MLB Bullpen Report: 06/22/12

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

By Matthew Beck

 American League

Boston Red Sox
(CL) Alfredo Aceves (R)–Recorded his 18th save of the season on Thursday after retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning in order. He needed only seven pitches to force three fly ball outs to end the game. (06/22/12)
(SU) Vicente Padilla (R)–Picked up his 16th hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit in the outing. Padilla has quietly been one of the better relievers to own in holds leagues, and should continue to rack up holds as the season progresses. (06/20/12)
(MR) Mark Melancon (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Wednesday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He threw just nine pitches in the appearance forcing one ground ball out, one fly ball out and striking out one batter. (06/21/12)
Injured–Andrew Bailey (60-Day DL), Bobby Jenks (60-Day DL)

Detroit Tigers
(CL) Jose Valverde (R)–Valverde suffered a wrist injury and is to be considered day-to-day for now. He will likely be out for at least a few days, so expect Joaquin Benoit to take over the closer duties while he is out. (06/20/12)
(SU) Joaquin Benoit (R)–Picked up the win on Thursday after pitching a scoreless 10th inning giving up one hit and one walk in the outing. Benoit is expected to be used in save situations until Jose Valverde returns to action, so he is worth picking up in all fantasy formats. (06/22/12)
(MR) Phil Coke (L)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Thursday giving up one hit while striking out one batter. Coke has now put together three straight solid relief appearances which he has totals 4.1 innings of scoreless relief. (06/22/12)

Minnesota Twins
(CL) Matt Capps (R)–Capps was unavailable Sunday against the Brewers due to a sore right shoulder. He is not expected to be placed on the disabled-list, but he will be given an extended break, which should result in save chances Glenn Perkins. (06/18/12)
(SU) Glen Perkins (L)–Recorded his first save of the season on Wednesday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one walk while striking out two batters. Until Matt Capps returns from injury expect to see Perkins in the closer role. (06/21/12)
(MR) Brian Duensing (L)–Pitched 1.2 innings of relief on Tuesday night giving up two hits and one walk in the outing. It took him 28 pitches to get through the outing, forcing one ground ball out and four fly ball outs. (06/20/12)

Oakland Athletics
(CL) Ryan Cook(R)–Picked up the win on Thursday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one walk while striking out one batter. Cook continued his hot streak on Thursday and it is hard to see him being removed from the role at any point this season. (06/22/12)
(SU) Grant Balfour (R)–Picked up his fifth hold of the season on Tuesday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one walk while striking out one batter. With this appearance Balfour lowered his earned-run average to 2.86 on the season. (06/20/12) (MR) 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)
Injured–Joey Devine (15-Day DL)

Tampa Bay Rays
(CL) Fernando Rodney (R)–Recorded his 20th save of the season on Tuesday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out one batter. With this appearance Rodney lowered his earned-run average to 1.10 on the season. (06/20/12)
(SU) Joel Peralta (R)–Peralta has been suspended eight games by Major League Baseball for having a foreign substance on his glove. He has yet to appeal the suspension, but for now be sure to get him out of your lineups in holds leagues. (06/22/12)
(MR) J.P. Howell (L)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Thursday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. With the recent suspension of Joe Peralta, expect Howell to move into the setup role for the time-being. (06/22/12)
Injured–Kyle Farnsworth (15-Day DL)

National League

Colorado Rockies
(CL) Rafael Betancourt (R)–Recorded his 11th save of the season on Thursday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out two batters in the outing. Betancourt has now pitched back-to-back days and may be given the day off on Friday. (06/22/12)
(SU) Matt Belisle (R)–Picked up his eighth hold of the season on Thursday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit and one walk on 13 pitches thrown. With this appearance Belisle lowered his earned-run average to 2.13 on the season. (06/22/12) (MR) Matt Reynolds (L)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Wednesday giving up one hit in the outing. He threw just seven pitches in the appearance so despite pitching on back-to-back days he should be available to pitch on Thursday. (06/21/12)

