James Karinchak Earns Win Saturday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak earned the win in Saturday's 5-4 game against the Seattle Mariners by throwing a perfect tenth inning with two strikeouts. Karinchak got the call in extras for this one and earned the win after the Tribe walked it off in the bottom of the tenth. Karinchak has had some […]

Ryan Weber Joins Red Sox Roster; Brandon Brennan DFA'd

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Ryan Weber was selected from Triple-A Worcester Sunday, and will be the long man out of the bullpen if needed against Toronto. Relief pitcher Brandon Brennan was designated for assignment to make room, after throwing three scoreless innings in Saturday's game. Weber does not figure to be a factor for […]

Taylor Rogers Records Sixth Save

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Taylor Rogers notched his sixth save of the season in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Houston Astros. Rogers needed just nine pitches to shut the door on the Astros, striking out a pair of batters in the process. He generated four whiffs, all on his slider, which has been his best […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the June 13th edition of Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox. Discussing baseball is as fun as the game itself. It has a way of bringing people together to share different opinions about the sport we all love. A similar action can be done with fantasy baseball where we not only discuss topics […]

Lucas Sims (RP, CIN) - Week 12 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in All Leagues ROSTERED IN: 45% of leagues ANALYSIS: It took a couple months, but there appears to be a clear #1 option for saves in Cincinnati. Lucas Sims has locked down each of the Reds' last five opportunities, and while his full-season ratios (5.01 ERA, 1.29 WHIP) aren't great, he also has 36 […]

Rafael Montero Blows Yet Another Save Saturday

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Rafael Montero had a disastrous outing Saturday, blowing yet another save. He's now converted just seven of 13 save opportunities for the season. On Saturday, Montero allowed three runs on two hits and two walks, spoiling Yusei Kikuchi's excellent start and paving the way for Cleveland to eventually secure the win. […]

Kendall Graveman Allows First Earned Run Of The Year

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Kendall Graveman made his first appearance since May 12 in Saturday's game against Cleveland, and he gave up his first earned run of the year in the process. Graveman yielded two hits, including a solo home run to Cesar Hernandez, and struck out no batters in an inning of work. He […]

Zack Britton Tosses Scoreless Frame In Return

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton pitched a scoreless frame in his return from the injured list Saturday. It was a non-hold situation, though it was still encouraging to see Britton work a 1-2-3 frame on just 11 pitches, notching a strikeout in the process. The southpaw's velocity was well below what he was […]

Josh Hader Notches Save Number 16

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 7-4 win over Pittsburgh. Hader locked down his 16th save of the year with just 10 pitches while retiring the heart of Pittsburgh's lineup in order. The southpaw remains a dominant closer with a 0.70 ERA, 0.74 WHIP, and 43:8 […]

Aroldis Chapman Takes Loss Saturday

New York Yankees relief pitcher Aroldis Chapman was charged with his second loss of the season in Saturday's defeat to the Philadelphia Phillies. Chapman entered a tie game in the 10th inning and quickly got into trouble, making a throwing error at first which also moved the auto-runner to third. He then got an out […]

Seth Lugo Picks Up Third Hold On Saturday

New York Mets relief pitcher Seth Lugo picked up his third hold of the season on Saturday in the Mets 4-1 victory over the San Diego Padres. Lugo pitched a scoreless eighth inning allowing one walk while striking out three batters. Since Lugo returned from the 60-day injured list on June 2, he has allowed […]

Edwin Diaz Works Clean Inning To Get Twelfth Save

New York Mets relief pitcher Edwin Diaz picked up his twelfth save of the season on Saturday, pitching a clean ninth inning against the Padres. Diaz struck out one batter in his one inning of work to secure the Mets 4-1 victory. Diaz has been excellent in save situations in 2021, having converted 12 of […]

Hector Neris Blows Save Versus Yankees

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Hector Neris allowed three runs in the ninth inning on Saturday to take his fourth blown save this season in 13 save opportunities. Neris looks unhittable at times, then there are other times where he issues free-passes to get in trouble. That was the case in this game as he walked […]

Dylan Floro Earns A Save On Saturday

Miami Marlins relief pitcher Dylan Floro earned his second save of the season in Saturday's 4-2 win over the Atlanta Braves. Floro was called on to lock down the two-run lead in the ninth inning with Yimi Garcia unavailable after pitching two days in a row. Floro did exactly as asked, retiring the side in […]

Trevor Cahill Heading Back To The IL

Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Trevor Cahill (calf) is going back on the 10-day injured list. This isn't good news for the veteran, who was freshly activated from the IL a few days ago after missing three weeks because of the same ailment, a left calf strain. The 33-year-old was recently shifted to a bullpen role after […]

