Reliever Ranks – 4/23

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

 

• The following teams don’t have another scheduled day off through April and will need to manage their bullpen usage carefully to avoid over-working in the next two weeks – BOS, TOR, TEX, CLE, STL, ARI.

 

• Weather played a role in COL@DET as the game was PPD. Additionally, today’s game becomes a double-header.

 

• Cincinnati activated Lucas Sims from the 10-day IL and optioned Ryan Hendrix. Sims becomes a contender for the closer role.

 

• The Los Angeles Dodgers moved Blake Treinen to the 10-day IL with right shoulder discomfort. Garrett Cleavinger was recalled for bullpen depth.

 

• Holds-machine Pierce Johnson experienced right elbow tendinitis and was placed on the 10-day IL. Ray Kerr gets recalled from the minors.

 

• San Francisco recalled Jakob Junis, who will serve as a bulk reliever/starter in place of Tony Disco.

 

• The Rays placed Chris Mazza on the 10-day IL after lower back spasms kept him out of action. In his place, Colin Pache makes his return to the MLB.

 

• For the Rays, we could see Jalen Beeks get extended innings with J.P. Feyereisen will be used as an opener.

 

• Mets long-reliever Trevor Williams gets a spot start, leading to bulk innings and a potential cultured win for Sean Reid-Foley. 

 

• Lastly, Aaron Sanchez will start for Washington. Austin Voth would be the likely candidate to vulture a win. Voth hasn’t pitched since Thursday and the Nationals depleted much of the bullpen last night.

 

• Boston’s Garrett Whitlock is making his first start, and shouldn’t be expected to go past four innings. Expect Kutter Crawford to get a couple of innings today.

 

 

Yesterday’s Performances

 

• Hunter Greene only managed 3.1 innings, with noticeably decreased velocity, and the team was forced to use the bullpen early. The most-used arm was Jeff Hoffman, who threw 35 pitches while allowing an earned run over three hits and a walk. The bullpen kept things quiet as Luis Cessa, Dauri Moreta, Alexis Diaz, and Buck Farmer combined for four scoreless frames with minimal baserunners.

 

• On the other side of the diamond, the Cardinals’ bullpen was also outstanding. Nick Wittgren walked a batter in the sixth inning, but not before registering three outs. Following him, Ryan Helsley and Génesis Cabrera were lights out(2.0 IP, 4 K). Lastly, Giovanny Gallegos shut the door for his fourth save. He did make things intense, as the ninth started with a leadoff Alejo Lopez single and Colin Moran run-scoring double.

 

• The Giants employed an unorthodox strategy as bulk RP Sam Long began the game with two-inning of scoreless baseball. Following Long was newly-called up (and former SP) Jakob Junis, who went five strong innings. Junis only allowed three baserunners and struck out four. Up by seven runs, the Giants turned the ball over to lower-leverage reliever Yunior Marte, who was sharp with nine of his 11 pitches for strikes.  Lastly, Jarlín García induced a game-ending double-play after allowing a walk to Nelson Cruz.

 

• Starter Patrick Corbin put the Nats in a big hole early and couldn’t make it out of the second inning. This unsettling performance gave way for Erasmo Ramírez to find plenty of work. He hurled 43 pitches over his 3.1 innings of work and didn’t allow a run with three strikeouts. Francisco Perez and Patrick Murphy tossed a scoreless sixth and seventh inning, though Perez looked shaky as he walked a pair of batters. The night was concluded by former SP Paolo Espino scattering three hits over his two innings of work.

 

• Eli Morgan started the game but only lasted three innings. With plenty of work, the Guardians inserted a pair of left-handed multi-inning RPs (Tanner Tully and Konnor Pilkington). Before those two, Logan Allen gave up an earned run in the fourth inning. The Cleveland bullpen allowed two earned runs on six hits and two walks.

