MLB Bullpen Report: 06/15/12

This article was originally posted on Rotoinfo.com, the place to get all your fantasy news all the time.

By Matthew Beck

American League

Baltimore Orioles
(CL) Jim Johnson (R)–Recorded his 19th save of the season on Tuesday night after retiring the final two batters of the ninth inning. The inning did not start out as a save situation, but after Kevin Gregg gave up two runs he was quickly replaced by Johnson who saved the day. (06/13/12)
(SU) Pedro Strop (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday night in a non-save situation giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. With this appearance Strop lowered his earned-run average to 1.44 on the season. (06/14/12)
(MR) Darren O’Day (R)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Thursday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He needed only eight pitches to get the job done and struck out one batter in his efforts. (06/15/12)
Injured–Matt Lindstrom (15-Day DL)

Boston Red Sox
(CL) Alfredo Aceves (R)–Recorded his 15th save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit while striking out one batter. He needed 14 pitches to get through the appearance and forced a ground ball out and a fly ball out to go along with his strikeout. (06/13/12)
(SU) Franklin Morales (L)–Pitched three innings of relief on Saturday retiring all nine batters he faced in order striking out three. This was Morales second straight appearance being used in long relief so it appears the Red Sox will be using him in this role from now on. (06/10/12)
(MR) Vicente Padilla (R)–Failed to record an out in his appearance on Wednesday night giving up a hit to the only batter he faced on three pitches. He has now pitched in back-to-back games so it is good that the Red Sox have off on Thursday so he can refuel himself. (06/14/12)
Injured–Andrew Bailey (60-Day DL), Bobby Jenks (60-Day DL)

Chicago White Sox
(CL) Addison Reed (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance, lowering his earned-run average to 4.35 on the season. (06/13/12)
(SU) Matt Thornton (L)– Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Thursday giving up just one hit in the appearance. With this outing Thornton lowered his earned-run average to 2.93 on the season. (06/15/12)
(MR) Hector Santiago (L)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Friday surrendering two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. Santiago needed 29 pitches to get through the appearance in what was his first outing his last Saturday. (06/09/12)

Cleveland Indians
(CL) Chris Perez (R)–Recorded his 20th save of the season on Sunday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit while striking out one batter. Perez leads all closers in 2012 with 20 saves and is currently sitting on a 2.59 earned-run average. (06/11/12)
(SU) Vinnie Pestano (R)–Picked up the win on Sunday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up three walks while striking out two batters. Pestano was able to work out of the jam, but this is definitely not what you want to see out of your setup man. (06/11/12)
(MR) Tony Sipp (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Tuesday night giving up one run on one hit while striking out one batter. The Run came via a Joey Votto home run in the seventh inning, which raised his earned-run average to 6.65 on the season. (06/13/12)

Detroit Tigers
(CL) Jose Valverde (R)–Recorded his 13th save of the season on Thursday despite giving up one run on one hit while striking out one batter in the ninth inning. He had pitched great in his last few outings, but this time out he reverted back to his old ways. (06/15/12) (SU) Joaquin Benoit (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter and lowered his earned-run average to 2.25 on the season. (06/14/12)
(MR) Phil Coke (L)–Took the loss on Tuesday night after surrendering one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four batters. The run was unearned, but he was on the mound when the game-winning run scored, so he was charged with the loss. (06/13/12) Injured–Octavio Dotel (15-Day DL)

Kansas City Royals
(CL) Jonathan Broxton (R)–Recorded his 15th save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up two hits while striking out two batters. With this appearance Broxton’s earned-run average falls to 1.52 on the season. (06/13/12)
(SU) Greg Holland (R)–Pitched two innings of relief on Wednesday giving up two hits while striking out three batters. He needed 25 pitches to get through the outing and has now pitched in back-to-back games. (06/14/12)
(MR) Aaron Crow (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Wednesday giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. He has now pitched in back-to-back games and will likely be given a day off on Thursday. (06/14/12)
Injured–Joakim Soria (out for season)

