John Gant Bumped From Starting Rotation
St. Louis Cardinals right-hander John Gant is moving to the bullpen and will be available in relief in the near future. Gant was impressive early on for the Cardinals, but he was due for regression, and it has hit him hard recently. He has a decent 3.47 ERA on the season, but he's also sporting... Read More
Daniel Bard Blows The Save On Friday
Colorado Rockies right-hander Daniel Bard blew the save on Friday when he surrendered two runs on one hit with a walk and three strikeouts over one inning in a 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Brewers. Bard was tasked with protecting a 4-2 lead in the bottom of the ninth inning but quickly fell apart. He... Read More
Josh Fleming Hits Injured List With Calf Strain
Tampa Bay Rays swing man Josh Fleming (calf) was placed on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with a right calf strain and the team recalled Louis Head from Triple-A, according to MLB.com. We'd consider holding onto Fleming for now in deeper and AL-only leagues, as the left-hander pitches on a first-place club and has... Read More
Cole Sulser Earns Save In Extra Innings Friday
Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Cole Sulser picked up his second save of the season in Friday's 6-5 extra-innings win over the Blue Jays. Sulser came on to pitch the 10th inning up by a run with an automatic runner on second. He walked Bo Bichette, got a double play, and struck out Teoscar Hernandez to... Read More
Jake McGee Earns 15th Save Of Season Friday
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jake McGee picked up his 15th save of the season in Friday's 2-0 win over the A's. McGee pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with no strikeouts to secure the win. Teammate Tyler Rogers pitched the eighth inning. The Giants closer saga continues to flip flop, but it looks like things... Read More
Tyler Rogers Earns 13th Hold Of Season Friday
San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Tyler Rogers picked up his 13th hold of the season in Friday's 2-0 win over the A's. Rogers pitched a scoreless eighth inning, allowing a single and no walks with two strikeouts. Teammate Jake McGee pitched the ninth inning to earn the save. The Giants closer saga continues to flip... Read More
Hansel Robles Unimpressive In Seventh Save
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Hansel Robles was shaky in picking up his seventh save of the season Friday against the Cleveland Indians. Robles entered with a two-run lead and promptly served up a solo homer and a single, though the Twins' defense gave him a boost, throwing out the runner trying to stretch the hit... Read More
Griffin Jax Picks Up First Career Win
Minnesota Twins pitcher Griffin Jax picked up the first win of his career in Friday's victory over the Cleveland Indians. Jax entered the game in the second inning in relief of opener Danny Coulombe and proceeded to give the Twins 4 1/3 innings, allowing three runs on three hits. He walked and struck out a... Read More
Danny Coulombe Struggles Friday
Minnesota Twins pitcher Danny Coulombe struggled as the opener in Friday's win over the Cleveland Indians. Coulombe pitched 1 2/3 innings, surrendering three runs, one earned, on two hits while walking none. He struck out a pair of hitters. Coulombe allowed a pair of homers in the first inning, one following an error, as he... Read More
John Gant Moving To The Bullpen
St. Louis Cardinals pitcher John Gant will move to the bullpen starting Saturday against the Pirates, per manager Mike Shildt. He owns an 11.57 ERA along with an 11:14 K: BB across 14 innings over his last four starts. The Cardinals have yet to announce who will replace Gant in the rotation, but fantasy managers... Read More
Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 14
As we move past the 60-game mark, there continues to be an uptick in injuries this year, particularly soft tissue injuries. These injuries include oblique, groin, hamstring, and back injuries. Not all of the injuries are the same for each player and should be treated and evaluated on a case-by-case basis. They should not all be... Read More
The Bigger Picture - It Isn't Really a Marathon
"It's a marathon, not a sprint." This axiom is one of the most tired expressions in all of baseball and is often used to prevent us from ascribing significance to a slump. The baseball season is the longest among all professional sports, spanning 162 games and six months, not including spring training and postseason action.... Read More
Bullpen Report: Grab Setup Men Before Trade Deadline
The deeper we get into the season, the more valuable relievers become. They can help you maintain your ratios, rather than streaming risky starting pitchers. Also, saves is an entire category, so grabbing a pitcher that is next in line for saves is never a bad idea. Especially this time of year. First, we have... Read More
Garrett Whitlock Earns Win In Relief Friday
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock was credited with his third win of the season Friday, having pitched two innings of relief against the New York Yankees. He allowed just one hit and struck out two, dropping his season ERA to 1.49 with a 1.16 WHIP and 38 strikeouts in 36 1/3 innings. With... Read More
Matt Barnes Records 16th Save
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes recorded his 16th save of the year Friday, closing the door against the New York Yankees. He pitched one innings, allowing two hits and striking out one. Barnes has been shaky of late, recording a 4.05 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in his last seven appearances, but he's been... Read More
Zack Britton Dealing With Hamstring Injury
