Reliever Ranks – 8/24

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

 

• All 30 teams took the field across 16 games on Tuesday. The Cardinals and Cubs participated in a doubleheader.
• The Mets and Yankees are the only teams with a day off on Wednesday.

 

• Amir Garrett of the Kansas City Royals began serving a two-game suspension. He will remain on the chart because he will be back shortly and had pitched the previous two days, suggesting he wouldn’t have been in action anyway.
• The Toronto Blue Jays activated Tim Mayza from the 15-day IL. After recovering from a dislocated right shoulder, Mayza will displace David Phelps from the chart.

 

• The matchup in Philadelphia could be a prime setting for a vulture win. Cristopher Sánchez will start for the Phillies while T.J. Zeuch takes the mound for the Reds. Neither has pitched deep into games this season and could use help from the middle relievers or the bulk options in their respective bullpens.

 

 

STL 0 – CHC 2 (Game 1)

• A lone reliever took the mound for the Cardinals in the first game of the twin billing. It was JoJo Romero’s second appearance as a Cardinal and he tossed two perfect frames with a single strikeout.
• With a rookie starter making his debut, the Cubs’ bullpen had to take on some of the workload. Four relievers followed four innings from the starter. Vulturing the win, his third, Michael Rucker pitched an identical line to Romero on the other side. Sean Newcomb and Erich Uelmen followed, with the two combining for a scoreless seventh. Uelmen also came out for the eighth, during which he set down the side in order. Newcomb earned his second hold while Uelmen was credited with his third. Closing out the ninth and finishing off the shutout, Brandon Hughes secured his third save of the season with a flawless frame. He has locked down each of the team’s last three saves. His eight-pitch outing won’t hold him out of action today.

 

STL 13 – CHC 3 (Game 2)

• Game two was much further apart. Offensive support allowed the Cardinals to rest their high-leverage arms across both ends of the doubleheader. This time, they were once again able to squeeze multiple innings out of a left-hander reliever. Rookie Matthew Liberatore covered eight outs, striking out three but allowing two runs in the process. Prior to his appearance, midseason acquisition Chris Stratton pitched a perfect, two-strikeout frame.
• In the blowout, the Cubs were once again forced to use four relievers. In his Major League debut, Nicholas Padilla finished the starter’s fourth and covered the fifth. The 25-year-old right-hander featured low-90s cutters and sinkers as well as a low-80s slider. The next man up, Anderson Espinoza, pitched the sixth, seventh, and eighth, allowing four runs as he struggled to control his pitches. Steven Brault was next, but he failed to get anyone out, surrendering three runs in the process. Down big, designated hitter Franmil Reyes was brought on and was able to clutch three outs via a double play and a strikeout.

 

CIN 6 – PHI 7

• Nearly pulling out a victory against a team currently bound for the playoffs, the Reds’ bullpen couldn’t pull through in the end. Relief work started off just fine with Buck Farmer finishing the starter’s sixth and Ian Gibaut allowing a run in the seventh. It even continued to go well when Hunter Strickland pitched a perfect eighth as the offense took the lead. That newfound advantage set Alexis Díaz up for a save, but he blew it. The young righty was somewhat hurt by his defense, but he allowed a lot of hard contact and ultimately got just one out before giving up a walk-off. One of the runs he allowed was unearned, but he was still stuck with his second loss and fourth blown save. He should get a shot at redemption tonight if it’s presented after tossing 19 pitches on Tuesday.
• The Philadelphia bullpen lucked out after blowing a late lead. Michael Plassmeyer was yet another arm to make his debut on Tuesday, covering four outs across the sixth and seventh. He featured a low-90s fastball on eight of his nine pitches. In the eighth, José Alvarado allowed a run on three hits but secured his 13th hold and all three of his outs via the strikeout. In the ninth, with David Robertson still recovering from 57 pitches in two days, Brad Hand was called upon for the save. His defense didn’t do him justice, as an error led to two unearned runs on his ledger and his second blow save. Fortunately for the lefty, the walk-off netted him his third win of the season.

 

ATL 6 – PIT 1

• A masterful eight-inning start left just one frame to be covered by the Atlanta pen. Collin McHugh was that man, pitching a perfect ninth to finish off the win.
• The Pirates similarly utilized just one pitcher, calling upon Chase De Jong for seven outs. He allowed just one hit and struck out four, inducing four whiffs on 12 sliders.

 

CHW 3 – BAL 5

• A two-run first had the White Sox on the right track, but an equally successful first inning by the Orioles had Chicago trailing for the rest of the game. They tried to keep it close, turning to Reynaldo López, Jake Diekman, Jimmy Lambert, and Tanner Banks, but the offense wasn’t much help. López was the only one of the four to allow a run while Lambert owns the lowest ERA at 2.73 (33 IP).
• In a fashion that has become commonplace, the Orioles’ arm barn was dominant. Among all four setup men to appear, only one of them got more than one out. That was Dillon Tate who was also the only one to give up a run. He nabbed his 14th hold after Bryan Baker notched his sixth for finishing the starter’s sixth. Cionel Pérez helped Tate, completing the seventh inning for his 18th hold. The final setup arm, Joey Krehbiel, got just one out in the eighth before the closer took over. He was credited with his 10th hold nonetheless. The closer, Félix Bautista, secured the next five outs without event to earn his ninth save while throwing the fastest pitch of the day at 103.1 mph. He needed 27 pitches to do so and could see some rest after the heavy single-day workload.

