Reliever Ranks – 9/10

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

 

• All 30 teams squared off yesterday, and everybody returns for more action today.
• The next OFF day is Monday (9/12), and the following teams have off: BAL, BOS, NYY, CHW, KCR, MIN, OAK, SEA, PHI, WSN, MIL, STL, COL, and SDP. So, expect these bullpens to get a bit more throughout the weekend.

 

• The Houston Astros activated Ryan Pressly from the 15-day IL. He’ll take back his closer role, and everyone will be pushed back in the bullpen, with Rafael Montero becoming the setup. Additionally, Brandon Bielak was demoted.
• The San Francisco Giants placed Dominic Leone on the 15-day IL with an elbow issue. Moving into his slot as the setup is likely John Brebbia, as he touts a sub-3.00 ERA, 16 holds, and one of the highest velocity fastballs in the pen.

 

• The Washington Nationals designated Jake McGee for assignment and recalled Jordan Weems. The roster move comes as the veteran southpaw struggles continue. In his last six appearances, McGee has allowed six earned runs (two HRs) with a 4:4 K/BB ratio.
• The Oakland Athletics optioned Zach Logue and recalled Domingo Tapia.  Sliding into the bulk RP role is Norge Ruiz, but don’t look too deep into this one as Ruiz carries a 9.00 ERA over his ten appearances and a walk rate north of 10%.

 

• The Los Angeles Angels needed to make room for Michael Lorenzen, and Touki Toussaint got pushed back down to Triple-A. Formerly in the rotation, Mike Mayers will assume the bulk RP role.
• The following RPs pitched on back-to-back nights and will be unavailable for Saturday’s action: Dylan Floro (MIA), Brad Hand (PHI), and Brandon Hughes (CHC).

 

 

BOS 2 – BAL 3

• Boston jumped out to an early lead, then ran into problems in the 6th inning. Brayan Bello started the inning by loading the bases and getting pulled for Kaleb Ort, who had all sorts of command issues. His wild pitch allowed Cedric Mullins to come home, and then he loaded the bases back up via a walk. Gunnar Henderson put one through the infield for Baltimore’s third run (all charged to Bello). Additionally, Zack Kelly and Matt Barnes pitched scoreless frames in the 7th and 8th inning.
• Austin Voth ran his pitch count up to 87 and only lasted four innings. Coming out for a scoreless 5th and part of the 6th inning was DL Hall. However, Jake Reed tossed an inning and an out as he earned win #2 by pitching in the right place at the right time. Later, Cionel Pérez (H, 23) and Bryan Baker (H, 8) notched holds. Finally, Dillon Tate grabbed the final four outs to record his fourth save. Closer Félix Bautista was unavailable due to arm fatigue.

 

TBR 4- NYY 2

• Drew Rasmussen supplied the bullpen with six strong innings, and they assisted in helping him earn his tenth win. In the 7th inning, Jalen Beeks struggled to throw strikes (25 pitches, 12 strikes:13 balls) and allowed an earned. Next, Brooks Raley notched his 23rd hold while striking out a batter. JT Chargois picked up his second hold but didn’t make it out of the innings after allowing a solo shot to Kyle Higashioka. Up by two with one out left, Shawn Armstrong induced a Gleyber Torres flyout for his second save.
• The Yankees only needed two RPs in this one. Lucas Luetge helped escape damage in the 6th inning after Frankie Montas put two men on base, and he followed by pitching another inning. In the 8th and 9th inning, Ryan Weber hurled 25 pitches (19 strikes) to keep the game close.

 

SFG 2 – CHC 4

• The Giants bullpen let them down early as Yunior Marte served up Nice Hoerner’s two-run shot that put Chicago ahead. Jarlín García and Zack Littell pitched the final two innings without allowing any runs.
• After a seven-inning gem by Drew Smyly, the Cubs handed Manuel Rodríguez with a man on first base. After back-to-back walks, Evan Longoria hit a double that scored a pair of runs. Brandon Hughes came on to strike out the final batter in the 8th inning and hurl a clean 9th for his fourth save.

