MLB Bullpen Report: 07/17/12

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)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Monday night surrendering five runs on four hits in the outing. After a great first half, Johnson has now given up six runs in his two appearances since the All-Star break. (07/17/12)
(SU) Pedro Strop (R)–Picked up his 14th hold of the season on Saturday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning. Strop has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get the day off on Sunday. (07/15/12)
(MR) Darren O’Day (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Monday night surrendering three runs on four hits in the outing. With this appearance O’Day raised his earned-run average to 3.16 on the season. (07/17/12)

Boston Red Sox
(CL) Alfredo Aceves (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Monday night in a non-save situation giving up one walk in the outing. Aceves has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely be given the day off on Tuesday. (07/17/12)
(SU) Vicente Padilla (R)–Picked up the win on Monday after pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning striking out one batter on 13 pitches thrown. With this appearance Padilla goes to 3-0 on the season with a 3.71 earned-run average. (07/17/12)
(MR) Mark Melancon (R)–Pitched 1.2 innings of relief on Sunday retiring all five batters he faced in order on 19 pitches thrown. Melancon has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely be given the day off on Monday. (07/16/12)
Injured–Andrew Bailey (60-Day DL)

Chicago White Sox
(CL) Addison Reed (R)–Recorded his 14th save of the season on Sunday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit in the outing. This was a nice bounce-back performance from Reed, who gave up one run in his last appearance, so he appears to be going in the right direction moving forward. (07/16/12)
(SU) Matt Thornton (L)– Picked up his 14th hold of the season on Friday after pitching a scoreless seventh inning giving up two hits while striking out one batter. He needed 11 pitches to get through the appearance with eight going over for strikes. (07/14/12)
(MR) Hector Santiago (L)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Saturday giving up one walk in the outing. Santiago ha now pitched back-to-back days and will likely be given the day off on Sunday. (07/15/12)

Cleveland Indians
(CL) Chris Perez (R)–Recorded his 26th save of the season on Monday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out two batters in the appearance. Perez is now two-for-two in save chances in the second half of the season with three strikeouts. (07/17/12)
(SU) Vinnie Pestano (R)–Picked up his 25th hold of the season on Monday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up two hits while striking out three batters. With this appearance Pestano lowered his earned-run average to 1.64 on the season with 48 strikeouts. (07/17/12)
(MR) Tony Sipp (L)–Failed to record an out in his appearance on Monday night after giving up one walk in the outing. He threw just five pitches in the appearance with only one pitch going over for a strike. (07/17/12)

Detroit Tigers
(CL) Jose Valverde (R)–Recorded his 17th save of the season on Monday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit while striking out one batter. Valverde has now pitched four straight days and will likely be given a day off on Tuesday. (07/17/12)
(SU) Joaquin Benoit (R)–Picked up his 21st hold of the season on Monday despite giving up one run on one run on one hit while striking out two batters in the eighth inning. Benoit has now given up four runs in his last two outings combined, so hopefully he will be able to turn things around next time out. (07/17/12)
(MR) Phil Coke (L)–Pitched 1.2 innings of relief on Saturday giving up two walks in the outing. He allowed a few base runners but was able to work out of the jam by forcing four ground ball outs and one fly ball out. (07/15/12)

Kansas City Royals
(CL) Jonathan Broxton (R)–Recorded his 22nd save of the season on Saturday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning. Broxton bounced back nicely form a blown-save on Friday night, but has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely be given the day off on Sunday. (07/15/12)
(SU) Greg Holland (R)–Picked up the win on Saturday after pitching 1.1 innings of relief giving up one walk while striking out one batter. Holland has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely be given the day off on Sunday. (07/15/12)
(MR) Aaron Crow (R)–Was charged with his third blown-save of the season on Saturday after giving up two hits in the sixth inning. Crow did not give up any runs, so his earned-run average lowered to 3.79 on the season. (07/15/12)
Injured–Joakim Soria (out for season)