 

NYM 2 – NYY 4

• This game was tied until a seventh-inning blowup cost the Mets the game. In the sixth, Seth Lugo pitched a hitless inning, but the seventh was much different. Joely Rodríguez only got one out as he allowed two runs on three hits and needed help from Adam Ottavino to finish off the frame. Rodríguez was tagged with his third loss as a result. Ottavino also finished the eighth in the loss. The veteran righty now sports a 2.17 ERA (49.2 IP), his lowest mark since 2019 (1.90, 66.1 IP).
• On the other side, the Bronx Bombers used Clarke Schmidt as a bridge to the closer of the day. Schmidt locked down nine outs across the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth to earn his fifth win. In 33 innings in his first full season, Schmidt owns a 2.18 ERA as one of the better multi-inning arms in baseball. His outing left Wandy Peralta with just one out to get to finish off the win. He forced his man to fly out to notch his second save. Aroldis Chapman was presumed to be the closer last week, but he hasn’t pitched since Friday and might be having his workload managed.

 

SFG 3 – DET 1

• In a rematch of the 2012 World Series, the Giants once again came away victorious. John Brebbia set up with a perfect eighth for his 14th hold. He was followed by young fireballer Camilo Doval who worked around three baserunners to secure his 18th save. As a pitcher the Giants will need for the stretch run, Doval may be held out for ultimate freshness after firing 28 bullets on Tuesday.
• Other than the first arm, the Detroit relief corps was unhittable. That first arm was Daniel Norris, as the lefty surrendered two runs on an Evan Longoria long ball. Attempting to keep the score close, manager A.J. Hinch turned to José Cisnero, Joe Jiménez, and Andrew Chafin. None of them permitted a hit, with Chafin being the only one to punch out multiple batters and Cisnero owning the lowest ERA (1.74, 10.1 IP).

 

LAA 1 – TBR 11

• On a day with many blowouts, the Angels’ bullpen might’ve contributed the most to theirs. Not only did Jesse Chavez give up four runs (one earned), but Touki Toussaint and José Quijada each allowed two of their own. Quijada failed to get even one out, and needed position player Phil Gosselin’s help to finish the eighth.
• As a result of pulling ahead late in the game, the Rays were able to award Brooks Raley with his 21st hold for his perfect seventh. Unfortunately for JT Chargois, his flawless frame didn’t go as noticed after the offense staked him to a massive lead. Midseason acquisition and catcher, Christian Bethancourt, took the mound in the ninth, putting up a spotless frame to send fans home happy.

 

TOR 9 – BOS 3

• Relief work for the Blue Jays was quite easy, as their comfortable lead made things breezy. Yusei Kikuchi allowed a run and struggled with his control, while David Phelps pitched a clean frame that took its toll. The righty allowed a run in the final frame, needing help from Trevor Richards to finish the game. Closer Jordan Romano hasn’t pitched since Friday and some maintenance work on Wednesday could be at play.
• With their starter lasting just eight outs, five Boston relievers were needed to cover the next 19. Austin Davis took on a majority of the workload, getting seven outs and allowing two runs. He was followed by a flawless frame by Jeurys Familia, a one-run seventh by Hirokazu Sawamura, a scoreless eighth by Ryan Brasier, and a perfect ninth by catcher Reese McGuire.

 

ARI 7 – KCR 3

• The top arms in the Arizona pen were all in action on Tuesday. All-Star Joe Mantiply finished the starter’s sixth and pitched a perfect seventh to vulture his second win and drop his ERA to 2.13 (50.2 IP). Next was Chris Devenski, as the veteran righty allowed two runs and was bailed out by Ian Kennedy. He was able to escape the inning without any further damage and earned his 10th hold as a result. Even with a four-run lead, Mark Melancon pitched the ninth. He was unscathed and will likely be available along with Kennedy after they combined for just 21 pitches.
• All three of the Royals’ relievers secured more than three outs, but all three of them also allowed a run. Jose Cuas gave up one across four outs while Josh Staumont permitted four across four outs of his own. Luke Weaver was able to pile up five outs, but he added two runs to the deficit.

 

MIN 2 – HOU 4

• A four-inning start left four innings for the Minnesota arm barn. Cole Sands covered half of them, striking out three and allowing a run in the process. Trevor Megill allowed a run in the seventh and Emilio Pagán pitched a scoreless eighth.
• Attempting to preserve a perfect game, Ryne Stanek was brought on for the seventh. Despite being unscored upon, the righty most likely felt like he failed his job because he was unable to keep the perfect game hopes alive. His consolation prize was his 13th hold. Will Smith began the eighth, and after allowing two hits was replaced by Héctor Neris. The righty escaped the inning and was sent back out for the ninth during which he earned his 20th hold. He was unable to continue the shutout and ultimately needed help from Bryan Abreu to end the game. Abreu was credited with his second save for his efforts.