 

TOR 4 – TEX 3

• The Toronto pen came into the 7th inning with a 3-2 lead. Adam Cimber and Yimi García each grabbed holds, even though Garcia was charged an earned run after allowing an 8th-inning double to Bubba Thompson. He scored later in the inning when Tim Mayza took the mound. Additionally, Mayza pitched his way into the win, his sixth of the season. Finally, Jordan Romano shut the door on his 32nd save by striking out a pair of batters.
• In the 6th inning, Dennis Santana got out of a massive jam by inducing a pop-out from Santiago Espinal with the bases loaded. The next two innings belonged to Brock Burke, who scattered two hits and struck out three. In the 9th inning of a tied ballgame, José Leclerc walked the leadoff hitter, and a Danny Jansen single allowed the winning run to cross home plate.

 

LAA 3 – HOU4

• Michael Lorenzen was back from a substantial leave but still managed 85 pitches and almost went six innings. Aaron Loup struck out Kyle Tucker to get the game into the 7th inning. With a one-run lead, Andrew Wantz gave up a two-run blast to Chas McCormick before finishing out the inning. Tied in the 8th inning, José Marte loaded the bases and walked a run. Control was his issue as it was his third walk of the inning.
• Rafael Montero was the first bullpen arm to enter the game in the 7th inning. He hurled a clean frame, and Ryan Pressly came on for the final inning. He showed signs of rust as Taylor Ward took him deep. Although, he struck out the final two batters and notched save #26.

 

DET 10 – KCR 2

• Detroit got a very nice start from an unexpected pitcher (Joey Wentz). While we expected to see the bullpen much sooner, the first RP, José Cisnero, didn’t make an appearance until the 7th inning. Additionally, the 8th and 9th inning belonged to Daniel Norris as Detroit rested the bullpen with a big lead.
• Daniel Lynch got blasted early in this one, and the bullpen didn’t help the cause. Brad Keller, Luke Weaver, and Anthony Misiewicz combined for the game’s five innings and allowed three earned runs. Luckily, none of the primary high-leverage arms were utilized, and should get some work tonight.

 

CLE 7 – MIN 6

• Cleveland had Nick Sandlin and Trevor Stephan dealing after Enyel De Los Santos allowed a pair of runs to start the 6th inning. In the 8th inning, James Karinchak earned his 6th hold but didn’t have a good outing(1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER). Luckily, uber-reliable Emmanuel Clase stuck out a pair and grabbed his 32nd save.
• Due to overuse, most of the Twins bullpen was unavailable: Jorge López, Michael Fulmer, Griffin Jax, and Caleb Thielbar. Instead, Aaron Sanchez made a three-inning appearance, and Jovani Moran struck out a pair in his lone inning. Unfortunately, the strong bullpen outings were for not as Dylan Bundy allowed seven early runs.

 

CIN 8 – MIL 2

• Due to another Nick Lodolo dominant performance, Cincy only needed Derek Law for an inning. He tossed nine of 15 for strikes and didn’t allow any base runners.
• After Freddy Peralta headed to the IL, Jason Alexander got the spot start. It didn’t go well, and he gave up five earned runs in five innings. Justin Topa and Luis Perdomo make scoreless appearances for 2.2 innings. In the 9th, Brent Suter gave up a pair of HRs, and four earned runs, but the game was already well out of hand.

 

ARI 10 – COL 13

• Arizona’s bullpen got DESTROYED. In total, they allowed seven earned runs on 5.1 innings of work.
• Colorado’s bullpen did not get destroyed. However, starter Germán Márquez did for nine earned runs in four innings of work. OUCH! And yet, Daniel Bard earned the win after a scoreless frame in the 9th inning. Additionally, Dinelson Lamet and Carlos Estévez made scoreless appearances in the 7th and 8th inning.

