Bullpen Notes 6/16/26
Bullpen Notes 6/16/26
LAB REPORTS
Bullpen Notes 6/16/26
PHI
The main bullpen news of the night here was Brad Keller hitting the IL. Forearm tendinitis. I would expect Kerkering and Alvarado to fill in for him. Both are worth adding if you lost Keller but neither will offer as much holds value since I expect matchup usage.
KCR
Daniel Lynch ended up taking the loss in the 7th. He allowed a three run homer in a tie game. Besides Lange the rest of the bullpen has not been very good the last couple weeks.
WSN
The bullpen usage here never fails to amaze me. Orlando Ribalta started the 7th and got an out before allowing two men to reach. They brought in Dicky Love who did get the final two outs but allowed both Ribalta's runs to score. He was charged with a blown save. They gave Paxton Schultz the win even though he pitched the 8th with a three run lead. Gus Varland came on for the 9th with a 6-3 lead and allowed a homer and walk before getting out of the inning to pick up the save. Beeter was supposed to have the night off but they had him warming when Varland was struggling. There is no clear closer here and that is why I stick with the committee of Beeter, Varland, and Lovelady. Poulin could replace LoveLady if they need a LHP.
TOR
Jeff Hoffman pitched the 6th, Tyler Rogers pitched the 7th and Tommy Nance started the 8th but gave up a run and got into trouble. That forced them to use Varland who got the final 4 outs and picked up the save. They had a 5 run lead in the 9th but they had tacked on a couple. They are one more quality arm from having a very good bullpen.
CIN
They had a nice early lead and the bullpen didn't squander it away. Moll struggled in the 6th allowing a couple runs and turning it into a 5-3 lead. Burke pitched the 7th and allowed just a two out single picking up a hold. Antone pitched the 8th walking the first two batters but getting out of the inning without allowing a run. He picked up a hold. That left the 9th for Santillan who looked good allowing a one out infield single and nothing else while picking up a save. ESPN had his fastball at 96 for a majority of the night. That is the speed he was at last year and he could actually be a decent closer if he can get that back. He remains a risky add but he is going to see save chances. He is ever so slightly inching up to being an add possibility.
CLE
Hunter Gaddis took a loss allowing a solo homer in the 7th. His up and down season continues. He is still a strong holds option as he has 11 of them and missed the first few weeks. He isn't the guy we saw last year though.
MIL
We got the answer to who is the guy in the 9th. Kuhnel got a hold getting the final out of the 6th. Aaron Ashby blew the save allowing a solo homer in the 7th but ended up picking up a win. He also walked a guy in the 8th but they brought on Uribe who threw a couple wild pitches and walked a guy but got the three outs he needed picking up a hold. That left the 9th for Megill with the team up 2-1. Megill looked good striking out two and getting a groundout while picking up the save. I think we can say Megill is the closer and Uribe is the holds man. If you have Megill you can breathe a little sigh of relief.
STL
Stanek pitched the 8th having no issues and picking up a hold. ROB pitched the 9th and allowed a two out walk but that was all picking up the save. He got through the top of the order. It would be nice to see more outings like this from the bullpen but ROB is still locked in as the closer.
COL
Good day for the bullpen which is rare to say. They managed to get the last 13 outs without allowing a run on the road. Castano got the win pitching in the 5th and 6th. Bernardino struggled a bit in the 7th letting two on but picked up a hold. Vodnik pitched the 8th which is somewhat surprising as he had pitched yesterday. That is back to back nights since returning from the IL. He was perfect and got the hold. That allowed Jaden Hill to get his ERA under 5 and pick up his 1st save of the season in the 9th. He immediately moves into the conversation here for saves. Hopefully he replaces Mejia. I still think Vodnik finds his way back to the 9th but I also think it is probably in your best interest to avoid this bullpen all together. Even Senzatela.
CHC
The big news of the day was Daniel Palencia hitting the IL with an elbow issue. It isn't a huge blow fantasy wise as he only had three saves despite closing for the whole season outside the 15-20 days he already spent on the IL. Last time he was out Caleb Thielbar took over as the closer until he got hurt and I would expect that to happen again. They have two other LHP in the bullpen so they have the coverage from that stand point. Jacob Webb would be option number 2 as he has pitched very well since Palencia returned earlier in the year. I wouldn't expect to see Maton as he is still struggling.
DET
They had a 2-1 lead going into the 8th. Kieder Montero who had been a starter most the season had pitched the 7th and started the 8th. He got an out, allowed a single, and then allowed a guy to reach on an error. They pulled him for Will Vest who walked the bases loaded and allowed a two run single to put them down a run. He would allow another run to score making it a 4-2 game before getting out of the inning. The bullpen has sucked all year and tonight they got hurt by an error but it really isn't an excuse. Kenley is the closer and he never seems to get the ball with a lead.
LAA
It was a blowout but Kirby Yates pitched in the 8th. He needed to get some work in so it was a good time for that. It does feel like Ryan Zeferjahn is the closer here but Yates is either part of the equation or next up. Risky guys to roster on a bad team.
BAL
They were down when the bullpen came in today so not much of note happened in the game. They did active Ryan Helsley from the IL and he should return to the 9th inning. He did mention it might take him a couple games to ramp up but he is pain free. Anthony Nunez was sent down which is somewhat surprising as he had pitched very well prior to Helsley's injury but not as well in bigger spots after.
SEA
Looks like Andrés Muñoz dodged a back injury bullet and he picked up the save tonight. Eduard Bazardo pitched the 8th picking up a hold. Like I noted on Monday if Muñoz isn't hurt he is the closer here. He has not had the season he did last year but if he gets it together the potential for a strong 2nd half exists.
ATH
Ohh my beautiful bullpen broke down tonight. Sterner got a hold in the 6th but allowed a starters (Perkins) runner to score making the game 5-3. They brought on Harris in the 7th to face the top of the lineup and he got burned allowing a two run homer to the LHB Bryan Reynolds. That tied up the game and Harris was charged with a blown save. Leiter pitched the 8th like he often does and didn't allow a run. That set up the 9th with the game tied for Elvis Alvarado and he unfortunately got burned by a Brandon Lowe home run that ended up resulting a loss. It was not the result we wanted to see for Alvarado or Harris for that matter but it doesn't hurt either of them. I still believe they are the two current options for the 9th and it would be matchup related. I do think Alvarado has the chance to win over sole possession of the 9th if he can pitch like he did last week.
PIT
Nice game for the bullpen as the team rallied to win. Sisk and Ramirez kept the A's off the board in the 6th and 7th. Montgomery picked up the win in the 8th with a couple big strikeouts. Soto pitched the 9th with a 6-5 lead and despite allowing a couple guys reach with one out he got out of the inning. The last AB he got Jake Wilson out which was kind of cool because Wilson's dad had his best years as a Pirate. Soto is the closer here and Montgomery offers the best chance at holds. This team still needs to upgrade the bullpen if they want to seriously compete.
LAD
Solid night for the bullpen as they protected the 1-0 lead. Will Klein was the 1st in for the 7th and he walked a guy but picked up a hold. Kyle Hurt had the 8th and he had no issue at all picking up a hold. Tanner Scott dominated in the 9th and he has been getting hot again. Scott is locked in as the closer and they have a variety of holds options which makes most of them not roster-able. Hurt would be the best option in my opinion and Vesia isn't bad either.
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