6 hours agoChicago Cubs rookie starting pitcher Ben Brown (1-1) dominated the Milwaukee Brewers, hurling seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts and two walks while allowing no hits in a 6-3 extra-inning victory. Brown deserved a win on Tuesday night, but the Cubs didn't provide much run support in the first nine innings. Hector Neris blew the save in the bottom of the 9th inning, allowing the Brewers to score one run to tie the game. Brown was not expected to last much longer in the rotation with Jordan Wicks (forearm) set to return soon, but he has given manager Craig Counsell something to consider. Right now, he's tentatively scheduled to face the Chicago White Sox next Tuesday (June 4), and another stellar start could make the coach's decision about his future in the rotation even more difficult.Source: MLB.com
6 hours agoTexas Rangers shortstop Corey Seager continued his strong offensive month in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks, going 1-for-3 with a three-run home run, a walk, and two strikeouts. Seager put his team ahead for good in the fifth inning, ambushing a Brandon Pfaadt breaking pitch into the left-field seats. The 30-year-old's season numbers leave a little to be desired in batting average, but he has put together an excellent May, slashing .287/.388/.644 with 10 HR and 19 RBI in 84 at-bats. Seager has been a top fantasy contributor throughout his career when healthy, and it appears that he has gotten things back on the right track for 2024.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoLos Angeles Dodgers rookie starting pitcher Gavin Stone (5-2) hurled seven scoreless innings, only allowing three hits and recording seven strikeouts in a 3-0 win versus the New York Mets Tuesday night. After having a rough April with a 4.50 ERA, the 25-year-old right-hander has been spectacular in May with a 1.97 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and 23 strikeouts in 32 innings pitched. He also added three wins to his total in May while recording four quality starts in five games. Stone will look to keep things going in his next scheduled start next Wednesday (June 5) against the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoTexas Rangers relief pitcher Kirby Yates managed to secure his eighth save of the season in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Yates came in to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two. He got the first two outs on a ground-out and strikeout, allowed a walk and a single, and ended the game with another strikeout. The 37-year-old veteran has pitched very well this season, converting all of his save opportunities with a 0.90 ERA, an 11.25 K/9 rate, and a 4.50 BB/9 rate. However, he has only seen one-third of the team's save opportunities in May with three. This is frustrating from a fantasy perspective, as he has clearly been the best performer. Hopefully, this will translate into a more commanding lead over the closer's role.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoAtlanta Braves starting pitcher Max Fried (5-2) fired eight shutout innings Tuesday night while allowing seven hits and one walk, picking up six strikeouts in a 2-0 victory over the Washington Nationals. This is the pitcher the Braves need Fried to be with their ace Spencer Strider (elbow) out for the rest of the season. Fried finishes May with a 2.04 ERA, 0.89 WHIP, and 29 strikeouts in 35 1/3 innings pitched. He had a rough go in his first few starts in 2024 but has been an absolute ace since then. Look for Fried to continue his dominant run against the Oakland A's at home on Sunday.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoCleveland Guardians utilityman David Fry continued his strong offensive season in Tuesday's 13-7 win over the Rockies. Fry played left field, going 3-for-5 with two singles, a three-run home run, and a stolen base. The 28-year-old is eligible to play multiple positions, notably including catcher, and has provided a bit of everything in his playing time. He is now slashing .357/.492/.622 with seven HR, 23 RBI, and four stolen bases in 128 plate appearances and has earned regular playing time in May. Fry is currently rostered in 76 percent of leagues, meaning he may still be available in some roto leagues or points leagues where fantasy managers are looking for a hot bat to plug into their lineups.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoCleveland Guardians first baseman Josh Naylor had a huge night at the plate in Tuesday's 13-7 win over the Rockies. Naylor took advantage of the thin air, going 2-for-4 with a two-run home run, a three-run HR, and a walk. The 26-year-old has provided the power fantasy managers were expecting but not the batting average and is now slashing .234/.321/.510 with 15 HR and 40 RBI in 221 plate appearances. It is hard to complain about the average when Naylor has provided so many counting stats and it appears that he has gotten unlucky on balls in play, as he has hit the ball hard but has a .205 BABIP. All of this points to continued fantasy production with the chance for positive regression.