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  • Continues to impress
    Lively (1-1) earned the win over the Angels on Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and three walks while striking out five batters over six innings.

    Advice: Lively got through four scoreless frames before the Angels posted a run in the fifth, but that was all the scoring the right-hander ended up allowing. The soon-to-be 32-year-old has yielded exactly one run in each of his past three starts, and he's given up a total of five earned runs across 21.2 innings on the season for a sterling ERA of 2.08. It's a bit difficult to imagine Lively continuing this level of success given that he entered the campaign with a 5.05 ERA across 208.2 career innings as a major-leaguer, and his Statcast numbers show that despite his strong start to the season, he has given up plenty of hard contact while rarely getting batters to chase. However, it's also worth noting that his strikeout numbers have tangibly risen -- Lively had a career 6.9 K/9 prior to this season but is at a 10.0 K/9 through four starts this year. Rotowire.com 21 minutes ago
    Ben LivelyCLE - SP,RP
    W, 7-1 vs LAA
    New Player Note
     
  • Added to roster
    Atlanta selected Stephens' contract from Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

    Advice: Stephens had posted a 3.86 ERA and 13:2 K:BB over 9.1 innings with Gwinnett this season. He pitched in five games for Atlanta last season, yielding four runs over 12 frames. Stephens will operate in low-leverage situations. Rotowire.com 23 minutes ago
     
  • Dane Dunning lasts just 4 2/3 frames vs. Royals
    Dane Dunning surrendered two runs over 4 2/3 innings on Saturday in a no-decision against the Royals.

    Advice: Dunning wasn’t able to stick around long enough to collect a win as Rangers manager Bruce Bochy went to his bullpen with two outs in the fifth inning after just 79 pitches (44 strikes). He finished with four strikeouts and only issued one walk. The 29-year-old righty hasn’t been asked to work deep into starts over the last few weeks, but he’s missing enough bats to be relevant for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues. He’ll bring a solid 4.10 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 43/17 K/BB ratio across 37 1/3 innings (seven starts) into a challenging road matchup on Friday against the Rockies at Coors Field. Rotoworld 43 minutes ago
     
  • Yennier Cano gets two-out save Saturday vs. Reds
    Yennier Cano notched a two-out save on Saturday against the Reds.

    Advice: Cano got the call to record the final two outs of Saturday’s low-scoring win at Great American Ball Park after veteran Craig Kimbrel gave up a one-out RBI single to Spencer Steer that put the potential tying run at third base. Cano wound up walking Tyler Stephenson before striking out Christian Encarnacion-Strand and getting Jeimer Candelario to fly out to end the contest. It’s clear that Kimbrel isn’t in a good place right now, and could still be battling a lingering back issue, which opens the door for Cano to keep picking up save chances moving forward. Rotoworld 53 minutes ago
     
  • Makes first rehab start
    Alexander (ribs) started Single-A Stockton's loss to Visalia on Friday, allowing an earned run on two hits over one inning. He struck out one.

    Advice: Alexander pitched to some contact, but he located 12 of his 16 pitches for strikes and came away from his first game action in nearly two months feeling good, per MLB.com. The veteran right-hander is due for another rehab appearance with the Ports on Tuesday against San Jose, and if he remains free of setbacks, his rehab assignment will move to Triple-A Las Vegas. Rotowire.com 54 minutes ago
    Scott AlexanderOAK - SP,RP
    W, 20-4 vs MIA
    New Player Note
    IL15
     
  • Picks up first save
    Banks struck out the only batter he faced to record the final out of Saturday's 6-5 extra-inning win over the Cardinals and collect his first save of the season.

    Advice: The 32-year-old southpaw faced Ivan Herrera with the bases loaded and two outs after a rain delay that lasted over three hours interrupted the 10th inning, and Banks got the job done on four pitches. John Brebbia had originally gotten the call in the save situation before the delay, while Michael Kopech pitched the ninth, so Banks' usage was more due to the unusual circumstances than his prominence in the White Sox bullpen. On the season, Banks has a 5.65 ERA and 1.88 WHIP through 14.1 innings, but his 18:4 K:BB does suggest he's been unlucky so far. Rotowire.com Today, 8:22 pm
     
  • Acquired from Houston
    The Blue Jays acquired Kuhnel from the Astros on Saturday in exchange for cash considerations, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

    Advice: Kuhnel had been designated for assignment by the Astros and now finds himself in a new organization. The big righty holds a career 6.30 ERA at the major-league level and will head to Triple-A Buffalo where he'll give the Jays experienced relief depth. Rotowire.com Today, 8:12 pm
     
  • Michael King fires six scoreless in win Saturday
    Michael King was outstanding in Saturday night’s victory over the Diamondbacks, scattering six hits over six innings of scoreless baseball.

    Advice: The 28-year-old right-hander struck out three batters on the evening and didn’t issue a free pass. All six hits that he allowed in the ballgame were singles, and the Diamondbacks never really mounted a serious scoring threat against him. He got six swings and misses on 91 pitches on the night, posting a CSW of 23 percent. For the season, he now holds a 4.29 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and a 43/21 K/BB ratio over 42 innings in his first eight appearances (seven starts). He’ll look to replicate this fine outing when he toes the slab against the Dodgers on Friday night. Rotoworld Today, 8:07 pm
     
  • Nabs second save
    Sands struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his second save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Red Sox.

    Advice: Jhoan Duran surprisingly worked the eighth and got the hold against the heart of Boston's order, leaving Sands to face the 7-8-9 hitters. With Brock Stewart (shoulder) on the shelf, Sands could be moving up in the bullpen pecking order for the Twins, but Griffin Jax and Caleb Thielbar had also both pitched Friday and were likely only available in an emergency. Sands has pitched well enough to earn a high-leverage role though, posting a 2.93 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 22:2 K:BB through 15.1 innings. Rotowire.com Today, 8:02 pm