Player News

Date: Team: Pos:

Matt Guerrier struck out a pair over two scoreless innings of relief Tuesday against the Rockies.

He entered the contest with just four punch outs, so last night's performance qualifies as an outburst. Guerrier used to be a holds machine for the Twins, but he's posted just 19 over the past three seasons for the Dodgers, four less than he had in his last year in Minnesota. An elbow injury cost the veteran most of last season. He owns a 3.45 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and ugly 6/6 K/BB rate over 18 appearances.
May 22 - 5:27 AM

Matt Belisle tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Tuesday's victory over Arizona.

The veteran has notched a 3.86 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 21/7 K/BB rate in 21 games. He's also sixth in the National League with eight holds.
May 22 - 5:18 AM

Xavier Paul has hit whenever he's been called upon by the Reds, slashing .270/.400/.405 over 90 plate appearances.

Since he was called up by the Reds last July, Paul has hit as well as any reserve outfielder, batting .294/.389/.438 with four homers and 20 RBI in 160 at-bats. Paul has cost Cincy four runs below replacement defensively in limited opportunities this year, so he'll have to keep his lumber warm to steal at-bats.
May 22 - 5:14 AM

Casey Fien struck out two in a perfect inning of relief Tuesday against the Braves.

The 28-year-old right-hander has a 4.19 ERA over 11 appearances. After getting pounded in limited run for the Tigers between 2009-2010, Fien has rejuvenated his career up north, posting a stingy 2.87 ERA and 1.01 WHIP over 56 games since the Twins called him up on the Fourth of July, 2012.
May 22 - 5:08 AM

J.P. Howell's first season in Los Angeles is off to a strong start, as the left-hander has a 2.89 ERA through 19 appearances for the Dodgers.

Coming off a stellar 2012 campaign, having posted a 3.04 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 42/22 K/BB ratio in 55 appearances for the Rays, Howell inked a one-year, $2.85 million contract with the Dodgers. Howell is allowing a few more base runners this season (1.34 WHIP compared to 1.21 in 2012), but his strikeout rate is slightly up and, more importantly, he hasn't surrendered a home run yet.
May 22 - 4:59 AM

Andrew Miller is proving his 2012 breakout was no fluke, posting a 3.86 ERA and 24/8 K/BB rate over 20 appearances.

The sixth overall pick in 2006 has successfully saved his career in Boston's bullpen. Miller went 21-29 with a 5.79 ERA between 2006-2011, mostly as a starter for the Tigers, Marlins and Red Sox. He hasn't started a game in the last two seasons and has rewarded Boston with a 3.48 ERA over 73 appearances. Miller's current strikeout rate is by far the best of his career.
May 22 - 4:45 AM

Glen Perkins blew his first save of the season in Tuesday's 5-4, extra-innings loss to the Braves.

Minnesota is having about as much success in Atlanta as they did during the 1991 World Series. Perkins was summoned in the ninth inning and recorded two quick outs before Evan Gattis blasted a 412-foot bomb over the left-field fence. The 30-year-old lefty remains a lighthouse in the dark night that is Minnesota's pitching corps. Perkins saved 16 games last year while registering a 2.56 ERA and now has eight saves, a 3.45 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 25/5 K/BB rate over 16 appearances in 2013.
May 22 - 4:33 AM

Troy Patton holds a 4.05 ERA over 18 appearances.

The left-hander put up a 2.43 ERA over 54 appearances last season in his first full year in the majors. His encore isn't going as smoothly due to an increased rate of walks (more than double what it was last season) and decreased strikeouts (he's punching out 3.4 less batters per nine innings). Being increasingly hittable doesn't help either. After a 1.02 WHIP in 2012, Patton sits at 1.55 today.
May 22 - 4:23 AM

Wil Nieves has just one hit since April 25.

The seldom-used 35-year-old has slashed .280/.321/.280 through 28 plate appearances. Nieves, who entered 2013 a .229/.274/.301 career hitter over nine major league seasons, will continue to play sparingly behind starter Miguel Montero.
May 22 - 4:15 AM

Pablo Sandoval hit a walkoff homer off Yunesky Maya in the 10th inning Tuesday as the Giants beat the Nationals 4-2.

Maya wasn't exactly the Nationals' first choice to pitch in the 10th inning of a tie game, but he did manage to get one out before the two-run jack. That's something, right? Sandoval's blast to right-center was his eighth homer of the season. If he can stay healthy, he should surpass his career highs of 25 homers and 90 RBI established in 2009.
May 22 - 1:40 AM

Stephen Strasburg pitched seven innings of one-run ball, striking out seven, in a no-decision against the Giants on Tuesday.

Strasburg has allowed just two earned runs in his last three starts, dropping his ERA from 3.45 to 2.66. That overstates how well he's pitched -- he's given up nine unearned runs this season -- but tonight's performance was maybe the most impressive one he's put together this year and should give him something to build on.
May 22 - 1:37 AM

Rafael Soriano took his third blown save after giving up a run in the ninth against the Giants on Tuesday.

Soriano also took a blown save on Friday, but that was aided by a Ryan Zimmerman throwing error and he ended up notching the win in the 10th. Soriano still has nothing to worry about as far as job security -- he's more trustworthy than Drew Storen right now -- but the Nationals can't afford to continue being let down by their pen when their offense has been so poor.
May 22 - 1:35 AM

Danny Espinosa went hitless in a fourth straight game Tuesday, leaving him with a .159 average in 139 at-bats.

Maybe more patience would be warranted if Espinosa were healthy, but it's quite possible he needs surgery for the partial rotator cuff tear he suffered last year. Besides, he's just killing the Nationals offense right now. Not only is he batting .159, but he's walked just three times all year. His OBP stands at .186.
May 22 - 1:32 AM

Daniel Descalso went 3-for-3 with his first career grand slam and an RBI double in the Cardinals' 10-2 rout of the Padres on Tuesday.

Descalso's slam followed an intentional walk to Jon Jay. Descalso entered the game with an ugly .197/.265/.289 line, and he probably wouldn't have been in the lineup if not for David Freese's thumb injury. The home run was his seventh in 813 major league at-bats.
May 22 - 1:27 AM

Adam Wainwright limited the Padres to one run and four hits in 7 1/3 innings to pick up his sixth win Tuesday.

Wainwright had a 5.77 ERA on this day a year ago before finally turning around his season with a shutout of the Padres on May 22. This year, he's been on target since day one; he ranks in the top 10 in the NL in wins, ERA, WHIP and strikeouts.
May 22 - 1:24 AM


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