Wednesday’s slate featured three reliever wins, nine saves, five losses, and two blown saves. Here are the saves in condensed form:
There have been 469 saves this season by 155 different pitchers.
As for the vulture options:
Vulture Save Options for 6.4.2026
- Orion Kerkering (PHI): Duran and Keller have pitched in back-to-back games as the Phillies look for a sweep of the season series against San Diego.
- Jacob Webb (CHC): Palencia has been deployed in consecutive contests.
- Scott Barlow (ATH): Harris and Sterner have appeared in two straight.
- Carmen Mlodzinski (PIT): Soto has worked in back-to-back games in Houston. This should be a multi-inning opportunity for Mlodziinski.
Vulture Save Stashes for 6.5.2026
- Hunter Gaddis (CLE): He will be down today, and if Smith pitches, it will be consecutive contests for the closer.
- Caleb Kilian (SF): If Winn is used today, it will be back-to-back games.
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Preserving a combined shutout, Keaton Winn recorded his first save of the season and the second of his career. He stranded two inherited runners in the eighth on a pop-out bunt attempt, issued a walk, then induced an inning-ending double-play groundout against Gary Sánchez. In the ninth, Christian Yelich hit a leadoff double, moved to third on a groundout, but Winn bore down, striking out Brice Turang and getting a game-ending groundout against William Contreras. He threw 15 pitches (11 strikes – 73.3 Strike%) and produced two whiffs (13.3 SwStr%).
- Erik Miller was credited with his eighth hold despite allowing a hit and a walk while recording one out at the bottom of the eighth.
Updated Hierarchy: *Keaton Winn | *Erik Miller | Caleb Kilian
*= closer-by-committee
Winn has earned the top spot in the hierarchy based on performance this season, and over the last 30 days, he’s one of the only positive relievers using the Win Probability Added metric on Fangraphs:
However, trusting Tony Vitello to run a stable leverage ladder is risky. Winn has posted a 0.88 WHIP with a 14.7 K-BB percentage (23:8 K:BB) through 27.1 innings this year, and could be a viable pickup, just enter with eyes wide open since usage patterns have been unpredictable. But at a time when saves are a precious commodity, it’s worth taking a chance.
Three Takeaways
Sterner’s the sixth: Keeping the theme going of the amorphous A’s bullpen, Justin Sterner became the sixth reliever with a save this season. With a one-run lead at the bottom of the tenth, he stranded the “courtesy runner,” retiring the side and recording a strikeout against the Cubs’ top of the lineup for his first career save, and the sixth A’s reliever with one this year. He threw 14 pitches (71.4 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (21.4 SwStr%). He’s allowed one earned run across his last 10 appearances, spanning 9.2 innings, posting a 0.207 WHIP with four strikeouts (13.3 K-BB%). Hogan Harris collected his third win, firing a clean bottom of the ninth and striking out two, ahead of his team’s go-ahead rally in the tenth. Luis Medina gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one in the eighth. Mark Leiter Jr. stranded a runner and retired both batters in the seventh.
Will this mean more save chances in the future? It should; he’s a better option than Scott Barlow or Leiter Jr., but as Mark Kotsay has shown, roles are fluid in his bullpen structure.
Soto struggled in Houston: Many teams try to avoid using their best reliever against the same batters in the same series, and last night is an example of why. Gregory Soto retired Christian Walker and Isaac Paredes during a save on Tuesday, but the tables were turned last night. Taking over with two runners on and two outs, Yordan Alvarez delivered an RBI single, then Christian Walker singled in the second inherited runner, and Isaac Paredes walked, during which a wild pitch scored a runner, and an opposite-field ground-ball triple by Cam Smith plated two more runs, forcing Soto from the game. At the start of the eighth, Mason Montgomery recorded consecutive strikeouts against Jake Myers and Brice Matthews. However, he allowed consecutive doubles and a walk, prompting his removal. He finished with two hits, three earned runs, and a walk over two-thirds of the inning. Soto suffered his first loss and a third blown save, giving up three hits, three earned runs, and a walk without retiring a batter. If the Pirates hope to contend, they need to strengthen their bullpen depth.
Hierarchy Remains: Gregory Soto | Mason Montgomery | Carmen Mlodzinski
Still on Red Alert: Tasked with the top of the ninth during a tied game, Tony Santillan suffered his third loss. He allowed three hits, including a two-run home run by Nick Loftin and a walk, retiring one batter before being removed. Despite his struggles this season, he has been deployed as the preferred save option, but this outing should be the nail in the coffin for these usage patterns. He has allowed at least a run in back-to-back games, and in eight of his last 12, along with serving up seven home runs among his 15 hits over 9.1 innings.