Los Angeles Angels
(CL) Ernesto Frieri (R)– Failed to record an out in his appearance on Sunday surrendering three runs on one hit and two walks in the ninth inning. The three runs were Frieri’s first earned-runs allowed this season but did not get charged with a blown-save due to the big lead the Angels had when he entered the game. (07/16/12)
(CL) Scott Downs (L)–Picked up his 16th hold of the season on Sunday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief giving up one hit and two walks in the outing. Downs was removed after loading the bases, but escaped unharmed after Kevin Jepsen cleaned up the mess forcing Alex Rodriguez to pop-out to end the game. (07/16/12)
(MR) Jordan Walden (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. He needed 21 pitches to get through the appearance with 12 pitches going over for strikes. (07/09/12)

Minnesota Twins
(CL) Matt Capps (R)–Pitched one inning of relief on Monday night giving up two runs on two hits while striking out one batter. Capps was only being used to get some work in with a huge lead, so don’t look too much into this appearance. (07/17/12)
(SU) Glen Perkins (L)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Sunday in a non-save situation giving up one hit in the outing. He needed 19 pitches to get through the appearance forcing two ground ball outs and one fly ball out to get the job done. (07/16/12)
(MR) Jared Burton (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday giving up two hits and one walk. He got himself into a jam, but was able to work out of hit by forcing two ground ball outs and one fly ball out on 25 pitches thrown. (07/16/12)

New York Yankees
(CL) Rafael Soriano (R)–Recorded his 23rd save of the season on Monday after being used to get the final two outs of the ninth inning. He gave up one hit while striking out one batter in the appearance on 12 pitches thrown. (07/17/12)
(SU) David Robertson (R)–Picked up the win on Monday night after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one walk in the outing. With this appearance Robertson improved to 1-3 on the season with a 2.36 earned-run average. (07/17/12)
(MR) Boone Logan (R)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Sunday giving up one walk in the outing. This was Logan’s first appearance of the second half needing only nine pitches to get the job done. (07/16/12)
Injured–Mariano Rivera (out for the season)

Oakland Athletics
(CL) Ryan Cook(R)–Recorded his ninth save of the season on Friday night after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out two batters. Cook picked up right where he left off at the end of the first half continuing to be one of the best up-in-coming relievers in the game. (07/14/12)
(SU) Grant Balfour (R)–Picked up his 11th hold of the season on Friday after recording the final out of the eighth inning. He forced the only batter he faced to fly out on eight pitches thrown. (07/14/12)
(MR) Jordan Norberto (L)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Saturday giving up one run on three hits in the appearance. The run came via a Josh Willingham home run and luckily no one was on base or else it could’ve been a lot worse. (07/15/12)
Injured–Joey Devine (15-Day DL)

Seattle Mariners
(CL) Tom Wilhelmsen (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Sunday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two ground ball outs on nine pitches thrown. (07/16/12)
(SU) Brandon League (R)–Pitched 1.1 innings of relief on Monday night retiring all four batters he faced in order. League struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two ground ball outs and one fly ball out on 18 pitches thrown. (07/17/12)
(MR) Lucas Luetge (L)–Retired the final batter of the ninth inning on Monday night needing only two pitches to get the job done. His last two appearances were only to get one out, so expect him to be available for the rest of the week as long the Mariners continue to used him in similar roles. (07/17/12)
Injured–George Sherrill (15-Day DL), Stephen Pryor  (15-Day DL)

Tampa Bay Rays
(CL) Fernando Rodney (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Monday night in a non-save situation giving up one hit while striking out one batter. With this appearance Rodney lowered his earned-run average to 0.89 on the season. (07/17/12)
(SU) Kyle Farnsworth (R)–Pitched a scoreless sixth inning on Monday giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. He needed 21 pitches to get through the appearance with 12 pitches going over for strikes. (07/17/12)
(MR) Joel Peralta (R)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Monday night giving up one walk while striking out two batters. Peralta has looked sharp early on in the second half of the season and should continue to be a solid option in holds leagues moving forward. (07/17/12)

Texas Rangers
(CL) Joe Nathan (R)–Recorded his 19th save of the season on Friday night despite surrendering two runs on three hits and one walk in the outing. This was a rough outing for Nathan, but at least he escaped with the save. (07/14/12)
(SU) Mike Adams (R)–Picked up his 16th hold of the season on Friday after recording the final out of the eighth inning. He forced the only batter that he faced to fly out on six pitches thrown. (07/14/12)
(MR) Robbie Ross (L)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Sunday needing only seven pitches to get the job done. He forced one ground ball out and one fly ball out to get through the appearance. (07/09/12)
Injured–Koji Uehara (15-Day DL)

