RADIO
Manny Machado Ejected In The Fifth Inning
2 hours agoSan Diego Padres shortstop Manny Machado was ejected from the fifth inning of Saturday's game against the Rockies after exchanging words with home plate umpire Bill Welke. This was the fifth ejection of Machado's career. Welke called Machado out on strikes and Machado proceeded to get into Welke's face, then chuck his bat to the side after being ejected. Machado went 2-for-3 with a double and two runs on the night, making it three multi-hit games in a row for him. We'll see how he responds in the fourth game of the series on Sunday.Source: San Diego Padres
Mike Minor Allows Three Runs, Earns Sixth Win
2 hours agoTexas Rangers pitcher Mike Minor allowed three earned runs on four hits and four walks while striking out six across 6 1/3 innings on Saturday. He is now 6-4 with a 2.63 ERA and 1.18 WHIP on the year. The 31-year-old had some trouble with walks and allowed two home runs in the game, but it was still another quality start for Minor, who continues to deliver for his owners. There aren't really many alarming stats in Minor's peripheral numbers. He's lowered his barrel rate from 10.8% in 2018 to 6.3% this year and his strikeout rate is up from 20.6% in 2018 to 25.7% this year. Keep rolling with Minor as he certainly seems to have found his groove this year. His next start is a favorable matchup at home against the Indians on Thursday.Source: ESPN
Michael Wacha Struggles on Saturday Against the Mets
3 hours agoSt. Louis Cardinals starting pitcher Michael Wacha struggled against the Mets on Saturday, pitching just four innings while allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and a walk. He allowed two home runs and struck out four. Wacha's ERA shot up to an even 6.00 and despite a scoreless six-inning outing against the Marlins his last time out, it looks like Wacha still hasn't figured it out this season. He's not a recommended option in any format at this point.Source: mlb.com
Pablo Lopez Allows Three Runs, Earns Fifth Win
3 hours agoMiami Marlins pitcher Pablo Lopez went seven innings and allowed seven hits, one walk and three earned runs while striking out four on Saturday. It was the fourth straight quality start for Lopez, who is now 5-5 with a 4.23 ERA and 1.12 WHIP on the year. While Lopez is far from an elite strikeout pitcher, his increased strikeout rate from 18.6% in 2018 to 24% so far this year has helped him significantly improve his pitching profile. He's a worthy add in most leagues where the quality starting pitchers on the waiver wire are thin. His next outing will be a decent matchup, a road game against the Cardinals on Thursday.Source: ESPN
Brad Hand Strikes Out Two for His 20th Save
3 hours agoCleveland Indians closer Brad Hand saved his 20th game of the season, tossing a scoreless ninth inning with two strikeouts. He gave up just one hit and took only 13 pitches to lock down a 4-2 win for Cleveland. There have been some rumors swirling about Hand possibly being traded to a contending team this summer, but he and his 0.88 ERA are almost sure to stay in a ninth inning role regardless of the uniform on his back.Source: mlb.com
Shane Bieber Strikes Out a Dozen on Saturday
3 hours agoCleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber struck out a dozen Detroit Tigers on Saturday, pitching 7 2/3 innings while allowing just two runs on four hits and a walk. Bieber was excellent in this one, tossing 76 of his 105 pitches for strikes and lowering his ERA to 3.92. Despite a few rough starts here and there, Bieber has been excellent this season and should continue to succeed as a key member of Cleveland's rotation.Source: mlb.com
Sean Newcomb Hit By Liner, Leaves Game
4 hours agoAtlanta Braves pitcher Sean Newcomb was hit in the head by a line drive off the bat of J.T. Realmuto in the third inning of Saturday's game. After being tended to by trainers, he walked off the field under his own power and was replaced by Touki Toussaint. Newcomb was making his first start since April 13 after a trip to the minors and a stint in the Braves' bullpen. Newcomb allowed three hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings during the start and was charged with two runs that Toussaint allowed to score. The line drive that struck Newcomb was hit at 102 miles per hour off the bat of Realmuto. Updates on Newcomb's status going forward should be available soon. As of now, his next start is slated for Friday on the road against the Nationals.Source: Fox Sports: Braves
Juan Soto Hits First Home Run Of June
4 hours agoWashington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto went 2-for-4 with a home run on Saturday, ending a 12-game home run drought. Soto closed out May on an absolute tear, posting a .380 batting average and an OPS of 1.127 across the month as a whole. On the year, he's now slashing .289/.383/.502 with 11 home runs, 41 RBI and 38 runs in 60 games. Soto may not be playing himself into the first, or even second, round discussion for next year's drafts quite yet, but he's still having a solid year. Although his .885 OPS this year is down from last year's .923 clip, he's improved on his barrel rate (10.9%) and launch angle (10.1) this year. Additionally, he entered Saturday's game with an 18.5% home run to flyball rate, much lower than his 24.7% mark from last year. So we should see some better power numbers going forward.Source: ESPN
Chris Sale Notches 10 Strikeouts In Victory
