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  • Graham Ashcroft works into seventh in no-decision
    Graham Ashcraft pitched 6 1/3 innings of one-run ball against the Rangers on Friday.

    Advice: Ashcraft allowed seven hits, but since he walked none, only the Evan Carter homer did damage. He has a 4.40 ERA after five starts, and he probably deserves better, what with his 26/7 K/BB and strong groundball rate. He’s a fringy mixed-league option, but he’s a big key as far as the Reds’ chances of contending this season. Rotoworld Yesterday, 11:22 pm
     
  • Jeimer Candelario goes 0-for-4 in defeat
    Jeimer Candelario finished 0-for-4 with three strikeouts against the Rangers on Friday.

    Advice: Candelario would have been one to avoid in fantasy drafts this year if only he had signed with almost any other team. With the Reds, though, there was reason to think he’d maintain ample mixed-league value. Instead, his exit velocity numbers are way down and his strikeout rate is way up, making this a truly miserable April for the 30-year-old. It doesn’t seem likely that he’ll remain this bad, but he’s fortunate that the Noelvi Marte suspension and Matt McLain injury have left his playing time unchallenged. Rotoworld Yesterday, 11:22 pm
     
  • Expected back Saturday
    Lowe (oblique) is expected to be activated from the injured list Saturday, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.

    Advice: Lowe has been on a rehab assignment for roughly a week, but he was with the big-league club in Chicago on Friday. He's projected to be activated Saturday to make his season debut and will almost certainly occupy a prominent spot in a struggling Rays' lineup. It will also be notable where Lowe plays defensively, as he started three games in center field during his rehab assignment. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:55 pm
     
  • Launches fifth homer
    Muncy went 3-for-6 with a three-run homer and an additional run scored in Friday's 12-2 win over the Blue Jays.

    Advice: Muncy broke the game open in the third inning with a three-run blast off Chirs Bassitt, extending the Dodgers' lead to 6-0. The 33-year-old Muncy is now 5-for-9 in his last two contests after going 0-for-10 in his previous four games. Overall, he's slashing .258/.361/.494 with five homers, 18 RBI and 16 runs scored through 26 games this season. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:32 pm
     
  • Homer, four hits in win
    Smith went 4-for-5 with a home run, a double and three total RBI in Friday's 12-2 victory over the Blue Jays.

    Advice: Smith extended Los Angeles' lead to 3-0 in the third inning with an RBI single before adding a solo home run, his second of the year, off Trevor Richards in the fourth. It's Smith's second straight four-hit game (he's gone 8-for-11 with three extra-base hits in that span) and already his fourth this season. The 29-year-old backstop is off to an excellent start, slashing a robust .376/.413/.527 with 21 RBI and 14 runs scored through his first 104 plate appearances. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:25 pm
     
  • Takes first loss
    Crawford (1-1) took the loss Friday against the Cubs, allowing four runs (three earned) on 10 hits over six innings. He struck out four.

    Advice: Crawford allowed a season-high 10 hits Friday, though he'd still manage to make it through six innings for a second straight quality start. It's the first time that Crawford's allowed more than one run in a start this year -- he now sports an impressive 1.35 ERA with a 1.11 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB across six starts (33.1 innings). He's currently in line for a home matchup with the Giants in his next outing. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 10:10 pm
     
  • David Bednar struggles again, allows walk-off HR
    David Bednar didn’t record an out while giving up a three-run homer and picking up a loss to the Giants on Friday.

    Advice: Oof. Bednar walked Michael Conforto to open the ninth, and after walking Matt Chapman, the 29-year-old gave up a three-run homer to Patrick Bailey to turn a 0-0 game into a 3-0 win for the Giants. This is already the third appearance of the year where Bednar has allowed three or more runs, and that helps explain why his ERA is now 12.00. There’s lots of reasons to expect Bednar to bounce back in the summer months, but fantasy managers have the right to be frustrated with how he’s pitched in April. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:51 pm
     
  • Patrick Bailey hits walk-off homer against Pirates
    Patrick Bailey hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Giants a 3-0 win Friday over the Pirates.

    Advice: After being held scoreless for eight frames, Bailey was ready to go home with a three-run blast off David Bednar in the bottom of the ninth to give the Giants the win. The second-year backstop has swung the bat well thus far in 2024, as he’s up to three homers, a .297 average and an OPS of .880. Bailey faltered after a hot start in 2023, but the 24-year-old deserves attention — especially as a player doing this at catcher. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:51 pm
     
  • Kyle Harrison holds Pirates off board over six
    Kyle Harrison blanked the Pirates over six innings Friday with seven strikeouts, but didn’t qualify for a decision.

    Advice: Harrison gets a hard-luck no-decision because the Giants were unable to score a run while he was in the contest. The southpaw didn’t walk anyone while scattering five hits in one of his best starts an MLB hurler. Harrison will have some ups-and-downs as a 22-year-old in his first full season of action, but there’s a chance for the ups to outweigh those downs. He’ll look to build on this against the Red Sox on Wednesday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 9:51 pm