• Dennis Santana snags second save on Sunday
    Dennis Santana snagged his second save of the season on Sunday afternoon, working a scoreless eighth inning to preserve a three-run lead against the Tigers.

    Advice: Presumably, someone else would have come on to work the ninth inning — had their been one — but the game was called due to rain, leaving Santana with his second save of the season. He isn’t a threat to usurp the closer’s gig away from Clay Holmes anytime soon. Rotoworld 6 minutes ago
  • Josh Hader yields go-ahead homer in ninth
    Josh Hader lost after giving up a go-ahead homer in a tie game Sunday against the Mariners.

    Advice: It’s the save situations in which Hader has struggled, but the loss today came after he was asked to preserve a tie. Cal Raleigh’s homer was the second surrendered by Hader in 14 2/3 innings this year. Given that his strikeout rate remains exceptional and his groundball rate is actually considerably higher than usual, we’re still not worried about Hader at all. Rotoworld 10 minutes ago
     
  • Earns sixth save
    Bednar allowed one hit and struck out one over a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Sunday against the Rockies.

    Advice: Bednar allowed a two-out double but otherwise looked sharp for the second-consecutive day as he earned his sixth save Sunday, dropping his ERA to 9.69 and WHIP to 1.46 in the process. Despite the scoreless effort, the Pirates' stopper has allowed at least one run in seven of his 15 appearances this season. Pirate fans and fantasy managers alike hope these last two performances against the listless Rockies will serve as a momentum boost for Bednar, who entered the season as one of the top relievers in baseball. Rotowire.com 13 minutes ago
     
  • Effective in rare start
    Liberatore pitched 3.2 innings, giving up one run on three hits while striking out five batters in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the White Sox. He did not factor into the decision.

    Advice: Liberatore was called upon to make his first start of the season Sunday and he did not disappoint. The southpaw allowed a double to Paul DeJong in the second inning, who later came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Bryan Ramos, accounting for all the damage on Liberatore's line. The 24-year-old's 50 total pitches were his highest total of the season while the 3.2 innings on the mound set a new long for an outing this season. Operating primarily as a bullpen option in 2024, Liberatore now owns a 2.70 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with 15 strikeouts over 20 innings in 13 appearances, including Sunday's start. Rotowire.com 23 minutes ago
     
  • Nearing rehab assignment
    Urquidy (forearm) will throw live batting practice Tuesday and could then begin a minor-league rehab assignment, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

    Advice: The right-hander was originally expected to throw live BP on Sunday, but the session was pushed back a couple days. Astros GM Dana Brown expects Urquidy to require "two or three rehab starts" before rejoining the Astros, so he's still at least a couple weeks away from returning from the injured list. Rotowire.com 45 minutes ago
    José UrquidyHOU - SP,RP
    L, 4-5 vs SEA
     
  • Impressive over six innings
    Crochet (2-4) earned the win after he pitched six innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out six batters in Sunday's 5-1 victory over the Cardinals.

    Advice: Crochet was able to make it back-to-back strong outings Sunday, limiting the Cardinals to just one run on a fourth-inning solo home run by Willson Contreras. The left-hander secured his first quality start since April 3 in the win and he has now allowed just three runs over 11 innings in his last two outings. Crochet will carry a 5.31 ERA and 11.73 K/9 into his next projected start Friday at home versus the Guardians. Rotowire.com 45 minutes ago
     
  • Cooper Criswell lifted with lead in fifth
    Cooper Criswell was lifted after allowing one run in 4 1/3 innings Sunday against the Twins.

    Advice: The early exit from a 3-1 game denied Criswell a chance for a third straight victory. He allowed five hits, walked one and struck out five while throwing 80 pitches. The Red Sox are getting both Nick Pivetta and Brayan Bello back this week, but Criswell should remain in the rotation for now. He could lose his spot once Garrett Whitlock returns later this month. Rotoworld 47 minutes ago
     
  • Garrett Crochet fans six in victory over Cardinals
    Garrett Crochet picked up his second victory of the season on Sunday afternoon, striking out six batters over six innings of one-run baseball against the Cardinals.

    Advice: The 24-year-old southpaw scattered just three hits on the afternoon and didn’t walk a batter. The lone blemish on his day came on a solo blast off the bat of Willson Contreras in the fourth inning. Aside from that, he was brilliant. Crochet generated eight swings and misses on 88 pitches on the day — four of those on his cutter — while posting a CSW of 28 percent. Now 2-4 on the season, he’ll carry a 5.31 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and a 53/9 K/BB ratio (40 2/3 innings) into Friday’s showdown against the Guardians. Rotoworld 55 minutes ago
     
  • Matthew Liberatore strikes out five against ChiSox
    Matthew Liberatore pitched well in a spot start against the White Sox on Sunday, allowing just one run on three hits over 3 2/3 innings of work.

    Advice: The 24-year-old hurler punched out five batters on the afternoon and didn’t walk a batter. For not being stretched out, he worked deeper than expected, throwing 50 pitches (33 strikes) in the ballgame. The lone tally against him came on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bryan Ramos in the second inning. Liberatore got seven whiffs on the afternoon, posting a CSW of 32 percent. It’s unclear if he’ll get another shot next weekend against the Brewers, or if the Cardinals will utilize Zack Thompson to fill Steven Matz’s spot in the rotation going forward. Rotoworld 55 minutes ago