Oscar Mercado Blasts His Third Home Run of the Season

Cleveland Indians rookie outfielder Oscar Mercado hit his third home run of the season on Saturday, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBI. His other hit was his fourth double of the season. The rookie is now slashing .300/.364/.486 and is deserving of consideration in AL-only leagues as well as in deeper mixed […]

Adam Plutko Works a Win and a Quality Start on Saturday

Cleveland Indians pitcher Adam Plutko put up a good start on Saturday, earning a win and a quality start by tossing six innings while allowing just two runs on three hits. He struck out four and did not issue a walk. He only threw 85 pitches in the efficient outing and improved to 2-1 with […]

Brad Hand Throws an Excellent Inning and Earns His 19th Save

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand was excellent on Friday, striking out the side on just 12 pitches. He earned his 19th save and lowered his ERA to 1.01. There have been some rumors of Hand being on the trading block, but he's been so great that he's a pretty safe bet to stay in the […]

Zach Plesac Excels in His First Big League Win

Cleveland Indians rookie starting pitcher Zach Plesac pitched very well on Friday, picking up the first win of his major league career. Plesac went seven innings, allowing just two runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out five and allowed a home run. His record evens out at 1-1 and his ERA sits […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 10 Waiver Wire

Big news for the Cubs bullpen this week: Pedro Strop is back! Off the injured list and right back into the closer's role. That's it, right? That's the big news for the Cubs bullpen? The Orioles bullpen was a mess this week, and their original closer might be working his way back into the ninth. […]

Miles Mikolas Only Lasts Four Innings on Friday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas wasn't great on Friday, lasting just four innings against the Chicago Cubs. He allowed three runs on four hits and an uncharacteristic four walks. He struck out four and allowed a home run, throwing 74 pitches before being pulled. The loss drops his record to 4-6 and raises […]

Trevor Bauer Coughs Up Five Runs on Thursday

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer allowed five runs on five hits and three walks on Thursday. He made it through eight innings though, and struck out seven. Bauer tossed 119 pitches, allowing three home runs and taking his sixth loss of the year. Bauer saw his record drop to 4-6 and his ERA went […]

Paul DeJong Hits His Ninth Home Run on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Paul DeJong blasted his ninth home run of the season in Thursday's win over the Cincinnati Reds, going 1-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. DeJong's slash line sits at .275/.372/.482. He's cooled down significantly since an absurd hot streak earlier in the season, but he's still a valuable offensive […]

John Gant Wins His Fifth Game Of The Season Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher John Gant improved to 5-0 on Thursday, earning a win after pitching 1 1/3 perfect innings. He struck out a batter and needed just 12 pitches to get the four outs. Gant inherited two baserunners but he made quick work of everyone he faced, not allowing those runs to score. […]

Jordan Hicks Picks Up a Save With a Perfect Inning on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks earned his 12th save of the season on Thursday, tossing a perfect ninth inning to lock down a 3-1 win. He lowered his ERA to 3.80 and opposing hitters are batting just .189 against him. Still, it looks like his leash might be shorter than expected, with John Gant […]

Dakota Hudson Works a Quality Start on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dakota Hudson earned a quality start on Thursday, tossing 6 1/3 innings while allowing just one run on five hits and four walks. He struck out three and needed 93 pitches to record his 19 outs. Hudson's 3:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio wasn't ideal, but he pitched around the free passes and […]

Jose Ramirez Drives in Three Runs on Wednesday

Cleveland Indians infielder Jose Ramirez drove in three runs on Wednesday, going 2-for-4 with two singles. It was a solid game for Ramirez, but 2019 has not been kind to him, as he's slashing just .207/.306/.311. He was widely viewed as a superstar after an 8-WAR 2018 season, but he just hasn't been able to […]

Brad Hand Lowers His ERA to 1.05 With His 18th Save

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand saved another game on Wednesday, his 18th. He tossed a perfect inning including a strikeout, closing out a 9-7 win over the Twins. Hand lowered his ERA to 1.05 and needed just 12 pitches, making quick work of the ninth inning. He's somewhat quietly one of the best closers in […]

Tyler Clippard Struggles as the Opener on Wednesday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Tyler Clippard served as the opener on Wednesday, but struggled, allowing two runs on two hits in 1 1/3 innings. Clippard actually got through a scoreless first inning, but sending him out for the second proved to be a mistake. He's been a decent enough middle reliever this season, but doesn't […]

Genesis Cabrera Gets No Swinging Strikes on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Genesis Cabrera wasn't great on Tuesday, allowing three earned runs in just 4 2/3 innings, but a deeper look into his start shows that he was lucky to escape with just those three unearned runs coming across. Cabrera threw 95 pitches and did not record a single swing-and-miss. He threw […]

