Jake Diekman Fans Two In Win Versus Dodgers

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Jake Diekman allowed one hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning against the Dodgers on Wednesday. It was a nice bounce-back effort from Diekman who allowed three runs - two earned - in his first outing of 2021. The 34-year-old lefty is one of the top options for saves […]

Josh Hader Gets Credit For Win Against Cubs

Milwaukee Brewers closer Josh Hader (2-0) walked one and struck out two over one inning to earn the extra-inning win Wednesday versus the Cubs. Hader pitched a scoreless ninth inning and was in line for the win after Lorenzo Cain's three-run homer put the Brewers ahead in the 10th. J.P. Feyereisen and Brad Boxberger upheld […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the April 8th 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 […]

Greg Holland Hit Hard On Wednesday

Kansas City Royals relief pitcher Greg Holland had a rough outing on Wednesday against the Cleveland Indians. Holland entered the game in the eighth inning when the game was tied 2-2. He was only able to record one out as he allowed a walk and three hits, including a two-run Jose Ramirez home run. He […]

Paul Fry Earns First Save Of Season Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Paul Fry earned his first save of the season in Wednesday's 4-3 extra-innings win over the Yankees. Fry came on to pitch the 11th inning up by a run and actually only needed to retire two hitters, as the O's doubled off the automatic runner starting at second base. This was […]

Alex Colome Logs Two-Inning Save Wednesday

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Alex Colome notched his second save of the season in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Tigers. Colome worked two innings, allowing one hit while striking out three batters. Aside from his blown save, the 32-year-old has been excellent, as he has yet to allow an earned run- three unearned- in four […]

Chris Devenski Placed On Restricted List

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Chris Devenski (personal) was placed on the restricted list on Wednesday. Manager Torey Lovullo said that the move was made for persona reasons, though he did note that it's not COVID-related. It's currently unclear how long the team will be without Devenski. His absence should leave the ninth-inning in Arizona up-for-grabs […]

Ian Kennedy Nails Down Second Save

Texas Rangers reliever Ian Kennedy recorded his second save of the season and struck out the side during the club's 2-1 victory on Wednesday. Despite being one of the last players to be named to the opening day roster, the 36-year-old reliever has been an integral part of the club's bullpen. Over three innings, he's […]

Nick Wittgren Records Save Wednesday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Nick Wittgren recorded his first save of the season in the Indians 4-2 win against the Kansas City Royals on Wednesday. Wittgren threw a 1-2-3 ninth inning to record the save. This could be rather significant for Wittgren and the Indians as it was the first save for any Indians reliever […]

Tyler Matzek Finally Delivering On Potential?

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Tyler Matzek, a first-round pick way back in 2009, was out of baseball in 2019 but resurfaced with Atlanta last year and made his first Opening Day roster in six years in 2021. The left-hander pitched twice against the Philadelphia Phillies in the team's opening series, and he touched 100.2 mph […]

Chris Rodriguez Could Be A Difference-Maker

Los Angeles Angels rookie relief pitcher Chris Rodriguez has pitched in just three games for High-A Inland Empire in the last three seasons due to back problems, but he made the team's Opening Day roster despite the lack of experience, and has pitched twice this year in a long-man role. Manager Joe Maddon said that […]

Mac Sceroler Standing Out Early

Baltimore Orioles rookie relief pitcher Mac Sceroler, who was a Rule 5 draft pick from the Cincinnati Reds over the winter, was thrust into the spotlight against New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge with the bases loaded in his Major League debut at Yankee Stadium over the weekend. Sceroler struck out Judge and retired the […]

Wes Benjamin Is One To Watch

Texas Rangers relief pitcher Wes Benjamin has been a slow riser since being drafted in the fifth round in 2014, and he wasn't all that impressive in 22 1/3 innings last season. Benjamin had a 93.4 mph four-seamer in his season debut on Sunday against the Royals after averaging 90.9 mph on the same pitch […]

Julian Merryweather Turning Into Relief Star?

Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Julian Merryweather missed all of the 2018 season due to Tommy John surgery and pitched only 19 professional innings over the next two seasons, but he struck out three Yankees hitters on 11 pitches on Opening Day and has been a relief ace early on. He has been averaging 98.8 […]

Trevor Rosenthal Considering Thoracic Outlet Surgery

Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (shoulder) started experiencing tingling in his fingers out of nowhere and is now considering thoracic outlet surgery on his right shoulder, which could keep him out for up to three months. After an incredible bounce-back campaign with the Kansas City Royals and San Diego Padres in 2020, arm issues […]