Los Angeles Angels
(CL) Ernesto Frieri (R)– Recorded his sixth save of the season on Wednesday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. He has now recorded back-to-back saves and with a day off on Thursday should be ready to go for this weekend’s series with the Diamondbacks. (06/14/12)
(SU) Scott Downs (L)–Recorded his sixth save of the season on Sunday despite giving up his first earned-run of the season on three hits. Downs, not Ernesto Frieri, was used in the ninth inning in this contest, but Downs is expected to be the setup man in most situations. (06/11/12)
(MR) Jordan Walden (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Tuesday night throwing just eight pitches in the appearance. This was his first appearance since Friday when he gave up one earned-run, so he hasn’t really been used that much lately. (06/13/12)

Minnesota Twins
(CL) Matt Capps (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Tuesday night in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. With this appearance Capps lowered his earned-run average to 2.96 on the season. (06/13/12)
(SU) Glen Perkins (L)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation giving up one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. Perkins has really settled down as of late and has lowered his earned-run average to 3.38 on the season. (06/14/12)
(MR) Brian Duensing (L)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Tuesday night surrendering three runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter. This was a terrible outing for Duensing, so was pitching well as of late, so hopefully he can put this one behind him and move on. (06/13/12)

New York Yankees
(CL) Rafael Soriano (R)–Recorded his 11th save of the season on Wednesday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit in the outing. With this appearance Soriano lowered his earned-run average to 1.93 on the season. (06/14/12)
(SU) Boone Logan (R)–Picked up his seventh hold of the season on Wednesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. He gave up two walks in the appearance but was able to get out of the jam by striking out one batter and forcing a ground ball out and a fly ball out on 24 pitches thrown. (06/14/12)
(MR) Cory Wade (R)–Picked up his eighth hold of the season on Monday after striking out the only batter that he faced on four pitches. Wade has now pitched in three straight games and will likely be unavailable on Tuesday. (06/12/12)
Injured–Mariano Rivera (out for the season), David Robertson (15-Day DL)

Oakland Athletics
(CL) Ryan Cook(R)–Recorded his second save of the season on Wednesday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit. Cook is now two-for-two in save chances and has now pitched back-to-back games and will likely be unavailable on Thursday. (06/14/12) (CL) Brian Fuentes (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Thursday surrendering two runs on three hits and one walk while striking out one batter. The big blow came via a Marco Scutaro home run in the ninth inning, which made Fuentes’ total earned-run balloon to five runs on his last 1.2 innings of relief.
(06/15/12) (MR) Grant Balfour (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Thursday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance and lowered his earned-run average to 3.03 on the season. (06/15/12)
Injured–Joey Devine (15-Day DL)

Seattle Mariners
(CL) Tom Wilhelmsen (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Thursday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out two batters in the appearance while forcing the only other batter he faced to ground out. (06/15/12)
(SU) Brandon League (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday night in a non-save situation giving up one hit and two walks in the outing. He was able to work out of the jam by striking out one batter and forcing two ground ball outs. (06/14/12)
(MR) Stephen Pryor (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Tuesday night giving up one hit in the outing. He threw 11 pitches in the appearance with seven going over for strikes, which is something you like to see out of a young pitcher. (06/13/12)
Injured–George Sherrill (15-Day DL)

Tampa Bay Rays
(CL) Fernando Rodney (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Thursday afternoon giving up one run on two hits while striking out two batters. With this outing Rodney raised his earned-run average to 1.21 on the season. (06/15/12)
(SU) Joel Peralta (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Thursday giving up one hit and one walk in the appearance. He forced two ground ball outs and one fly ball out on 16 pitches thrown to get the job done. (06/15/12)
(MR) J.P. Howell (L)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Thursday retiring all three batters he faced in order. Howell struck out two batters in the appearance and has now pitched three consecutive days and will likely be unavailable to pitch on Friday. (06/15/12)
Injured–Kyle Farnsworth (15-Day DL)

Texas Rangers
(CL) Joe Nathan (R)–Recorded his 13th save of the season on Wednesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out two batters. Nathan has been one of the better closers this season, and if you were lucky enough to land him in the late-rounds, you are getting an excellent return on investment. (06/14/12)
(SU) Mike Adams (R)–Picked up his first win of the season on Wednesday after retiring the final two batters of the eighth inning. He needed only seven pitches to get the job done, striking out one batter and forcing the other batter to fly out. (06/14/12)
(MR) Koji Uehara (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Saturday surrendering two runs on four hits while striking out one batter. He needed 25 pitches to get through the appearance, which was his first since last Saturday. (06/10/12)

