Although Monday only provided a seven-game slate, relievers recorded three wins, including a walk-off in Seattle and three saves. Michael Kopech has not recorded a save since May 15 and his grip on the closer role for the White Sox may be in jeopardy. Minnesota warmed up Jhoan Durán for a potential save, but his services were not needed when they tacked on three runs. Houston’s bullpen had another meltdown, this one by Rafael Montero in the bottom of the tenth, providing San Francisco with a walk-off victory.
Edwin Díaz will be activated on Thursday, per his manager, according to this report by SNY.tv. He threw a bullpen today and will be ready for high-leverage situations upon his return.
Our condensed and full game recaps cover Monday’s high-leverage events of interest.
Closer CliffsNotes
American League
(RP | BAL): Shutting the door on his 15th save, Craig Kimbrel navigated around a lead-off walk with two strikeouts and a game-ending pop-out preserving a four-game sweep in Tampa Bay.
(RP | CHW): After stranding the bases loaded in the eighth with an inning-ending groundout. Jordan Leasure allowed two walks, a single, and a walk-off grand slam in the bottom of the ninth, resulting in his second loss.
(RP | HOU): Entering the bottom of the tenth with a two-run lead, Rafael Montero could not close out the win, giving up four hits and three runs (one earned). During his one-third of the tenth, he suffered his second loss and a third blown save.
(RP | KCR): Making his first MLB appearance since 2021, Dan Altavilla fired a clean top of the eighth and recorded two strikeouts. He threw 12 pitches (75 Strike%) and produced three whiffs (25 SwStr%).
Hierarchy remains: James McArthur | John Schreiber | Nick Anderson
(RP | MIN): Maintaining a 2-0 shutout in the top of the eighth, Griffin Jax secured his 11th hold. He only needed 15 pitches while striking out the side and generating five whiffs (33.3 SwStr%).
(RP | NYY): Taking over in the ninth, Michael Tonkin recorded his first save and the second of his career. He preserved a two-run win over the Royals with a scoreless ninth, issuing a walk and striking out two.
(RP | SEA): Ryne Stanek, benefiting from a walk-off rally, collected his fourth win. He worked a scoreless top of the ninth, navigating around two hits and recording an inning-ending strikeout against Luis Robert Jr.
National League
(RP | MIL): Reaching double digits in saves for the first time of his career, Trevor Megill worked around a two-out single with a game-ending groundout by Vlad Guerrero Jr., closing out a two-run win with a scoreless ninth.
(RP | SDP): Making his first appearance in nine days, Robert Suarez wrapped up a five-run victory by striking out the side against Oakland’s 1-2-3 lineup pocket.
(RP | SFG): With two runners on and two outs, Randy Rodríguez took over in the top of the tenth, inducing an inning-ending groundout by Jeremy Peña. Rodríguez earned his second win courtesy of a walk-off rally in the bottom of the frame.
Vulture Save Option for Tuesday, June 11
- Bryan Abreu (HOU): Hader has appeared in two straight games, and with the team on a two-game losing streak, rookie manager Joe Espada may be desperate for a win. If so, he should use his best option among his available relievers for a save chance in San Francisco. He could, however, opt for Ryan Pressly based on past usage patterns.
- John Brebbia (CHW): Kopech threw 28 pitches during a blown save chance in the eighth on Monday, and Leasure suffered a walk-off loss, throwing 23 pitches. This leaves Brebbia atop the hierarchy of available relievers in Seattle, though wins remain fleeting for the White Sox.
- Tyler Rogers (SFG): Doval has pitched in three of the last four but could still work tonight. If he’s off, it will be Rogers either today or tomorrow, so he would be in line for whichever day Doval receives rest.
Vulture Save Option for Wednesday, June 12
- Danny Coulombe (BAL): If Kimbrel pitches tonight, it will be two in a row. The only caveat is that the Orioles play match-ups when he’s not available.
- Elvis Peguero (MIL): If Megill pitches on Tuesday, it will be consecutive outings and three in the last four.
- Griffin Jax (MIN): If Jhoan Durán receives the save chance later, he will have pitched in three of the last four. He also warmed up last night, so he should be unavailable on Wednesday.
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American League – Full Recaps
Baltimore Orioles – With a three-run lead in the ninth, Craig Kimbrel recorded his 15th save. He worked around a lead-off walk with two strikeouts and a game-ending pop-out. He threw 20 pitches (45 Strike%) and induced one whiff. He’s allowed one unearned run over his last 11 appearances, spanning 10 innings, with 12 strikeouts against one walk and a 0.30 WHIP. Yennier Cano nailed down his 16th hold with a scoreless eighth, issuing a walk and striking out two. He owns an eight-game scoreless streak with five holds and eight strikeouts versus four walks over 7.1 innings.
Hierarchy remains: Craig Kimbrel | Yennier Cano | Danny Coulombe
Chicago White Sox – Cutting his teeth during high-leverage events as a rookie, Jordan Leasure suffered his second loss. He retired his only batter faced in the eighth, keeping the game tied. However, in the ninth, he issued two one-out walks, allowed a single by Julio Rodriguez to load the bases, and served up a walk-off grand slam by Cal Raleigh. Michael Kopech took over in the eighth and was tagged with his third blown save. He gave up four hits, three earned runs, a hit batter, and a walk while striking out two during his two-thirds innings. He threw 28 pitches (16 strikes – 57.1 Strike%) and produced five whiffs (17.9 SwStr%). He’s allowed at least a run in four of his last six outings.