Ross Atkins Given Five-Year Extension

The Toronto Blue Jays have extended general manager Ross Atkins for another five years. He had previously spent 15 years with the Cleveland Indians with a focus on player development before being hired by the Jays in 2015. The Blue Jays have made the playoffs twice (2016, 2020) under Atkins. The club made a number […]

Mark Melancon Cements Closer Role

San Diego Padres closer Mark Melancon collected his third save Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. It's official, Melancon is now a perfect 3-for-3 in save opportunities and has been tabbed to close every tight contest to begin the season. There was discussion the Friars would utilize a committee with Melancon, Emilio Pagan and Drew […]

Ben Bowden Takes The Loss On Tuesday For Colorado

Colorado Rockies left-handed pitcher Ben Bowden took the loss on Tuesday when he allowed three runs (two earned) on three hits over one inning pitched in the 10-8 extra-innings loss to the Diamondbacks. Bowden entered a 7-7 ball game in the top of the 13th inning and got two quick outs before running into trouble. He […]

Adam Plutko Pitches Three Innings Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles pitcher Adam Plutko had a decent outing in Tuesday's 2-7 loss to the Yankees. Plutko came on in the fourth inning down by a run with no outs and the bases loaded. He got a double play out of the gate, then allowed two hits, but settled down from there. He ended up […]

Pirates Going With Closer-By-Committee For Now

The Pittsburgh Pirates do not plan on using a true closer, and instead will use a mix of high-leverage relievers, according to Jake Crouse of MLB.com. The Pirates had had several strong performances in their bullpen during Spring Training, but it was presumed Richard Rodriguez was the full-time closer. According to Crouse, bullpen coach Justin […]

Diego Castillo Blows Save Tuesday

Tampa Bay Rays closer Diego Castillo blew the save on Tuesday night, allowing one run on one hit with two strikeouts in an inning of work. Castillo blew the save on the first batter he faced, as catcher Christian Vazquez sent Castillo's third pitch of the inning over the left field fence to make it […]

Keynan Middleton Rocked Tuesday

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Keynan Middleton allowed four runs on just one hit and two walks Tuesday against the Chicago White Sox. Middleton entered in the top of the seventh inning, recording two outs without incident, but in the top of the eighth, Middleton walked two and hit a batter to fill the bases before […]

Nick Margevicius Could Step Into The Rotation

Seattle Mariners pitcher Nick Margevicius may have lost the battle for the sixth spot in the rotation, but James Paxton's injury may have opened up a new opportunity for him. After Paxton left Tuesday's game with forearm discomfort, Margevicius entered and showed he's still stretched out enough to immediately replace Paxton in the rotation. Margevicius […]

Chris Devenski Blows Save Tuesday Night

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Chris Devenski blew the save opportunity on Tuesday night, allowing one run on one hit with one strikeout in an inning of work. Devenski's only mistake was a two-out, game-tying home run by Sam Hilliard that sent the game into extra innings. While he blew the save, Tuesday's appearance seems to […]

Stefan Crichton Likely Not In Mix For Saves

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Stefan Crichton is likely not in the mix for save opportunities going forward, as he recorded two outs in the seventh inning of Tuesday night's extra-innings victory over Colorado. Three of Crichton's four appearances so far have come in the seventh inning or earlier, and in his one game finished this […]

Darwinzon Hernandez Struggling With Control

The Boston Red Sox bullpen has been fantastic so far this season, but one pitcher who has struggled has been Darwinzon Hernandez. Hernandez walked two more batters in Tuesday's outing after walking in two runs on Monday. Command issues are nothing new for Hernandez; Over his first two MLB seasons, Hernandez walked nearly eight batters […]

Daily Slivers of the Fantasy Soapbox - Yesterday's Recap

Welcome to the April 7th 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 […]

Updated Top 50 Redraft Prospects - Week 2

The 2021 season is finally upon us. Games are underway and rookies are already making their impacts felt. Last season, even with the shortened season, multiple rookies had major fantasy impacts including Kyle Lewis, Jake Cronenworth, and Alec Bohm. As always, Rotoballer will be with you throughout the season to help guide you through the […]

Matt Barnes Continues To Dominate

Boston Red Sox reliever Matt Barnes has carried the momentum from his dominant spring into the regular season, starting his season with three scoreless innings in which he has allowed just one base runner. Tuesday's outing in the Red Sox's 6-5 win over the Tampa Bay Rays was particularly impressive, as he threw two perfect […]

Kevin Ginkel Was Unavailable Due To Illness On Tuesday

Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher Kevin Ginkel (illness) was one of the team's only relievers who didn't take to the mound on Tuesday. The Diamondbacks went 13 innings deep against the Colorado Rockies. Along the way, relievers Chris Devenski and Yoan Lopez both blew save opportunities. After the game, Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said that Ginkel […]