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Shelby Miller RP | CHC
Rangers' Shelby Miller: Lasts just two innings
Miller (0-1) yielded four runs on four hits and three walks in two innings of work during Sunday's loss to the Angels. He struck out one batter and took the loss.
Miller managed to retire the three batters he faced in the first inning before unraveling in the second frame. He needed 67 pitches to get through two-plus innings after using 88 pitches in 3.2 innings in his last start. With the high pitch count and eight walks in less than six innings, it's obvious that his control is an issue this season. The 28-year-old will face Oakland next Sunday.
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Jose Alvarado RP | PHI
Rays' Jose Alvarado: Shaky outing produces save
Alvarado worked around a hit and a walk to earn the save after a scoreless ninth inning in Sunday's 3-0 win over San Francisco. He struck out one batter.
Alvarado put two runners on base but forced Brandon Crawford to ground out to finish off the team shutout. It was his fourth save of the season, and he's yet to allow a run. The flamethrower is proving to be a legitimate, high-end closer this season.
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Matt Barnes RP | WAS
Red Sox's Matt Barnes: Earns hold
Barnes pitched two perfect innings Sunday, striking out two batters and earning his first hold in a 1-0 win over Arizona.
Barnes has been used in a non-save situation in each of his last two outings, with Ryan Brasier picking up a save in both of those appearances. It appears that the 28-year-old will work mostly in high-leverage situations as opposed to being the team's main closer. Still, it's early in the year, and Barnes and Brasier are worth owning until the picture is a bit clearer.
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Ryan Brasier RP | TEX
Red Sox's Ryan Brasier: Locks down second save
Brasier tossed a scoreless ninth inning, allowing a hit while striking out one batter and earning the save in Sunday's 1-0 victory against the Diamondbacks.
Matt Barnes took the seventh- and eighth-inning duties Sunday while Brasier was relied on to shut things down. It's looking more like Barnes will be used in high-leverage situations rather than strictly closing games. This would give Brasier more opportunities in the ninth inning, and he should be worth a speculative add in all formats.
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Ryne Stanek RP | STL
Rays' Ryne Stanek: Impressive as opener
Stanek served as the opener in a loss to the Giants on Saturday, firing two perfect innings and recording two strikeouts.
Stanek kept his 2019 ERA unblemished with Saturday's impressive outing, one in which he fired 22 of 32 pitches for strikes. The hard-throwing right-hander has allowed just a single hit across six innings over four appearances, and he's demonstrated pinpoint control while generating a 7:1 K:BB during that span. Stanek figures to continue seeing his fair share of opener opportunities on "bullpen days," but he's a solid setup option in the late innings as well.
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Matt Moore RP | BOS
Tigers' Matt Moore: Contemplating surgery
Moore and the Tigers are still determining whether surgery or rest and rehab is the better method for treating the sprained right knee he sustained in his start Saturday against the Royals, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.
With three strikeouts over three scoreless frames, Moore was well on his way to his second straight excellent outing to open the season before exiting with the knee injury. The Tigers announced just two hours after Moore's departure that he would shift to the 10-day injured list, with the team anticipating that he would miss at least a couple of weeks. A firmer timeline for Moore's return should become available once it's decided how he'll treat the injury, but any surgical procedure would almost certainly increase the length of his absence. Daniel Norris will get the first crack at replacing the southpaw in the rotation.
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Drew VerHagen RP | STL
Tigers' Drew VerHagen: Back from IL
The Tigers activated VerHagen (forearm) from the 10-day injured list Sunday.
He'll assume the active roster spot of Matt Moore, who was placed on the 10-day injured list after spraining his right knee in a start Saturday against the Royals. Daniel Norris is slated to move from a relief role into the rotation in Moore's stead, with the addition of VerHagen allowing the Tigers to maintain an eight-man bullpen.
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Aroldis Chapman RP | BOS
Yankees' Aroldis Chapman: Earns second save
Chapman earned his second save of the season and posted two strikeouts with just one hit allowed in a 6-4 victory over the Orioles on Saturday.
His numbers are still a little elevated from allowing two runs in a tied game against the Tigers last week, but other than that, Chapman has been lights out. He has seven strikeouts in five innings and is 2-for-2 in save chances, but he is also 0-1 with a 3.60 ERA and 1.40 WHIP in five appearances.
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Ryan Yarbrough RP | NYY
Rays' Ryan Yarbrough: Takes first loss
Yarbrough (1-1) allowed four runs on four hits in three innings against the Giants on Saturday. He struck out two and took the loss.
Yarbrough started the fifth frame after Ryne Stanek and Jalen Beeks held the Giants to two runs over the first four innings. His offense spotted him a 3-2 lead, but he was tagged for four runs on four hits in his first inning of work, highlighted by a Brandon Belt homer.
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Jorge Lopez RP | WAS
Royals' Jorge Lopez: Hurls quality start against Detroit
Lopez gave up two runs (one earned) on five hits and three walks over six innings in a 7-4 loss to the Tigers on Saturday. He struck out three and did not factor into the decision.
Lopez bounced back from a subpar season debut and was in line for the victory after a three-run seventh inning from the Royals, only to see the bullpen allow five runs in the bottom of the frame. The 26-year-old lines up to start against the hot-hitting Mariners next Thursday.