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoOakland Athletics closer Mason Miller shut the door Tuesday night, recording his 11th save on the season with two strikeouts in a 3-0 shutout win against the Tampa Bay Rays. After retiring the first two batters in the inning via a strikeout and flyout, Miller made things interesting by allowing a single and a walk before closing the night out by striking out Richie Palacios. Despite having a hiccup against the Rockies last week, where he allowed three runs, Miller carries a 1.88 ERA with 47 strikeouts in 24 innings pitched. Assuming the young fireballer continues his domination, he has a real shot at winning the American League Rookie of the Year Award.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoOakland Athletics pitcher Mitch Spence improved to 4-2 in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Rays. Spence pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit and one walk with four strikeouts. The 26-year-old started the season in the bullpen but has made three consecutive starts, compiling a solid 2.08 ERA with 12 strikeouts in 13 IP. He will need some time to get stretched out and his first two starts lasted 4 2/3 IP and three IP. This may limit Spence's fantasy value in the short term, but he could become an interesting fantasy option if he continues to pitch well. He will be tested in his next projected start, which will be a tough matchup at the Braves. Fantasy managers should wait to see more from Spence before trusting him and should wait until he draws a more favorable matchup.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoBoston Red Sox third baseman Rafael Devers pitched in four hits, two RBI singles, and one run scored in an 8-3 victory against the Baltimore Orioles Tuesday night. Devers is one of many hot hitters who probably doesn't want to see the calendar flip to June. With only a few days left in May, the power-hitting lefty is slashing .295/.358/.611 with seven of his ten home runs and 19 RBI. Not only that, his current .380 OBP, if sustained, would be a career-high for the eight-year veteran. Devers brings a balance of power, batting average, and run-producing ability that would make any fantasy manager happy to roster him.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoWashington Nationals starting pitcher Jake Irvin turned in another strong performance in Tuesday's 2-0 loss to the Braves. Irvin pitched six scoreless innings, allowing two hits and two walks with 10 strikeouts. The 27-year-old has been a valuable fantasy option this season, going 2-5 with a 3.43 ERA, a 7.71 K/9 rate, and a 1.57 BB/9 rate in 11 starts and 63 IP. Six of his 11 starts have been quality starts, including three of five May starts. Irvin is rostered in just eight percent of leagues, so he is available for all fantasy managers looking for a solid back-of-rotation addition or a potential streamer in deeper leagues. That could come into play as early as his next scheduled start, which will be a decent matchup at the Guardians.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoAtlanta Braves closer Raisel Iglesias picked up his 13th save of the season in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Nationals. Iglesias entered the game to pitch the top of the ninth inning up by two and delivered a 1-2-3 performance with two strikeouts. The 34-year-old has been pretty much what fantasy managers were expecting this season, converting all but two save opportunities with a 2.21 ERA in 20 1/3 innings pitched. His 7.08 K/9 rate is a dip from his career average, which may be due to a lack of chases and swings-and-misses. However, fantasy managers will live with that as long as Iglesias continues to anchor the end of games for one of baseball's better teams.Source: MLB.com
7 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado had a nice game at the plate in Tuesday's 7-1 win over the Reds. Arenado went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run and a walk. The 33-year-old lined a fourth-inning Andrew Abbott fastball into the left-field seats for his fourth home run of the season. Arenado's offensive numbers have looked normal this season except for a significant lack of power, as he is now slashing .257/.311/.366 with 25 RBI in 222 plate appearances. He normally impacts the ball pretty well, but his average exit velocity and hard-hit rate are in the bottom 10 percent of baseball. Hopefully, this oddity will right itself over time and Arenado will return to providing power for fantasy managers.Source: MLB.com
8 hours agoMilwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Trevor Megill (arm) was forced to leave Tuesday's game in the 10th inning against the visiting division-rival Chicago Cubs after he was hit in the right arm by a line drive off the bat of outfielder read more...
8 hours agoNew York Mets shortstop Francisco Lindor (finger) hurt his left index finger on his bunt attempt late in the loss in Game 1 of a doubleheader on Tuesday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers. Lindor's finger was swollen and looked painful, but he said X-rays came back negative for any breaks. The 30-year-old left-handed hitter clubbed a two-run home run in the Game 1 loss and went 1-for-4 in the nightcap of the twin bill, so it's clearly not a serious injury he's dealing with. However, the Mets could certainly give him the day off in Wednesday's series finale, so fantasy managers need to be on the looking to see if Lindor is in the starting lineup. Lindor went 2-for-9 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in the doubleheader on Tuesday to extend his current hitting streak to seven games.Source: Newsday - Tim Healey