1 day agoSan Francisco Giants starting pitcher
Logan Webb picked up his fourth win of the season on Wednesday in a 4-1 victory over the Dodgers. Webb threw six shutout innings, allowing just three hits and three walks (also one HBP) while striking out five. The 27-year-old now has a 3.03 ERA, 1.35 WHIP, and a 12.0% K-BB% on the year. While the low strikeout rate is a bit disappointing (18.7%) and his walks are up over last year (6.8% vs 3.6%), he's limited batters to just two home runs in 59 1/3 IP. The righty will take on a Pittsburgh team on the road his next time out. The Pirates have scored the fifth-fewest runs in the league to this point.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoColorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar scored two goals as the team fought off elimination against the Stars with a 5-3 victory on Wednesday. He tied the game at two in the second period with a power-play goal and produced the eventual game-winner during even-strength play in the third. Makar is now the first defenseman in franchise history to score multiple game-winning goals in elimination situations. The two goals are Makar's first points in four games. Despite the quiet spell, Makar remains among the top scorers in the playoffs with 14 points (five goals, nine assists) through 10 games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoColorado Avalanche forward Yakov Trenin couldn't finish Wednesday's Game 5 against Dallas due to an upper-body injury. He was on the ice for only four shifts and 2:16 before being forced to call it a night. Trenin, a trade deadline pickup from Nashville, skates on the fourth line for the Avalanche. He's produced one goal with 30 hits in 10 playoff appearances. Nikolai Kovalenko could make his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in Friday's Game 6 if Trenin isn't available.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Evan Rawal
1 day agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Mike Tauchman went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Wednesday's 7-1 win over the Braves. Tauchman's homer set the tone of the game early, as it came on the first pitch of the game off Braves starter
Charlie Morton. The 33-year-old had a solid start to the season, hitting .307 in April with three of his four home runs coming during the month, but so far is hitting just .208 in May. He's still making good contact (80.8% Contact%), walking a lot (16.0% BB%), and his 26 runs scored puts him just one behind the likes of
Freddie Freeman (27), so hopefully this is just a cold spell for him and Wednesday's homer gets him back on track.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoDallas Stars forward Tyler Seguin was injured in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Colorado. He exited the contest near the end of the game with an unspecified ailment. Seguin logged 16:37 of action in the contest but didn't have a great time, going scoreless and finishing with a minus-two rating. He had produced four points across the previous three games. Seguin has been inconsistent with his production throughout the postseason, finishing without points in six of his 12 appearances. He has managed three goals and four assists. With Roope Hintz (upper body) also getting hurt, Dallas' top six has taken two massive blows in the last couple of games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: Mike Heika
1 day agoTexas Rangers starting pitcher
Jon Gray improved to 2-1 on the season after throwing 6 1/3 shutout innings in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over the Guardians. The 32-year-old allowed just four hits and two walks while striking out three. The outing was his fourth straight quality start and lowered his ERA to 2.08. Removing the righty's first start of the season (five earned runs allowed) from the equation, Gray has a 1.30 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 0.19 HR/9, and boasts a 20.0% K-BB% over his last nine appearances (eight starts). He'll be put to the test in his next start, which is against one of the hottest teams in baseball, the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park next Tuesday.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoTampa Bay Rays reliever
Kevin Kelly picked up his first save of the season on Wednesday, pitching a scoreless ninth to preserve the 4-3 victory over the Red Sox. Closer
Pete Fairbanks pitched the eighth inning, which included both
Rafael Devers and
Tyler O'Neill, while Kelly was tasked with disposing of the bottom of the order. Kelly has some good numbers on the season, with a 3.06 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, and a fantastic 1:17 BB:K, but don't expect the saves to come with regularity. If you are in desperate need of saves, Kelly can be picked up and could help your peripherals in the meantime, but he's likely competing with
Jason Adam (save on Monday) for Fairbanks' leftovers, while Fairbanks owners potentially lose out.
