Reliever Ranks – 9/17

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

 

• On Monday (9/19), the following teams have an off day and will likely push the bullpen usages through the weekend: BOS, NYY, TOR, CHW, KCR, OAK, TEX, PHI, CIN, PIT, STL, and SDP.
• All 30 teams play today, including a pair of doubleheaders: CIN@STL and MIN@CLE. Additionally, there were a few corresponding moves.
  • The St. Louis Cardinals recalled Dakota Hudson, who will start Game 1 of the doubleheader.
  • The Minnesota Twins recalled Louie Varland, and he’ll start Game 1 of the doubleheader.
  • The Cincinnati Reds activated Hunter Greene, but he’ll likely have a pitch count. I wouldn’t expect more than a couple of innings before the bullpen gets activated.

 

• The Atlanta Braves placed Kirby Yates on the 15-day IL. Yates is a shell of his former self and shouldn’t garner any attention for the rest of the season, and he’s droppable in all formats.
• The Tampa Bay Rays activated Brooks Raley from the Restricted List. Furthermore, his 20 holds, six saves, and nearly 30% K-rate make him an intriguing pickup for the next couple of days.
• The San Francisco Giants will open up today’s matchup with John Brebbia, and Sam Hjelle will grab a few bulk innings afterward. Brebbia was temporarily removed from the setup role in the depth charts for Tyler Rogers.

 

• The following players pitched on back-to-back nights and likely won’t be available for Saturday action: JT Chargois (TBR), Reynaldo López (CHW), Dylan Coleman (KCR), Tanner Scott (MIA), Jhoan Duran (MIN), Michael Fulmer (MIN), Griffin Jax (MIN), and Caleb Thielbar (MIN).
  • For Minnesota, they’ve got a doubleheader. Aaron Sanchez, Jovani Moran, and Trevor Megill should get a decent shot at vulturing a win if you need some bullpen pickups. Also, Emilio Pagán hasn’t pitched all week and might pitch in both games.

 

 

MIA 4 – WSN 5

• Miami supported Jesús Luzardo’s six-inning gem with four early runs but was shut out by the National’s bullpen for the rest of the way. Carl Edwards Jr. was credited with the late-inning W after sprinkling three runs over a scoreless 8th inning. In the 9th, Kyle Finnegan scooped up save #9. Before then, Tanner Scott and Cole Sulser gave up late earns as walks came back to bite them.

 

BAL 3 – TOR 6

• Toronto elected to try a bullpen game, and seven relievers made an appearance. Yusei Kikuchi was touched up for two runs, and Yimi García gave up a 9th inning HR to Gunnar Henderson, but otherwise, it was an effective effort. Although, Baltimore fell behind early as Jordan Lyles couldn’t hand the ball over with a lead. Additionally, in the 6th inning, Joey Krehbiel served up a two-run longball.

 

KCR 1 – BOS 2

• The Royals let the lead slip away when Dylan Coleman couldn’t escape the 8th inning. He was charged with a pair of runs after exiting with two men on base via the walk. Scott Barlow was summonsed to shut things down, but two walks and a single tarnished him the blown save. For Boston, late scoreless frames (and timely offensive support) gave Garrett Whitlock win #4, and Matt Strahm nabbed his fourth save.

 

COL 1 – CHC 2

• It was a 2-1 ballgame after both starters exited the game in the 7th inning. Justin Lawrence struck out a pair and was the only Rockies reliever to make an appearance; he didn’t factor into any decision. In the 8th inning, Brandon Hughes came in for the top of the batting order (McMahon-Daza-Cron) and left with one K and a double play for his fifth hold. Manuel Rodríguez came in for the save opportunity and slammed the door for save #2.

 

PIT 3 – NYM 4

• The Pirates tried to rally late and scored two runs on Taijuan Walker in the 8th inning, but Edwin Díaz marched to the mound shortly after that. His multi-inning shutdown performance aided him in reaching the 30-save plateau. Additionally, the Pirates bullpen was not to blame for this one, even though Manny Bañuelos allowed a run on a pair of base hits.

 

TEX 4 – TBR 3

• Martín Pérez scattered nine hits while only striking out three batters but outdueled Corey Kluber, who let Texas put a four-spot on the board. Both starters exited the game, and the bullpens were stout. Cleavinger, Colin Poche, and JT Chargois combined for nearly four innings with four Ks and no runs. On the flip side, Matt Moore, Brett Martin, Jose Hernandez, and Jésus Tinoco earned holds while José Leclerc notched his sixth save.

