Welcome back to Relievers to Stream for Wins and Saves! This will bring you up-to-date bullpen depth charts every morning for the day’s games and makes for a great tool for those of you looking to stream saves or wins. This series runs seven days a week, so be sure to check in every morning to get your daily bullpen fix!
Notes
Schedule Notes
- The following teams had a scheduled day off yesterday: TB, NYY, BAL, CLE, OAK, TEX, MIA, STL, MIL, PIT, SF, LAD, SD, and ARI. As a result, they should all have completely fresh bullpens heading into tonight’s full slate of games.
- The best chance to vulture a win tonight could come from the Texas Rangers with Dane Dunning on the mound. While pitching well with a 2.63 ERA over the last month, and the Rangers winning three of his last four starts, he has failed to complete five innings in four of his last six starts. With a home start against the Diamondbacks, this could be a nice opportunity to steal a win if Dunning once again fails to make it through five. Brett Martin could be the guy who enters the game first, and is my bet for who is most likely to snag a victory.
Transaction and Injury Notes
- The Athletics acquired Andrew Chafin in a trade with the Chicago Cubs. Chafin has a 2.06 ERA this season.
- Taylor Rogers was pulled from last night’s game with a sprained left middle finger after throwing a wild pitch to the first batter he faced.
- The Reds activated Amir Garrett from paternity leave.
Yesterday’s Performances
- Protecting a 2-0 lead in the first half of a double-header with the Mets, Will Smith worked around a one-out single to preserve the lead and earn his 20th save of the season. The outing lowers his ERA to 3.40 on the season, the lowest it’s been since May 12th, as he has now made three straight appearances without allowing a run.
- In the other half of the double-header, Edwin Díaz looked as dominant as ever, striking out the side to hold onto a 1-0 lead. After some major concerns about his dip in performance following the crackdown on substances, Díaz has bounced back to earn three scoreless saves in the last four days, striking out seven in the process. Díaz might be inconsistent over these final two months, but his job seems to be safe at least for now.
- Attempting to protect a 5-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, Brad Hand imploded for a second day in a row, serving up a three-run walk-off homer to Andrew McCutchen. Hand has now allowed seven runs (six earned) in his last three outings, and he has given up runs in four of his last five. His ERA has ballooned from 2.43 to 3.67 in that time, picking up three losses since the all-star break. His job in the ninth should remain safe for now, but his margin for error is dwindling.
- For the second straight day, Matt Barnes worked a scoreless ninth inning to protect a 5-4 lead, this one coming against the Blue Jays. Despite not recording a strikeout, Barnes got through the inning with ease, inducing two popups and a groundout. Barnes has now pitched four shutout innings since the all-star break, and he has only allowed one earned run in his last 13 appearances, dating back to the middle of June. The 31-year-old continues to have the best season of his career.
- Pitching the final two innings of the ballgame, Scott Barlow earned his sixth save of the season in a win over the White Sox, despite giving up a run in the ninth. After allowing five earned runs in two innings between July 7th and 8th, Barlow has bounced back to give up just tonight’s lone run in his last 6.1 innings of work, and he remains as good a bet as any to earn the next save opportunity for the Royals.
- Caleb Thielbar earned an extra-innings win with a 1-2-3 tenth inning that kept the game tied at 5 against the Tigers at the time. Hansel Robles worked a scoreless eighth in this one, but Taylor Rogers was unable to complete the ninth inning for the save, as he exited the game with a finger injury after throwing a wild pitch to the first batter he faced. The early diagnosis is a sprained left middle finger, and Robles should become the primary closer for Minnesota if he is forced to miss time. Replacing Rogers in the game tonight, Alex Colomé blew the save, giving up a two-run bomb to Robbie Grossman that tied the game. His season-long struggles continue, as his ERA is now up to 4.82 after the blowup.
- After striking out the last batter of the eighth inning, Heath Hembree came back out for the ninth inning in a tied game, but had absolutely no control over where the ball was going. After two walks and a hit-by-pitch, Hembree was pulled in favor of Amir Garrett, but by that point it was too late. A single from Javier Báez ended the game in walk-off fashion for the Cubs. Hembree has been surprisingly solid for the Reds in the ninth for the most part however, and should therefore continue to see save opportunities in the future.
- Entering the ninth with a three-run lead, Paul Sewald worked a 1-2-3 inning to collect his fourth save of the season. Seattle’s usual closer, Kendall Graveman, picked up the win after pitching a scoreless eighth inning with the team down a run at the time. He should still see the vast majority of save chances moving forward.
Bullpen Depth Charts