--Jarod Rupp - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoOklahoma City Thunder guard/forward
Josh Giddey led the second unit with 11 points in Wednesday's 104-92 loss to the Mavericks. Giddey has struggled in the series, and Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault dropped him on the bench for Game 5 in favor of
Isaiah Joe. The move worked out well for Giddey, as he enjoyed his best outing of the series, adding three rebounds and two assists to his tally with 5-for-8 shooting across 12 minutes. However, with the team losing and now 3-2 behind in the series, Daigneault might be forced to make further adjustments. Joe had a quiet outing with six points. The lineup change also resulted in
Cason Wallace logging a playoff career-high 27 minutes off the bench. He couldn't get going either, shooting 1-for-7 to finish with three points.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoOklahoma City Thunder guard
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander had another 30-point effort in Wednesday's Game 5 loss to Dallas, reaching the plateau for the fourth consecutive game with 12-for-22 shooting. He was 2-for-4 with the three-ball and continued to make an impact all over the court. Gilgeous-Alexander's stat line included six rebounds, eight assists, two steals, and one block. He's been highly productive at both ends in the series, but it looks like the Thunder need even more from Gilgeous-Alexander as the team faces elimination in Game 6 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoDallas Mavericks center
Dereck Lively II played a significant part in Wednesday's Game 5 victory over Oklahoma City with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort in 23 minutes off the bench. The rookie from Duke recorded his first career playoff double-double while adding one assist, one steal, and one block to his line. Lively II shot 3-for-4 from the field and 5-for-6 at the charity stripe during a highly effective performance, which saw him finish with a game-high plus-22 rating. The 20-year-old has struggled to shoot well in the series, going 10-for-28, but Wednesday night should be a good confidence booster for him for the rest of the postseason. He's averaging 7.9 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks in 21.0 minutes during his first playoff campaign.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoDallas Mavericks point guard
Luka Doncic registered a 30-point triple-double as the team moved one win away from a Conference Finals spot with a 104-92 road victory against the Thunder Wednesday night. Doncic has been held back by multiple injuries in these playoffs, but it was smooth sailing for him on Wednesday, as the Mavericks superstar shot 12-for-22 from the field en route to a game-high 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He had five three-point makes with 11 attempts and also registered one block. Doncic will go after his first career three-game postseason triple-double streak when Dallas tries to close out the series in Game 6 on Saturday.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoBoston Celtics guard
Derrick White was back in form in Game 5 against Cleveland on Wednesday, recording 18 points, five rebounds, six assists, and two steals in a 113-98 win. After being limited to only five points in Game 4, White had twice as many points in the first quarter alone on Wednesday. He was quiet for the rest of the game but still ended up with a good stat line, shooting 4-for-9 from deep and 7-for-17 overall. For some reason, White has struggled to post defensive stats in the postseason, but he continues to play a significant part in Boston's success. The 29-year-old averages 18.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists with 43.5 percent three-point shooting in the playoffs.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoBoston Celtics forward/center
Al Horford got his fingerprints all over Wednesday's 113-98 win over Cleveland, notching 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, one steal, and three blocks with six makes from downtown. At 37 years old, Horford became the oldest player in league history to finish a playoff game with at least 20 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and five triples His efforts in the postseason tend to be inconsistent, but Horford was certainly a man on a mission Wednesday night. He can now get his body some rest as Boston awaits its Conference Finals opponent from the Knicks-Pacers matchup.
Kristaps Porzingis (calf) is expected to return in the next series, pushing Horford back to the bench, but the savvy veteran should still find ways to impact games.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoBoston Celtics forward
Jayson Tatum came very close to his second postseason triple-double as the C's closed out the Cavaliers on Wednesday with a 113-98 win. Tatum played his part on offense with a team-high 25 points and nine assists while grabbing 10 rebounds. He had a major impact at the other end as well, recording four of Boston's six steals. This was a pretty rough series for Tatum shooting-wise, but he finally got things to click in Game 5, hitting 9-for-16 from the field with a 3-for-7 effort from deep. He can now start preparing for already his fifth Conference Finals series in seven years.