Toronto Blue Jays
(CL) Casey Janssen (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing one ground ball out and one fly ball out. (06/14/12)
(SU) Jason Frasor (R)– Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Tuesday night giving up one walk while striking out one batter. He needed 22 pitches to get through the appearance and has now pitched in back-to-back games. (06/13/12)
(MR) Francisco Cordero (R)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Wednesday giving up one walk on nine pitches thrown. He was able to force two fly ball outs to get himself out of the eighth inning, but threw just four strikes in the appearance. (06/14/12)
Injured–Sergio Santos (15-Day DL)

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks
(CL) J.J. Putz (R)–Recorded his 13th save of the season on Sunday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He needed only 11 pitches to get through the appearance, forcing two ground ball outs and one fly ball out. (06/11/12)
(SU) David Hernandez (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Wednesday night forcing the only batter he faced to ground out on two pitches. This was his first appearance since Sunday, so expect him to be fully available for the next few days. (06/14/12)
(MR) Bryan Shaw (R)–Pitched two innings of relief on Thursday retiring all six batters he faced in order on 19 pitches thrown. He forced two ground ball out and four fly ball outs in the appearance while lowering his earned-run average to 3.51 on the season. (06/15/12)
Injured–Takashi Saito (15-Day DL)

Atlanta Braves
(CL) Craig Kimbrel (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday night in a non-save situation striking out three batters in the outing. Kimbrel now has six strikeouts in his last three innings of relief and has 40 strikeouts on the season. (06/14/12)
(SU) Jonny Venters (L)–Venters struck out the only batter that he faced in the eighth inning on five pitches thrown. He has now pitched in three consecutive games and since the Braves are off on Thursday he will be ready to go for this weekend’s series with the Orioles. (06/14/12)
(MR) Eric O’Flaherty (L)–Was charged with his third blown-save of the season on Friday night after giving up one run on one hit in the eighth inning. O’Flaherty has now pitched three consecutive days and will likely be unavailable to pitch on Saturday. (06/09/12)

Chicago Cubs
(CL) James Russell (L)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Thursday giving up one hit while striking out two batters of 13 pitches thrown. Russell looked sharp in this appearance, and with Shawn Camp giving up two runs in the ninth inning, he may have the upper-hand on save chances. (06/15/12)
(CL) Shawn Camp (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Thursday surrendering two runs on two hits in the appearance. Camp has now given up four runs in his last 3.1 innings of relief, which could cost him save chances down the road. (06/15/12)
(MR) Carlos Marmol (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday night in a non-save situation giving up one hit and one walk while striking out three batters. It was a typical outing for Marmol, but this time he was able to get out of the jam he created without allowing any runs. (06/14/12) 

Cincinnati Reds
(CL) Aroldis Chapman (L)–Recorded his seventh save of the season on Wednesday despite giving up a solo-home run to Jose Lopez in the ninth inning. After not giving up an earned-run leading up to last Thursday, Chapman has now given up runs in each of his last three outings. (06/14/12)
(SU) Sean Marshall (L)–Picked up his seventh hold of the season on Wednesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning striking out one batter in the appearance. With this outing Marshall lowered his earned-run average to 3.47 on the season. (06/14/12)
(MR) Jose Arrenondo (R)–Picked up the win on Thursday afternoon after pitching 0.2 innings of relief retiring both batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance and needed only five pitches to get the job done. (06/15/12)
Injured–Ryan Madson (out for season), Nick Masset (15-Day DL), Bill Bray (15-Day DL)

Colorado Rockies
(CL) Rafael Betancourt (R)–Took the loss and was charged with his second blown-save of the season on Wednesday after surrendering three runs on three hits and one walk in the ninth inning. He threw 30 pitches in the appearance so he will likely be given a day off on Thursday to clear his head. (06/14/12)
(SU) Matt Belisle (R)–Picked up his seventh hold of the season on Wednesday night after pitching 1.2 innings of relief. He gave up one hit and one walk while striking out two batters in the appearance. (06/14/12)
(MR) Matt Reynolds (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Thursday giving up one run on two hits while striking out one batter. The run came via a Josh Reddick home run in the eighth inning, but if you take that one pitch away Reynolds didn’t look that bad in this appearance. (06/15/12)

