MLB Bullpen Red Flags
Bullpen Red Flags, CIN's Pen Is Running on Fumes
Published
The quietest stat that decides loud games: bullpen usage. We counted every reliever appearance in the last three days of box scores, and the gap between the most-taxed pen and the freshest one is worth knowing about.
Running on fumes
CIN have been playing bullpen roulette, 14 relief appearances in just four games, a 3.5-per-game pace that leaves a manager short of fresh options exactly when he wants them most.
CHC have been nearly as busy: 10 appearances across 3 games.
Keep an eye on SD too, at 10 relief appearances over 3 games.
The rested arms
CLE have barely touched the phone: two reliever outings over one games, leaving the whole late-inning menu available.
KC (3 appearances in 1 games) have kept their powder nearly as dry.
Put the two ends side by side and the gap is twelve relief appearances in an identical window, which is enormous in bullpen terms.
By the numbers
The workload table, straight from the pitching lines:
| Team | Relief outings | Games |
|---|---|---|
| CIN | 14 | 4 |
| CHC | 10 | 3 |
| SD | 10 | 3 |
| SEA | 9 | 2 |
| COL | 9 | 2 |
One more thing
The tally counts appearances, not innings: each reliever who entered a captured game adds one to his team's total. Crude on purpose, and applied identically everywhere.
Heavy recent usage does not doom a team tonight, but it narrows a manager's good options in innings seven through nine, and narrow options are where leads go to wobble.