Dylan Bundy Has Been Unleashed, Is Kevin Gausman Next?
It has become a trend among starting pitchers with one dominant pitch to throw it earlier in counts and to throw it more often. This defies conventional baseball wisdom, but several starting pitchers have found or recaptured success by featuring breaking balls more heavily. Rich Hill, fighting for his baseball life, began using his curveball […]
Everybody Hurts - How Worried Should You Be?
As I usually do this time of year, I've spent a lot of time counseling fantasy owners to stay calm and be patient. A slow start doesn't always mean that a player won't perform to expectations. Frustrating though it may be, you're often better off weathering the storm and sticking with him. Injuries, though? Those […]
Streaming Wars - Waiver Wire Targets for April 14
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 […]
Predicting Pitching Performance With Statcast - Barrel % (Week 2)
This year, RotoBaller is embarking on a new series using Statcast to extrapolate, dig into, and commiserate over box scores to examine pitching performance. I'm honored to take the reins on this new endeavor. The structure of the series will be dynamic as we fine-tune our findings weekly and I gradually make myself smarter about […]
Robbie Ray Struggles With Control Again
Arizona Diamondbacks starter Robbie Ray pitched 4 2/3 innings on Wednesday, giving up three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out six. Fortunately the offense was able to bail him out, and he did not factor into the decision. This marked the third straight start where Ray has walked at least three […]
Ketel Marte Racks Up Three Hits
Arizona Diamondbacks shortstop Ketel Marte went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and an RBI in Wednesday's 7-3 win over the Giants. Marte has struggled to start the season, but this effort brought his average up to .250 through 12 games. He has not been consistent, as six of his 13 hits have come […]
Paul Goldschmidt Hits HR For Second Straight Day
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a double, a home run and three RBI in Wednesday's win over the Giants. After a week of being in a deep, deep slump, Goldschmidt has turned it on in a hurry, hitting a home run for the second straight day. His last two games were […]
David Peralta Out With Hand Soreness
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta will be out of the lineup on Wednesday with a sore hand. The sore hand seems to be the reason Peralta missed Tuesday's game as well. There have not been any reports that the issue is a major one, but it's something that could affect Peralta even when he returns […]
A.J. Pollock Knocks In Two More Runs Tuesday
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock went 1-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a steal in Tuesday's loss to the Giants. Tuesday marked Pollock's fourth straight game with at least one RBI. He's now slashing .310/.388/.525 for the season with a home run and four steals. He's fit nicely in the lineup behind Paul Goldschmidt, […]
Jake Lamb Ramps Up Rehabilitation Activities
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb (shoulder) took swings off a tee and fielded grounders on Tuesday. Lamb will take the day off on Wednesday before resuming his rehabilitation activities on Thursday. Lamb is eligible to come off the disabled list on Sunday but there has been no word from the Diamondbacks on whether or […]
Steven Okert Optioned To Triple-A, Andrew Suarez Called Up To Start Wednesday
The San Francisco Giants have optioned relief pitcher Steven Okert to Triple-A. Okert was called up prior to Tuesday’s game and did not make an appearance. Starting pitcher Andrew Suarez will take his spot on the big league roster and start Wednesday in a tough matchup versus the Diamondbacks. Suarez can be avoided in all formats.
