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Some of Thursday's biggest losers weren't so obvious by looking at the box scores, and by that I mean they didn't necessarily perform poorly.

But the way they were used (or not used) hurt their chances of delivering the one thing you may be rostering them for: saves.

OK, so one was just plain bad. Ryan Brasier served up a three-run home run to Nicky Delmonico, taking the loss. It was second blown save in eight chances, which might not be enough to cost him the job, (seeing as he still has a 2.57 ERA) in a traditional bullpen setup. But he was never named the official closer and has already ceded a couple opportunities to Matt Barnes, who struck out the side in a perfect eighth. Barnes is the much better bat-misser and home-run preventer, which are both important qualities for preserving late leads. Perhaps he cuts into Brasier's opportunities even more now?

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Meanwhile, Jose Alvarado, the Rays' presumed closer coming into the year, was once again watching from the sidelines while another reliever recorded a save. This one went to Diego Castillo, giving him two straight, and the previous three went to Emilio Pagan. Alvarado himself hasn't recorded a save since April 7, making him maybe the third most rosterable in what's obviously a committee. It doesn't mean you can't own him for ratios, but if ratios are of little value to you, so is he.

Luke Jackson has been one of the Braves' most reliable relievers so far and was the choice to bail out a struggling A.J. Minter when a save opportunity presented itself Sunday. Jacob Webb got the save the following day, with Jackson needing a breather, and then Minter himself pitched a beautiful ninth to preserve a four-run lead Wednesday. Jackson finally returned to the hill Thursday, pitching the eighth inning of a blowout loss. He was followed by Charlie Culberson, a position player. It was the lowest-leverage of roles and suggests Minter probably bought himself more time with Wednesday's appearance.

Four players to add from Thursday

  • Danny Duffy, SP, KC (14%)  — Making his second start back from a shoulder impingement, Duffy's velocity was again down, but he showed a new trick against the Rays that might more than make up for it. He threw his slider a whopping 33 percent of the time, a big increase from last year, and the result was six one-run innings and 19 swinging strikes. Not a priority pickup, but ... interesting.
  • Yordan Alvarez, OF, HOU (31%) — No actual news yet, but Alvarez puts even more pressure on the Astros to promote him with each passing day, making now your chance to beat the rush to the waiver wire. With another multi-hit performance Thursday, his fourth in five games, he's now batting .402 with 12 homers and a 1.421 OPS.
  • Lucas Giolito, SP, CHW (27%) — Making his return from a brief IL stint for a strained hamstring, Giolito didn't exactly dominate the Red Sox lineup, but his seven strikeouts in five innings came courtesy of 16 swinging strikes. His secondary stuff has shown great improvement this year, and his whiff rate is way up as result. Not a bad speculative pickup.
  • Brian Goodwin, OF, LAA (30%) — While continuing his hot start to the season with three hits Thursday, Goodwin obviously can't sustain a .341 batting average, but he's showing improved bat skills with an elite line-drive rate and all-fields approach that together make him out to be a high-BABIP guy. Owners in deeper five-outfielder leagues should take notice seeing as the job is probably his until Justin Upton returns.

Winners and Losers

Winners

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  • Noah Syndergaard, SP, NYM — Syndergaard was throwing as hard, generating as much weak contact and missing as many bats as ever, but he wasn't keeping runs off the board. That changed Thursday, when he shut out the Reds, striking out 10. Ace status: confirmed.
  • Matt Strahm, SP/RP, SD — Not only did Strahm deliver his third straight quality start but he has also allowed a combined six earned runs in his past five. So why isn't he among the players to add? He isn't the pitcher he was out of the bullpen last year, his reduced velocity leading to a bottom-feeder swinging strike rate that spells trouble in the long run. 
  • James McCann, C, CHW — One of the stranger playing time developments this season is how quickly McCann displaced Welington Castillo as the White Sox's primary catcher. He continues to hit, raising his batting average to .365 while connecting for his third home run Thursday. He's obviously not that good, but the line-drive and hard-hit rates are up and the strikeout rate down. Doesn't take much to matter at catcher.
  • Dakota Hudson, SP/RP, STL — The rookie has so far lived up to the billing as a ground-ball pitcher but had offered little otherwise before Thursday, when he turned in clearly his best start of the season, allowing one run in six innings against the Nationals. The season-high 15 whiffs is clearly something to build on, but control has also been an issue.

Losers

  • Mike Foltynewicz, SP, ATL — We're starting to get a sense why the Braves kept pushing back his return from a sore elbow. Compared to last year, his velocity was down 2 mph in his first start, and it took another step back in Thursday's outing. He doesn't have a varied arsenal or particularly good control, so that's a tool he can't afford to lose.
  • Brad Peacock, SP/RP, HOU   — Peacock dominated with his slider the past couple years, but it just hasn't been there this year, limiting the effectiveness (and swing-and-miss potential) of his entire arsenal. Thursday's seven-run outing may be the excuse you need to drop him, though I don't think today's waiver crop, Duffy and Giolito, would be enough for me to pull the trigger.