Toronto Blue Jays
(CL) Casey Janssen (R)–Recorded his 13th save of the season on Saturday after pitching 1.1 innings of relief giving up one hit in the outing. Janssen has now pitched back-to-back days and will likely get a day of rest on Sunday if a save-situation arises. (07/15/12)
(SU) Jason Frasor (R)– Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Monday surrendering two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. Frasor gave up a grand slam to Raul Ibanez in the eighth inning but was only charged with two of the runs after Aaron Loup was charged with the other two. (07/17/12)
(MR) Francisco Cordero (R)–Retired the final batter of the eighth inning on Monday needing only one pitch to get the job gone. He forced the only batter he faced to fly out in what was his first outing since July 6. (07/17/12)
Injured–Sergio Santos (out for season)

National League

Arizona Diamondbacks
(CL) J.J. Putz (R)–Recorded his 17th save of the season on Monday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit while striking out two batters. Putz has now pitched back-to-back days and may get a day of rest on Tuesday. (07/17/12)
(SU) David Hernandez (R)–Picked up his 13th hold of the season on Monday after pitching a 1-2-3 eighth inning. He needed only seven pitches to get through the appearance forcing one ground ball out and two fly ball outs to get the job done. (07/17/12)
(MR) Bryan Shaw (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday retiring all three batters he faced in order on 16 pitches. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing one ground ball out and one fly ball out to get the job done. (07/16/12)
Injured–Takashi Saito (15-Day DL)

Atlanta Braves
(CL) Craig Kimbrel (R)–Recorded his 27th save of the season on Saturday after striking out the side in the ninth inning. Kimbrel has now pitched back-to-back days and has recorded six strikeouts in the two outings since starting the second half of the season. (07/15/12) (SU) Eric O’Flaherty (L)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Sunday forcing the only batter that he faced to ground out on six pitches. O’Flaherty has now been used in back-to-back games, but with a day off on Monday, expect him to be ready for the Braves next game on Tuesday against the Giants. (07/16/12)
(MR) Kris Medlen (R)–Pitched 1.2 innings of relief on Sunday giving up one run on three hits and one walk. With this appearance Medlen raised his earned-run average to 2.91 on the season. (07/16/12)
Injured–Jonny Venters (15-Day DL)

Chicago Cubs
(CL) Carlos Marmol (R)–Recorded his 10th save of the season on Sunday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in the ninth inning. Marmol has now pitched back-to-back days, but will get the day off on Monday with the Cubs starting their series with the Marlins on Tuesday. (07/16/12)
(SU) James Russell (L)–Picked up his 10th hold of the season on Sunday after pitching 0.1 innings of relief forcing the only batter that he faced to fly out on three pitches. Russell has now been used in back-to-back games and has become a decent option for those in holds leagues. (07/16/12)
(MR) Shawn Camp (R)–Picked up his 11th hold of the season on Sunday despite giving up one run on one hit in the eighth inning. He needed 16 pitches to get through the appearance forcing one ground ball out and two fly ball outs to get out of the inning. (07/16/12)

Cincinnati Reds
(CL) Aroldis Chapman (L)–Recorded his 13th save of the season on Sunday after striking out the side in the ninth inning. Chapman has now pitched all three days since the All-Star break and will likely be unavailable for Monday’s game against the Diamondbacks. (07/16/12)
(SU) Sean Marshall (L)–Was charged with his third blown-save of the season on Saturday after giving up one hit in the seventh inning. He retired two batters in the appearance forcing one ground ball out and striking out a batter. (07/15/12)
(MR) Jose Arredondo (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Monday night retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance with forcing one ground ball out and one fly ball out on 12 pitches thrown. (07/17/12)
Injured–Ryan Madson (out for season), Nick Masset (15-Day DL)