--Taavi Pailk - RotoBallerSource: ESPN
1 day agoLos Angeles Dodgers outfield prospect
Josue De Paula hit his first home run of the season for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga on Wednesday. De Paula, 18, is a consensus Top-100 prospect and another potential big asset for the star-studded Dodgers. De Paula got off to a slow start this season, but has gotten going lately and has nine doubles and two triples to go along with 11 stolen bases over his first 25 games. Although he isn't going to help managers in 2024 or even 2025, the 6'3, right-handed offers good bat speed and his power should continue to grow as his body fills out. With the ability to help across the board, dynasty managers should consider De Paula, even though it may be a while until he is able to help at the big-league level.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
2 days agoThe Pittsburgh Pirates have called up pitching prospect
Carmen Mlodzinski from Triple-A Indianapolis. The right-hander made his debut last season out of the bullpen and registered an impressive 2.25 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 36 innings for the Bucco's. His 2024 campaign got off to a slow start as he was dealing elbow inflammation, but he has struggled with Triple-A Indianapolis in his recovery. For Indianapolis, Mlodzinski has allowed 10 runs in 14 innings. For now, managers in all formats can leave the right-hander on the waiver wire.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
2 days agoTampa Bay Rays shortstop prospect
Carson Williams continued his impressive season on Wednesday for Double-A Montgomery. Williams went 2-for-4 with a walk, two RBI and a solo home run. The home run would be the fifth of the season for the Rays No. 2 prospect. Williams has been having a very impressive season for Montgomery and is hitting a smooth .336 with five homers, 16 RBI, nine stolen bases and a .981 OPS. The 20-year-old has been doing it across the board, but he still struggles with plate discipline. If Williams can get his strikeouts down, he has all the tools to become a valuable asset to managers in a couple of years. For now, he remains best rostered in dynasty formats.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
2 days agoAfter getting demoted earlier in the week, Baltimore Orioles outfield prospect
Heston Kjerstad went back to what he was familiar with and hit a home run for Triple-A Norfolk on Wednesday. After hitting 10 homers out of the gate for Norfolk, Kjerstad was promoted to the big-league club on April 23. Unfortunately for the 25-year-old, he only got 14 at-bats and had two hits in those at-bats. Kjerstad being sent back down has more to do with getting him everyday at-bats with that not happening at the big-league level. The Top-25 prospect has shown immense power on the farm, but it will likely take an injury or a trade for him to make an impact for managers in redraft leagues as there just is not enough for volume for him at the moment. Managers in dynasty leagues should continue to hold Kjerstad, even if it is not until 2025 that he makes a major impact.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
2 days agoAtlanta Braves pitcher prospect
Spencer Schwellenbach made his Double-A debut on Wednesday and was impressive in his first start. Schwellenbach began the season in High-A and registered a 2.53 ERA with 34 strikeouts in 32 innings. His strong showing was enough for the Braves to promote their No. 3 prospect. In his debut for Double-A Mississippi, Schwellenbach tossed six scoreless innings. He allowed three hits and struck out a career-high nine batters with one walk. The 23-year-old is very athletic and was a potential two-way player coming out of Nebraska in 2023. The right-hander has already recovered from Tommy John surgery and offers an impressive four-pitch arsenal that includes a fastball in the mid-90's. The right-hander has impressed early in his professional career and is a name for managers in dynasty leagues to keep an eye as he is likely a year or two away from making an impact at the big-league level.