4 hours agoBoston Red Sox starting pitcher Chris Sale threw six innings and gave up six hits and two earned runs in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Baltimore Orioles. Sale also racked up 10 strikeouts and walked just one, throwing 68-of-103 pitches for strikes in the contest. He now sits at 3-7 with a 3.49 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and a 130/21 K/BB ratio over 90 and 1/3 innings on the year. Sale's rough start to 2019 seems like it's in the rearview mirror, as his record is the only ugly part of his fantasy profile. His 12.81 K/9 and 14.3% Swinging Strike rate rank among the league's best, and he's more closely resembling the dominant force we've grown to expect over the past decade. Continue to employ him with confidence moving forward.Source: MLB.com
Stephen Strasburg Hit Hard On Saturday
4 hours agoWashington Nationals pitcher Stephen Strasburg gave up nine hits and six earned runs in five innings against the Diamondbacks on Saturday. He was tagged for four home runs in the game. That's two out of three rough starts for Strasburg in June after a stellar May where he posted a 2.61 ERA. He's now 7-4 on the year with a 3.75 ERA and 1.06 WHIP. There's little reason for concern here, just a day where the Diamondbacks were hot and he didn't have his best stuff. Strasburg's hard-hit rate (30.5%), strikeout rate (30.3%) and barrel rate (5.8) this season are all improvements on the past two years. He's going to be an elite pitcher more often than not. Keep throwing him out there.Source: ESPN
Ketel Marte Homers Twice On Saturday
5 hours agoArizona Diamondbacks shortstop Ketel Marte fueled a 10-3 Diamondbacks victory on Saturday, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, a walk and three runs. Marte now has 19 home runs on the year, five more than his career-best mark from last year. The breakout campaign keeps rolling for Marte, who is slashing .280/.333/.549 on the year. Any owners thinking of selling high on him may want to think twice as his massive increases in barrel rate (11.9%) and exit velocity (91) this year support the breakout power numbers he's producing. Keep riding him and cashing in on the low price you paid for him.Source: ESPN
Brock Holt Has Second Straight Multi-Hit Game
5 hours agoBoston Red Sox second baseman Brock Holt went 3-for-5 with two RBI and one run on Saturday, hitting out of the sixth spot in the lineup. The previous day, Holt went 2-for-4 with a home run. He's now 16-for-36 in June with an OPS north of 1.000. On the year, he's slashing .313/.380/.422. The Red Sox have a crowded lineup and Holt would need to stay hot like this for a significant period of time in order to suit up every day. His best shot at steady playing time would likely involve an extended cold streak from Michael Chavis, who leads the team in starts at second base. For now, Holt can be a sneaky DFS play, but he should remain on waivers in the majority of fantasy leagues as the path the playing time is still too cloudy.Source: ESPN
Madison Bumgarner Gives Up Five Runs, Three Earned, Vs Brewers
5 hours agoSan Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner went six innings and allowed five hits, three walks and five runs, but only three earned runs, on Saturday against the Brewers. He struck out six batters and walked three in the outing. It was the fifth straight quality start for Bumgarner, who now has a 3.87 ERA and 1.17 WHIP on the year. Bumgarner's 23.7% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate are big improvements from last year's numbers which were 19.8% and 7.8%, respectively, but there are some troubling signs elsewhere. He's allowing an exit velocity of 89.6 and his hard-hit rate is sitting at 43.5%. Both of those numbers are significantly higher than they've been in the past five years for him. He's producing well enough to warrant starting him each time out, but if you can find a pitcher needy team out there willing to pay up for him, you may want to take it as there's a good chance Bumgarner's best production of 2019 is behind him.Source: ESPN
Stephen Vogt Goes 3-For-4 With Two Triples
5 hours agoSan Francisco Giants catcher Stephen Vogt helped lead his team to an 8-7 victory over the Brewers on Saturday, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs. He hit fifth in the lineup and got the start over Buster Posey. Posey returned from the injured list last Wednesday, closing the door on any hope Vogt may have had for more regular playing time. Vogt has primarily been used as a pinch hitter this year, starting only about once per week. He's slashing .268/.329/.465 on the year and isn't worth a look in fantasy leagues at this point.Source: ESPN
Yordan Alvarez Goes Deep Yet Again
5 hours agoHouston Astros outfielder Yordan Alvarez is on an absolutely unbelievable tear to begin his MLB career. The 21-year-old hit cleanup for the Astros on Saturday, hitting 3-for-4 with an opposite-field solo blast that traveled 439 feet and reached 109.6 MPH exit velocity. Alvarez also notched six total bases in the Astros 7-2 win over the Blue Jays. His season slash line sits at .471/.609/1.176 with four homers, eight RBI, eight runs scored, and a 5/6 K/BB ratio in just 17 at-bats. Clearly, this pace is unsustainable. However, it is also very clear that "Michael Yordan" is absolutely the real deal, hitting for average and power in the heart of the potent Houston Astros lineup. The young slugger needs to be owned and started in all leagues, plain and simple.Source: MLB.com