Colorado Rockies
(CL) Rafael Betancourt (R)–Picked up his second hold of the season on Monday night despite giving up two runs on two hits in the ninth inning. A rain delay forced Betancourt out of the game, which eventually led to a game-tying home run after the delay, so don’t look too much into this appearance. (07/17/12)
(SU) Matt Belisle (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Saturday giving up two runs on two hits. With this appearance Belisle went up to 2.25 on the season and has now pitched back-to-back days. (07/15/12)
(MR) Matt Reynolds (L)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Saturday retiring the final batter of the fifth inning on five pitches thrown. He forced the only batter he faced in the appearance to ground out and lowered his earned-run average to 3.35 on the season. (07/15/12)

Houston Astros
(CL)Brett Myers (R)–Recorded his 19th save of the season on Monday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit while striking out one batter. He needed only 12 pitches to get through the appearance forcing two ground ball outs to go along with his strikeout. (07/17/12)
(SU) Brandon Lyon (R)–Pitched a scoreless seventh inning on Saturday giving up one hit and one walk in the outing. He needed 28 pitches to get through the inning forcing two ground ball outs and one fly ball out. (07/15/12)
(MR) Wilton Lopez (R)–Picked up his eighth hold of the season on Monday night after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit while striking out one batter. With this appearance Lopez lowered his earned-run average to 2.29 on the season. (07/17/12)

Los Angeles Dodgers
(CL) Kenley Jansen (R)–Took the loss on Saturday and was charged with this fourth blown-save of the season after surrendering two runs on two hits while striking out one batter. Only one run was earned, but it was enough to blow the game for the Dodgers. (07/15/12)
(SU) Ronald Belisario (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Monday night in a non-save situation striking out the side on 11 pitches thrown. Belisario really had it going on Monday, and has turned into a great option in holds leagues. (07/17/12)
(MR) Josh Lindblom (R)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Sunday giving up one run on four hits in the appearance. The run came via a Chase Headley home run, but was able to limit the damage to only one run. (07/16/12)
Injured–Matt Guerrier (15-Day DL)

Miami Marlins
(CL) Steve Cishek (R)–Recorded his second save of the season on Saturday after pitching 1.2 innings of relief giving up one hit while striking out three batters. This was the first save chance for the Marlins since going to a closer-by-committee, which means it appears Cishek has an upper hand on the other pitchers in the Marlins bullpen. (07/15/12)
(CL) Heath Bell (R)–Picked up his third hold of the season on Monday night after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit while striking out two batters. Bell has now pitched back-to-back scoreless innings and looks to be working out the issues that plagued him in the first half of the season.
(CL) Mike Dunn (L)–Recorded his first save of the season on Monday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit and one walk while striking out one batter. This was a rare save chance for Dunn, but if there are lineups with a lot of left-handed hitters expect him to be used at the end of games. (07/17/12)
Injured– Edward Mujica (15-Day DL)

Milwaukee Brewers
(CL) John Axford (R)–Took the loss and was charged with his sixth blown-save Monday night after surrendering three runs on three hits and two walks. Axford continues to struggle and it is hard to believe that the Brewers will continue to use him in the ninth inning much longer. (07/17/12)
(SU) Francisco Rodriguez (R)–Picked up his 19th hold of the season on Monday after pitching a scoreless eighth inning giving up one hit while striking out one batter. With the continued struggles of John Axford, Rodriguez may be looked at to close games once again so keep your eye on the situation. (07/17/12)
(MR) Kameron Loe (R)–Retired the final batter of the ninth inning on Monday night needing only three pitches to get the job done. He forced the only batter he faced to fly out in relief of John Axford. (07/17/12)

New York Mets
(CL) Bobby Parnell (R)–Took the loss and was charged with his fourth blown-save of the season on Saturday after surrendering one run on three hits in the eighth inning. Parnell is only filling in for Frank Francisco while he recovers from an injury, and with performances like this one he will likely move back to a setup role when he returns. (07/15/12)
(SU) Jon Rauch (R)–Picked up his ninth hold of the season on Saturday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief giving up one walk in the outing. With this appearance Rauch lowered his earned-run average to 3.94 on the season. (07/15/12)
(MR) Miguel Batista (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two ground ball outs on 11 pitches thrown. (07/16/12)
Injured– Frank Francisco (15-Day DL)