New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton (hamstring) sustained a hamstring injury Friday night, per manager Aaron Boone. Britton came up limping a bit after delivering his final pitch of the night and struggled to walk down the dugout steps when exiting the game. The veteran southpaw will be evaluated tomorrow to determine the severity... Read More
Adam Ottavino Locks Down 14th Hold
Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Adam Ottavino has been very reliable all season, and Friday was no different. Ottavino pitched a perfect eighth inning against the New York Yankees, striking out two of the three batters he faced to lock down his 14th hold of the season. He now has a 2.64 ERA, 1.24 WHIP,... Read More
Zack Britton Exits Friday With Apparent Leg Injury
New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton (leg) exited Friday's game with an apparent leg injury, according to Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. Britton faced one batter and after getting him to fly out, Britton was seen grabbing at the back of his left leg before walking off the mound into the dugout. There's no word... Read More
Diego Castillo Locks Down 12th Save Friday Night
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Diego Castillo struck out the side in a perfect inning of relief on Friday night to earn his 12th save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Angels. He's now converted seven straight save opportunities dating back to April, but he's had a rough month in June where... Read More
Danny Coulombe Starting Friday Against Indians
Minnesota Twins left-hander Danny Coulombe will make the start on Friday evening in his Twins debut against the Cleveland Indians. It will be a bullpen game, so fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting Coulombe to go deep into this ballgame. The 31-year-old southpaw had a fantastic 1.77 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 27:3 K:BB in 14 relief... Read More
Jose Alvarado Can't Close Out Mets On Friday
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado gave up a game-tying single to Francisco Lindor with two outs in the ninth to blow a save versus the Mets on Friday. It was a tough-luck-blown save for Alvarado as he was called on for a five-out save with just a one-run lead. Alvarado did his job in... Read More
Daniel Hudson Could Throw Bullpen Soon
Washington Nationals manager Dave Martinez said he's hoping that relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (elbow) will be able to throw a bullpen session either Monday or Tuesday. Hudson has been on the injured list since June 12 with elbow inflammation. The veteran right-hander has been throwing on flat ground and is nearing his return. The 34-year-old... Read More
Jeurys Familia Expected To Return Next Week
New York Mets relief pitcher Jeurys Familia's (hip) inflammation has been subsiding, and the expectation is that he will return from the injured list when he's eligible next week. The Mets are slowing getting healthier as we approach the All-Star break. Familia has a 3.63 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and 24:15 K:BB over 22 1/3 innings... Read More
Michael Kopech Making Excellent Progress
Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa said he saw "excellent progress" from relief pitcher Michael Kopech's (hamstring) simulated game on Friday. The plan is for Kopech to throw another simulated game on Monday. After that, the White Sox will determine if the right-hander will need to go on a rehab assignment. The 25-year-old has... Read More
Phillies Place Sam Coonrod On Injured List
The Philadelphia Phillies placed relief pitcher Sam Coonrod (forearm) on the 10-day injured list on Friday with right forearm tendinitis. The move is retroactive to June 24. In corresponding moves, infielder Nick Maton and right-hander Neftali Feliz were called up from Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Right-hander David Hale was designated for assignment. On the year, Coonrod... Read More
Astros-Tigers Game Postponed Due To Rain
The scheduled matchup between the Houston Astros and Detroit Tigers for Friday night has been postponed due to rain, according to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press. The game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Saturday, with Game 1 scheduled to start at 1:10 p.m. Managers should make sure to... Read More
Jose Alvarado To Start Getting Save Opportunities
Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado will get the first crack at save opportunities for now, manager Joe Girardi said on Friday. The decision to move Alvarado into a closing role comes on the heels of Hector Neris blowing his third straight save in a 13-12 loss to the Washington Nationals on Wednesday. Alvarado owns... Read More
Erick Fedde (SP/RP, WSH) - Week 13 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues ROSTERED IN: 22% of leagues ANALYSIS: With eleven starts in eleven appearances, Erick Fedde might be poised to shed eligibility as a reliever, but with his biggest problem as a pitcher being solved this season, his name is officially on the radar. In 55.1 IP this year he... Read More
Jorge Alcala Takes Loss Thursday
Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Jorge Alcala was charged with his second loss of the season in Thursday's defeat to the Cleveland Indians. Alcala entered the game in the top of the eighth inning but quickly got into trouble after two leadoff singles. He was pulled after intentionally walking Jose Ramirez to load the bases, then... Read More
Closers and Saves Report - Week 14 Waiver Wire
So it's not a super common expression, but sometimes, when a pitcher makes a hitter look really bad (usually on a breaking ball), you'll hear announcers say he "undressed him" with the pitch. Well, here's the thing: this week, we've had actual pitchers undress on the field. Manfred League Baseball began enforcing the sticky stuff rules this... Read More