Houston Astros
(CL)Brett Myers (R)–Recorded his 16th save of the season on Thursday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up just one hit in the appearance. With this outing Myers lowered his earned-run average to 1.99 on the season. (06/15/12)
(SU) Brandon Lyon (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Tuesday night giving up one run on one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. Lyon has now struck out four batters in his last 2.1 innings of relief. (06/13/12)
(MR)Wilton Lopez (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Sunday giving up one run on one hit. The one run came via a Paul Konerko home run in the eighth inning, but even with that home run Lopez’s earned-run average is sitting at 2.51 on the season. (06/11/12)

Los Angeles Dodgers
(CL) Kenley Jansen (R)–Took the loss on Wednesday night after giving up one run on one hit in the ninth inning. This was his second loss this week and was being used for the third consecutive day, which may be the reason why he was unproductive in this contest. (06/14/12)
(SU) Scott Elbert (L)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Sunday giving up one hit and one walk in the outing. He needed 14 pitches to record two outs in the eighth inning, but was relieved by Jamey Wright to prevent any damage. (06/11/12)
(MR) Josh Lindblom (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Wednesday night retiring all three batters he faced in order. He threw just nine pitches in the outing forcing one ground ball out and two fly ball outs. (06/14/12)
Injured–Matt Guerrier (15-Day DL), Javy Guerra (15-Day DL)

Miami Marlins 
(CL) Heath Bell (R)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Wednesday night in a non-save situation giving up two hits while striking out two batters. Bell now has six strikeouts in his last 2.2 innings of relief, which is a much higher rate that what we are accustomed to with him. (06/14/12)
(SU) Edward Mujica (R)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Tuesday giving up one hit in the outing on 14 pitches thrown. Mujica has now put together two straight solid outings following his disastrous performance last Thursday when he gave up three runs in 0.1 innings. (06/13/12)
(MR) Steve Cishek (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Tuesday needing 16 pitches to get through the outing. He forced two ground ball outs and one fly ball out in the appearance and lowered his earned-run average to 1.95 on the season. (06/13/12) Milwaukee Brewers
(CL) John Axford (R)–Was charged with his third blown-save and also took the loss on Thursday after surrendering two runs on one hit and one walk and failed to get out of the ninth inning. This was his second straight day in which he blew a save, and has now given up seven runs over his last three appearances. (06/15/12)
(SU) Francisco Rodriguez (R)–Picked up his 13th hold of the season on Thursday after striking out the only batter that he faced on six pitches. He relieved Shaun Marcum in the eighth inning and was able get the job done relatively easy. (06/15/12) 
(MR) Kameron Loe (R)–Took the loss on Wednesday after giving up one run on one hit and one walk in the 10th inning. He failed to record an out in the appearance and was replaced by Jose Veras to clean up his mess. (06/14/12)

New York Mets
(CL) Frank Francisco (R)–Recorded his 16th save of the season on Thursday afternoon after pitching 0.2 innings of relief. He gave up one walk while striking out two batters in the appearance needing 18 pitches to get the job done. (06/15/12)
(SU) Jon Rauch (R)–Picked up his seventh hold of the season on Thursday after pitching a 1-2-3 sixth inning striking out two batters. This was Rauch’s best outing in a few weeks, so hopefully he will be able to repeat this performance next time out. (06/15/12)
(MR) Bobby Parnell (R)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Thursday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance and forced the other two batters he faced to fly out to get through the inning. (06/15/12)

Philadelphia Phillies
(CL) Jonathan Papelbon (R)–Recorded his 17th save of the season on Wednesday after retiring the final four batters of the game in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance and lowered his earned-run average to 2.10 on the season. (06/14/12)
(SU) Antonio Bastardo (L)–Picked up his 13th hold of the season on Wednesday despite giving up one run on two hits while striking out two batters. Bastardo has been a strikeout-machine as of late and has eight strikeouts in his last three innings of relief. (06/14/12) (MR) Chad Qualls (R)–Picked up his 11th hold of the season on Wednesday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief. He struck out three batters in the outing, but Jamey Carroll reached base on a wild pitch for one of his strikeouts. (06/14/12)
Injured–David Herndon (15-Day DL)