It’s been a rough stretch for this leverage ladder. One would suggest a pending change in the hierarchy, but it’s slim pickings. Plan on John Brebbia receiving a save chance in the near future.
Hierarchy remains: Michael Kopech | John Brebbia | Jordan Leasure
Houston Astros -Forced into an appearance for a third straight day, Rafael Montero suffered his second loss and a third blown save, allowing four hits and three runs (one earned) over one-third of the tenth inning. His defense did him no favors in this outing, which ended with a walk-off RBI single by Austin Slater. Josh Hader tossed a scoreless ninth, giving up a hit while throwing 10 pitches (60 Strike%) without a whiff. Tayler Scott logged two scoreless frames, issuing a walk and striking out one. Seth Martinez stranded a runner and retired his only batter in the sixth. This marks a second straight game the Astros lost despite leading by more than one run in the eighth inning or later.
Hierarchy remains: Josh Hader | Ryan Pressly | Bryan Abreu
Minnesota Twins – In ascending order of appearance, Steven Okert secured his fourth hold, retiring both batters in the top of the seventh. Griffin Jax fired a clean eighth, locking down his 12th hold by striking out the side on 15 pitches (11 strikes – 73.3 Strike%) and generating five whiffs (33.3 SwStr%). He’s been scoreless in 10 of his last 11 outings with 16 strikeouts against one walk (40.5 K-BB%) and a 24 percent swinging strike rate. Jhoan Durán warmed for the save chance, which would have been his third straight appearance, but sat down after a Royce Lewis extended the lead to five. Diego Castillo tossed a scoreless ninth, preserving the shutout in a non-save capacity.
Hierarchy remains: Jhoan Durán | Griffin Jax | Caleb Thielbar
New York Yankees – Facing the 4-5-6 lineup pocket, Michael Tonkin recorded his first save and second of his career, working a scoreless bottom of the ninth in Kansas City. He issued a walk and recorded two strikeouts, including a game-ending one against MJ Melendez. He threw 17 pitches (11 strikes – 64.7 Strike%) and produced two whiffs. He owns a modest seven-game scoreless streak with 10 strikeouts against two walks through 10 innings. Ian Hamilton operated as the HLR, facing Bobby Witt Jr.’s lineup pocket, though he allowed an RBI double by him. Hamilton finished his ninth hold, giving up two hits and an earned run while striking out three on 20 pitches (55 Strike%) with five whiffs (25 SwStr%).
Updated Hierarchy: Clay Holmes | Luke Weaver | Ian Hamilton
Seattle Mariners – After tossing a scoreless top of the ninth, Ryne Stanek collected his fourth win courtesy of a walk-off grand slam. He navigated around two hits with an inning-ending strikeout of Luis Robert Jr. Stanek threw 23 pitches (16 strikes – 69.6 Strike%) and generated eight whiffs (34.8 SwStr%). Kirby Snead stranded a runner despite issuing two walks during his two-thirds of the eighth. He’s recorded two wins, converted two of three save chances, and two holds over his last seven appearances. Matt Bowman stranded a runner in the seventh, allowed a solo home run by Corey Julks in the eighth, and issued a walk during his two-thirds combined innings.
Hierarchy remains: Andrés Muñoz | Ryne Stanek | Tayler Saucedo
National League – Full Recaps
Milwaukee Brewers – Securing his 10th save, and preserving a two-run win, Trevor Megill navigated around a two-out single with a game-ending groundout by Vlad Guerrero Jr. Megill threw 11 pitches (8 strikes – 72.7 Strike%) without a whiff. He’s been scoreless in six of his last seven games, converting all four save chances with 10 strikeouts versus one walk. Joel Payamps retired the side in the eighth and recorded a strikeout for his eighth hold. He’s turned in a clean appearance in four of his five outings this month.
Hierarchy remains: Trevor Megill | Elvis Peguero | Bryan Hudson
San Diego Padres – Displaying no signs of rust, Robert Suarez finished a five-run win over Oakland with a clean top of the ninth while striking out the side. He threw 15 pitches (80 Strike%) and produced four whiffs (26.7 SwStr%). This marks his first appearance since June 1, extending his modest scoreless streak to four games. Enyel De Los Santos worked a scoreless eighth, issuing a walk and striking out two. Jeremiah Estrada stranded a runner and retired his only batter faced (J.D. Davis) via strikeout for his fifth hold. Adrian Morejon recorded two outs and gave up a walk while striking out two for his second hold in the seventh.
Hierarchy remains: Robert Suarez | Jeremiah Estrada | Yuki Matsui
San Francisco Giants – Summoned in the top of the tenth, Randy Rodríguez induced an inning-ending groundout by Jeremy Peña, stranding two runners. He collected his second win courtesy of a walk-off rally in the bottom of the frame. Erik Miller allowed three and two runs (one earned) over two-thirds of the tenth. Camilo Doval navigated around a one-out walk and a two-out single for a scoreless ninth, recording three strikeouts. He threw 19 pitches (11 strikes – 57.9 Strike%) and generated seven whiffs (36.8 SwStr%) versus the heart of the Astros lineup. He’s been scoreless in five of his last six but owns a 1.93 WHIP over these 5.2 innings. Ryan Walker tossed a scoreless eighth, yielding a hit. Sean Hjelle stranded a runner and recorded two outs in the seventh.
Hierarchy remains: Camilo Doval | Tyler Rogers | Ryan Walker
Closer Monkey’s filthy pitch of the day goes to this changeup by Griffin Jax, video courtesy of the Pitching Ninja.
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