Patrick Corbin Strikes Out Nine in No-Decision
Arizona Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin was solid in Tuesday's loss to the Giants, giving up three earned runs on five hits and two walks over 5 1/3 innings pitched. Corbin is off to a great start this season, posting a 2.45 ERA while leading the league with a 14.24 K/9. The increased usage of his […]
Paul Goldschmidt Finally Hits First Home Run
Arizona Diamondbacks first baseman Paul Goldschmidt went 2-for-4 with a solo home run, two runs scored and a walk in Tuesday's 5-4 loss to the Giants. The home run was Goldschmidt's first of the year and just his third extra-base hit. His average now sits at .158, but it looks like the perennial All-Star is […]
Tampa Bay Acquires Jeremy Hazelbaker
The Tampa Bay Rays acquired outfielder Jeremy Hazelbaker from Arizona for cash considerations Tuesday. He spent 10 seasons in the minors before having limited success in the majors between 2016 and 2017. Over those two seasons, he hit .258/.327/.500 (65-for-252) with nine doubles, five triples, 14 home runs and 38 RBI in 155 games (45 […]
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/11/18): MLB DFS Lineups
We have a split slate today. The early slate features seven games, while the later slate features six games. Since both of these slates can be played fairly easily, I'll be using players from each one. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for DraftKings on 4/11/18. The […]
David Peralta Will Rest Tuesday
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta will not be in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Giants. Peralta will take a breather after starting the last four games. The Giants are throwing right-hander Tyler Beede on the mound for Tuesday's game, so there are no platoon concerns to worry about. Peralta should be back in the […]
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Baseball Picks (4/10/18): MLB DFS Lineups
We have a massive 12 game slate where there are some bigtime aces on the mound, so you will certainly want to be spending up for them. Coors Field is also on the slate, so the hitters from there should all make solid plays. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily […]
FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (4/10/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice
FanDuel has extremely tight prices, specifically if you're looking to play a high end pitcher. There are some solid cheap options tonight, though, which makes paying up for the higher end pitchers a bit easier. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy baseball lineup picks for FanDuel on 4/10/18. You can […]
Zack Godley Impressive In Win Over Giants
Arizona Diamondbacks starting pitcher Zack Godley was masterful on Monday night, throwing seven shutout innings while giving up just four hits and striking out nine to pick up his second win. Godley has been excellent to start the year, giving up just one run and striking out 12 en route to a 2-0 record. His […]
Jake Lamb Participates in Baseball Activities
Arizona Diamondbacks third baseman Jake Lamb (shoulder) participated in baseball activities for the first time since being placed on the disabled list with a sprained AC joint. As of yet, no timetable has been given for his activation. The Diamondbacks plan on ramping up his activity level on Tuesday, so a more concrete timetable should be […]
Are You For Real? Surprising SP Starts (Week 2)
Welcome to our surprising starts series. Every week we’ll be going over a few surprising starting pitcher performances around the majors to determine whether these starts were smoke and mirrors or something more. This week we'll be going over Sean Newcomb's dominance at Coors Field, and great two-start performances from Reynaldo Lopez and Andrew Triggs. […]
Steven Souza Experiencing Pectoral Soreness
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Steven Souza experienced some soreness in his injured pectoral Monday while rehabbing the injury. An MRI revealed that some excess fluid had built up in the injured area. Souza will be shut down for a few days while the soreness subsides. Manager Torey Lovullo states that this is not a setback in […]
FanDuel MLB DFS Lineup Picks (4/9/18): Daily Fantasy Baseball Advice
FanDuel's pricing tightened significantly over the weekend to the point where it's once again difficult to find regulars who are priced under 3K. With Noah Syndergaard, Max Scherzer, and Justin Verlander all on the slate, it'll be important to spot mispriced players in cash games. There are also some pretty terrible pitchers to stack against […]
Week 2 Waiver Wire - First Base (1B) and Third Base (3B)
The Corner Store is open! Primary shoppers: Eugenio Suarez owners, Jake Lamb owners, Wil Myers owners, Justin Turner owners, and Greg Bird owners. The selection of players on the waiver wire could not persuade you into thinking you were shopping at Saks Fifth Avenue. More likely, you are searching through outlet store type players. In most cases, […]
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 […]
Week 2 Waiver Wire - Second Base (2B) and Shortstop (SS)
April may not be the time for drastic decisions, but that doesn't mean you can't make improvements on the margins. Besides, injuries happen, and some already have. Whatever the reason for your need, RotoBaller has you covered on the top waiver wire targets. Every Monday until the end of the season, we'll look at the […]
Daniel Robertson Scores Three Times Sunday
Tampa Bay Rays second baseman Daniel Robertson had a strong game Sunday versus Boston. He would reach base three times and come around to score on all three occasions. The performance Sunday inflated his averages, but currently he is failing in the counting stats, especially outside of the three runs he scored Sunday. He has […]
David Peralta Knocks Second HR Of The Season
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder David Peralta went 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored in Sunday's win over the Cardinals. Peralta has been on fire over his last four games, racking up seven hits, two home runs, and five RBI. Peralta has excelled in the leadoff spot, slashing .324/.425/.529 through seven games. […]
A.J. Pollock Picks Up Another Two Hits Against Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder A.J. Pollock went 2-for-4 with a home run, one RBI and two runs scored in Sunday's win against the Cardinals. The dinger was Pollock's first of the season, but he has been contributing plenty of firepower this season. He is now on a four game hit streak, with multiple hits in two […]
Taijuan Walker Goes Six Against Cardinals
Arizona Diamondbacks starter Taijuan Walker pitched six innings on Sunday, allowing one run on three hits and two walks against the Cardinals. Despite the solid start, Walker wasn't given enough run support to pick up the win. Walker has pitched well this season, and holds a 3.27 ERA through two starts. He'll look to win […]