Johnny Cueto To Make Season Debut Tuesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Johnny Cueto is slated to make his first start of the season this upcoming Tuesday against the Pirates, per NBC Sports' Ali Thanawalla. Cueto has spent the season recovering from Tommy John surgery and had his return delayed by a few days due to back tightness. The 33-year-old has been […]

Jandel Gustave Earns Save Saturday; Will Smith Unavailable

San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Jandel Gustave earned his first career save in Saturday's 1-0 win over the Dodgers. Gustave allowed no runs on no hits and a walk with no strikeouts in the ninth inning. While he has pitched well this season, the more relevant fantasy news was that Giants closer Will Smith was […]

Anthony Santander Hits 18th Home Run Of Season Friday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander continued to contribute offensively in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Rangers, going 1-for-5 with a two-run home run. Santander took Brock Burke deep in the fifth inning for his 18th HR of the season. The 24-year-old has hit well all season for the O's and has been on fire lately, […]

Statcast Pitcher Studs and Duds: Hard-Hit Rate for Week 23

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers Statcast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two risers and two fallers, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I wrote about this stat in week 18 and it is one that can help indicate overall pitcher performance; that […]

Buster Posey Reaches Base Five Times Wednesday

San Francisco Giants catcher/first baseman Buster Posey had a solid night at the plate in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals, going 3-for-4 with three singles and two walks. Age seems to have caught up to the veteran this season, as his .257/.323/.373 slash line is 399 plate appearances is one of the lowest of […]

Mike Yastrzemski Hits 19th Home Run Of Season Wednesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski went 2-for-5 with a double, a solo home run, a walk, and two strikeouts in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals. Yastrzemski mashed a third-inning Tyler Webb fastball over the bullpen in right-center field for his 19th HR of the season. He is now hitting .333 with two HR […]

Kevin Pillar Plates Three Runs On Four Hits Wednesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar had a big night at the plate in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals. Pillar went 4-for-5 with three singles, a two-run home run (his 21st of the season), and three RBI. Pillar has been a useful fantasy asset this season, particularly in the power department and is heating […]

Will Smith Earns Multi-Inning Save Wednesday

San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith did his job in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals, picking up his 31st save of the season. Smith entered the game in the eighth inning with two outs, a runner on third, and a one-run lead. He was able to strike out Paul Goldschmidt to strand the runner […]

Madison Bumgarner Gets Hit Hard Wednesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner did not have his best stuff in Wednesday's 9-8 win over the Cardinals. Bumgarner allowed six runs on nine hits (including a solo home run) and a walk with two strikeouts in five innings pitched. While the poor start came at an inopportune time given the fantasy playoffs, […]

Dereck Rodriguez Takes Tough Loss Tuesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Dereck Rodriguez turned in one of his best starts of the season but received no offensive support in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Cardinals. Rodriguez pitched seven innings of one-run ball, allowing five hits (including a solo home run) and a walk with seven strikeouts. The 27-year-old has not lived […]

Mike Yastrzemski Picks Up Two Hits Tuesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski provided all of his team's hits in Tuesday's 1-0 loss to the Cardinals, going 2-for-4 with two singles and a strikeout. The 28-year-old has been a surprise contributor for the Giants this season but has cooled off a bit lately, hitting .263 with one extra-base hit in his last […]

Richard Bleier Notchs Third Save Of Season Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Richard Bleier picked up his third save of the season in Tuesday's Game 1 4-2 win over the Rays. Bleier pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning with a strikeout while teammate Mychal Givens pitched the eighth inning. Bleier has now converted three of four save opportunities to go with a 6.12 ERA, […]

Anthony Santander Hits 17th Home Run Of Season Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander continued to contribute at the plate in Tuesday's Game 1 4-2 win over the Rays, going 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two strikeouts. The 24-year-old lined a sixth-inning Oliver Drake changeup down the right field line for his 17th long ball of the season. Santander has been a […]

Mark Trumbo Hits Two-Run Double In 2019 Return

Baltimore Orioles designated hitter Mark Trumbo, who has missed all of the 2019 season with a right knee injury, went 1-for-4 with a two-run double in his debut in Monday's 5-4 loss to the Rays. The veteran has been a power threat before in his career, but, at this point in the season and given […]

Hanser Alberto Hits 11th Home Run Of Season Monday

Baltimore Orioles second baseman/third baseman Hanser Alberto went 2-for-5 with a single, a solo home run, and two strikeouts in Monday's 5-4 loss to the Rays. Alberto took Ryan Yarbrough deep in the sixth inning for his 11th HR of the season. The 26-year-old has been a huge surprise this season, posting a .323/.345/.454 slash […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 23

