Matt Barnes Saves 24th With Easy Inning

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes locked down his 24th save of the year Wednesday evening, setting down the Detroit Tigers he faced one-two-three. He recorded two strikeouts in the outing. He now has secured 24 of his 28 save opportunities, with a 2.25 ERA, a 0.80 WHIP, and 68 strikeouts in 44 innings. […]

Manuel Rodriguez Earns First Save

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Manuel Rodriguez earned his first career save versus the Colorado Rockies on Wednesday evening. The Cubs called up Rodriguez when they dealt the bulk of their bullpen last week and he has now appeared in three games with Wednesday being his first save opportunity. Rodriguez took care of business and allowed […]

Alec Mills Earns Fifth Victory

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Alec Mills earned a quality start in Wednesday's victory versus the Colorado Rockies. Mills tossed six frames and allowed eight hits, two runs, two walks and struck out three on the evening. With the Cubs dealing starting pitcher Trevor Williams at the trade deadline, Mills should remain in the rotation for […]

Jimmy Nelson Placed On The Injured List

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Jimmy Nelson (elbow) was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation on Wednesday. He returned from the injured list on July 25 and tossed three innings before landing on the shelf again. The severity of Nelson's injury is unknown at this time, and he's considered day-to-day. The 32-year-old […]

Lou Trivino Picks Up Relief Win On Wednesday

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Lou Trivino allowed one unearned run and picked up the victory when the A's walked-off in the bottom of the tenth inning. Trivino was called on in the top of the tenth after Oakland tied the game off Padres closer Mark Melancon in the ninth. Trivino allowed the automatic runner on […]

Michael Lorenzen Picks Up Save Wednesday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Michael Lorenzen got the final five outs of a 6-5 win over the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday to pick up his first save of the season. Lorenzen worked around two hits allowed and struck out three to preserve the victory for his team. The save comes on just Lorenzen's fifth appearance of […]

Corey Knebel May Return Next Week

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Corey Knebel (lat) could be back with the team next week on their road trip to Philadelphia and New York, The Athletic reported, citing manager Dave Roberts. Knebel has been sidelined since April 23 with a right lat injury and this week has been getting rehab game action in Triple-A. […]

Joakim Soria Heads To 10-Day Injured List

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Joakim Soria (finger), who was recently acquired in a trade, is going on the 10-day injured list with right middle finger inflammation, according to The Athletic. Tayler Saucedo is back with the club in a corresponding move. Soria had modest deep-league fantasy value with the Arizona Diamondbacks this year, going […]

James Karinchak Coming Off A Rough Month Of July

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak had a rough time on the mound in July. He converted just two of his four save opportunities and posted a 7.36 ERA over 11 innings. Walks have been a massive problem for him all year. He walked seven batters last month and he has a 14.7% walk rate […]

John Axford Will Not Pitch Again In 2021

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher John Axford (elbow) will not pitch again in 2021 after suffering an elbow injury on Monday, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Manager Craig Counsell said that results of testing on Axford's elbow revealed significant structural damage, and he is currently weighing his options for treatment. It ended up being a […]

Collin McHugh Throwing On Wednesday

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Collin McHugh (arm) threw a 21-pitch bullpen session on Wednesday. He has been sidelined since July 25 due to arm fatigue. The hope is that McHugh is cleared to pitch by the weekend. He boasts a 1.51 ERA in 41 2/3 innings with 59 strikeouts this season. Fantasy managers should […]

Aaron Sanchez Has Scoreless Relief Outing Tuesday

San Francisco Giants pitcher Aaron Sanchez pitched three scoreless innings out of the bullpen in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Diamondbacks. Sanchez allowed a hit and four walks with a strikeout. It was the 29-year-old's second appearance since returning from the injured list with right biceps tightness. Sanchez started the season in the Giants' rotation […]

Kenley Jansen Coming Off A Dreadful Month Of July

July was a month to forget for Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen. He converted just two of his five save opportunities in the month and posted an ugly 9.39 ERA over 7.2 innings. Jansen had been fantastic just about all year before the calendar turned to July. He entered July with a 1.38 ERA […]

Top 25 Fantasy Baseball Prospects: Week 19

The trade winds blew long and hard through Major League Baseball last week. As the dust begins to settle around the league, many prospects have been impacted in different ways — although the moves affected prospects from a dynasty perspective more so than from a 2021 redraft angle. The list lost Reid Detmers — who […]

The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings

Welcome to the final one-third of the season, fellow RotoBallers. August is here and I'm moving my usual publication of this around because the FAAB Sunday after the trade deadline is special. Pitchers are settling into new uniforms and new roles, so let's check in on my top 101 RP Baller Ranks, which are geared […]

