Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report (4/30)

Great storms rage under lightning-crowned skies. White-capped waves pummel the foam-covered shores. Whipping winds scour the earth. Your closer enters the game in the sixth inning. Chaos reigns.

It seems every time I write or say something about bullpens, the information is contradicted within hours by some new injury, perplexing managerial usage, or epic meltdown outing, casting doubt on a team’s high-leverage hierarchy. Welcome to the wonderful world of MLB bullpens. We trudge on…

This article includes saves and holds totals for all games through Monday, April 28.

Fantasy Baseball Bullpen Report

News and Notes

Arizona Diamondbacks

Justin Martinez returned last Wednesday after six days off for general fatigue. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning in a tie game. He’s made two appearances since, Saturday and Sunday. The Sunday appearance yielded a save, but Martinez needed 26 pitches to escape the inning and allowed one run on a hit and two walks. Alarmingly, his velocity was down 3-4 mph in Sunday’s game.

No matter what the Diamondbacks or Martinez say, a velocity dip that significant for a one-inning reliever raises a red flag. It will take several additional games of normal velocity for Martinez to prove his health is intact.

In the meantime, Shelby Miller has emerged as the Diamondbacks’ eighth-inning setup man and would likely function as the primary closer if Martinez were to miss any time. The return of Kevin Ginkel this week could cloud the high-leverage picture later. For now, Miller is the speculative hold in Arizona.