Welcome back to the newest 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 MLB teams will play Friday night. Included, there are no off days over the weekend.
- No notable reliever transactions or injuries occurred on Thursday.
- Matt Bush will be used as an opener for Texas; expect Kolby Allard or Nick Snyder to follow for bulk work.
- Tyler Rogers is expected to return from the paternity list for the Giants today.
- MacKenzie Gore is expected to start today. Without knowing a pitch count, we could see Nabil Crismatt or Kyle Tyler get bulk work.
Yesterday’s Performances
- Oakland jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Starter Cole Irvin made life easy on the bullpen as he didn’t leave the game until midway through the seventh inning. Domingo Acevedo looked sharp again as he struck out his only two batters faced. Shortly after that, A.J. Puk danced around one hit to collect his first hold. Closer Lou Trivino pitched back-to-back nights and was unavailable in the ninth. Dany Jiménez closed out the evening with a clean frame and was accredited the save.
- Josh Fleming was pulled in the fourth inning, causing Tampa to insert two multi-inning RPs. Phoenix Sanders (yes, that’s a real person) and Jalen Beeks kept the Rays within shouting distance as they pitched a combined five innings of one-run baseball. However, the offense wasn’t there, and they lost the game with a final score of 6-3.
- The White Sox needed to muster up six innings from relievers after a lackluster performance from Jimmy Lambert. Due to the recent heavy usage of Kendall Graveman and Aaron Bummer, the team was forced to imply lesser-known RPs. The by-product was a lot of baserunners (5 hits, 5 BB). The most notable performance was from Anderson Severino, who pitched 1 1/3 innings with three Ks. His sinker had a 47% CSW and toughed 98.7-mph.
- On the other side, Seattle used their mega-committee to finish the night. Andrés Muñoz sat down all three batters via the three-strike count, and Drew Steckenrider notched his first hold in an inning of work. Diego Castillo and Paul Sewald pitched clean eighth and ninth innings, respectively. The bullpen combined for a stellar four-inning night and only allowed one baserunner.
- Ever-dependable starter Adam Wainwright didn’t have it last night and put the Cardinals in a four-run hole early as he left in the fifth inning. The team called upon swingman Drew VerHagen to pitch a few innings, and he scattered one hit over 2.2 innings using his entire five-pitch arsenal. VerHagen generated nine whiffs on 46 pitches, and his sinker had a 60% CSW. Aaron Brooks completed the night with an eight-pitch scoreless ninth. Expect all high-leverage RPs available for weekend action.
- Josh Hader, Devin Williams, and Brad Boxberger had pitched three of the previous four days and needed a breather. So, the bullpen turned to Trevor Gott for a pair of innings, in which he held STL scoreless. Next, Jandel Gustave hurled the final two innings while only allowing one run to preserve the victory.
- Washington’s starter Joan Adon was hit all over the yard and allowed six earned runs through 4.2 innings. Although this one was only for one batter, Hunter Harvey made his second consecutive scoreless appearance. His fastball was down a couple of ticks from his days in Baltimore but touched 97.6 mph. Next, Andres Machado and Patrick Murphy couldn’t keep the game close as they allowed three runs over two combined innings of work. Machado struggled with command as only 16 of his 34 pitches found the zone. To finish off the night, Víctor Arano tossed a scoreless ninth. His slider earned six swing-and-missed with two called strikes on 14 thrown. Washington’s primary RPs will be fresh for the weekends’ action.
- The Pirates turned the ball over to Anthony Banda in the fifth inning, and he scattered two hits before getting out of the innings unscathed. Needing some work, Roansy Contreras pitched the next three innings. Contreras racked up five Ks and only allowed two baserunners. He touts an electric four-seam fastball responsible for a 33% CSW. Furthermore, he pairs it nicely with a slider that created five whiffs on nine thrown. Finally, Aaron Fletcher pitched a clean ninth as the Pirates won comfortably.
- In a tight game, the Marlins needed the bullpen to stay strong for the W. Steven Okert allowed a double to Bryce Harper, scoring a run, but that would be all the scoring allowed by the Marlins. Anthony Bass disposed of his only batter with three pitches, and Cole Sulser tossed a scoreless frame. Finally, Anthony Bender allowed two more base hits before inducing a flyball for the final out. This quiet ninth inning helped notch Bender’s second save.