Daily Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the August 4th 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 […]

Heath Hembree Blows Save On Tuesday

Cincinnati Reds right-hander Heath Hembree allowed three runs in 2/3 of an inning in a 7-5 loss to the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday. Hembree struck out two and walked two in the outing. He was called upon in the ninth inning to protect a 5-4 lead but instead walked the first two batters he faced […]

Matt Barnes Expected To Be Activated Wednesday

Boston Red Sox relief pitcher Matt Barnes tested negative for COVID-19 Tuesday evening, and he is expected to be activated from the COVID list in advance of Wednesday's game against the Detroit Tigers. Barnes had been placed on the list Tuesday due to symptoms consistent with the virus, though he never returned a positive test. […]

Diego Castillo Earns Save Against Former Team

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Diego Castillo pitched against the Tampa Bay Rays for the first time since being traded away Tuesday, and he walked one and struck out one in an inning of work en route to his 15th save of the season. Castillo has enjoyed an excellent year, with a 2.82 ERA, 0.99 WHIP, […]

Paul Sewald Strikes Out Two In Ninth Hold

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald continued his excellent year Tuesday night, coming on in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays and striking out two batters in a clean inning to lock up his ninth hold. Sewald appeared to have a claim on the closer's role very briefly this weekend, after Kendall Graveman […]

Dylan Floro Earns A Save For The Second Straight Day

Miami Marlins relief pitcher (and likely closer) Dylan Floro earned his fourth save of the season on Tuesday in a 5-4 win over the New York Mets. Floro got the last four outs of Monday's game as well, giving him two saves in two days as well as both of the save chances since Yimi […]

Brusdar Graterol Called Up By Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Brusdar Graterol was called up from Triple-A on Tuesday, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic. Graterol joins the roster to fill the spot vacated by Edwin Uceta, who was placed on the 10-day injured list with a left lumbar sprain. It was a short stint in the minors this […]

Milwaukee Brewers Claim Sal Romano Off Waivers

The Milwaukee Brewers claimed relief pitcher Sal Romano off waivers on Tuesday. Romano was designated for assignment by the New York Yankees on July 31. The Brewers will be Romano's third team this year as he began the year with the Cincinnati Reds. The Brewers placed John Axford (elbow) on the injured list on Tuesday, […]

Tyler Gilbert Called Up By Diamondbacks

The Arizona Diamondbacks called up pitcher Tyler Gilbert from Triple-A on Tuesday. Fellow pitcher Miguel Aguilar was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move. The 27-year-old Gilbert has never pitched in the majors, but he's put together a solid season at Triple-A this year. Over 11 games (10 starts) this year, he's gone 5-2 with […]

Matt Barnes Lands On COVID-19 Injured List

Boston Red Sox closer Matt Barnes was placed on the COVID-19 injured list on Tuesday. While he hasn't tested positive for COVID-19, he has been battling symptoms of a non-COVID-related illness. There's a good amount of speculation from various Red Sox beat writers that Barnes' stint on the COVID-19 injured list won't be long. Barnes […]

Ryan Pressly Hits Rough Patch

Houston Astros closer Ryan Pressly has hit his first real speed bump of the season heading into the team's series opener against the Dodgers Tuesday night. Pressly has been fantastic this season but is currently in a rough stretch on the mound. To be fair, none of these appearances have been save chances but Pressly […]

Matt Strahm To Be Activated On Tuesday

San Diego Padres reliever Matt Strahm (knee) is expected to be activated from the IL before Tuesday's tilt with the Oakland Athletics. After undergoing offseason knee surgery, the left-hander had fanned seven over 3 ⅔ frames in a rehab assignment at Triple-A. With a starting rotation in flux, Strahm's return will bolster the Friars pitching […]

Spencer Patton Notches First Career Save

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Spencer Patton recorded his first career save versus the Los Angeles Angels on Monday. He tossed a scoreless ninth inning with one strikeout to earn his first save in seven professional seasons. Patton became a closer candidate after the trade of Ian Kennedy. He did blow his first save on Saturday, […]

Archie Bradley Earns Relief Win Versus Nats On Monday

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Archie Bradley pitched 1 2/3 scoreless innings on Monday and earned the win when the Phillies rallied in the ninth inning. Bradley was called upon to escape a jam left by Jose Alvarado and went on to pitch a scoreless eighth inning, picking up a strikeout along the way. Bradley has […]

Ian Kennedy Serves Up Two-Run Shot Versus Nationals

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Ian Kennedy allowed a two-run homer, but held on to preserve the win over the Nationals on Monday. Kennedy was called on despite Philly holding a four-run lead which was cut in half when Carter Kieboom launched a two-run shot off the veteran reliever. This was Kennedy's second appearance with his […]