 

TEX 6 – COL 7

• Coors was a tough match for the Texas arm barn. Josh Sborz had no problems, putting up a scoreless sixth for his first hold. Brock Burke, however, didn’t fair as well. He was hurt by his defense, as all three of the runs he allowed were unearned, but he was saddled with his third loss and fourth blown save regardless. Jonathan Hernández pitched the eighth without giving up a run. The righty owns a 1.93 ERA across his first 14 innings in his return from Tommy John surgery. He tossed 15 pitches, which wouldn’t usually keep a pitcher out, but the Rangers should be cautious using him on consecutive days in his first few weeks back from major surgery.
• Capitalizing on the opposition’s defensive miscues, the Rockies took home a win thanks to some exceptional bullpen work as well. Justin Lawrence sniped his second win, striking out the side in order in the seventh. Dinelson Lamet set up the closer by posting a hitless eighth to earn his second hold. The final frame saw Daniel Bard put up a zero to secure his 26th save. The 37-year-old righty is putting up his best season since 2010, sporting a 2.22 ERA (44.2 IP) and a 1.10 WHIP with a 51/21 K/BB ratio. He threw just 12 pitches and will be ready for another save opportunity today.

 

CLE 3 – SDP 1

• The Guardians showed off the strength of their bullpen after their starter couldn’t escape the fifth. Nick Sandlin helped with that frame and pitched the sixth, vulturing his fifth win along the way. He was followed by James Karinchak for a scoreless seventh and Trevor Stephan for a spotless eighth. They notched their third and 12th holds respectively. The usual suspect was called upon in the ninth. Emmanuel Clase came aboard, shooting fireballs from his right hand. Not only did he clock the third fastest pitch of the day – a 101.7 mph cutter – but he also set down the side in order to secure his 29th save. He is tied for the Major League lead in that category and owns the second-best ERA (1.20) in baseball (min. 50 IP). He fired off ten pitches and will be raring for another shot to take sole possession of the saves lead today.
• With an offense that was nonexistent, there wasn’t much the San Diego bullpen could do. Nabil Crismatt tossed a perfect seventh, Luis García allowed a run in the eighth, and Tim Hill secured the final four outs. García topped out at 101.6 mph while Crismatt owns an unheralded 2.77 ERA (55.1 IP). The former is the presumed closer and won’t be held out of action after using 19 pitches to get through two outs on Tuesday.

 

MIA 5 – OAK 3

• A shutout was in play for the Marlins entering the ninth but Cole Sulser surrendered three runs to set up Tanner Scott for his 19th save. Tommy Nance preceded that duo, tossing two hitless frames after the starter exited. Scott has now appeared in consecutive games and likely turns the ball over to Dylan Floro for a save today.
• The A’s also had a reliever give up three runs, but it happened in the sixth and cost them the game. Domingo Acevedo was the one who struggled to miss bats before giving the rock to Joel Payamps for the next pair of innings. Payamps was unscored upon in his Oakland debut and prepped Kirby Snead for a perfect ninth.

 

WSN 2 – SEA 4

• Two perfect outings sandwiched an unfortunate appearance for the Nationals. Víctor Arano was flawless in the sixth while Cory Abbott was untouched across two frames, but Steve Cishek wasn’t as effective. He began the seventh, but after allowing two runs on three hits and a walk, was removed without securing a single out. Closer Kyle Finnegan hasn’t taken the mound since Friday and could be due for a maintenance outing.
• As usual, the Seattle relief corps was lights out. Andrés Muñoz finished the starter’s seventh and Erik Swanson pitched a scoreless eighth. They earned their 18th and ninth holds respectively. Swanson enhanced his ERA to an MLB-leading (min. 40 IP) 0.90 (40 IP) with the spotless outing. Paul Sewald was used in the ninth, working around a run to secure his 16th save. 19 pitches left his hand, meaning he should be allowed to go again today if needed.

 

MIL 1 – LAD 10

• In the final blowout of the day, the Brewers used Brent Suter and Trevor Kelley for 3.1 scoreless frames before another position player appeared. Catcher Victor Caratini allowed three runs in his lone inning of work, capping off an unfortunate night for the Brew Crew.
• As for the Dodgers, they turned to four relievers for some fantastic pitching, but one arm was not like the others. Evan Phillips tossed a perfect sixth and dropped his ERA to 1.29 (49 IP), the fifth-best mark in MLB (min. 45 IP). He was succeeded by five scoreless outs from David Price and a singular out from Chris Martin. With the large lead, the fifth and final position player of the day took the mound. Hanser Alberto previewed his elite velocity, topping out at 71.2 mph in a flawless ninth.

 

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)