Yes, you read that right. The San Francisco Giants have MLB.com’s Bullpen of the Week.
After a perfect 6-0 week and back-to-back sweeps of the Rockies and the Pirates, the Giants are beginning to show signs of a turnaround. So is their bullpen, which earned three saves and allowed three earned runs and 15 hits over 25.2 innings en route to being honored as the league’s best pen. Sam Dyson, filling in as the interim closer for injured Mark Melancon, notched saves on Saturday and Sunday and Hunter Strickland picked up his first save on the year on June 28 against Colorado.
Dyson dazzled in the closing role, throwing 4 2/3 scoreless frames over four appearances and fanning six. Cory Gearrin showed strong flashes of durability after dealing a bullpen-high 5.2 innings in three games. He surrendered only one run on three hits. George Kontos also shined, striking out four over 3.1 shutout innings. Relievers combined to strike out 25 batters compared to just 10 walks.
Per MLB.com a Bullpen Rating System is implemented to deem the worthy team each week. The scale is as followed:
• Add 1.5 points for each out recorded
• Add 1.5 points for each strikeout
• Add 5 points for a save
• Subtract 2 points for each hit allowed
• Subtract 4 points for each earned run allowed
• Subtract 2 points for each unearned run allowed
• Subtract 1 point for each walk
• Subtract 5 points for a blown save
A score of 100 points is considered “outstanding.” The Giants score was 116.