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
- Yesterday was a rare 17-game day, as both the Rays and Mets played host to doubleheaders against Cleveland and Milwaukee, respectively.
- Eight teams will get one last pre-All Star rest day today: BOS, TB, CHW, LAA, TEX, ATL, STL, and SF. Tampa in particular could probably use that rest after a notably busy day yesterday.
- The team best positioned for a vulture win is Cleveland, who will give Zach Plesac his first start since fracturing his thumb in May. He’s only expected to throw about 60 pitches, making him a clear candidate to be pulled early with a potential lead intact. Several of their relievers more capable of throwing two or more innings did pitch yesterday, though, so Phil Maton is likely the best bet to have the ball in hand after Plesac departs. Cleveland is riding an untimely L9 streak, though, which does make having confidence in them to win somewhat harder.
Transaction and Injury Notes
- The Washington Nationals activated Daniel Hudson from the 10-day IL yesterday. He should slot in again as one of their go-to setup arms so long as his elbow doesn’t slow him down out of the gate.
- Trent Thornton was sent down by the Toronto Blue Jays. After the team acquired Trevor Richards from Milwaukee, he may have been seen as surplus to requirements for the moment.
Yesterday’s Performances
Houston’s Ryan Pressly closed off a 4–3 win over Oakland with a clean ninth, giving him his 16th save of the year. Neither he nor chief deputy Ryne Stanek allowed a baserunner after a Kyle Tucker home run gave Houston the lead in the 7th. Both Ryan and Ryne should be off tomorrow after pitching two nights in a row, so Houston might need to turn to Brooks Raley tonight.
With the day off today, the Orange County Angels were able to make the easy decision and throw Raisel Iglesias in the 9th inning with a one-run lead against Boston. He repaid that choice by striking out all three Red Sox hitters to pick up his 18th save. He and Mike Mayers should both be ready to go on Friday for their series against Seattle.
Cincinnati turned to Heath Hembree for the ninth inning for the second day in a row with the game on the line. This time, he prevailed, picking up his fourth save of the year. Hembree only needed 12 pitches to dispatch the final three batters of the game. Even so, he’s likely off for the night tonight, potentially giving Amir Garrett a chance at a save.
Arizona’s Joakim Soria picked up his second save of the year in his team’s 6–4 win over Colorado. Soria struck out two of his three batters faced a day, his second clean ninth in two days. Yesterday’s performance, however, came before a walk-off hit-by-pitch sealed the game for the Diamondbacks, but he was given the win for his effort. Soria should be off today, but it’s anyone’s guess as to who might fill in.
Aaron Boone gave Aroldis Chapman a breather and put Chad Green in for the ninth against Seattle, which he converted for his third save of the year. It’s not yet entirely clear whether Chapman has been sent on a low-leverage sabbatical following his June performances, but in any case, Green has regained his past form and looks to be a more than capable late-inning option.
Jake McGee picked up his 17th save of the year in the Giants’ 5–2 win over the Cardinals, though not without giving up a double to Paul DeJong. McGee now has two saves in the past week to Tyler Rogers‘ one.
Detroit’s Gregory Soto went two innings to pick up a save against the Rangers, striking out three and allowing one hit and one walk. Soto’s 2.78 ERA is built on what might be an unsustainably low line drive rate, and his gaudy 13.8% walk rate makes him a WHIP liability. But with Detroit surging, his role has more inherent value than many Tigers doubters would have expected. It will be worth watching whether he can sustain some success in his role — if not, someone else could step into a valuable situation, but if he can, he’s worth holding on to.