- Before the ninth, Tejay Antone worked two-thirds scoreless in the eighth, allowing a hit and striking out one.
- Caleb Ferguson logged 1.1 scoreless frames and recorded a strikeout.
Updated Hierarchy: *Brock Burke | *Tejay Antone | *Sam Moll
*= closer-by-committee
Here are the remaining leverage events of interest from Wednesday’s slate.
American League
Boston Red Sox – Wrapping up a seven-run lead against Baltimore, Ryan Watson recorded his first career save, tossing three innings, giving up two hits, an earned run, and two walks while striking out two. He threw 53 pitches (60.4 Strike%) and produced five whiffs (9.4 SwStr%). He’s made 13 multiple-inning appearances this season, nine requiring at least two innings, and this was his fourth three-inning outing.
Hierarchy Remains: Aroldis Chapman | Justin Slaten | Jovani Móran
Cleveland Guardians – Taking over with a two-run lead at the bottom of the ninth in the Bronx, Cade Smith gave up Paul Goldschmidt’s leadoff double, uncorked a wild pitch, and allowed an earned run on a sacrifice fly by Cody Bellinger, then recorded a strikeout against Jazz Chisolm Jr. and a game-ending popout by José Caballero, securing his MLB-leading 21st save. He threw 11 pitches (81.8 Strike%) and produced two whiffs (18.2 SwStr%). On the one hand, he has allowed at least a run in two of his last three and three of his last six, but he’s converted 18 consecutive save chances since April 16 with a 0.966 WHIP and 32 strikeouts versus two walks (40 K-BB%) across 19.2 innings.
- Hunter Gaddis retired the side for his ninth hold in the eighth.
- Colin Holderman notched his fourth hold, firing a clean seventh and striking out two.
- Tim Herrin let his only inherited runner score, retiring both batters, one via strikeout, for his ninth hold.
Hierarchy Remains: Cade Smith | Hunter Gaddis | Tim Herrin
Houston Astros – Making his season debut, Josh Hader recorded his first save, closing out a comeback against the Pirates. He was scoreless, walking and striking out one while preserving a two-run lead. He threw 17 pitches (11 strikes – 64.7 Strike%) and induced three whiffs (17.6 SwStr%), averaging 95.8 miles per hour with his sinker.
- A.J. Blubaugh collected his third win, giving up a hit, an earned run, and a walk while striking out two in the eighth.
Updated Hierarchy: Josh Hader | Bryan King | Enyel De Los Santos
Kansas City Royals – Capping his team’s three-run rally at the top of the ninth, Alex Lange navigated around Spencer Steer’s leadoff double with consecutive strikeouts, a walk, and a game-ending flyout by Blake Dunn for his first save of the season and first since May 1, 2024. He threw 24 pitches (13 strikes – 54.2 Strike%) and induced four whiffs (16.7 SwStr%). He has been scoreless in his last six appearances, posting a 0.938 WHIP with six strikeouts against one walk across 5.1 innings.
Daniel Lynch IV entered a tied game at the bottom of the eighth and worked around a hit while striking out one against the Reds’ 2-3-4-5 hitters, collecting his second win. He has been unscored upon in seven of his last eight outings.
As for the roles moving forward:
Hierarchy Remains: *Daniel Lynch IV | *Lucas Erceg | *Matt Strahm
*= closer-by-committee
Quick Hits
- Chicago White Sox: Completing a combined shutout, Chris Murphy logged two innings, scattering two hits and striking out three. Grant Taylor allowed one hit and recorded three strikeouts during his two innings. He threw 25 pitches (80 Strike%) and generated five whiffs (25 SwStr%) against the Twins.
- Detroit Tigers: Finishing off a five-run lead and a sweep in Tampa Bay, Drew Anderson fired a clean bottom of the ninth and recorded a strikeout on 12 pitches (7 strikes – 58.3 Strike%) with one whiff.
- Los Angeles Angels: Closing out a seven-run margin against the Rockies, Kirby Yates allowed a two-out double by Edouard Julien and recorded two strikeouts in a scoreless top of the ninth. He threw 17 pitches (12 strikes – 70.6 Strike%) and induced three whiffs (17.6 SwStr%).
- Minnesota Twins: Amid a shutout loss, Justin Lawrence made his team debut with a scoreless top of the ninth, walking and striking out one, throwing 19 pitches (12 strikes – 63.2 Strike%) with three whiffs (15.8 SwStr%).
- New York Yankees: Summoned with two runners on and two outs at the top of the sixth, Fernando Cruz stranded them and logged 1.1 clean frames, striking out three.
