Reliever Ranks – 6/10

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

 

• As usual for a Friday, we have a full slate of games on tap with all 30 clubs scheduled to play.
• Eight teams had Thursday off, including TOR, DET, HOU, SEA, TEX, NYM, CHC, and SD. Their bullpens should be good to go for the most part.
• The Rockies and Padres have a doubleheader tomorrow, so they may try to stretch their starters a little longer than usual tonight.

 

• Andrew Kittredge went back on the IL after making just two appearances since his activation. He will likely require surgery on his elbow and is expected to miss at least a month this time around.
• Tylor Megill and Wade Miley are scheduled to come off the IL and start today. Both will likely have limited pitch counts, so the Mets and Cubs bullpens may see a lot of action.
• Oakland optioned Sam Selman to the minors yesterday, recalling Adam Oller to take his place on the roster.
• Hansel Robles was activated from the IL last night and should slot right into the crowded closer committee in Boston.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

 

TB 2 – STL 1

• Jason Adam converted the first save opportunity following Andrew Kittredge’s return to the IL. It was Adam’s second of the season. He was the only reliever needed for the Rays after another brilliant start by Shane McClanahan.
• Miles Mikolas did his best, but the Cardinals didn’t give him much support. At the very least, he gave the bullpen a break by pitching an 8-inning complete game.

 

ARI 5 – CIN 4

• The D’Backs rallied for four runs in the ninth inning to give Mark Melancon, who pitched the bottom of the eighth, the win. Ian Kennedy came on and converted his fourth save in the ninth, but not before giving up a homer to Matt Reynolds. As Arizona was down in the eighth, it seems likely that Melancon came in to get some work and hasn’t necessarily lost his job. It is worth monitoring, though, given how poorly Melancon pitched this season. Oh, and by the way, J.B. Wendelken also threw in this one, a scoreless seventh in relief of Zach Davies.
• After a strong six innings by Tyler Mahle, the Reds turned to Alexis Díaz in the seventh. Diaz did not disappoint and earned his seventh hold after throwing two scoreless innings. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, the ninth inning did not go well. Tony Santillan came in for the save but only managed to get one out before surrendering the lead. His throwing error contributed to the meltdown; thus, only two of the four runs he gave up were earned. The Reds turned to Ross Detweiler to get them out of the inning, which he did after another run (charged to Santillan) scored. It just keeps getting worse for the worst bullpen in baseball.

 

LAD 11 – CWS 9

• The Dodgers got the win, but their bullpen had to work hard as Tyler Anderson only lasted three innings. Six relievers worked for L.A., each getting in one inning of work. Brusdar Graterol, who pitched the fourth, got the win, and Phil Bickford got a hold. In addition, Caleb Ferguson, Evan Phillips, Alex Vesia, and Daniel Hudson were used, leaving a tired group as the Dodgers head to San Francisco. Hudson will probably not be available tonight after pitching in two straight, but perhaps Craig Kimbrel will return from the paternity list.
• Chisox starter Dylan Cease had a weird line – giving up six unearned runs in a little over four innings. He was cruising until the fifth when the Dodgers rallied with one out after an error by Jake Burger. Cease still had a chance to get out of the inning after striking Mookie Betts out, but two doubles, a single, and a walk later; he hit the showers. Matt Foster eventually retired the side after allowing another run to come across on a wild pitch. The sixth wasn’t much better for the White Sox as Bennett Sousa, who replaced Foster, couldn’t get out of the inning. The big blow came on a Max Muncy three-run jack that blew the game open. Reynaldo López, Kyle Crick, and José Ruiz also pitched for Chicago, whose bullpen will be pretty taxed heading into their series with the Rangers.

 

PHI 8 – MIL 3

• Philadelphia turned to its pen after only four innings from Zach Eflin, with five relievers pitching an inning each to close the game. Connor Brogdon earned his first hold of the season, pitching a scoreless sixth, and Seranthony Domínguez got the win after pitching the seventh. Also working for the Phils were Nick Nelson, Jeurys Familia, and James Norwood. At least they were able to rest Corey Knebel and Brad Hand, who should be available tonight.
• Corbin Burnes was pulled in the fifth after the first two batters reached base. Kyle Schwarber started the inning by striking out but advanced to first on a passed ball by Victor Caratini. After a Rhys Hoskins base hit and a hard hit out by Bryce Harper, Miguel Sánchez was summoned. Sanchez allowed the two inherited batters to score before the inning was over. Hoby Milner and Brad Boxberger covered the next two innings without major damage, but Philadelphia blew the game open by scoring four runs off Trevor Kelley in the eighth and ninth. Both came off 2-run HRs, one by Schwarber and the other by Odúbel Herrera. The Brewers’ big guns will be good to go tonight, but the rest of the corp could use some rest.

 

COL 4 – SF 2

• The Rockies got a much-needed six innings out of Austin Gomber as their bullpen has been worked hard of late. However, they still needed to use three relievers to close out the Giants, so they will again be a tired group this evening in San Diego. Robert Stephenson and Carlos Estévez pitched an inning each and picked up holds. Alex Colomé closed the game for his third save, giving Daniel Bard the night off after back-to-back outings. Colome has now pitched in three straight, so he probably won’t be available tonight.
• Logan Webb pitched into the sixth for the Giants but couldn’t get the final out of the inning after a single and error by Darin Ruf put two men on. John Brebbia replaced him and was able to get the last out of the inning. Tyler Rogers, Jake McGee, and Zack Littell pitched the final three innings, with only Rogers giving up a run. Rogers may not be available for tonight’s game against Los Angeles, but the rest of the pen should be.

