Relief Pitchers Deeper Dive - Week 2

Today and every Tuesday moving forward throughout the 2018 MLB season, we will take a deep dive into some of the lesser-owned relief pitchers on the market that are worth keeping tabs on. This can be a good tool for those in deeper holds leagues, although any pitcher in a position to make a move on […]

Streaming Wars - Waiver Wire Targets for April 10

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. Even with only a week and a half of the season in the books, we are always ready to stream. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on […]

Greg Holland Struggles Badly in His First Cardinals Appearance

St. Louis Cardinals closer Greg Holland had an awful debut with his new team, recording just one out but allowing a run on four walks. Holland threw 19 pitches, only six for strikes. He only faced five batters, inducing a groundout but allowing free passes to the other four (even though one was a poorly-planned […]

Brad Hand Strikes Out Side In Save

San Diego Padres closer Brad Hand struck out the side to earn his third save Monday against the Colorado Rockies. Hand required 15 pitches to retire Gerardo Parra, Charlie Blackmon and DJ LeMahieu in order. After a couple early hiccups, Hand has settled down with two consecutive problem-free outings, lowering his ERA to 3.00 and […]

Matt Albers Blows Save But Gets Win Against Cardinals

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Matt Albers went two innings and gave up three hits, one earned run and got two strikeouts in the 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Albers came in with a 4-3 lead in the ninth and gave up an outfield single, an infield single and a bunt single to three […]

Josh Hader Strikes Out Four Batters In Appearance

Milwaukee Brewers relief pitcher Josh Hader went 1 1/3 innings and got four strikeouts, only giving up one walk in the 5-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals. Hader is easily one of the best holds pitchers in baseball, as this gives him his third hold this season. In 6 1/3 innings pitched this season, […]

Hector Neris Secures First Save Of Season

After the Philadelphia Phillies took a lead in the eighth inning off a solo home run from Nick Williams, the club sent closer Hector Neris out to lock up the final outs. The 28-year-old’s new season got off to an inauspicious start after allowing three runs in his first appearance. Since then, however, he’d toss […]

Hunter Harvey Gets Called Up To The Majors

If Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Hunter Harvey looks a little familiar to long-time baseball fans, it's because his dad was former Major League closer Bryan Harvey. Hunter Harvey is going to be used in the bullpen for now, but he's not going to be the one ending games like his father. See how he does […]

Andrew Miller Picks Up a Save on Monday

Cleveland Indians relief pitcher Andrew Miller picked up his first save of the season on Monday, tossing a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout. Cleveland closer Cody Allen had only thrown 28 pitches total, pitching in two games over the past three days, so it is unclear why exactly Miller was called upon for the […]

Padres Place Kirby Yates on DL

The San Diego Padres placed relief pitcher Kirby Yates on the disabled list with right ankle tendinitis. Yates was pulled on Saturday after throwing just one pitch. The 31-year-old righty had started the season hot as the Padres primary setup man with five strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings without allowing a run. The ankle issue […]

Brett Cecil Still "A Couple Weeks Away"

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Brett Cecil (shoulder, ankle) is still "a couple weeks away" in his return from the disabled list. Cecil was dealing with a dead arm in spring training, but an MRI showed no structural damage. He was diagnosed with inflammation in his pitching shoulder, but is also dealing with a minor ankle […]

Joakim Soria (RP, CWS) - Week 2 Waiver Wire Pickups

BALLER MOVE: Add in 12+ Team Leagues OWNED IN: 30% of Yahoo leagues ANALYSIS: Chicago White Sox relief pitcher Joakim Soria has seemed to distance himself as the closer for the White Sox, at least in the early going of the 2018 season. Who would hold down this job was one of the big unknowns through the […]

Greg Holland "Only Solves the Ninth"

St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny said on Monday that the arrival of closer Greg Holland "only solves the ninth." The bullpen roles ahead of the ninth inning are still to be sorted out. Matheny went further to say that rookie Jordan Hicks could be used in an Archie Bradley role. Diamondbacks reliever Bradley is used similarly […]

Luke Gregerson to Make His Third Rehab Appearance on Monday

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Luke Gregerson (hamstring) will make his third rehab appearance on Monday but will still need to pitch in back-to-back games before returning to the big league team. Gregerson was set to be the closer for the Cardinals, but he missed most of spring training due to a pair of injuries […]

Nate Karns Slated To Throw Sim Game

Kansas City Royals starting pitcher Nate Karns (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a simulated game on Tuesday. Karns is working his way back from thoracic outlet surgery, and he's initially expected to be slotted into a relief role upon his return. While he'll start in relief, it wouldn't be surprising to see Karns eventually end up […]

Brandon Maurer Takes Loss In Walk-Off

Kansas City Royals reliever Brandon Maurer took the loss after he surrendered a two-run shot to Yan Gomes on Sunday. Maurer gave up the homer in the bottom of the ninth inning while the game was tied at one apiece. It makes the second straight bad outing for Maurer, a reliever that was considered an […]

Mike Mayers Optioned to Triple-A Memphis

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Mike Mayers was optioned to Triple-A Memphis on Monday. With Greg Holland set to join the bullpen, Mayers was the odd man out. He gave up one run in two innings of work and should be back up with the big league club whenever another reliever is needed.

