Reliever Ranks – 6/5

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

 

• The upcoming Monday(6/6) is a massive travel day, and only the following teams play ball: BOS, TOR, CLE, TOR, HOU, LAA, SEA, TEX, NYM, CIN, ARI, and SDP. So, expect these bullpens to get pushed hard over the weekend.
• There will be loads of action as all 30 MLB teams take the field.

 

• The Seattle Mariners acquired Ryan Borucki from Toronto via trade.
• The Houston Astros placed Blake Taylor on the 15-day IL.

 

• The Chicago White Sox recalled Kyle Crick from the minors.
• The San Diego Padres activated Mike Clevinger from the IL, and he makes hits first start. We shouldn’t expect him to go too deep into the game, and Nick Martinez should see bulk innings.

 

• The Baltimore Orioles will spot start Dean Kremer, who is fresh off a four IP rehab assignment. There should be some bulk work behind him and the most likely recipient is Nick Vespi.
• The Miami Marlins recalled Braxton Garrett for today’s start. He might only go four innings, leaving the door open for someone like Tommy Nance to vulture a bulk IP win.

 

Yesterday’s Performances

 

Braves 6, Rockies 2

• This was a game of high-leverage RPs for Atlanta. In the fifth inning, Jesse Chavez(2.0 IP) was used as a multi-inning RP. To complete the following three innings, the Braves turned to Collin McHugh(1.2 IP, 3K), Will Smith(0.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K), and Darren O’Day(1.0 IP, 2K). All three combined to keep the scoreboard null and send the game into extras. In the tenth inning, A.J. Minter(2-0) allowed one hit and an unearned run, but picked up the W. After a four-run inning, Jackson Stephens(1.0 IP) finished off the game.
• The Rockies relied on Tyler Kinley(1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K) and Daniel Bard(1.0 IP, 2 K) to finish out the eighth and ninth inning. However, not faring as well, Alex Colomé(1.0, 1 H, 1 R, 1 K) and Jhoulys Chacin(1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER) and inevitably cost the team a chance at victory.

 

Yankees 3, Tigers 0

• The Yankees only needed two RPs in this one. One, Michael King(1.0 IP, 1 K), who only needed seven pitches with five resulting in a strike. And the second, notching his eighth save, Clay Holmes(1.0 IP, 1 K). He’s been dominant since the departure of Aroldis Chapman.
• Detroit elected to pitch lower-leverage arms and preserve the bullpen.

 

Cubs 6, Cardinal 1 (Game 1)

• Starter Matt Swarmer(1-0) went six strong innings which gave the Cubs bullpen some much needed rest. Mid-way through the seventh, Scott Effross(H, 6) walked a batter and struck out two. Wanting to save the bullpen for the second part of the doubleheader, Rowan Wick(2.0 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 3 K) mowed them down quickly.
• The Cardinals wanted to spare the bullpen as well, and only utilized Jake Woodford(3.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 1 K) to complete the game.

 

Cardinals 7, Cubs 4 (Game 2)

• The Cardinals went with an unorthodox usage pattern for this one. Inserting Drew VerHagen(1.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 2 K) isn’t that unusual since he draws a majority of appearances in a multi-IP role. But seeing Ryan Helsley(2.2 IP, 2 H, 2 K) for more than one inning(and not in the the ninth) was quite a shocker. To make things more bizarre, Giovanny Gallegos(2.0 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 5 K) finished out the game with more than one inning pitched.
• The Cubs decided followed suit, and closer David Robertson(2.1 IP, 3 H, 4 K) stepped in for a multi-inning appearance as well. Before Robertson, Mychal Givens(1.2 IP, 2 H, 3 BB, 2 K) escaped a bunch of baserunners while keeping things scoreless. However, the late inning loss was charged to Michael Rucker(0.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB).