Philadelphia Phillies
(CL) Jonathan Papelbon (R)–Recorded his 20th save of the season on Monday night after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one hit while striking out one batter. Papelbon is now two-for-two in save chances in the second half of the season with three strikeouts. (07/17/12)
(SU) Antonio Bastardo (L)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Sunday in a non-save situation retiring all three batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing two ground ball outs on seven pitches thrown. (07/16/12)
(MR) Jeremy Horst (L)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday retiring all three batters he faced in order. Horst has now pitched three straight days, but will the All-Star break he will get plenty of rest before Friday’s game. (07/09/12)
Injured–David Herndon (15-Day DL)

Pittsburgh Pirates
(CL) Joel Hanrahan (R)–Recorded his 24th save of the season on Saturday after pitching a scoreless ninth inning giving up one walk while striking out one batter. Hanrahan picked up right where he left off in the first half and has become one of the best ninth inning options in all of baseball. (07/15/12)
(SU) Jason Grilli (R)–Took the loss on Monday night after surrendering one run on two hits in the ninth inning. With this appearance Grilli falls to 1-3 on the season with a 2.04 earned-run average. (07/17/12)
(MR) Juan Cruz (R)–Pitched a scoreless eighth inning on Sunday giving up one walk in the outing. With this appearance Cruz lowered his earned-run average to 2.67 on the season and has become a decent pitcher to own in holds leagues. (07/16/12)
Injured–Chris Leroux (60-Day DL)

San Diego Padres
(CL) Huston Street (R)–Recorded his 14th save of the season on Saturday after pitching a 1-2-3 ninth inning striking out one batter. With this appearance Street lowered his earned-run average to 1.08 on the season. (07/15/12)
(SU) Dale Thayer (R)–Pitched 1.2 innings of relief on Monday night giving up one hit and one walk while striking out two batters. Thayer has now pitched 2.2 innings the last two days so don’t expect to see him take the mound on Tuesday. (07/17/12)
(MR) Luke Gregerson (R)–Picked up his 12th hold of the season on Sunday after pitching 0.2 innings of relief striking out one batter. He needed only 10 pitches to get through the appearance with six pitches going over for strikes. (07/16/12)

San Francisco Giants
(CL) Santiago Casilla (R)–Recorded his 23rd save of the season on Sunday after retiring the final two batters of the ninth inning. He struck out one batter in the appearance while forcing the other batter to ground out on seven pitches thrown and has now pitched three straight days. (07/16//12)
(SU) Sergio Romo (R)–Picked up his 16th hold of the season on Sunday after striking out the only batter that he faced in the eighth inning. He needed only five pitches to get through the appearance with three pitches going over for strikes. (07/16/12)
(MR) Javier Lopez (L)–Picked up his 11th hold of the season on Sunday after striking out the only batter that he faced on four pitches. Lopez has pitched the last three days, but with a scheduled day off on Monday he should be ready to go for Tuesday. (07/16/12) Injured–Brian Wilson (out for season) 

St. Louis Cardinals
(CL) Jason Motte (R)–Picked up the win on Monday night after pitching 1.2 innings of relief giving up one hit while striking out two batters in the appearance. With this appearance Motte lowered his earned-run average to 2.93 on the season. (07/17/12)
(SU) Mitchell Boggs (R)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Sunday giving up one hit and one walk in the outing. With this appearance Boggs lowered his earned-run average to 1.88 on the season and is a must start in holds leagues. (07/16/12) (
MR) Marc Rzepczynski (L)–Pitched 0.1 innings of relief on Sunday forcing the only batter he faced to fly out on six pitches thrown. He relieved starter Jake Westbrook with one out in the eighth inning but was only used to face one batter. (07/16/12)

Washington Nationals
(CL) Tyler Clippard (R)–Pitched a scoreless ninth inning on Sunday in a non-save situation giving up one hit and two walks while striking out one batter. With this appearance Clippard lowered his earned-run average to 1.83 on the season. (07/16/12)
(SU) Sean Burnett (L)–Pitched 0.2 innings of relief on Sunday retiring both batters he faced in order. He struck out one batter while forcing the other batter to ground out on 10 pitches thrown. (07/16/12)
(MR) Michael Gonzalez (L)–Pitched one inning of relief on Monday night giving up one run on one hit and one walk in the outing. With this appearance Gonzalez raised his earned-run average to 1.98 on the season. (07/17/12)
Injured– Drew Storen (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.