured their second holds of the season with scoreless appearances of their own. Locked in closer, Liam Hendriks, was shaky in the ninth, needing 25 pitches to close things out, but he got the job done, recording his first save of the young campaign.

 

• It was a pitchers’ duel between the Cubs and Pirates on Tuesday. Chris Martin and Ethan Roberts were able to continue what starter Drew Smyly started by posting a scoreless sixth and seventh, respectively. Mychal Givens pitched the eighth, serving up a home run to Bryan Reynolds but striking out the other three batters he faced. All three of those relievers were credited with a hold for their efforts. David Robertson was once again brought in for the save opportunity and converted it successfully for the second time this season. It will be important to monitor this situation over the next couple of weeks as it looks as though manager David Ross has a lot of confidence in the veteran Robertson as of now.
• The Pirates bullpen did their best to keep their team in the game but it just wasn’t enough as their offense mustered just the one run. Anthony Banda relieved starter José Quintana with 1.2 innings, recording three strikeouts and giving up a bomb to Seiya Suzuki, his second of the game. High leverage arms Chris Stratton and David Bednar were called upon in the eighth and ninth, respectively, to keep the game close, but it was all for naught as the Pirates failed to mount a late-inning comeback.

 

• There was a lot of ground to cover for the Toronto arm barn after Yusei Kikuchi needed 84 pitches to get through 3.1 innings. David Phelps, Julian Merryweather, and Tim Mayza combined for 2.2 perfect innings, yet none of them recorded a strikeout. Anthony Kay pitched the seventh and eighth innings, striking out three batters and allowing a run on two hits and a walk in the process. The big arms in this pen remain rested for the next two games of the series.
• Turning to some of their top arms, the Yankees’ pitching staff was lights out on Tuesday. Clay Holmes took home the win because starter Nestor Cortes Jr. was unable to last five innings. He did his part, though, by eating 1.2 innings and striking out two batters before turning things over to Miguel Castro and Jonathan Loáisiga, each of whom recorded their first holds of the season with scoreless appearances. Aroldis Chapman appeared in his customary ninth-inning role, but in a non-save situation with a four-run lead, affording him a painless day of work. He should be good to go again on Wednesday after tossing just 14 pitches.

 

• The Milwaukee bullpen did their thing yesterday, recording 4.2 innings of scoreless ball and keeping their offense in it long enough to walk away with the win. Jake Cousins struck out three across 1.1 innings, Hoby Milner was rewarded with a win after facing just a single batter, while Brad Boxberger and Devin Williams each recorded their second holds of the season. All-Star closer, Josh Hader, was called upon in the ninth with a one-run lead and immediately allowed a double to the first batter he faced, putting the tying run in scoring position. The lanky lefty was able to settle down, however, recording his second save of the 2022 season following a couple of strikeouts, a walk, and a flyout.
• On the opposite side, the Orioles’ pen did their best impression of the Brewers, covering six innings and allowing just one run, but it wasn’t enough as the O’s bats were overpowered by the elite Milwaukee arms. Keegan Akin ate the majority of the innings, lasting eight outs and allowing just one baserunner. The next man up, Felix Bautista, took the loss after giving up a couple of hits and a run to the middle of the Milwaukee lineup. Cionel Pérez, Bryan Baker, and Joey Krehbiel kept Baltimore in it with 2.2 uneventful innings, but it wasn’t enough as the Orioles dropped their fourth game of the year.

 

• The matchup between the A’s and Rays was an extra-innings shootout, finishing with a final score of 8-9. The A’s bullpen was bit by a disaster performance from their starter (1.1 IP), so they had a lot of ground to make up. Jacob Lemoine (1 ER) worked as the bulk reliever, covering 2.1 innings before Adam Kolarek (1 ER) and Dany Jiménez (0 ER) worked 1.1 innings each of their own. Manager Mark Kotsay turned to Kirby Snead, Domingo Acevedo, and Sam Moll successfully (0 ER across 2 IP) to finish off the regulation innings before closer Lou Trivino blew up in the 10th, allowing Manuel Margot to knock in Wander Franco on a walk-off single. There aren’t many appealing options in this bullpen, so Trivino will get another shot, but performances like this aren’t going to help his case to remain the closer on a team that will need to make the most out of every one of their opportunities to win.
• The Rays were in a similar boat, having to cover nearly as many innings with their bullpen as their counterpart after their starter lasted just 1.2 innings. Kevin Cash sent Jeffrey Springs out first and watched him pitch 1.1 clean innings before turning to Brooks Raley who recorded his first hold of the year with two scoreless innings of his own. Those two were followed by an inning from Matt Wisler (H, 1 R, 0 ER) and three innings from Ralph Garza Jr. (BS, 3 ER). Ryan Thompson was the last man on the mound for Tampa Bay, and as a result of the walk-off, took home the win.