 

MIN 3 – CLE 4

• After Bailey Ober shut down Cleveland for five innings, Michael Fulmer and Caleb Thielbar notched holds. However, Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran couldn’t escape their outings without getting hit all over the yard, surrendering runs. Cleveland did what they’ve done all season, get solid pitching from the bullpen. In the 8th inning, Trevor Stephan struck out a pair, and Emmanuel Clase earned his 36th save.

 

CHW 2 – DET 3 (10th inning)

• Chicago didn’t muster any offense until the 8th inning when Joe Jiménez coughed up a pair of runs. However, that was all the scoring allowed as Gregory Soto and Alex Lange combined for a lock-down 9th and 10th inning. The White Sox went with a slew of bullpen arms, and with the game tied, Reynaldo López pushed things into extras. Unfortunately, in the 10th inning, Liam Hendriks fell victim to the inherited ghost runner after a pair of sacrifices.

 

PHI 2 – ATL 7

• Philly was cruising along with six strong from Ranger Suárez and a two-punchout 7th inning from José Alvarado. And then…Seranthony Domínguez imploded. When the damage was done, Atlanta scored six runs in the 8th inning. Additionally, Nick Nelson struggled and earned runs tallied against him too. The same couldn’t be said of Atlanta as Collin McHugh, Dylan Lee, Jesse Chavez  (earned the W), and Raisel Iglesias combined for three innings and only allowed two baserunners.

 

OAK 0 – HOU 5

• Oakland was goose-egg’d as Verlander dominated for five innings. However, the bullpen was electric too. Phil Maton, Ryne Stanek, and Bryan Abreu stuck out seven batters in their combined four scoreless innings. Ugh! Adrian Martinez didn’t have it working and served up four HRs in five innings before getting the hook. Jared Koenig finished the final three innings as he was Oakland’s lone bullpen arm to make an appearance.

 

NYY 6 – MIL 7

• The Yankees lost another close one on the back of late-inning runs by Milwaukee. Although, New York tried everything and tossed seven bullpen arms. In the end, late 8th and 9th inning runs were the deciding factor, and Clay Holmes really labored in this game. Additionally, Taylor Rogers had his own blip as he blew the save by giving up a solo shot to Josh Donaldson. Brad Boxberger and Devin Williams each struck out a pair in a clean frame.

 

CIN 5 – STL 6

• Cincy went with a bullpen game, and seven pitchers toed the rubber. However, fate didn’t work in their favor. In the 6th inning, Raynel Espinal allowed three earned runs after an Albert Pujols HR, and Ian Gibaut allowed two runners to cross home plate the following inning. On the other side, the late-inning RPs for the Cardinals dazzled. Chris Stratton ended a 7th-inning Reds rally, and Giovanny Gallegos earned his 11th hold. Lastly, Ryan Helsley struck out all three batters faced for his 18th save.

 

SEA 7 – LAA 8

• The Angels scored early and often on Robbie Ray. Furthermore, His replacement, Matt Festa, didn’t do much better (0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER). Finally, Matt Boyd and Penn Murfee quieted things down late, but it was for not. On the Angels’ side, Aaron Loup, Andrew Wantz, José Quijada, and Jimmy Herget earned holds. Although Loup and Wantz gave up earned runs. Up by two, Ryan Tepera allowed a solo shot to Carlos Santana but notched his third save.

 

SDP 12 – ARI 3

• Blake Snell shut down the D-backs through seven innings, and Adrian Morejon kept the dominance going. However, Craig Stammen gave up Christian Walker’s 34th HR. For Arizona pitching, very little went well. After MadBum put them in an early hole, Keynan Middleton dug it even deeper by allowing two earned runs over his inning of work. Ian Kennedy found work in the 8th inning, but five hits and four earned runs got him pulled early.

 

LAD 5 – SFG 0

• Dustin May and the bullpen blanked the Giants, with Alex Vesia, Caleb Ferguson, and Phil Bickford combining for five Ks over the final four innings. Furthermore, only two batters even reached base. After Logan Webb left in the fourth inning for the Giants, the team went with a couple of lower-leverage relievers.  The most noteworthy performance was Thomas Szapuchi’s 2.1 innings and three Ks.

 

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)