• Chased in fifth inning
    Assad (4-3) allowed four runs on seven hits and a walk while failing to record a strikeout over 4.1 innings, taking the loss Sunday versus the Mets.

    Advice: Assad has failed to complete five innings in four of his last nine starts. The Mets did most of their damage in the third inning, as Francisco Lindor and Brandon Nimmo hit back-to-back home runs to account for three of the four runs on Assad's line. The right-hander is now at a 3.04 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 79:33 K:BB through 83 innings across 16 starts this year. He's projected for a road game in Milwaukee in his next start. Rotowire.com Sunday, 8:30 pm
     
  • Javier Assad gives up four runs in loss to Mets
    Javier Assad wasn’t at his best in Sunday’s loss to the Mets, surrendering four runs on seven hits across his 4 1/3 innings of work.

    Advice: Assad walked one batter on the evening and did not record a single strikeout. Most of the damage done against him came via the long ball, as Francisco Lindor crushed a two-run homer in the third inning and Brandon Nimmo followed with a solo shot. The Mets also scratched out a run while chasing Assad in the fifth. Assad got just three swings and misses on 90 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 26 percent. He’ll attempt to bounce back as he carries a 3.04 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and a 79/33 K/BB ratio (83 innings) into Friday’s battle against the Brewers in Milwaukee. Rotoworld Sunday, 7:21 pm
     
  • Throws eight shutout innings
    Lopez (7-6) allowed two hits and one walk while striking out 14 over eight shutout innings to earn the win Sunday over the Athletics.

    Advice: Lopez retired the first 17 batters he faced before Lawrence Butler's sixth-inning single. This was Lopez's first scoreless outing of the season as well as his longest start, and the 14 strikeouts were a season high. He'd given up 14 runs over 13 innings across his first three starts in June. Even with this gem, Lopez has a 5.11 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 101:19 K:BB through 88 innings across 16 starts this year. Considering he's posted a career-worst 1.6 HR/9, it's likely a fair amount of his struggles have come from bad luck with the long ball, as the rest of his underlying numbers are in line with his usual level of performance. Lopez is lined up to make his next start at Seattle. Rotowire.com Sunday, 6:59 pm
  • Pablo López strikes out 14 in victory over A’s
    Pablo López delivered his finest start of the season on Sunday, racking up 14 strikeouts over eight innings of shutout baseball in a victory over the Athletics.

    Advice: López allowed just two hits — both of them singles — and one walk on the brilliant afternoon. The 28-year-old hurler bounced back in a huge way after being shelled by the Rays his last time out, looking like the star hurler that we saw dominating on a nightly basis for the Twins during the 2023 campaign. He piled up 19 swings and misses on 102 pitches in the contest — 10 of those on his fastball alone — while posting a CSW of 31 percent. He’ll see if he can build off of this start and further improve upon his 5.11 ERA and 1.17 WHIP when he takes the mound against the Mariners in Seattle on Saturday. Rotoworld Sunday, 4:18 pm
  • Placed on IL
    The Pirates placed Bednar on the 15-day injured list Sunday with a strained left oblique, Alex Stumpf of MLB.com reports.

    Advice: Bednar reported feeling tightness in his side during his throwing session before Saturday's contest against the Rays and wasn't available to pitch in the game. His injury was initially believed to be relatively minor, so it's possible the 29-year-old reliever will be able to return after a minimum-length stay on the IL. Until then, Aroldis Chapman will likely see the majority of save opportunities, and Justin Bruihl will come up from Triple-A to replenish the Pirates' bullpen depth. Rotowire.com Sunday, 10:30 am
    David BednarPIT - RP
    W, 6-1 @CIN
     
  • Pirates put closer David Bednar (oblique) on IL
    Pirates placed RHP David Bednar on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 20, with a left oblique strain.

    Advice: Pirates general manager Ben Cherington said Sunday during a local radio interview that he hopes the injury is minor. The 29-year-old stopper was unavailable during Saturday’s game against the Rays due to left side tightness and is going to get some extra time off to rest and recover. There should be some clarity on his status in the coming days. It’ll presumably be Aroldis Chapman handling the closing duties for Pittsburgh during his absence. Rotoworld Sunday, 9:52 am
    David BednarPIT - RP
    W, 6-1 @CIN
     
  • Earns seventh win
    Stroman (7-3) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six over 6.2 innings to earn the win over Atlanta on Saturday.

    Advice: Stroman was sharp in his first quality start across four outings in June. He gave up a solo home run to Marcell Ozuna in the first inning and a two-run blast to Travis d'Arnaud in the seventh. Stroman has walked multiple batters in five straight starts, which has led to some recent inconsistency. He's at a 3.15 ERA with a 1.26 WHIP and 67:40 K:BB through 91.1 innings over 16 starts this season. The right-hander is projected to make his next start at Toronto. Rotowire.com Saturday, 8:31 pm
  • Marcus Stroman beats Braves to improve to 7-3
    Marcus Stroman picked up his seventh victory of the season on Saturday night, limiting the Braves to three runs on just three hits over his 6 2/3 innings of work.

    Advice: Stroman piled up six strikeouts on the evening while issuing a pair of walks. The 33-year-old hurler had allowed just one run through his first six innings of work, but he returned for the seventh where he served up a two-run blast to Travis d’Arnaud before exiting. Stroman got 12 swings and misses on 93 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 27 percent. Now 7-3 on the season, he’ll tote a 3.15 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 67/40 K/BB ratio (91 1/3 innings) into Friday’s battle against the Blue Jays in Toronto. Rotoworld Saturday, 7:24 pm
  • David Bednar (side) was unavailable on Saturday
    Pirates’ manager Derek Shelton told reporters after Saturday’s victory that David Bednar was unavailable due to tightness in his left side.

    Advice: It was surprising to see Aroldis Chapman close out a one-run victory for the Pirates against the Rays instead of Bednar, and now we know why. Shelton noted that he doesn’t believe the injury is anything serious, but Bednar’s status should be monitored over the coming days. Those speculating on saves in daily leagues could try to catch lightning in a bottle with Chapman. Rotoworld Saturday, 4:27 pm
    David BednarPIT - RP
    W, 6-1 @CIN