Corey Knebel Has Disastrous Outing, Awarded Blown Save
Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Corey Knebel only went 2/3 of an inning, giving up one hit, one run, and three walks while striking out none in the 4-3 win over the New York Mets. Knebel appeared to have no control of his pitches tonight as he gave up more walks in this outing than he […]
Jeremy Jeffress Gets Fourth Win In 22nd Consecutive Appearance Without A Run Given Up
Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress went 1 1/3 innings pitched, only giving up one hit while striking out none in the 4-3 win over the Milwaukee Brewers. Corey Knebel lost all of his usual control tonight and ended up allowing four base runners in only 2/3 of an inning, so Jeffress was brought in […]
Ryan Yarbrough Another Strong Effort Friday Versus Baltimore
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Ryan Yarbrough once again shine in the new experiment Friday versus the Orioles. This is the second time in the past six games that Yarbrough relieved Romo and then went deep while dominating. Friday, he went seven innings while allowing only one run. He even struck out eight. His ERA has […]
Aroldis Chapman Records Four-Out Save
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone did something for the first time this season and it involved the club’s All-Star closer Aroldis Chapman. Boone called for Chapman in the eighth inning for a four-out save, the first time this year that that’s been asked of him. While a wild pitch advanced a runner into scoring […]
Tommy Kahnle Activated Prior To Friday's Game
Prior to Friday’s game between the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim at Yankee Stadium, the home club activated reliever Tommy Kahnle off the disabled list. The 28-year-old missed over a month with shoulder tendinitis, and his activation came at the expense of Ryan Bollinger, who was optioned to Double-A Trenton. Kahnle’s […]
Alex Colome and Denard Span Traded to Mariners
The Tampa Bay Rays have traded closer Alex Colome and outfielder Denard Span to the Mariners in exchange for Andrew Moore and Tommy Romero. This leaves Jose Alvarado as the biggest beneficiary in the Rays bullpen. We expect him to see the most save chances the rest of the season, although Chaz Roe could mix […]
MLB Closers and Saves Targets for Week 9
More injuries, more committees, more problems, right? This week featured an under-the-radar elite closer hitting the disabled list, a very much average temporary closer hitting the skids, and a formerly solid closer seemingly returning to form. Oh, and a rookie threw a pitch 105 miles per hour. Jordan Hicks has been the hardest throwing pitcher […]
Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for May 26
Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. We are always ready to stream. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be […]
Rick Porcello Stumbles In Start Against Rays
Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Rick Porcello faltered in a 6-3 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays Thursday. Porcello could not make it out of the fourth inning as he allowed six runs, four earned, on eight hits with two walks and two strikeouts. He was inefficient, throwing 92 pitches in 3 2/3 innings. Porcello […]
Deck McGuire Optioned To Triple-A
The Toronto Blue Jays have optioned reliever Deck McGuire to Triple-A Buffalo. A corresponding move was not yet announced. This move is for the best as McGuire has been terrible in the Major Leagues this season, and that’s putting it nicely. Across 8 1/3 innings pitched, he owns an atrocious 6.48 ERA, 1.68 WHIP, and […]
Brad Ziegler (RP, MIA) - Week 9 Waiver Wire Pickups
BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 28% of leagues ANALYSIS: Miami Marlins relief pitcher Brad Ziegler appears to have righted the ship and is still the closer for the Marlins. After imploding against the Braves on May 20 (allowing four runs in 2/3 of an inning), he has had two scoreless appearances. […]
Holds Leagues - Waiver Wire Pickups and Adds for Week 9
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 9. One-inning middle relievers are the constant sources for holds and specialists can manage to secure a hold even with one out. However, while specialists can get many […]
Updated Relief Pitcher Rankings (May) - 2018 Fantasy Baseball
We are a quarter of the way through the regular season for Major League Baseball, so our crack staff at RotoBaller has updated our rest-of-season fantasy baseball rankings. We looked at starting pitchers yesterday, and now we’re ready to hand things off to the bullpen. Closers are known for their volatility and even the greats […]
Week 9 Waiver Wire: H2H Category Streamers
I like to consider myself a pioneer of the streaming approach. I won a league about seven years ago completely ignoring saves and just stacking up the starts each week. While streaming is undoubtedly more directly associated with pitching, there's plenty of value in streaming for offense as well. Maybe you have a stacked roster […]
Alex Colome Bounces Back Thursday Versus Boston
Tampa Bay Rays closer Alex Colome bounced back from a tough loss yesterday by closing out the game Thursday versus the Red Sox. He came in with two outs in the ninth and got the final out to earn his 11th save of the season. He had taken the loss Wednesday against the same opponent. […]