 

Blue Jays 12, Twins 3

• The Blue Jays bats woke up early and score eight runs through the first four innings. That would be all that was needed because Berríos was dealing. Julian Merryweather(1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K) left the eighth inning unscathed, and Trent Thornton(1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K) found a late inning of work as the team sat on a nine run lead.
• Overall, it was a disaster for Twins’ pitching. Every RP gave up runs and baserunners were everywhere(5.2 IP, 8 H, 5 BB).

 

Orioles 5, Guardians 4

• Keegan Akin(2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 BB) didn’t look sharp after relieving Wells from his starting duties in the fifth inning. in the seventh ininng, Félix Bautista(1.o IP) moved his record to 2-0 by keeping the scoreboard clean at the right time. Dillon Tate(H, 7) found a little trouble but had help from closer Jorge López(S, 7), who made a multi-inning appearance.
• After seven strong from McKenzie, Anthony Gose(1.0 IP, 1 H) found work, albeit only 11 pitches, but hadn’t pitched this week.

 

Pirates 2, Diamondbacks 1

• In a tight one, the Pirates kept things simple. Wil Crowe(1.0 IP, 1 BB, 2 K) and Duane Underwood Jr.(1.1 IP, 1 K) helped keep the game within one through the eighth inning. Chris Stratton(1.0 IP) pitched the ninth and grabbed his third win as the offense scored late.
• The D-backs didn’t use any RPs until the bottom of the eighth. Ian Kennedy(H, 8) struck out the only batter faced on five pitches. Lastly, Mark Melancon imploded again! While failing to record an out, he blew his second save and the ERA soars to 6.87; and this could be the breaking point for him. Should Arizona make a change at closer, Kennedy would assume the role.

 

Rangers 3, Mariners 2

• Joe Barlow(S, 10) was looking for redemption after last night, and found it! Before Barlow’s inning of dominance, a trio of arms notched holds and combined for three IP of scoreless ball. Dennis Santana(1.0 IP, 1 K), Matt Moore(1.0 IP, 2 K), and John King(1.0 IP, 2 H) were those bullpen arms.
• On the other side of the diamond, the Mariners only needed one arm. Andrés Muñoz threw fire and only needed nine pitches to complete his his inning.

 

Red Sox 8, Athletics 0

• Starter Nick Pivetta(7.0 IP, 2 H, 2 BB, 7 K) was a man on a mission. Wasting no time, Boston went straight with a big gun out of the bullpen, Tanner Houck(1.0 IP, 2 H, 2 K). After another solid appearance, Houck’s ERA drops to 3.72. Finally, up by eight, Hirokazu Sawamura(1.0 IP, 1 K) only needed to throw strikes to finish this one; and he did just that(12 pitches, 7 strikes).
• Oakland trotted out several low-leverage arms in this one. However, two notable RPs toed the rubber. Lou Trivino(1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K) was able to do his job, and A.J. Puk(1.0 IP, 1 K) mowed batters down with his slider of death.

 

Royals 6, Astros 0

• In the sixth inning, Collin Snider(1.0 IP) notched his fourth win of the season as he was the first player out of the pen. Next, Arodys Vizcaíno(1.0 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) and Josh Staumont(1.0 IP, 1 BB) earned holds with scoreless frames. Finally, Scott Barlow(1.0 IP, 1 K) hurled a clean inning but needed 17 pitches to do so.
• In the eighth inning, the usually-dependable Rafael Montero(0.2 IP, 4 ER, 1 K) tossed a klunker. Additionally, the team needed to deploy Bryan Abreu(0.1 IP, 2 H, 1 K) to get out of the inning.

 

Nationals 10, Reds 8

• Paolo Espino(1.0 IP, 2 K) and Carl Edwards Jr.(1.0 IP, 1 K) helped keep hopes alive by not allowing anymore runs to cross home plate. In the eighth inning, Kyle Finnegan(1.0 IP, 3 K) was dominant and threw 82% of his pitches for strikes. Finally, to close out this one Tanner Rainey(1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 K) picked up his seventh save but did it was a VERY shaky appearance.
• The Reds bullpen….was….bad! Alexis Díaz(1.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K) couldn’t get out of the seventh inning without giving up an HR, and Tony Santillan didn’t even make it out of the eighth inning. Lastly, Hunter Strickland(1.0 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 K) had his own issues.

