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 play [at least] 12 straight days without a scheduled day off, so keep an eye on their bullpen usage for the next two weeks as they won’t get a day to recharge – TB, OAK, PHI, WAS, MIL
- MIN @ CHC was postponed due to weather last night. The makeup game will be held on May 30th.
- After a hamstring injury, the Pirates placed Duane Underwood Jr. on the 10-day IL.
Yesterday’s Performances
- Gregory Soto did not look sharp in his first outing of 2022. He allowed an Andrew Vaughn solo shot and made things even more interesting with a Jake Burger walk before inducing a double-play. Still, he picks up the W after the lackluster performance. Hopefully, Soto can right the ship; this isn’t a good sign for the Detroit closer that’s lost his ninth-inning duties before.
- On the flip side, the sure-fire Liam Hendriks did not appear ready either. Hendriks coughed up four hits (one HR), a walk, and two earned runs before being credited with the loss in his inning of work. It’ll take a string of appearances like this before the White Sox would consider making a switch.
- The Orioles couldn’t tip their hand as to who will close games because they suffered a 2-1 loss to TB. However, the O’s used Dillon Tate in the 7th inning, before Jorge López and Paul Fry. López struggled to locate pitches and walked two batters while giving up a hit. Still, the loss landed on Tate, who gave up the only earned run for the Baltimore bullpen.
- Speaking of a team that doesn’t show its hand, the Rays’ bullpen locked down the game by recording the final 5.2 innings and only allowing one run. Although, the big news was Andrew Kittredge entering in the 8th inning – not the 9th. The last three outs were split between J.P. Feyereisen and Brooks Raley, who collected the save. Also, Jeffrey Springs looked dominant as he whiffed all three batters he faced.
- The Twins may have come away with the loss, but the bullpen was lights out. Jhoan Duran fired two innings with four Ks, Jorge Alcala threw an inning of no-run ball, and Danny Coulombe hurled the final six out while striking out three Mariners. If you watch any GIFs this weekend, make sure one of them is Duran. He throws gas!
- After a stellar seven innings from Robbie Ray, the Mariners’ bullpen only needed to turn the ball over to two men. One, Paul Sewald, threw his first clean inning of the season, and the other, Drew Steckenrider, threw 16 of his 23 pitches for strikes and collected his first save. Seattle will lean on both arms heavily in high-leverage situations.
- Drew Smith and Seth Lugo each collected their first hold of the year by tossing scoreless frames. The Mets turned the ball over to Sean Reid-Foley with a four-run lead since it was not a save situation. He answered the call by throwing his scoreless inning. Closer Edwin Díaz will be plenty rested if needed tonight.
- The Nationals’ bullpen was a mess. Víctor Arano, Patrick Murphy, and Paolo Espino pitched the final four innings but allowed three earned runs via five hits and four walks. We didn’t have high hopes for the Nats bullpen going into the season, and Friday night was not a good showing.
- The Reds spotted Atlanta five runs before Jeff Hoffman entered early in the third inning. Hoffman gave up two earned runs in his 2.2 innings of work. However, the bright spot was Daniel Duarte, Alexis Diaz, and Buck Farmer combining for three scoreless innings and six strikeouts.
- Kenley Jansen nearly spoiled the big lead by allowing three runs in his first appearance with his new team. It took 30 pitches to record the final inning and the Atlanta faithful hopes for fewer nail-biters in the future from their newly acquired closer. Will Smith and Tyler Matzek looked sharp while fanning one batter over two innings.
- Taylor Rogers picked up his first save on the season by firing a scoreless inning that included one K. He only needed nine total pitches to finish off the D-backs quietly. Dinelson Lamet earned his first hold, and Tim Hill also scooped up a hold. Hill allowed the only two hits in the entire game. This was an imposing game of pitching from the Padres.
- Arizona’s bullpen struggled mightily and could not keep the basepaths clean all night. Every ARI reliever pitched with Padres on bags and didn’t help the cause by only striking out three in five innings. Oliver Pérez took the loss as he allowed a two-run shot to Jurickson Profar.
- It took 11 innings for the BOS @ NYY rivalry game. Some important bullpen notes are as follows: Garrett Whitlock pitched 2.1 innings with four Ks after he relieved the starter, Hansel Robles pitched the ninth, Jake Diekman was credited the hold after allowing one run, and Matt Barnes was not available due to back stiffness.
- The Yankees cleared the bullpen by using seven RPs over the final seven innings. Aroldis Chapman struck out two in a clean ninth inning of work, and Michael King picked up the W as he sat down the final six Red Sox batters. King will be unavailable for today but looks like a good source of bulk innings from the pinstripers.
- Jeurys Familia, Brad Hand, and Seranthony Domínguez weren’t just good – they were great as all three collected a hold before Corey Knebel struck out two in the final frame. The Phillies bullpen has been a significant hindrance over the last few seasons, but this year might be a completely different story.
- Oakland’s bullpen was a disaster on Friday night. Domingo Acevedo struck out a pair in the 7th inning, but not before allowing a run and walking one. Kirby Snead could not locate his fastball, and the Phillies made him by with two runs in the eighth inning. I’d suggest steering clear of this bullpen if you can.
- Craig Kimbrel picked up his first save with LAD, albeit a scary one. He allowed two hits and an earned run in his innings of work. Although, the combination of Brusdar Graterol, Blake Treinen, and Daniel Hudson was straight filthy. The trio locked down Colorado with five Ks over three scoreless innings.
- Starter Kyle Freeland was removed before the fourth inning, making Colorado’s bullpen work. They answered the call by not allowing any runs. Ashton Goudeau and Justin Lawrence won’t be available for tonight’s action as they pitched a pair of innings.
- The Giants skated by the Marlins in a 10th innings squeaker. The big news was Camilo Doval giving up three earned runs and blowing his first save of the season. Additionally, Jake McGee was used in the 8th inning as well. Keep the faith, it’s one game, and Doval will likely get the next save opportunity. Dominic Leone and Tyler Rogers registered a hold and should be good sources for that category all season.
- For anyone looking for clarification on the closer role in Miami, Anthony Bender was used in the ninth inning last night. However, he struggled to keep runs off the scoreboard and blew his first save. Newly acquired bullpen arms(Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser) were used in the sixth and seventh inning. For now, Bender is the closer.
- Josh Sborz imploded for the Rangers by giving up three runs and a three-run HR to Teoscar Hernandez. And it wasn’t any better for the rest of the bullpen. Greg Holland was touched up for an earned run, and Dennis Santana couldn’t keep Toronto off the scoreboard. The Texas bullpen will look for redemption today.
- The Blue Jays had to use seven RPs after a disastrous season opener for Jose Berríos. Jordan Romano looked terrific as he tossed a clean frame with a pair of Ks. Yimi Garcia also locked down the eighth inning and picked up his first hold. This looks like the likely duo that will look to finish out games for a Toronto squad destined to win many games this year.
- The Angels’ bullpen was destroyed by Houston, specifically in the 7th inning when they gave up eight runs. The biggest problem? HRs! Simply put, they couldn’t keep the ball in the yard. Luckily, no one of real fantasy relevance pitched for the Angels.
- Houston’s started Jake Odorizzi only went four innings before getting pulled. Rafael Montero got the first call after Odorizzi and cultured the win. Pedro Báez coughed up three runs(none earned due to an error) but didn’t look comfortable.
Bullpen Depth Charts