 

• On the other side, the Yankees rested the bullpen another night and gave Michael King three innings for reliever duties. He looked filthy( 3 IP, 1 H, 8 Ks) and found whiffs on every pitch he threw (sinker 4, four-seam 3, curveball 1, and changeup 4). Oh yeah, and Aroldis Chapman fired a one-hit, two K ninth innings to pick up his fourth save. Chapman has pitched three of the last four games and could be unavailable tonight, and it could be Johnny Lasagna’s time if a save opportunity arises.

 

• In relief, Aaron Ashby did not look comfortable as he allowed three earned runs in 2.1 innings of work. Although, he did strike out four and drove his pitch count up to 53 as he works towards a starting role. Brad Boxberger didn’t allow a run, but two batters reached base. After two nights off, the Milwaukee bullpen is fully rested and available.

 

• Seranthony Domínguez returned to form for Philly and struck out a pair over 1.1 innings pitched. Shortly after that, José Alvarado coughed up the lead when Andrew McCutchen hit a sac fly in the seventh inning. Next, Nick Nelson fired a scoreless inning and was credited the win. Closing the festivities, Corey Knebel earned his third save on the season.

 

• The Red Sox jumped out to an early four-run lead in three innings, and outside of an unearned run from Matt Strahm, the bullpen was stout. Holds were given out like candy on Halloween as Hansel Robles, Matt Strahm, Austin Davis, and Jake Diekman were credited with them. However, Diekman’s night wasn’t spectacular; he walked three batters in the ninth before Matt Barnes collected the game’s final out. For Barnes, this is his first save of the season and inches him back to the closer duties.

 

• After Corey Kluber was knocked around in five innings, Junior Guerra fired a clean sixth inning. Next, returning from the IL, Colin Poche struck out one and kept anyone from reaching base. Finally, completing the game was Phoenix Sanders, and he tossed a pair of scoreless innings. Since Tuesday, we haven’t seen any of the primary Tampa bullpen arms, so expect all hands on deck for the next few days.

 

• The Marlins bullpen hasn’t pitched much in the past few days. So, they turned the ball over to Louis Head in the sixth, where he earned his fifth scoreless appearance of the season. Following Head, Cole Sulser was charged with two unearned runs after a Brian Anderson error. However, the pitcher on the mound was groundball-specialist Richard Bleier, who allowed the double to Matt Olson. Lastly, Cody Poteet found some work, albeit 11 pitches, but scoreless nonetheless.

 

• After starter Kyle Wright made the Marlins look silly for six innings, veteran Darren O’Day pitched less than an inning and received his second hold on the season. Coming in for the final out of the seventh and all of the eighth innings, Tyler Matzek was dealing. He tossed 20 pitches with 14 strikes and sat down three batters via strikeout. Kenley Jansen earned his fourth save by striking out a pair in an efficient relief appearance. Jansen now has five straight clean innings and looks locked in after a bumpy opening act on April 8th.

 

• For Toronto, starter Ross Stripling only lasted four innings. Needing a multi-inning RP, the club turned to Trent Thornton, who kept the scoreboard empty for two innings. Adam Cimber was next in line and delivered his scoreless frame with one K. Due to late heroics from the offense, Tim Mayza found his first win on the season after a pair of strikeouts in the eighth inning. Finally, Jordan Romano continues his dominance with another save, giving him a league-leading eight on the year. Expect Romano to get an evening off, and Yimi García in line for the save chance.

 

• The only problem in Houston’s bullpen was Héctor Neris. After allowing a Matt Chapman double to score a run, he was charged with the loss. However, Phil Maton and Rafael Montero combined for two scoreless frames before the turbulence and only allowed one base runner. Should manager Dusty Baker feel like going elsewhere, Ryne Stanek is fully rested for a save chance tonight.