Hunter Strickland Heading To Milwaukee

The Los Angeles Angeles traded pitcher Hunter Strickland to Milwaukee on Saturday for cash considerations. The journeyman recorded a 1.69 ERA throughout 13 games in Tampa Bay earlier in the year before being dealt to Los Angeles in May. However, he saw a significant regression in production while wearing an Angels' uniform, positing a miserable […]

Daniel Hudson Placed On 10-Day IL

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Daniel Hudson (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list. The veteran had an MRI on Friday, which revealed right elbow inflammation. While Hudson is a two-time Tommy John recipient, manager Dave Martinez indicated that the issue is in the "back of the elbow," so the team isn't overly concerned, primarily […]

Zack Britton Reinstated From Injured List Saturday

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton (elbow) has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list Saturday. The Yankees designated first baseman Mike Ford for assignment and optioned pitcher Brooks Kriske to Triple-A Scranton. Britton has missed the first two months of the season while recovering from an offseason elbow procedure. The veteran southpaw pitched […]

Jose Alvarado's Control Makes Him Hard To Trust

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Jose Alvarado is one of the best relievers in baseball when he's on, but bouts with wildness make the flame-thrower difficult to rely on in fantasy. Alvarado is among the hardest throwers in the game. His 100-plus MPH sinker is elite and almost always induces weak contact and ground balls when […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 12

We are now two full months into the 2021 season. Most MLB teams have played at least 60 games, or the equivalent to last year’s shortened season. Most in the sports medicine field did expect there to be an uptick in injuries this year especially because of the broken/unusual offseason the players had, the stopping […]

Rookie Report: Prospect Risers and Fallers for Week 11

Welcome to the latest edition of RotoBaller’s Recently Promoted Prospects series for fantasy baseball! Here I discuss some recently promoted MLB prospects and rookies , making note of what I think their upside could be for fantasy baseball managers, and whether they are potential risers or fallers. We have seen 120 rookies make their MLB […]

Lou Trivino Picks Up Relief Win On Friday

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lou Trivino pitched 1 1/3 scoreless innings to earn the win on Friday versus the Royals. Trivino was called on to get out of a jam left by co-closer Jake Diekman in the eighth inning. Trivino escaped the inning and followed that up with a scoreless ninth to preserve the tie […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 12 Waiver Wire

With another week of injuries, committees, and blown saves behind us, fantasy managers are starting to see more and more how important having a good bullpen can be. Having the right relievers on a fantasy roster can make up for a somewhat subpar starting rotation, and ensuring you knock all pitching categories out of the […]

The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings

June is heating up and with it, the craziness that is bullpen management. Stay vigilant with your budget and note other people's remaining funds. By now, you should be able to ascertain the market price for new closers and how your league is trending. As always, let me help guide the way! My top 101 […]

Bullpen Report: Finding Elite Ratio and Strikeout Relievers

Sticky stuff is all the rage in the baseball world right now. Will we see pitchers suddenly losing strikeouts due to a reduce in spin rate? Will ERAs suddenly shoot up leading to more offense? Will that early round ace you drafted suddenly turn into a pumpkin? These are all the questions that fantasy baseball […]

Matt Shoemaker Takes Loss

Minnesota Twins pitcher Matt Shoemaker took his eighth loss of the season in Friday's defeat at the hands of the Houston Astros. Shoemaker entered a tie game in the eighth inning and pitched a 1-2-3 scoreless frame- then the wheels fell off in the ninth. The veteran righty surrendered a leadoff single followed by an […]

Closer Josh Hader Up To 15 Saves On Season

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader allowed a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday, striking out two and earning a save over the Pirates. Hader allowed a single to Bryan Reynolds but still locked down his 15th save in as many chances. The 27-year-old southpaw lowered his season ERA to 0.73 and hasn't given up […]

Garrett Whitlock Credited With Win In Relief

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Garrett Whitlock was credited with his second win of the season Friday, as he threw the eighth and ninth innings against the Toronto Blue Jays. Whitlock allowed no runs on two hits and a walk and struck out three. Whitlock was forced to work out of a jam in this […]

Ryan Sherriff Sent To Triple-A Durham

Tampa Bay Devil Rays pitcher Ryan Sherriff has been optioned to Triple-A Durham on Friday. The Rays needed to open a roster spot for newly acquired pitcher Matt Wisler. The left-hander has pitched in just four innings in 2021, compiling a 2.70 ERA. Sherriff being sent down to the minor leagues will not play a […]

Enoli Paredes Heads To The 10-Day IL

Houston Astros pitcher Enoli Paredes (shoulder) has been moved to the 10-day injured list. The 25-year-old exited Thursday's matchup against the Red Sox and was later diagnosed with a strained right shoulder. Paredes has appeared in 12 games this season, racking up a 6.23 ERA throughout just 8.2 innings of work. The 25-year-old has upside […]