National League
Chicago Cubs – Tasked with the top of the tenth, Ethan Roberts suffered his first loss, giving up a go-ahead RBI single by Nick Kurtz during his two-thirds of the inning. Ryan Rolison recorded the last out in the tenth, retiring Tyler Soderstrom.
Daniel Palencia fired a clean top of the ninth and recorded a strikeout, throwing 15 pitches (66.7 Strike%) with two whiffs (13.3 SwStr%).
- Phil Maton gave up a hit during one-third scoreless in the eighth.
- Caleb Thielbar was tagged with his second blown save, giving up three hits, including a solo home run and two earned runs during two-thirds of the eighth.
- Jacob Webb notched his fourth hold, yielding a hit and striking out one in a scoreless seventh.
- Hoby Milner retired both batters in the sixth, one via strikeout, for his fifth hold.
Hierarchy Remains: Daniel Palencia | Jacob Webb | Caleb Thielbar
Miami Marlins – Things got interesting before Pete Fairbanks settled in and recorded his seventh save. His outing began with hitting Dylan Crews with a pitch, followed by Curtis Mead’s single before striking out CJ Abrams, retiring Jacob Young via a lineout, and inducing a game-ending popout by Daylen Lile. Fairbanks threw 20 pitches (70 Strike%) and produced two whiffs. Since returning from the injured list, he owns a 2-1 record and converted two of three save chances with a 1.091 WHIP while striking out ten versus three walks (23.3 K-BB%) across 7.1 innings.
- Calvin Faucher notched his fourth hold, walking and striking out one in a scoreless eighth.
Hierarchy Remains: Pete Fairbanks | Michael Petersen | Anthony Bender
Philadelphia Phillies – Locking down his 14th save, Jhoan Duran fired a clean top of the ninth and recorded two strikeouts, protecting a one-run lead. He threw 16 pitches (9 strikes – 56.3 Strike%) and generated four whiffs (25 SwStr%). He has been scoreless over his last six outings, yielding only two hits (0.33 WHIP) while racking up nine strikeouts (45 K-BB%). This also marked his ninth save of the season in a one-run contest and his fourth save while facing the Padres.
- Brad Keller was credited with his tenth hold despite allowing two hits, an earned run on a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch (Xander Bogaerts), and a walk while striking out one in the eighth.
Hierarchy Remains: Jhoan Duran | Brad Keller | Orion Kerkering
St. Louis Cardinals – Doubling down on his closer, Oli Marmol handed Riley O’Brien a two-run lead at the top of the ninth. It started with a leadoff walk, but a sacrifice bunt seemed to settle him. With one out, Joc Pederson just missed a game-tying home run with a long flyout to center, followed by a game-ending popout to shallow right, securing O’Brien’s 15th save. He threw 13 pitches (8 strikes – 61.5 Strike%) and produced one whiff. This snapped a streak of four games during which he has allowed at least a run.
- Ryne Stanek notched his 11th hold, logging 1.2 scoreless innings, yielding a hit and striking out one.
- JoJo Romero was credited with his 16th hold, but allowed two hits, two earned runs, and a walk while striking out two across, recording an out in the sixth and seventh innings.
Hierarchy Remains: Riley O’Brien | JoJo Romero | George Soriano
Washington Nationals – In order of appearance, Brad Lord stranded a runner in the fifth and logged 1.1 scoreless frames despite issuing three walks and recording two strikeouts.
- Orlando Ribalta allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one during two-thirds of the seventh.
- Clayton Beeter stranded two runners for Ribalta, but ran into trouble during the eighth, giving up three hits and two earned runs, resulting in his first loss. He finished with three hits and a walk while striking out three across 1.1 innings.
- Gus Varland gave up two hits, an earned run, and a walk during two-thirds of the ninth.
- Paxton Schultz issued a walk and retired one batter, stranding two at the top of the ninth.
Hierarchy Remains: *Clayton Beeter | *Gus Varland | *Richard Lovelady
*= closer-by-committee
Quick Hits
- Atlanta Braves: Finishing off a victory over Toronto, Tyler Kinley allowed a solo home run (Brandon Valenzuela) and recorded two strikeouts. Robert Suarez worked around two hits and struck out one in a scoreless eighth. Dylan Lee notched his 11th hold, walking and striking out one in a scoreless seventh.
- Milwaukee Brewers: Keeping his team within a run, Chad Patrick tossed four scoreless frames, scattering three hits and issuing two walks while striking out four.
- San Diego Padres: Suffering his first loss, Jason Adam allowed three hits, two solo home runs, and recorded two strikeouts during two-thirds of the bottom of the seventh.
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