 

• After another great performance by Tylor Megill, the Mets’ relief corps continued to shut down a dangerous Phillies offense. Chasen Shreve and Drew Smith each notched their second holds of the year, setting the table for Edwin Díaz’s return to the mound. The right-handed slinger allowed a couple of singles but was otherwise dominant, striking out the side and recording his first save of the season in the process.
• The Philadelphia relievers backed up Zack Wheeler’s season debut with a performance that wasn’t necessarily noteworthy. Cristopher Sánchez ate 2.2 innings as Wheeler’s pitch count was depressed and, from there, Connor Brogdon and Jeurys Familia finished off an uneventful night for the Phillies.

 

• Squandering an incredible season debut from Jesús Luzardo, the new-look Miami bullpen was not at its best on Tuesday. Last-minute offseason additions Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser both got into this one, Scott giving up a home run to Anthony Rendon and Sulser pitching a scoreless eighth. Anthony Bass also made an appearance, breezing through a clean seventh inning. Anthony Bender, however, didn’t have a fun night, recording just one out before losing his command and giving up a walk-off fielder’s choice that sent Angels fans home happy. He was saddled with the loss and will need to bounce back if he wants to maintain his hold on the closer role in a crowded Miami pen.
• We weren’t sure what to expect from the Angels after they turned to their top three relief arms on Monday, but we got a glimpse of Joe Maddon’s contingency plan yesterday. Oliver Ortega took the bulk role, locking down two innings after the starter was lifted. Mike Mayers quickly surrendered the lead on a Jazz Chisholm Jr. dinger in the seventh, but things turned out okay in the end. Jimmy Herget tossed 1.1 scoreless before turning the ball over to closer Raisel Iglesias in a tie ballgame in the ninth. Iglesias walked away with the win after the walk-off in the bottom half of the inning and will most likely be unavailable on Wednesday, having pitched back-to-back games.

 

• In Atlanta, a blowout ensued, and no one out of the Washington pen was able to stop the bleeding. Austin Voth gave up four runs (three earned) in 1.1 innings, while Paolo Espino followed suit, allowing three runners to score across three innings of work. With the score sitting at 13-3, Dave Martinez turned to a position player, Dee Strange-Gordon, to give the rest of the bullpen a rest in a game that was completely out of reach. Strange-Gordon nearly killed a man with this hit by pitch, however. Glad to see everyone’s okay after that scary incident.
• On the positive side of the blowout, Atlanta didn’t need to turn to any high leverage relievers. Darren O’Day was allowed to face a singular batter and got the job done. Jackson Stephens made his Atlanta debut, going the distance for a rare three-inning save. Both bullpens will be fully rested for Wednesday’s rematch.

 

• It was a tight game up until the very end between the Dodgers and the Twins. The first man out of the Los Angeles pen was hard-throwing righty Brusdar Graterol and he was surprisingly followed by long-time starter David Price for a two-batter appearance. After Daniel Hudson pitched a clean seventh, the LA bats woke up, rewarding the veteran right-hander with his first win of the year. With the six-run lead, Dave Roberts turned to Garrett Cleavinger and Evan Phillips to close things out.
• The Twins kept things close until a disastrous eighth inning. Before that nightmare frame, Josh Winder, Danny Coulombe, and Joe Smith pitched effectively. Emilio Pagán, Caleb Thielbar, and Jhon Romero, combined to allow eight baserunners and six runs in that singular inning alone. Jharel Cotton was allowed to get some work in as the game was all but finished by then. It wasn’t a good look for a crew that traded away their ace closer prior to Opening Day.