 

White Sox 3, Rays 2

• In the sixth inning, newly-recalled Kyle Crick(1.1 IP, 2 K) notched his second win on the season. Next, the team tossed Kendall Graveman(H, 11) and Liam Hendriks(S, 15) for an inning each. Graveman was a bit shaky and scattered a pair of hits with a walk, while Hendriks was lights out.
• In the top of the eighth, the Rays fired up Brooks Raley(0.1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 1 K) but he wasn’t able to make it out of the inning. Needing to douse the situation, Jalen Beeks(1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 3 K) was able to sit plenty down via punchouts but not before more damage was done.

 

Marlins 5, Giants 4

• After another gem from starter Pablo López, Steven Okert(1.0 IP, 1 K) kept things quiet and the game remained tied. In the top of the ninth, Tanner Scott(1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K) was in the right place at the right time and moved his record to 1-1.
• The Giants went off-script in this one. Closer Camilo Doval(1.0 IP) was utilized in the sixth inning due, and not left for later. In the seventh inning, Jake McGee(1.0 IP, 1 K) kept pumping fastballs to keep the game tied. Unfortunately, it was for not, Tyler Rogers(1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 1 K) labored through over 20 pitches and coughed up the go-ahead run.

 

Padres 4, Brewers 0

• Up by four runs, the bullpen just needed to put goose eggs on the scoreboard. Nabil Crismatt(1.0 IP, 1 H, 1 K) found success and didn’t allow a run. Next, Luis García(1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 K) danced around a couple of hits but didn’t let anyone score. Finally, Taylor Rogers(1.0 IP), in a non-save chance, hurled a clean frame. That was an outstanding sign for Rogers since his previous two appearances were unsettling.
• The Brewers kept the high-leverage arms(Hader, Williams, Boxberger) on the bench. Instead, Trevor Gott(1.0 IP) and Miguel Sánchez(1.0 IP) found some work.

 

Phillies 7, Angels 2

• When Zack Wheeler makes a start, the bullpen isn’t needed as much. Brad Hand(1.0 IP) earned his sixth hold and dropped the ERA to a respectable 1.13. Also, earning a hold, Seranthony Domínguez(1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K) kept things scoreless and dropped his ERA to 1.74. Not to be outdone, Connor Brogdon(1.0 IP, 1 K) preserved the W for Wheeler.
• In the last week, the Angels haven’t really turned to their bullpen much. Aaron Loup(0.2 IP, 1 BB, 1 K) started righting the ship for himself, and Oliver Ortega(0.2 IP, 1 H, 2 K) was effective. However, Archie Bradley(1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB) continues to pitch his way out of the bullpen.

 

Mets 9, Dodgers 4

• The Mets unleashed six RPs in this one. Earning the win was Colin Holderman(0.1 IP, 1 K). Additionally, Adam Ottavino(1.0 IP, 1 H, 2 K) and Chasen Shreve(1.0 IP) notched holds from work in the fifth and sixth inning respectfully. Furthermore, they tossed as many high-leverage RPs as they could. Seth Lugo, Joely Rodríguez, and Drew Smith combined for three innings of scoreless ball.
• On the other side, the Dodgers emptied the bullpen as well. Nearly everyone with exception to Craig Kimbrel and Daniel Hudson made an appearance. The most noteworthy appearance was Brusdar Graterol(1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 K) after allowing a long ball Pete Alonso.

 

 

Also, if you’re looking for a detailed list or ranking of RPs, check out Rick Graham’s weekly pieces:

The Hold Up 5/26: Ranking the Top 100 Relievers for Holds

Closing Time 5/31: Ranking the Top 40 Closers

Top 100 Relievers for Save+Hold Leagues: 5/27

Photos by Icon Sportswire | Adapted by Doug Carlin (@Bdougals on Twitter)