--Daniel Burdeen - RotoBallerSource: Milb.com
2 days agoBoston Red Sox third baseman
Rafael Devers cranked his fifth home run of the year in Wednesday's loss to the division-rival Tampa Bay Rays, but it wasn't enough to lift his team to victory. Devers lined one over the wall in center field for a 431-foot solo homer off Rays right-hander
Phil Maton in the sixth inning. The 27-year-old All-Star slugger is slashing a robust .281/.383/.488 with five round-trippers and 10 doubles through 32 outings (121 at-bats) as Boston's everyday third baseman this season, but he's not getting the job done for fantasy managers in the RBI department (15) after plating 100 for the BoSox a season ago. Each of Devers' five blasts have come against right-handed pitching in 2024, and he'll get righty
Zack Littell in Thursday's series finale against Tampa with a chance to deliver more counting stats.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoNew York Mets designated hitter
J.D. Martinez smashed his second home run of the season in Wednesday's loss on the road to the division-rival Philadelphia Phillies, but it wasn't enough as his team fell in the blowout defeat. Martinez smacked his second homer of the year to make the score 10-3 in the eighth inning. Even though the 36-year-old veteran slugger isn't setting off fantasy fireworks to this point, he's slashing a serviceable .295/.338/.459 with two bombs, four doubles, and six RBI over 61 at-bats (18 games) in his first year with the Mets. He might have a decent chance to pop for a big day at the plate in Thursday's series finale against Philadelphia and right-hander
Taijuan Walker, since Martinez is 7-for-14 with a homer, a double, and three RBI in 14 plate appearances against Walker in his career.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoHouston Astros starting pitcher
Framber Valdez dominated in Wednesday's victory over the division-rival Oakland Athletics, tossing seven two-hit innings of scoreless ball on two walks with eight punchouts. Staked to an early-two run lead, Valdez cruised past Oakland on Wednesday for his second straight quality start and third win of the campaign. The 30-year-old fantasy mainstay now sports a rock-solid 2.95 ERA and 1.20 WHIP while fanning 31 and walking 11 over six starts (36 2/3 innings) for Houston this year. Valdez is slated to get the ball next during Monday's series opener against the visiting Los Angeles Angels. In three appearances versus the Angels since 2023, Valdez is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA and a sublime 32:3 K:BB across 21 1/3 frames and will be locked-in fantasy starter.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoChicago Cubs outfielder
Seiya Suzuki went yard in Wednesday's win over the Atlanta Braves on the road, adding a double in the victory. Suzuki's homer came as an insurance run in the eighth inning off Braves right-hander
Jesse Chavez, traveling 433 feet to deep center. It's been a great first quarter of the year for the 29-year-old slugger, who's slashing .280/.337/.488 with four big flies, 15 RBI, 15 runs scored, and one stolen base across 92 plate appearances (20 games) as Chicago's everyday right fielder. A four-game series with the division-rival Pittsburgh Pirates is on deck starting on Thursday. Over 15 games versus the Pirates since 2023, Suzuki is hitting .323 with one tater, seven doubles, 12 RBI, and 12 runs scored and will be a set-and-forget fantasy option.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoNew York Yankees starting pitcher
Marcus Stroman posted a scoreless outing in Wednesday's victory on the road over the Minnesota Twins, firing six inning of two-hit ball with three walks while fanning three. After surrendering four runs in 5 2/3 innings during his previous start against the Houston Astros, Stroman rebounded with his first scoreless showing since April 5. While the soft-throwing 33-year-old right-hander holds a respectable 3.33 ERA with 42 strikeouts through 48 2/3 frames this season, he's also walked 25 and recorded a troublesome 1.42 WHIP over nine starts. He'll get a pretty good matchup at home against the Seattle Mariners in his next scheduled appearance during Monday's series opener, when Stroman will be worth deploying in the majority of fantasy leagues on the heels of this strong performance.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoMinnesota Twins starting pitcher