 

LAD 4 – SDP 5 (10th inning)

• Dustin May struggled again and left the 5th inning without the lead. Luckily, the bullpen was excellent. Caleb Ferguson, Chris Martin, and Phil Bickford combined for three innings of shutdown baseball. In the 9th, Craig Kimbrel was able to keep his non-save outing intact without any issues. However, in the bottom of the 10th inning, Heath Hembree couldn’t stop the inherited ghost runner from scoring after a single by Jake Cronenworth.
• In a similar fashion, Mike Clevinger only lasted five innings while allowing four earned runs, and then the bullpen showed up nicely. Steven Wilson, Luis Garcia, Robert Suarez, and even Josh Hader kept the scoreboard empty. In the 10th, Adrian Morejon collected his fourth win after sitting Mookie Betts, Trea Turner, and Freddie Freeman down in order.

 

ATL 6 – SEA 4

• Charlie Morton allowed three HRs over his 6.1 innings of work but left with the lead. A.J. Minter struck out a pair in relief of Morton and earned his 27th hold. Raisel Iglesias walked one and struck out three in his late-inning work. Finally, Kenley Jansen recorded save #33 with a pair of Ks to start the inning.
• A pair of HRs were charged to Robbie Ray, as he allowed four earned runs in his five innings of work. Following Ray, Matthew Festa served up a pair of HRs too. Things quieted down once Matthew Boyd took the mound and struck out three over his two innings. Finally, Penn Murfee hurled a clean 9th inning.

 

CHW 5 – OAK 3

• The White Sox bullpen was stout. Joe Kelly struck out a pair of batters after a Sheldon Neuse bat hit, and Aaron Bummer took home his second win that included a K. Finally, up by two, Liam Hendriks walked one and struck out one for his 32nd save.
• The story for Oakland was a disastrous 9th inning. A.J. Puk allowed five earned runs before getting yanked from this one. His performance inevitably cost them the game. However, Joel Payamps and Domingo Acevedo looked pretty good as they combined for two innings and six punchouts.

 

STL 2 – PIT 8

• Miles Mikolas was tallied with his 11th loss after allowing four earned runs through five innings pitched. Zach Thompson and Jake Woodford made multi-inning appearances, with Woodford imploding. He was knocked around the yard, and four late earned runs put this one out of reach.
• On the back of a Roansy Contreras one-run performance, the Pirates bullpen showed up. Manny Bañuelos earned his fifth hold but wasn’t all that spectacular as he allowed an earned run. Chase De Jong and Robert Stephenson completed the final 2.1 innings with no real issues of note.

 

NYM 3 – MIA 6

• Not the performance we’ve become used to with David Peterson (3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 7 K). This shorter outing led to a bit more bullpen work. Tommy Hunter allowed an earned run over his 1.1 innings, and Mychal Givens notched two scoreless frames. Then, Joely Rodríguez gave up a late two-run blast to Charles Leblanc. Eventually, Edwin Díaz came out for quick work since we hadn’t seen him all week.
• The Marlins bullpen was a huge help in getting Edward Cabrera his fifth victory. Tommy Nance, Tanner Scott, and Steven Okert combined for 2.1 innings of lockdown relief work. Finally, Dylan Floro ended the Mets’ hopes with a 1-2-3 performance for his fourth save.

 

WSN 3 – PHI 5

• After back-t0-back nights for work, Kyle Finnegan and Carl Edwards Jr. were unavailable for this one. Although, not much bullpen was needed after Patrick Corbin scattered 12 hits over 6.2 innings while allowing five earned runs. Furthermore, only Erasmo Ramírez made an appearance, with two Ks over 1.1 innings of work.
• Last night, the Phillies bullpen was on its game. After Thors six innings, Andrew Bellatti (H, 8), José Alvarado (H, 17), and Brad Hand (H, 13) earned holds and limited any base runners. Although, the final out belonged to Nick Nelson, who earned his first save.

 

Bullpen Depth Charts

 

 

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

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)