Los Angeles Dodgers
(CL) Kenley Jansen (R)–Recorded his 11th save of the season on Friday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. He struck out two batters in the appearance and looked a lot better than he did on Wednesday after pitching three straight days. (06/16/12) (
SU) Scott Elbert (L)–Pitched two innings of relief on Wednesday night giving up one run on one hit while striking out one batter. The run came via a Brandon Moss home run on the eighth inning, which gave the Athletics the cushion they needed to win the game. (06/21/12)
(MR) Josh Lindblom (R)–Took the loss on Thursday after surrendering three runs on two hits and one walk without recording an out in the ninth inning. Lindblom had been pitching well prior to this outing, so hopefully he will be able to put this one behind him. (06/22/12)
Injured–Matt Guerrier (15-Day DL), Javy Guerra (15-Day DL)

Miami Marlins
(CL) Heath Bell (R)–Recorded his 14th save of the season on Saturday night after striking out the side in the ninth inning. Bell has now recorded eight strikeouts in his last 2.2 innings of relief. (06/17/12)
(SU) Edward Mujica (R)–Took the loss and was charged with his third blown-save of the season on Thursday after surrendering two runs on three hits in the eighth inning. The two runs came via a Will Middlebrooks home run in the inning, which raised Mujica’s earned-run average to 4.22 on the season. (06/22/12)
(MR) Steve Cishek (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Wednesday night surrendering two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. With this appearance Cishek’s earned-run average ballooned to 2.45 on the season. (06/21/12)

Philadelphia Phillies
(CL) Jonathan Papelbon (R)–Picked up the win on Wednesday despite giving up one run on two hits and one walk while striking out two batters in the ninth inning. Papelbon has now struck out five batters in his last 3.1 innings of relief and has 33 total strikeouts for the season. (06/21/12)
(SU) Antonio Bastardo (L)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Wednesday giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. He needed 31 pitches to get through the inning, but luckily was able to get out of the jam by forcing two fly ball outs to go along with his strikeout. (06/21/12)
(MR) Chad Qualls (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Thursday giving up two hits in the appearance. He threw just eight pitches in the game, so expect him to be ready as usual for this weekend’s series with the Rays. (06/22/12)
Injured–David Herndon (15-Day DL)

Pittsburgh Pirates
(CL) Joel Hanrahan (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Sunday in a non-save situation giving up one hit while striking out one batter. This was Harahan’s second straight non-save situation and he hasn’t had a save chance since last Saturday. (06/18/12)
(SU) Jason Grilli (R)–Took the loss on Wednesday night after surrendering one run on two hits in the eighth inning. The run came via a Josh Willingham home run with one out in the inning, which ended up being the deciding factor. (06/21/12)
(MR) Chris Resop (R)–Pitched two innings of relief on Tuesday night giving up two hits and one walk while striking out one batter. He needed 33 pitches to get through the appearance and will likely be off on Wednesday due to that high of a pitch count. (06/20/12)
Injured–Chris Leroux (60-Day DL)

St. Louis Cardinals
(CL) Jason Motte (R)–Was charged with his fourth blown-save of the season on Sunday after giving up one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. Motte has now pitched four innings in the last four days and may be given an extra day off following the Cardinals off day on Monday. (06/18/12)
(SU) Mitchell Boggs (R)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Thursday retiring all four batters he faced in order. He threw just eight pitches in the appearance forcing one ground ball out and three fly ball outs. (06/22/12)
(MR) Eduardo Sanchez (R)–Took the loss on Sunday after surrendering three runs on three hits and three walks in two innings of relief. After throwing 42 pitches, expect to see Sanchez get a few days off from relief duty. (06/18/12)

Washington Nationals
(CL) Tyler Clippard (R)–Recorded his 11th save of the season on Thursday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out one batter in the appearance. Clippard has now pitched back-to-back games, but did not have a high pitch count in either game, so he should be good to go if the Nationals are in a save situation on Friday night. (06/22/12)
(SU) Sean Burnett (L)–Picked up his 13th hold of the season on Thursday after pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning striking out one batter. He needed only nine pitches to get through the appearance while lowering his earned-run average to 1.08 in his efforts. (06/22/12)
(MR) Michael Gonzalez (L)–Failed to record an out in his appearance on Thursday after surrendering a walk to the only batter he faced in the seventh inning. He threw just seven pitches in the appearance so he will be available to pitch on Friday. (06/22/12)
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.