 

• The White Sox didn’t need much relief pitching in his game. Jose Ruiz picked up his fourth hold on the season with a scoreless inning and one K. Also, collecting his fourth hold was left-handed setup Aaron Bummer. Finally, pitching on back-to-back nights was Kendall Graveman; and he didn’t fare so well. In a 25 pitch, 1.1 inning appearance, Graveman allowed two hits and a walk before the winning run crossed the plate. He’s likely unavailable for tonight’s action.

 

• For the Twins, Griffin Jax has looked comfortable in a multi-inning role. He hurled two scoreless innings and only allowed one base runner. Making an appearance in the eighth, Tyler Duffey picked up his first W. And concluding the game, Emilio Pagán earns his second save in back-to-back nights. He allowed two walks and a hit, but the big news was no runs! He’ll likely be unavailable, and Minnesota could use fireballer Jhoan Duran in the ninth.

 

• Baltimore was a bullpen with question marks, but last night’s game should indicate things to come. Felix Bautista notched his first hold after a one-hit scoreless seventh inning. Following Felix, Cionel Pérez sat down the Angels and didn’t allow a score. Lastly, Jorge López flashed his skills with a pair of Ks to grab his third save on the season. Yes, López’s usage may be all over the board, but he’s the closer.

 

• After an Archie Bradley blowup that put three earned runs on the board, the Angels elected to use lesser-known arms and preserve the primaries for another night.

 

• Mets closer Edwin Díaz blew his first save of the season. He has looked outstanding until tonight but backs his way into a win thanks to a Starling Marte RBI single. Perhaps some of the misfortune is from overuse as Díaz was pitching back-to-back nights, and his fourth time this week. Trevor May was also beaten up in 1.1 innings by allowing a pair of earned runs. However, in extra innings, Seth Lugo notched his first save of the season in a scoreless frame. Likely, Díaz will get a breather, and Adam Ottavino will line up for any save chances.

 

• Arizona used a bevy of arms to try and pull this one out. Although, in the end, Mark Melancon was unable to shut the door. After back-to-back appearances from Melancon, we should see former closer Ian Kennedy get any save opportunity tonight.

 

• The Cubs piggybacked a five-inning Drew Smyly start with Keegan Thompson, who tossed four scoreless innings while striking out four. The bullpen is fully rested for tonight’s action.

 

• However, the Pirates used Heath Hembree, David Bednar, and Chris Stratton(earned save) on back-to-back nights. Heck, this was Stratton’s third appearance in three days. So, he’s unavailable for tonight. This usage begs the question, who’s going to close for the Pirates tonight? The likely candidate is Anthony Banda.

 

• Last night, the Dodgers unleashed the hounds and tossed six RPs at San Diego. A mixture of Daniel Hudson(earned a hold), Evan Phillips, Phil Bickford, Alex Vesia, and David Price combined for four scoreless innings and only allowed two base runners. Given the injury news to Blake Treinen, we could see a bit more usage similar to last night.

 

• On the flip side, the Padres bullpen threw a bunch of stinkers. Tim Hill failed to record an out but allowed two earned runs in the seventh inning. Craig Stammen added on his own last two innings but allowed a solo shot that kept San Diego from being in this one. Although, the lone bright spot was Dinelson Lamet, who brought his ERA down to 1.69 on the season.

 

• The Royals didn’t implement many bullpen arms. Although, we got a chance to see former starter Brady Singer again. In less than an inning of work, Singer struck out one of the two batters he faced. Additionally, Joel Payamps struck out a pair of batters and allowed a pair of hits. He’s got electric stuff and a 95-mph fastball.

 

• Thanks to a Chris Flexen seven-inning gem, the Mariners only needed two relievers to claim victory. Anthony Misiewicz only needed six pitches to pick up his second hold of the season, and Andrés Muñoz earned his first save in a shaky but scoreless inning. Indeed, he’ll continue to be part of the closer committee in Seattle, just not the lead horse.

 

• Oakland and Texas used lower-leverage RPs in an early runaway victory for the Rangers. The only noteworthy appearance was Garrett Richards throwing a pair of Ks in an inning of work.

 

 

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