Pablo Lopez did his part to keep his team in the game during Wednesday's defeat to the visiting New York Yankees, registering a quality start with 6 1/3 innings of three-run ball on a season-high 10 hits and no walks while fanning a season-low three batters. Lopez only threw two clean innings on Wednesday, but he did a great job of limiting the damage for his third straight quality start to begin the month of May. The 28-year-old fantasy stalwart takes a solid 3.93 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, and 58:8 K:BB over 50 1/3 innings (nine starts) for the Twins into his next scheduled appearance during Monday's series opener against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. Although it's a favorable matchup on paper, Lopez yielded five runs across four innings in one start against Washington a year ago.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoFormer Los Angeles Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers announced on Instagram on Tuesday that he is retiring from professional football after 11 seasons in the league. He was the heart and soul of the Rams defense for nine years before playing the final two years of his career with the Detroit Lions in 2021 and 2022. The Rams, then in St. Louis, took Brockers with the 14th overall pick in the 2012 NFL draft out of LSU. Brockers was cut in February of 2023 by Detroit and did not play last season. In his 11 seasons in the NFL, he recorded 451 total tackles (274 solo), 29 sacks, 52 tackles for loss, 64 QB hits, 10 passes defended, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in 160 games (157 starts). In his nine seasons with the Rams, Brockers was as consistent as they come, only missing six total games.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: Rams Wire - Cameron DaSilva
2 days agoNew York Yankees outfielder
Aaron Judge powered his team to victory on the road on Wednesday against the Minnesota Twins, rapping a home run with three doubles and two RBI in the win. Judge first clobbered a 469-foot homer off Twins right-hander
Pablo Lopez before doubling in each of his next three at-bats, with the third scoring
Juan Soto in the seventh inning. The 32-year-old fantasy superstar appears to have put his early-season swoon to bed at this point, now batting an absurd .444 with five long balls, seven doubles, 11 RBI, and 11 runs scored over his last 10 outings. He'll draw a tough matchup during Thursday's series finale against Minnesota with
Joe Ryan taking the bump, as Judge is just 1-for-7 with one walk in his eight career plate appearances against Ryan.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: MLB.com
2 days agoPittsburgh Steelers six-time Pro Bowl defensive end Cameron Heyward hasn't attended the team's voluntary offseason workouts and doesn't plan to attend organized team activities as he seeks a contract extension, according to sources. Heyward is a long-time team captain who has never missed an offseason program. The 35-year-old former 31st overall pick by the Steelers in 2011 out of Ohio State is entering the final year of his four-year, $65 million deal. The 35-year-old has obviously been one of the faces of the franchises for a long time now, but he played in only 11 games due to a core injury in 2023 and finished with just 33 tackles (25 solo), two sacks, six tackles for loss and a pass defended. Contract issues aside, Heyward is expected to be a full-go for the start of training camp and the 2024 regular season. He has 80.5 career sacks and could be streamer in IDP leagues in good matchups if he's healthy in 2024.
--Keith Hernandez - RotoBallerSource: ESPN.com - Jeremy Fowler
2 days agoSan Francisco Giants designated hitter
Jorge Soler (shoulder) began a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Sacramento on Wednesday. Soler is slated to play in two games in the minors and will likely be back with the Giants on Friday for the series opener against the division-rival Colorado Rockies if everything goes well there. Before hitting the injured list with a strained right shoulder, the 32-year-old slugger slashed a disappointing .202/.294/.361 with five homers, four doubles, and eight RBI through 119 at-bats (34 games) as San Fran's everyday DH. Despite those shortcomings, Soler would have a great opportunity to jump-start his season while facing off with a Rockies team that entered Wednesday’s action ranked last in team ERA (5.16) and WHIP (1.53) in 2024.
--Joseph Barbati - RotoBallerSource: Alex Pavlovic - NBC Sports Bay Area
2 days agoCincinnati Bengals rookie wide receiver
Jermaine Burton has left a positive impression on the coaching staff despite being drafted less than two weeks ago. According to SI's Albert Breer, Burton has already shown the Bengals that he is a "competitive kid who has good ball skills and the explosiveness to separate from coverage in the NFL." Breer noted that Burton has worked through some off-the-field issues but has the talent needed to make an impact at the pro level. He's currently competing for the No. 3 receiver role behind
Ja'Marr Chase and
Tee Higgins. Such a position on the depth chart was most recently occupied by
Tyler Boyd. The Bengals would love to get production out of Burton in his first pro season, and as Breer points out, he could benefit from Chase and Higgins drawing away coverage.
--Andersen Pickard - RotoBallerSource: Albert Breer
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