Sammy Long Optioned To Triple-A

San Francisco Giants left-hander Sammy Long has been optioned to Triple-A Sacramento, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Long was recalled on August 14 to start Saturday's game against the Colorado Rockies. He went just two innings, giving up one run and one walk while picking up four strikeouts. Across eight appearances and […]

Daniel Bard Locks Up The Save In Saturday's Win

Colorado Rockies relief pitcher Daniel Bard earned the save on Saturday when he allowed one hit with two strikeouts over a scoreless ninth inning in a 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. Bard was given the relatively easy task of protecting a three-run lead on Saturday and got the job done. He did allow […]

Daily Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the August 15th 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 […]

Joe Ross Suffers Partial UCL Tear

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Joe Ross (forearm) experienced right forearm tightness after his bullpen session Saturday and an MRI showed a partial UCL tear, according to MLB.com. The next step is a re-evaluation, manager Dave Martinez said. Ross, who is 5-9 with a 4.17 ERA this season, had been a serviceable fantasy starter in deeper […]

Aaron Loup Gaining Fantasy Relevance

The New York Mets relief pitcher Aaron Loup came up big on Saturday for the Mets once again. With the game tied 1-1 in the seventh inning with two outs and runners on first and third, Loup struck out Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger to preserve the tie. Although the Mets would go on to lose […]

Nick Mariano's Waiver Picks - Get 'Em While They're Hot (Premium Content)

All other Premium Tools can be accessed on the premium dashboard. It's always strange to type "Week 20" in baseball articles, but the middle of August is here and we must gear up for the playoff push. Football continues to siphon attention so disciplined baseball teams can make their shake-and-bake move. Let's check in on […]

The Cut List - Time to Let Go? Week 21

Welcome back to The Cut List. This is our weekly article looking at players who fantasy managers might be considering cutting from their teams and struggling players who need a closer look. We'll look at players who are worthy of a drop, players who are worth monitoring for replacing, and someone on the hot seat who […]

Pete Fairbanks Tosses Bullpen Session Saturday

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Pete Fairbanks (shoulder) threw a bullpen session on Saturday. According to manager Kevin Cash, all reports were good on his first bullpen session since landing on the injured list late July. There is no timetable for his return, but Fairbanks is trending in the right direction. He will continue to ramp […]

Corey Knebel Picks Up Save On Saturday

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Corey Knebel picked up his third save of the season on Saturday versus the New York Mets in 1/3 of an inning. Knebel returned from the 60-day injured list on August 10 and this was his third appearance and first save since his return. Knebel got the save opportunity with […]

Anthony Bender Saves His Third Game On Saturday

Miami Marlins rookie relief pitcher Anthony Bender earned his third save of the season on Saturday in a 5-4 win over the Chicago Cubs. Bender pitched a perfect ninth inning, striking out two. He needed just 13 pitches (seven strikes) to lock down the win. Bender is the best option at closer for the Marlins, […]

Zack Britton Demoted From Closer Role

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton spoke to manager Aaron Boone, telling him that he felt he doesn't deserve the role of closer with Aroldis Chapman (elbow) sidelined. Britton is coming off of a blown save against the White Sox- his second of the month- where he served up a walk-off homer. The lefty […]

Blake Treinen Unavailable To Pitch Saturday

Los Angeles Dodgers reliever Blake Treinen isn't available to pitch on Saturday night against the New York Mets. The veteran recorded four outs in his appearance against the Mets on Friday and previously threw scoreless innings on Tuesday and Wednesday. Overall, Treinen has pitched to a 1.97 ERA, a 2.74 FIP, 56 strikeouts, and 15 […]

Kenley Jansen Is Unavailable On Saturday

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen is unavailable to pitch out of the bullpen for Saturday's game against the New York Mets. Jansen has pitched to a 2.91 ERA, a 3.61 FIP, 56 strikeouts, 30 walks, and 23 saves in 46.1 innings this season. He previously threw a scoreless inning on Thursday against the Philadelphia […]

Cubs Place Adbert Alzolay On 10-Day Injured List

Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Adbert Alzolay (hamstring) has been placed on the 10-day injured list. Alzolay suffered a left hamstring strain in yesterday's start. Alzolay struggled last night and went 1 1/3 innings and allowed five hits, six runs, one walk and struck out one. Alzolay has struggled in the second half and this will […]

Zack Littell Earns One-Out Save Friday

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Zack Littell came in to save the day for the Giants in Friday's 5-4 win over the Rockies. The Giants had a three-run lead heading into the ninth, but found themselves up by just one with runners on first and second and two outs after handing things over to Jake […]