- The biggest news for the Phillies bullpen is the return of closer Corey Knebel from sickness. Needing work, he pitched a scoreless frame while walking one batter. Joining in the fun was Brad Hand, who also hadn’t thrown since Monday. He sat one batter down via the strikeouts and didn’t allow a run.
- The Yankees bullpen has been elite to begin 2021, and last night was no exception either. However, most notably was the unsavory performance from Aroldis Chapman. He walked all three batters faced and didn’t record a single out. Michael King relieved Chapman and struck out one to earn his first save of the season. Walks became problematic for Chapman last year, and this is worth monitoring. Clay Holmes and Chad Green looked terrific and picked up holds in their evening.
- Toronto has been taxing their core bullpen arms in the early season. So, last night the team went a slightly different route and implemented Tim Mayza, David Phelps, and Julian Merryweather. The trio combined for 2.1 innings of quiet baseball and only allowed one run. Expect a well-rested bullpen for the weekend.
- Starter Shohei Ohtani got blasted and was out in the fourth innings. Brian Moran didn’t fare much better for the Angels, and he served up an HR and allowed two runs in less than an inning. With the game out of hand early, the team turned to Jaime Barria to pick up a few innings. Over four innings of work, Barría allowed two runs(1 ER) and kept the bullpen rested.
- On the other side, Texas welcomed Garrett Richards back from the IL. His first appearance of the season didn’t go so well(1 IP, 2 hits, 2 BB, and 2 ER). Additionally, John King vultured the win from starter Dane Dunning, who reached 85 pitches quickly. Brett Martin made a late appearance but didn’t perform well, and he’s not in the running for closer duties, as some speculated.
- Even though he walked another batter, Gregory Soto notched his second save of the season. They’ve been an issue for him, but he did the job. Michael Fulmer and Alex Lange threw clean frames and picked up their first holds of the season. Also, we have another vultured win as Joe Jiménez moves his record to 1-0. Soto pitched back-to-back nights and three of his last four, so there is a good chance Detroit leans elsewhere, perhaps to Fulmer.
- The Royals bullpen is a mess. Jake Brentz was disastrous and gave up two earned runs in less than an inning. However, Dylan Coleman struck out his only batter faced, and Taylor Clarke locked things down for six outs. Expect plenty of usage from Josh Staumont and Scott Barlow this weekend since they haven’t pitched since Monday.
- Atlanta’s starter Charlie Morton didn’t have it tonight and spotted the Padres five early runs. Things didn’t get much better as Sean Newcomb, Will Smith, and Tyler Thornburg allowed a combined seven more runs. Due to some poor fielding, this is a night to forget for Atlanta.
- For the Padres, they were able to rest the core and unleash lefty specialist Tim Hill for one out. Following Hill, Craig Stammen threw a clean inning with one K. Lastly, Pedro Avila made his season debut. Avila’s changeup is a 55/60 grade pitch and earned a whiff and all three swings it created.
- The Reds used Luis Cessa as an opener to Reiver Sanmartin. It did not go well for Cessa, who allowed five hits and three earned runs before escaping the first inning. Luckily, Sanmartin pitched a scoreless five frames after Cessa. However, the Dodgers poured it on late to erupt for five runs off Tony Santillan and Ryan Hendrix. For those speculating on the closer, Hunter Strickland pitched in the seventh inning, so at the moment, scoop up Art Warren as he appears to have the role firmly.
- Due to a late three runs, the Reds were actually tied heading into the eighth inning. David Price allowed the run, which cost Walker Buehler the W. Coming in at the right time was Blake Treinen, who vultured the win and moved his record to 1-1. Evan Phillips pitched a clean ninth inning instead of Craig Kimbrel because LAD was up by six runs.
- Keegan Thompson’s 3.1 innings of scoreless ball in relief to earn his first victory of the season. It would be challenging to call it a terrific outing since he only had two whiffs on 20 swings, but there were 11 called strikes. Another surprise was Mychal Givens getting the save, not David Robertson or Rowan Wick. Both hadn’t pitched the previous night, so it’s worth monitoring the situation as the season shakes out.
- Last night, starter Kyle Freeland was not very good(5.1 IP, 9 hits, 5 ER). Putting the team in a hole, the Rockies turned to Ashton Goudeau, Justin Lawrence, and Tyler Kinley to keep things close. The trio allowed one hit while striking out three in the final 3.2 innings. The three RPS have not allowed an earned run in a little over 11 combined innings.
Bullpen Depth Charts