Genesis Cabrera Can't Finish the Fifth on Tuesday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Genesis Cabrera was lifted in the fifth inning of his start on Tuesday, tossing 4 2/3 innings while allowing four runs (three earned) on eight hits and two walks. He did not record a strikeout and needed 95 pitches to get his 14 outs. Cabrera's time in the starting rotation […]

Brad Hand Secures Another Save on Tuesday

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand picked up his 17th save of the season on Tuesday, tossing a perfect ninth inning to lock down a 5-2 win. Hand needed just eight pitches to pick up the save, lowering his ERA to 1.09 and his opponent's batting average to .155. He's one of the better closers in […]

Francisco Lindor Hits Two Home Runs on Tuesday

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor hit two home runs on Tuesday, going 3-for-3, adding a double as well. He scored two runs and drove in three, also drawing a walk. His slash line went up to .306/.377/.538. After a slow start to the season, it's safe to say "Franky" is back.

Brad Hand Saves Another on Saturday

Cleveland Indians closer Brad Hand saved another game on Saturday, his 16th of the season. Hand tossed a perfect inning, striking out two and throwing 11 pitches in total. Besides the 16 saves, Hand now has a 1.14 ERA and opposing hitters are batting just .159 against him. He's one of the better, more consistent […]

Jordan Hicks Throws Two Scoreless Innings and Picks Up a Win

St. Louis Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks tossed two scoreless innings in Friday's extra-inning win. He did walk two but struck out two as well, throwing 35 pitches (19 strikes). The win evened his record at 2-2 and lowered his ERA to 3.60. He's been solid again after a disaster outing earlier in which he allowed […]

Miles Mikolas Pitches Well in Friday's Quality Start

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Miles Mikolas pitched well on Friday, tossing seven innings while allowing just one run on six hits and two walks. He struck out three and needed 104 pitches to get through the seven innings. It was a pretty typical Mikolas start: he gave up weak contact and got out of […]

Francisco Lindor Starts Friday's Game With a Home Run

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor led off Friday's game with a home run, his eighth of the season. It was his only hit of the game, as he finished 1-for-4 and brought his slash line to .282/.357/.477. Lindor is starting to get hot, and he should soon be one of the best fantasy assets as […]

Trevor Bauer Struggles But Keeps the Box Score Looking OK

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Trevor Bauer struggled a bit on Friday, allowing six runs (two earned) on nine hits and a walk. He struck out eight and threw 81 of his 111 pitches for strikes. Bauer wasn't great in this one but he and his fantasy owners kind of got away with it since four […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 9 Waiver Wire

There are currently at least NINE bullpens in Major League Baseball operating with a closer-by-committee approach. While it has been heavily discussed and essentially proven to be the best option in a "real" game, it sure makes for a headache in the fantasy baseball world where there can oftentimes be a bicycle race (✔) to […]

Carlos Carrasco Struggles Again on Thursday

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Carlos Carrasco struggled on Thursday against the White Sox, allowing six runs on 10 hits and a walk in 6 1/3 innings. He did strike out seven, but it was overall a rough start. The loss dropped his record to 4-6 and raised his ERA to 4.98. Carrasco has the talent […]

Jedd Gyorko Hits a Home Run on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals infielder Jedd Gyorko hit a home run on Thursday, his second of the season. He finished the game 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBI. He also drew a walk, raising his slash line to .200/.259/.320. It's been a struggle for Gyorko so far, but he has the potential to be […]

Marcell Ozuna Hits His 16th Home Run on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Marcell Ozuna hit his 16th home run on Thursday, going 2-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Ozuna's other hit was a single, and he raised his slash line to .241/.322/.537. As he's been throughout his career, Ozuna has been very streaky this season. While he's on his hot streaks, […]

Jordan Hicks Picks Up His 11th Save on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals closer Jordan Hicks picked up his 11th save of the season on Thursday, throwing a perfect ninth inning to close out a 5-3 win. Hicks didn't record a strikeout but only needed eight pitches to mow through the Phillies in the bottom of the ninth. After allowing three runs without recording an […]

Dakota Hudson Earns a Win and a Quality Start on Thursday

St. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Dakota Hudson collected a win and a quality start on Thursday. He threw six innings, allowing just one run on four hits and three walks. He struck out four and threw just 82 pitches. The win improved his record to 4-3 and lowered his ERA to 3.94. He's worth consideration […]

Carlos Santana Has a Huge Game on Wednesday

Cleveland Indians first baseman/designated hitter Carlos Santana had a huge game on Wednesday, going 3-for-4 with two walks, four runs scored, and five RBI. Santana hit a home run, a triple, and a double, falling just a single shy of the cycle. It was a huge game for Cleveland's best offensive player, lifting his line […]