Jake McGee Has Second Straight Bumpy Outing Friday

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jake McGee nearly blew his second straight save in Friday's 5-4 win over the Rockies. McGee entered the game in the ninth inning up by three. He struck the first hitter out, then allowed a single and a two-run home run. He got the second out before allowing back-to-back singles […]

Garrett Richards Earns Three-Inning Save

Boston Red Sox pitcher Garrett Richards made his first relief appearance of the season Friday, entering in the seventh inning and going the distance to earn his first save of the year, just the third of his career. Richards allowed four hits and struck out four Baltimore Orioles in his three innings of work. He […]

Drew Steckenrider Picks Up Fifth Relief Win

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Drew Steckenrider pitched the ninth inning Friday against the Toronto Blue Jays, earning his fifth win of the season when Seattle walked it off in the bottom of the ninth on a Jarred Kelenic walk. Steckenrider allowed two hits and a walk, but managed to keep anyone from crossing the plate. […]

Diego Castillo Unhittable Again

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Diego Castillo turned in another scoreless performance Friday night, getting four outs against the Toronto Blue Jays, walking one and striking out one. Castillo has now allowed just one hit in eight appearances since being acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays, though he also has just one save in two opportunities. […]

James Karinchak Struggles Again Friday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher James Karinchak allowed two earned runs on one walk and one hit while striking out none in a 7-4 win over the Detroit Tigers on Friday. Karinchak got into trouble again in this one when he walked Jeimer Candelario to lead off the bottom of the ninth inning and then allowed […]

Fantasy Baseball Injury Updates - Week 21

In the second half of the baseball season, the playoffs races and the weather are all heating up now during these dog days of summer. Knowing injury timelines is now a crucial part of the fantasy baseball season. There are still many players that have injury questions yet to be answered. I will continue to […]

Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates Postponed

Friday's game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the Pittsburgh Pirates has been postponed. The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday, according to Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The probable pitchers for tonight, Brett Anderson and Mitch Keller, will most likely have their starts pushed back till tomorrow and the pitchers for the next […]

Matt Moore Is Starting On Saturday

Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Matt Moore will start for the team on Saturday against the Cincinnati Reds. Moore has made 17 appearances for the Phillies so far, nine of which have been starts. Overall he owns a 6.79 ERA and a 6.00 FIP in 50.1 innings this year to go along with 43 strikeouts and 22 […]

The Baller Ranks: Weekly Top 101 Relief Pitcher Rankings

It's the middle of August and the dust has settled from the Trade Deadline's chaos. There are still many fluid bullpens to explore, so let's get right into my top 101 RP Baller Ranks, which are geared towards traditional 5x5 roto leagues with potential mentions for hold candidates and ratio anchors. I decided to leave […]

Closers and Saves Report - Week 20 Waiver Wire

Things always seem to settle down a little around this time in the baseball season. The deadline is behind us, so a lot of buyers with previously unsettled bullpens got settled through trades. On the other end of that, a lot of sellers lost their closers but are in full tank/rebuild/evaluate mode so they haven't […]

Zack Britton Blows Save Thursday

New York Yankees relief pitcher Zack Britton was charged with the loss and a blown save Thursday against the White Sox. Britton entered the game after the Yankees rallied to take the lead late, though he couldn't shut the door on Chicago, serving up a walk-off homer to Tim Anderson. The lefty has struggled this […]

Liam Hendriks Blows Sixth Save, Earns Victory

Chicago White Sox closer Liam Hendriks blew his sixth save of the season on Thursday versus the New York Yankees. Hendriks was called on for the save with a three-run lead in the top of the ninth inning, but failed to pick up the save. Hendriks completed the inning with three hits, four runs, one […]

Michael Fulmer Records Two-Inning Save On Thursday

Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Michael Fulmer closed out the team's 6-4 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday to earn his seventh save of the year. It was a two-inning save as he pitched both the eighth and ninth innings, allowing two hits, no walks and no runs without recording any strikeouts. The team's primary […]

Kyle Finnegan Takes A Loss Thursday

Washington Nationals relief pitcher Kyle Finnegan took the loss in the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the New York Mets, yielding a walk-off home run to slugger Pete Alonso. Finnegan, the newly-minted closer for the Nationals, retired one batter before facing Alonso. Finnegan has largely been effective this year with a 3.18 ERA, but […]

Mitch White Picks Up Loss As Opener

Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Mitch White tossed four innings as the Dodgers opener on Thursday versus the Philadelphia Phillies. White was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Thursday to make the start and allowed three hits, two runs, three walks and struck out four. White has now started two games as an opener, but has […]