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
- Every team was in action on Saturday and there will be a full slate of 15 games on Sunday.
- The Kansas City Royals placed Austin Cox on the 60-day IL with a sprained left knee. He will not return this season. Taylor Clarke will move into a setup role as Steven Cruz joins the chart as a holds option.
- The New York Yankees recalled Ron Marinaccio from the minors. He will replace Nick Ramirez on the chart.
Yesterday’s Performances
ARI 3 – CHC 2
SV: Paul Sewald (32)
- After the offense took the lead in the 10th, Paul Sewald worked around the zombie runner scoring to record his 11th save as a member of the Diamondbacks. Kevin Ginkel wound up with his eighth win after pitching a clean ninth and has been lights out since being recalled in late June. In 29.1 innings since then, he owns a 1.84 ERA, a 0.78 WHIP, and a 31.8% strikeout rate. Those are elite ratios that pair nicely with his 11 SV+HLD since then. He’s now the top setup option in Arizona and should be widely considered in holds leagues.
- Adbert Alzolay pitched outside of a save situation for the second day in a row, but that doesn’t mean he’s losing his grasp of the closer role. On Friday, he pitched in a one-run deficit in an eventual losing effort during a pitcher’s duel. On Saturday, he pitched the ninth during a tie game that would also wind up in the L column. Alzolay has lost his claim of the MLB lead in saves since the All-Star break, but he’s still tied for second with 15, trailing only David Bednar’s 16. Alzolay has now pitched on consecutive days so Mark Leiter Jr. will be the team’s top option if a save arises on Sunday.
CHW 1 – DET 3
H: Alex Faedo (1), Jason Foley (23)
SV: Alex Lange (22)
- The White Sox are trying something new with one of their most recognizable pitchers. Michael Kopech is being transitioned to a bullpen role after struggling as a starter all year. They won’t even be taking advantage of his ability to work multiple innings. Even after the starter tossed just four innings, the Pale Hose only utilized Kopech for one frame. Kopech had success as a reliever in 2021 and could quickly climb the holds ladder in a thin White Sox bullpen.
- It looks as if Alex Lange has finally reclaimed the closer role. After weeks of struggling with his command, he was removed from the closer role and it looked as if Jason Foley might take over for the rest of the season. However, the Tigers did their best to mix Lange back into the ninth and he’s regained his confidence. He now has three saves in September to Foley’s zero, so it seems the role has officially changed hands again.
STL 4 – CIN 3
H: Casey Lawrence (3), John King (7), Giovanny Gallegos (17)
SV: Ryan Helsley (8)
- Despite insisting that they’d go easy on Ryan Helsley, the Cardinals sent him out for the second day in a row as he earned his first save since returning from injury. It seems that he’ll have the edge over Giovanny Gallegos for the majority of save opportunities, but if workloads are heavy, then Gallegos should get his fair share of saves. Both pitchers have worked on back-to-back days and if either is to pitch a third day in a row, it’d be Gallegos. If he’s deemed unavailable today, Andre Pallante and Drew VerHagen are the team’s next-best options.
- Sam Moll was acquired from the A’s at the trade deadline. He was serviceable in Oakland but has been a beast in Cincinnati. He owns a 1.08 ERA (16.2 IP) in red and white and has struck out 26.5% of the batters he’s faced. Weirdly enough, xFIP likes the Oakland version of Moll more and suggests he’s due for massive regression. He only has one hold since entering the state of Ohio, so his fantasy relevance should remain low as he comes back to Earth.
The best of the rest…
- Kyle Finnegan blew a one-run lead in the ninth but the Nationals were able to recover in extras to secure the win. He looks to finally be regressing, so keep an eye on Hunter Harvey’s usage across the past couple of weeks. He and Jordan Weems recorded their 17th and seventh holds respectively.
- Yennier Cano had his save opportunity taken away by his offense via an insurance run in the top of the ninth. He pitched anyway and showed his disapproval by surrendering three runs, but stuck around to secure the victory. Jorge López recorded his ninth hold in the eighth inning.
- Craig Kimbrel pitched the ninth up by four in a maintenance outing. He hadn’t pitched since Monday and needed to get some work in to stay fresh.
- Aroldis Chapman earned his fifth save with a clean ninth. Will Smith got the final out of the seventh and pitched the entirety of the eighth. It’s still unclear who the closer is in Texas.
- Ryan Pressly recorded his 30th save as Kendall Graveman (12th hold), Hector Neris (27th hold), Rafael Montero (10th hold), and Bryan Abreu (23rd hold) set him up for success.
- David Bednar pitched the ninth up by four after his offense ruined a save opportunity with a late insurance run.
- Carlos Estévez did the same after his offense tacked on two runs in the bottom of the eight. He had not pitched since Tuesday.
Bullpen Depth Charts
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)