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (5/25/18): MLB DFS Lineups
With the SF/CHC matchup starting at 2:20pm (EST), we have a 14-game slate on DraftKings with the first pitch starting at 7:05pm (EST). Six teams are massive favorites on Friday, posting odds of at least -195. Now that we established that our pitcher’s pool is stacked, let’s reference the offense. It can be described in […]
Blake Treinen Earns Multi-Inning Save Thursday
Oakland Athletics closer Blake Treinen earned his 11th save of the season Thursday in a 4-3 win over the Mariners. Treinen entered the game in the eighth inning with a 4-2 lead, two outs, and runners on first and third. He gave up a double and RBI to Kyle Seager but was able to get […]
Jared Hughes Earns Save On Thursday
Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Jared Hughes picked up his second save of the season on Thursday in a 5-4 win against the Pirates. Hughes entered the game up by a run with one out in the ninth and the bases empty, recording the final two outs with no walks or strikeouts. Reliever Amir Garrett started […]
Darren O'Day Likely Getting Cortisone Injection
Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Darren O'Day (elbow) is likely getting a cortisone injection in his right elbow, according to manager Buck Showalter. He was supposed to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday, but O'Day did not feeling healthy enough to do so. The Orioles will likely need to wait a few days after the injection […]
Liam Hendriks is Starting Rehab Assignment
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Liam Hendriks (hip) is reportedly starting a rehab assignment on Thursday. He had surgery a few weeks ago to remove a cyst from his hip. It's unclear how long he's going to be out for at the moment. Hendriks has pitched just three innings this season. He should not be owned […]
Ryan Buchter Begins Throwing From 75 Feet
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Ryan Buchter (shoulder) has reportedly begun throwing from 75 feet. He has been out since late April due to a shoulder strain. Buchter is playing long toss, so that's a good sign towards his recovery. There is a chance that Buchter begins bullpen sessions as early as next week. He does […]
Roberto Osuna May Receive “Significant Ban”
Toronto Blue Jays closer Roberoto Osuna may be facing a “significant ban” as the assault allegations against him are of a “physical nature”, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. Osuna’s administrative leave was extended this week through May 28, and you can bet it’s only going to be extended further with the initial hearing […]
Ryne Stanek To Start Saturday
Tampa Bay Rays relief pitcher Ryne Stanek will make the first major league start of his career Saturday. Stanek has started 41 games in the minor leagues but has been solely a reliever in his time in the majors. So far in 2018, Stanek has thrown five innings in the majors and owns a 5.40 […]
Streaming Wars: Waiver Wire Targets for May 25
Welcome back to Streaming Wars, your one-stop shop for streaming the waiver wire. This article, which began last season, runs seven days a week. We are always ready to stream. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on a daily basis to improve upon your neediest categories, and target players who may be […]
Kenley Jansen Earns Fourth Save In Five Days
Los Angeles Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen earned his 10th save of the year on Wednesday against the Rockies and his fourth in five days by striking out the side. He's now brought his ERA down to 2.91 and carries a WHIP of 1.11. Whatever was bothering him at the beginning of the season is long […]
With Raisel Iglesias On DL, Closer-By-Committee Likely
The Cincinnati Reds placed closer Raisel Iglesias on the 10-day disabled list on Wednesday with a left biceps strain, retroactive to May 19. Iglesias is a right-hander, so the injury shouldn't be considered too serious, but the team will have to go without their most talented reliever for at least the next few days. The […]
Ryan Dull's X-Rays Come Back Negative
Oakland Athletics relief pitcher Ryan Dull had X-rays on his hand that came back negative, according to Jane Lee of MLB.com. Dull was hit by a line drive in the eighth inning against the Mariners on Wednesday. He stayed in the game but was visibly in pain afterwards. He pitched two-thirds of an inning, allowing […]
Making Moves - Fantasy Baseball Trade Advice for Week 8
Trading is the most creative and fun way to improve your fantasy baseball roster, but also the hardest. You have to be able to value your own players objectively while accurately gauging how your fellow league owners value their own players. It is a battle of strategy, risk, and chance that can pay off in […]
Hector Velazquez Returns From Disabled List
The Boston Red Sox have activated right-handed pitcher Hector Velazquez (lower back) off of the disabled list. Velazquez has had a solid season so far compiling a 5-0 record to go along with a 2.10 ERA across 25.2 innings of work. He projects to go back to the bullpen, although he could be used as […]
Brad Ziegler Picks Up Ninth Save on Wednesday
After not getting the save in his last two appearances, Miami Marlins closer Brad Ziegler picked up his ninth save of the year on Wednesday in the Marlins' 2-1 win over the Mets. Ziegler is now tied for 15th in the majors in saves, but among closers with at least nine saves his 6.55 ERA […]