Pittsburgh Pirates 
(CL) Joel Hanrahan (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday night in a non-save situation giving up one hit while striking out two batters. This was his first outing since Saturday so the Pirates just wanted him to get some work in even though it was a blowout. (06/14/12)
(SU) Jason Grilli (R)–Recorded his first save of the season on Sunday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. He was only used in this situation because Joel Hanrahan was unavailable, so don’t go running to the waiver-wire to pick him up. (06/11/12)
(MR) Chris Resop (R)–Pitched three innings of relief on Thursday giving up one run on four hits while striking out two batters. He threw 44 pitches in the outing, so he will likely be given the day off on Friday after a pitch count like that. (06/15/12)
Injured–Chris Leroux (60-Day DL)

San Diego Padres
(CL) Huston Street (R)–Recorded his seventh save of the season on Wednesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out one batter. He has now pitched back-to-back games and will likely be unavailable to close on Thursday. (06/14/12)
(SU) Dale Thayer (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Thursday giving up one run on one hit and two walks on 29 pitches thrown. This was Thayer’s first appearance since last Saturday and it wasn’t one that you wanted to see from him. (06/15/12)
(MR) Luke Gregerson (R)–Picked up his eighth hold of the season on Wednesday night after pitching 0.2 innings of relief giving up two hits while striking out one batter. He needed 18 pitches to get the two outs in the appearance and lowered his earned-run average to 3.86 in his efforts. (06/14/12)

San Francisco Giants
(CL) Santiago Casilla (R)–Recorded his 17th save of the season on Tuesday night after retiring the final batter of the ninth inning. The inning turned into a save situation after Clay Hensley gave up a run, so the Giants called upon Casilla to clean up the mess. (06/13/12)
(SU) Sergio Romo (R)–Picked up his 10th hold of the season on Tuesday after striking out the only batter that he faced to end the eighth inning. He threw just five pitches in the appearance and lowered his earned-run average to 0.52 on the season. (06/13/12)
(MR) Javier Lopez (L)–Failed to record an out on Tuesday night after giving up a hit to the only batter that he faced in the ninth inning. He threw just two pitches in the appearance, but the runner did not score so he escaped unharmed. (06/13/12)
Injured–Brian Wilson (out for season)

St. Louis Cardinals
(CL) Jason Motte (R)–Recorded his 13th save of the season on Thursday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He needed only seven pitches to get the job done and despite pitching on back-to-back days he should be available on Friday based on his low pitch count. (06/15/12)
(SU) Mitchell Boggs (R)–Picked up his ninth hold of the season on Thursday after forcing the only batter that he faced to fly out on four pitches in the eighth inning. Boggs was coming off of a bad outing on Tuesday so it was nice to see him rebound in this contest. (06/15/12)
(MR) Eduardo Sanchez (R)–Picked up his third hold of the season on Thursday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief. He gave up one walk in the appearance while forcing the other two batters he faced to fly out. (06/15/12)

Washington Nationals
(CL) Tyler Clippard (R)–Recorded his ninth save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out two batters. Clippard has really excelled in his new role and even when Drew Storen returns to action, it is hard to see the Nationals moving him back to the setup role. (06/13/12) (
SU) Sean Burnett (L)–Picked up his 11th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning retiring all three batters he faced in order. He has now pitched in back-to-back games and three out of the last four days, so a day off on Wednesday is likely. (06/13/12)
(MR) Brad Lidge (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He needed only 10 pitches to get through the inning forcing one ground ball out, one fly ball out and one strikeout. (06/14/12)
Injured– Drew Storen (15-Day DL), Henry Rodriguez (15-Day DL)

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Matthew Beck is a Fantasy Sports Columnist for Rotoinfo.com. If you have any questions or comments feel free to e-mail him at matthewbeck@rotoinfo.com.  Also follow him on Twitter @MatthewRBeck for up-to-date Q&A and fantasy information.