Josh Hader Closes Out Tiebreaker

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader came in Monday and dominated the Cubs in the tiebreaker game. Hader came in and breezed through the eighth inning and then went back out to face the top of the Chicago order in the bottom of the ninth inning. He took out the first two batters in relatively […]

Pedro Strop's Status Unknown For Wild-Card Game

Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon said he didn't know if relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) will be available for the wild-card game against the Rockies on Tuesday. Strop hasn't pitched in a game in over two weeks, so it seems unlikely that he would be used in such a high-stakes game. Strop filled in nicely […]

Jeremy Jeffress Was Unavailable Monday

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress was unavailable to pitch for undisclosed reasons in Game 163 against the Cubs on Monday. General manager David Stearns and manager Craig Counsell said Jeffress will be a full participant for the National League Division Series. Jeffress was an All-Star this year and was lights-out with an 8-1 record, […]

Kenley Jansen Ends Regular Season With Shaky Performance

Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen ended his up-and-down season with a lackluster performance in Monday's 5-2 win over the Rockies. Jansen came on to pitch the ninth inning up by five and allowed two runs on two solo home runs and no walks with two strikeouts. Jansen struggled mightily at times this season and […]

Austin Pruitt Earns Fourth Save

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Austin Pruitt finished off his season Sunday versus Toronto. He would go 3 1/3 innings allowing one run. Pruitt would earn his fourth save of the season. Pruitt was not much of a fantasy stud this season with two wins and an ERA of 4.65 on the season. Down the […]

Jeremy Jeffress Earns 16th Save

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress closed out another key win Saturday versus Detroit. He would come in with a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He would retire the Tigers with three strikeouts to seal the 6-5 victory. The save would be his 15th of the season and third in four days. Jeffress did […]

Sergio Romo Earns 25th Save

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Sergio Romo earned the save Saturday versus the Blue Jays. The Rays would enter the ninth inning with a 4-2 lead when they brought in Romo. He would surrender a solo HR but otherwise held them down for an inning to finish the game. Romo would earn the save which […]

Pedro Strop Hopes To Return For Playoffs

Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Pedro Strop (hamstring) won’t pitch this weekend, but is hopeful to return for the first round of the playoffs. Strop’s return would be big for the Cubs bullpen and it is likely that Strop would return as the team’s closer.

Jeremy Jeffress Earns 14th Save

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress closed out another key game Friday versus Detroit. He would come into a one-run game to start the ninth inning and retire the side to finish off the 6-5 victory. The save would be his 14th this season. Jeffress did not spend the whole season as the closer but […]

Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 27

Happy end of the baseball season! While holds are even tougher to predict than saves, the players we’ll highlight today include some elite setup men to target off the waiver wire in Week 27. One-inning middle relievers are the constant sources for holds and specialists can manage to secure a hold even with one out. […]

Edwin Diaz Has 2.16 ERA In September

Seattle Mariners closer Edwin Diaz needs two saves to become second on the all-time single-season list for saves in a season heading into the final games of 2018. Diaz has not had a save since September 17 and currently has 56 for the season. It has been an elite season for the right-hander but unfortunately […]

Kirby Yates Should Secure Padres 2019 Closer Role

San Diego Padres closer Kirby Yates worked around two walks to collect his 12th save Wednesday night against the San Francisco Giants. Handshakes have been rare for the 31-year-old journeyman since he took over for Brad Hand, but Yates has amassed six saves in September. He holds exceptional season numbers with a 2.07 ERA, 0.92 […]

Lance McCullers Jr. Pitches Scoreless Inning In Return

Houston Astros pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. pitched a scoreless inning in relief on Wednesday against the Blue Jays. McCullers Jr. has not pitched since August 4 and struck out one hitter in the scoreless frame. McCullers Jr. has made 22 starts this season but it appears the Astros are planning to use him out of […]

Ken Giles Remains Perfect During Save Opportunities In 2018

Toronto Blue Jays closer Ken Giles exacted some revenge on his old team on Wednesday. Giles only needed five pitches to close out a 3-1 win over the Houston Astros. While the right-hander has an unsightly 4.74 ERA on the season, the majority of that damage has come when Giles enters the game in a […]

Craig Kimbrel Allows Four Run In Non-Save Situation

Boston Red Sox closer Craig Kimbrel entered the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader down 6-3 in the ninth inning. He only recorded a single out while allowing four runs. His control was wild as he issued three walks. The outing ballooned his 2.21 ERA all the way up to 2.79. Regardless, it has still been […]

Ty Buttrey Being Shut Down

Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Ty Buttrey (knee) is being shut down for the remainder of the season due to a recurrence of knee bursitis. Buttrey struggled in his last two outings, but he had really proven himself in high-leverage situations for the Angels in his 16 outings, posting a 3.31 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 11.0 […]