 

• Doing their best to keep their team in the game after Daniel Lynch’s less-than-stellar performance, Joel Payamps, Amir Garrett, and Dylan Coleman combined for three scoreless innings with one hit, one walk, and one strikeout in the loss to the Cardinals. It’s encouraging to see a closer candidate like Garrett begin to look more like his old self after a year of struggles with the Reds in 2021.
• The Cardinals turned to Jordan Hicks as the first pitcher out of the pen, confusing many, as it was widely reported that he would be the team’s #5 starter. Nonetheless, he pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts, showcasing his customary high-velocity sinker, stealing the win in the process. Nick Wittgren followed him, allowing a run but still recording his second hold of the year. Génesis Cabrera worked the eighth and allowed a run of his own, but was also awarded a hold for his efforts. With a one-run lead in the ninth, Giovanny Gallegos shut things down, notching his first save of the season. He looks to be locked into the closer role despite everything manager Oliver Marmol has said to negate that.

 

• A solid performance from the relief corps is what Rockies fans wanted, and that’s exactly what they got. Following Chad Kuhl’s team debut, Colorado was able to shut down the Rangers and walk away with the win. Jhoulys Chacín got some help from his defense on a home-run robbery from offseason acquisition Randal Grichuk, but nonetheless, tossed 2.2 hitless innings, setting up the back end of the bullpen to shut things down. The eighth was locked down by Carlos Estévez who walked away with his first hold of the season. In the ninth, manager Bud Black turned to Daniel Bard to close the game out. Bard converted his second successful save of the season with a 14-pitch inning and could see more save opportunities going forward if he keeps this up.
• The home team relied on five different relievers pitching one-inning stints. Texas led off with Greg Holland, who was unscored upon and sent Kolby Allard out for another scoreless inning. Spencer Patton, Josh Sborz, and John King pitched the final three innings of the game, with Patton being the only one to allow a run and Sborz the only one to strike out multiple batters. Closer Joe Barlow wasn’t available in this one after pitching back-to-back days, but he wasn’t needed in a game in which the Rangers could scratch across just one run.

 

• It was a close matchup in Arizona on Tuesday night, but the Astros were able to pull through. After a scoreless start from Luis Garcia, Bryan Abreu allowed a run in his 1.1 innings of work before turning the ball over to the rest of the bullpen. That group was able to shut down the Diamondbacks for the rest of the game, leaving enough time for the Astros’ offense to scratch across a run in the top of the ninth. Blake Taylor and Phil Maton had clean outings, with Maton setting down two batters on strikes. Héctor Neris received the decision after a perfect inning of his own with two strikeouts as well, setting things up for closer Ryan Pressly to enter the game and notch his third save of the campaign. It’s a welcome sign to see Pressly locking down multiple saves early on, as he claimed just 26 saves in 28 chances last year for an Astros team that made the World Series.
• Despite the tough matchup, the Diamondbacks were able to keep the game tied for three innings after their starter’s departure. Noé Ramirez, J.B. Wendelken, Joe Mantiply, and Ian Kennedy combined for three scoreless innings, despite not striking anyone out, all for Mark Melancon to blow the game in the top of the ninth. In this day and age, it’s pretty incredible to see a pitching staff combine for just two strikeouts (all from the starter) in a full nine-inning game.

 

• The other massive blowout on Tuesday came in San Francisco where Yu Darvish gave up nine earned runs in less than two innings, leaving the game out of reach right out of the gate. The lopsided score allowed manager Bob Melvin to turn to low-leverage relievers that needed to get work in or needed to gain some confidence. Robert Suarez was one of those relievers after he blew up in his first MLB appearance, but he seems to have gotten things under control in his last two outings. Nabil Crismatt, Austin Adams, and Dinelson Lamet all got to throw some pitches before the Padres threw in the towel and let Wil Myers throw some BP.
• On the winning side, the Giants followed Alex Cobb’s season debut with Jarlín García, Tyler Beede, and Yunior Marte. It was a much-needed day off for the late-inning arms in this bullpen. It was also cool to see Beede get back on a Major League mound for the first time since last July. He could be a difference-maker on this pitching staff in whatever capacity Gabe Kapler deems his best fit.