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 23! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise […]

Pitcher Studs and Duds - BABIP for Week 22

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers risers and fallers article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two risers and two fallers, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. I have written about this stat several times in various capacities this season, but it is worth revisiting now that […]

Strikeout Rate Risers and Fallers - Buy or Sell for Week 22

Welcome back to the strikeout rate risers and fallers series for Week 22! Each week we will take a look at two K% risers and two fallers, analyze what is behind those changes, and then decide if they are actionable. A pitcher can best control their fate by generating swings and misses, so this exercise […]

Jeff Samardzija Takes Tough Loss Thursday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija pitched well but did not get any help from his offense in Thursday's 1-0 loss to the Cubs. Shark pitched seven innings, allowing a single run on two hits and a walk with four strikeouts. The veteran has pitched well this season and is now 9-10 with a […]

Kevin Pillar Hits Two Home Runs Friday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Kevin Pillar continued his hot August in Friday's 10-9 extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks, going 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI, a walk, and a strikeout. Pillar hit a pair of two-run bombs, one in the fourth inning and one in the 10th. The veteran is now hitting .396 in […]

Mike Yastrzemski Hits Three Home Runs Friday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski had a huge day in Friday's 10-9 extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks, going 3-for-6 with three home runs, four RBI, and a strikeout. Yaz hit a solo homer in the third inning, a two-run shot in the seventh, and then the go-ahead HR in the 11th. The 28-year-old has […]

Mike Yastrzemski Mashes Three-run Home Run Wednesday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Mike Yastrzemski went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the A's. Yastrzemski just cleared the center-field wall on an eighth-inning Joakim Soria fastball for his 13th long ball of the season. The 28-year-old has been a contributor to the Giants all season, posting […]

Alex Dickerson Expected To Start Friday

San Francisco Giants outfielder Alex Dickerson returned Wednesday from the IL after recovering from a right oblique strain, going 0-for-1 with an RBI in a pinch-hit at-bat. He is expected to start Friday's game against the Diamondbacks, per MLB.com's Maria Guardado. Dickerson has been a huge asset to the Giants this season, posting a .343/.398/.657 […]

Jonathan Villar Plates Two Wednesday, Stays Hot

Baltimore Orioles second baseman/shortstop Jonathan Villar went 2-for-4 with a single, a double, two RBI, a walk, and a strikeout in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees. The 28-year-old has hit well in August, batting .302 with two home runs, seven RBI, and three stolen bases. Villar has been a solid fantasy contributor all season […]

Renato Nunez Goes 5-For-5 Wednesday

Baltimore Orioles designated hitter/third baseman Renato Nunez had a great day at the plate in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to the Yankees, going 5-for-5 with four singles, a double, and two RBI. The 25-year-old has been useful in fantasy at times this season but is hitting just .204 with one home run and five RBI in […]

Will Smith Notches 29th Save Of Season Tuesday

San Francisco Giants closer Will Smith picked up his 29th save in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the A's. Smith started the ninth inning with a two-run lead and allowed three singles and walked a run in but also had three strikeouts. It wasn't the cleanest save, but he got the job done as he has […]

Madison Bumgarner Strong On Hill Again Tuesday

San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Madison Bumgarner was at it again in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the A's. MadBum went seven strong innings, allowing a single run on two hits (including a home run) and no walks with nine strikeouts. He has been excellent as the Giants have been pushing for a playoff spot and […]

Anthony Santander Homers Tuesday, Stays Hot

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Anthony Santander continued to hit in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Yankees, going 1-for-4 with a solo home run. Santander took Domingo German deep in the fourth inning for his 11th long ball of the season. The 24-year-old has raked for the O's this season, posting a .303/.344/.517 slash line with 35 […]

John Means Hit Hard By Yankees Again Tuesday

Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher John Means turned in another short start in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Yankees. Means lasted just 3 2/3 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits (including a home run) and two walks with one strikeout. Means has had to face the Yankees in both of his starts since returning from […]

Statcast Slider Usage Studs and Duds for Week 20

Welcome back to RotoBaller’s pitchers advanced stats and StatCast studs and duds article series! Each week we will select an advanced stat, choose two studs and two duds, and analyze what those stats could mean for future fantasy output. Last week I used Statcast's pitch arsenal tab to look at starters' four-seam fastball usage and […]