 

ATL 3 – PIT 1

• The Braves got three innings out of their pen, with Will Smith, A.J. Minter, and Kenley Jansen each pitching a scoreless inning in relief of Max Fried. They were a very effective group as the Bucs went down in order against all three. Smith and Minter picked up holds, and Jansen notched his 16th save. Smith may not be available tonight as he’s gone in back-to-back games.
• J.T. Brubaker pitched seven innings for Pittsburgh before turning it over to Chase DeJong. DeJong had an effective eighth, recording two strikeouts, but the Pirates’ offense couldn’t mount a comeback.

 

MIA 7 – WAS 4

• Trevor Rogers went five, and the Marlins’ pen handled the rest as Miami spoiled Stephen Strasburg’s season debut. Tommy Nance, Richard Bleier, Anthony Bass, and Tanner Scott covered the last four innings, with only Nance giving up runs. Bleier and Bass nabbed holds while Scott earned his third save of the season. Scott’s availability tonight is questionable as he’s pitched back-to-back.
• Strasburg wasn’t sharp in his first outing in over a year, giving up seven runs in four and two-thirds innings. The final blow was a two-run bomb by Jesús Sánchez, which gave the Marlins a 7-2 lead. Erasmo Ramírez, Jordan Weems, and Paolo Espino did an excellent job of mopping up as they didn’t allow another run in their three-plus innings.

 

CLE 8 – OAK 4

• The Guardians rallied late to take the game, largely thanks to a strong performance by their relief corp. Konnor Pilkington found trouble in the sixth after getting the first two batters of the inning. A single and a double later, he was replaced by Bryan Shaw, who gave up another double and two runs (charged to Pilkington) before getting the final out. After that, it was smooth sailing for the Guardians relievers as Sam Hentges, Enyal De Los Santos, and Trevor Stephan closed the game with three scoreless innings. De Los Santos got the win as the pitcher of record when Cleveland pulled ahead for good. The Guardians bullpen has been busy lately. They could use a long outing by Triston McKenzie tonight.
• Oakland was in pretty good shape when James Kaprelian departed after five innings. But Cleveland chipped away, scoring two runs off the combo of A.J. Puk, Zach Jackson, and Sam Moll in the sixth and seventh innings to tie the game. Puk and Jackson got holds nonetheless, while Moll suffered the blown save despite not being charged with a run. It was Lou Trivino, though, that lost the most sleep last night. He came on in the eighth and promptly gave up four singles and a double before recording an out. His final line included four earned runs in one-third of an inning pitched. The former closer’s ERA now sits at 9.20 on the season, which is not good.

 

NYY 10 – MIN 7

• Balls were flying out of the park last night in Minneapolis, especially against Yankees’ ace Gerrit Cole. Cole gave up five – yes five – home runs in only two-plus innings of work. Crazy. Despite this, the Yanks were able to come back thanks to more brilliant work from their pen. Lucas Leutge, Miguel Castro, Wandy Peralta, Michael King, and Clay Holmes covered the final six and two-thirds innings without surrendering another run. Castro got the win while Peralta and King earned holds. Holmes closed the game with his ninth save of the season and doesn’t look like he’s giving the job back.
• Dylan Bundy was only marginally better than Cole. He was charged with four earned runs in four innings of work before leaving in the top of the fifth after a Joey Gallo dinger. Unlike the New York bullpen, the Twins relievers didn’t fare well. Of the five hurlers to take the mound after Bundy (Jharel Cotton, Joe Smith, Jhoan Duran, Jovani Moran, and Yennier Cano), only Cano didn’t give up at least one run.

 

KC 7 – BAL 5

• The Royals relievers acquitted themselves nicely after Kris Bubic got into trouble in the fifth. Collin Snyder allowed the tying runs to score, but the Orioles could only muster one more run after that. Joel Payamps earned his second win, and Josh Staumont and Arodys Vizcaíno took home holds. Scott Barlow wasn’t perfect but did garner his sixth save of the year. Barlow and Staumont have both pitched in back-to-back games, so it will be interesting to see what Mike Matheny does tonight if the opportunity arises.
• Jordan Lyles went five innings and gave up six runs. The Baltimore relievers who took over fared much better, allowing only one unearned run to score over the game’s last three innings. At the very least, Logan Gillaspie, Nick Vespi, and Bryan Baker gave the back-end guys a little more rest. The Orioles bullpen should be in pretty good shape tonight.

 

LAA 5 – BOS 2

• Break up the Angels! Los Angeles finally broke their long losing streak thanks to Shohei Ohtani, who pitched seven innings of one-run ball and slugged a two-run homer. It all fell into place for them with a great start by Ohtani, followed by Ryan Tepera in the eighth, and Raisel Iglesias closing out the ninth with his 12th save.
• Nick Pivetta pitched into the sixth inning for the Red Sox but walked the first two batters and was replaced by Hirokazu Sawamura. After retiring the first two batters he faced, Sawamura gave up a three-run shot to Andrew Velazquez that put the Halos in control. Austin Davis and the freshly activated Hansel Robles covered the last two innings without further damage.

 

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

The Hold Up 5/26: Ranking the Top 100 Relievers for Holds

Closing Time 6/7: Ranking the Top 40 Closers

Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues: 5/27

 

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