Greg Holland Officially Activated for Monday's Game

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Greg Holland was officially activated for Monday's game. In a corresponding move, reliever Mike Mayers was optioned to Triple-A Memphis. Holland was signed on Opening Day and needed a little time to get up to speed, making a few appearances in the Cardinals minor league system. He'll instantly be working […]

Ryan Sherriff Placed on the Disabled List With a Fractured Toe

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Ryan Sherriff was placed on the disabled list with a fractured right big toe. He was hit by a comebacker to the mound on Thursday and X-rays showed a hairline fracture. It's unknown for now how long he'll be out, but it doesn't seem like it will be a long-term […]

John Brebbia Called Up to Join the Cardinals Bullpen

The St. Louis Cardinals recalled right-handed relief pitcher John Brebbia from Triple-A Memphis. Brebbia got the call when Ryan Sherriff was placed on the disabled list, but with closer Greg Holland set to join the team, Brebbia's stay might already be over. He was excellent last season but lost his Opening Day spot to rookie flamethrower […]

Brett Cecil Throwing Weighted Balls

St. Louis Cardinals relief pitcher Brett Cecil (shoulder) is throwing weighted balls in his rehab from a dead arm. Cecil was dealing with the dead arm throughout Spring Training, and he was placed on the disabled list after a single appearance on Opening Day. He underwent an MRI on his shoulder, but it showed no […]

Cody Allen Picks Up the Win on Sunday

Cleveland Indians closer Cody Allen picked up a win on Sunday, tossing a scoreless top of the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals before a Yan Gomes walk-off home run in the bottom of the inning. It was Allen's first win of the season, and he's saved two games so far. He hasn't allowed […]

Digging Deeper - Week 2 Waiver Wire Targets

Hey there RotoBallers. Apologies for the delay. Between The Masters this weekend and adjusting to my new MLB schedule, this article slipped my mind. Like last season, Max and I will be splitting the AL/NL Digging Deeper series every other week, so you can expect one of us to give this article a whirl every […]

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/9/18): MLB DFS Lineups

DraftKings has their featured slate as a 10-game ticket, starting at 7:05 pm. We’ll focus on players from that pool in this breakdown. Taking a quick look at the Vegas odds, only SD/COL is given an over/under of more than nine total runs. As for favorites, four teams are tagged with the heavy -170 odds, or […]

Week 2 Waiver Wire Watch List

Every Monday we’ll be checking in on some names to keep an eye on and add to your watch list. Some may require quick action while others are simply options to keep in mind down the road. We're still in the very early stages of the season but every bit of additional data helps. Here's […]

Shane Greene Notches Second Save Sunday

Detroit Tigers closer Shane Greene earned his second save of the year on Sunday in a 1-0 victory over the White Sox. Greene's first outing of the year was shaky, allowing three runs (two earned) in just two-thirds of an inning in relief. But since then, he has turned in three consecutive scoreless outings and […]

Brandon Kintzler Takes Second Loss In Two Days

Washington Nationals reliever Brandon Kintzler gave up the go-ahead run to the visiting Mets in the 12th inning on Sunday. It was the second day in a row that Kintzler would a take the loss and the third game in a row that he gave up at least a run. Over three games this past […]

Alex Colome Blows Second Save In Four Days

Tampa Bay Rays closer Alex Colome blew his second straight save chance Sunday versus Boston. Having been up 7-2 after seven innings, Tampa Bay reliever Matt Andriese came in and got knocked around before leaving with two outs in the eighth inning. Colome came in trying to hold on to the fragile lead and ended […]

Brad Ziegler Picks Up First Save Of The Year

Relief pitcher Brad Ziegler notched his first save of the season after shutting down the Phillies in the ninth inning on Sunday. The veteran Ziegler allowed one base knock and struck out one during Miami's 6-3 win. The save comes as a big boost to Ziegler, who has struggled mightily during relief appearances in 2018. […]

Streaming Wars - Waiver Wire Targets for April 9

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. Even with only a week and a half of the season in the books, we are always ready to stream. For those who are newcomers to this feature - use this column on […]