Rookie Report: Recent MLB Prospect Call-Ups (Week 26)

It's our final Rookie Report of the 2018 season, and in it we'll take a look at a former first round pick who finally made his major league debut. After being the 31st overall pick in the 2014 draft, Justus Sheffield made his debut with a shutout ninth inning in the Yankees' 10-1 win over […]

Jeremy Jeffress Earns 13th Save

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress closed out a tense game Wednesday versus St Louis. He came into the game with a runner on and two outs in the eighth inning up 2-1. There would be an error that had the tying run rounding third with a valid chance of being safe but the runner […]

Sergio Romo With Rough Outing In Earning 24th Save

Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Sergio Romo took a pounding but held on for the save Wednesday versus the Yankees. Romo came in to record the final out of the top of the eighth inning to maintain a 4-3 lead. The Rays would then go out and score four runs in the bottom of the […]

Trevor Rosenthal To Hold Showcase Next Month

Free-agent relief pitcher Trevor Rosenthal (elbow) announced on Twitter that he will hold a workout for interested teams on Wednesday, Oct. 3, in Irvine, Calif. Rosenthal had a 3.40 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, career-high 14.3 K/9 and 11 saves for the Cardinals last year before he needed Tommy John surgery in August. If he's fully healthy, […]

Robbie Erlin Makes Bid For 2019 Starting Gig

San Diego Padres starter Robbie Erlin allowed two runs (one earned) in five innings Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. Erlin surrendered four hits, no walks and fanned four. Having mostly worked out of the bullpen in 2018, Erlin posted a 5.11 ERA in 10 starts since August. With his final appearance in the books, […]

Lou Trivino Dealing With Neck Issue

Oakland Athletics manager Bob Melvin said relief pitcher Lou Trivino (neck) was unavailable due to a neck issue on Tuesday. He received treatment and will be re-evaluated on Wednesday. Trivino has been a key bullpen piece for the A's all year, but he has struggled of late, likely because of his neck issue. The right-hander […]

Shane Greene Pitches Scoreless Ninth

Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene notched his 32nd save of the year on Tuesday night, shutting the door on the Minnesota Twins as part of a comeback 4-2 Tigers win. He walked one and struck out one in a scoreless bottom of the ninth inning. Greene is now 32-for-38 in save opportunities in 2018 to […]

Week 27 MLB Closers and Saves Report

Well, this is it. The Fantasy Finals! Some leagues are already done, having crowned their champions last week. Others will bring it down to the bitter end, leading right up to the "real" playoffs. Here's hoping you're either still alive or have already been crowned champion. Thanks for coming along for another ride this season […]

Hansel Robles Earns Save for Angels

Los Angeles Angels reliever Hansel Robles earned his first save in an Angels uniform. He threw a scoreless ninth inning, walking one and striking out one. The Angels have been going with Blake Parker (who pitched the eighth inning) and Ty Buttrey in save situations. Robles now has a 3.76 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP […]

Arodys Vizcaino Likely To Be Primary Closer From Here On Out

Atlanta Braves relief pitcher Arodys Vizcaino is likely to be used as the primary closer the rest of the way this year if he's healthy, given A.J. Minter's recent struggles in the bullpen. The Braves would like to see Vizcaino pitch on back-to-back days before the end of the week, but it's not necessary. Vizcaino […]

Jeremy Jeffress Available On Tuesday

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress (neck), who was unavailable on Monday, said he can pitch if he's needed on Tuesday. Jeffress has been lights-out this year as an All-Star and should remain the team's primary closing option down the stretch and into the playoffs. Make sure he's in your lineups if you're still playing […]

Charges Against Roberto Osuna Withdrawn

Domestic-assault charges against Houston Astros closer Roberto Osuna were withdrawn on Tuesday, and he's entered into a peace bond for one year. He cannot contact the alleged victim for one year. Osuna served a 75-game suspension earlier this year and was then traded from the Blue Jays to the Astros, where he has taken over […]

NL-Only Waiver Wire Team of the Week: MLB Week 26

Every week in baseball, a significant player will hit the disabled list, slip into a slump, or get traded out of a good spot. How fantasy owners adapt to these situations can make or break the season as a whole. One lousy add might not hurt the long-term standing of a team, but failing to […]

Statcast Pitcher Risers/Fallers - Early 2019 Sleepers and Fades (Week 26)

Welcome back to Rotoballer’s series using Statcast to extrapolate, dig into, and commiserate over data to examine pitching performances. The weekly series utilizes the myriad tools and information provided by Statcast to pinpoint encouraging and worrying trends underneath the hood of headline numbers. Well, we’ve reached the endgame. Week 26 marks the last of the […]