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Kenley Jansen RP | DET
Dodgers' Kenley Jansen: Gets four outs for 10th save
Jansen pitched 1.1 scoreless innings, allowing one hit and striking out one to earn the save in Wednesday's 2-1 win over Washington.
Jansen got the call with two outs in the eighth and induced a weak grounder from Ryan Zimmerman, then worked around a leadoff single in the ninth to save the win for Clayton Kershaw. Jansen is now 10-for-10 in save opportunities, and his ridiculous 1.17 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 15.7 K/9 make him arguably the best closer in baseball.
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Marcos Diplan RP | BAL
Brewers' Marcos Diplan: Some positives, some negatives at High-A level
Diplan has posted a 5.03 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 53:24 K:BB in 48.1 innings over 11 outings with High-A Carolina this season.
Diplan's ratios are still recovering from a two-start stretch early in the season that saw him give up 10 earned runs over just 2.2 innings and he is allowing too many runners to reach base, but he has excelled in other areas, striking out over a batter per inning and allowing just four home runs. Diplan will not turn 21 until after the season concludes, so the Brewers have reason to be patient and let him work things out at the High-A level.
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Adam Ottavino RP | NYY
Rockies' Adam Ottavino: May return Saturday
Ottavino (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Wednesday and could return to the Rockies' bullpen as early as Saturday against the Cubs, Patrick Saunders of The Denver Post reports.
Ottavino also commented that his ailing shoulder feels great, which is a promising sign that he could return after a minimal DL stint. More information should come forth following Wednesday's outing, but the strikeout machine should be back in commission very soon and will likely regain his position as a primary setup man for Colorado.
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Tim Adleman RP | DET
Reds' Tim Adleman: Strikes out seven in Tuesday's win
Adleman (4-2) gave up one run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven over seven innings in Tuesday's 13-1 rout of the Cardinals.
He threw 71 of 110 pitches for strikes and took a possible shutout into the seventh inning until Stephen Piscotty touched him up for a solo shot. Adleman has now delivered three straight quality starts and will take a 4.42 ERA and 1.19 WHIP into his next outing Sunday on the road against the Dodgers.
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Hector Neris RP | HOU
Phillies' Hector Neris: Pulled from save chance Tuesday
Neris was pulled from a save opportunity Tuesday against the Braves after allowing two one-out singles in the ninth inning.
Neris got Nick Markakis to pop out, but then gave up singles to Matt Kemp and Matt Adams before he was pulled. Manager Pete Mackanin turned to Pat Neshek, who closed out the game. Neris is likely going to remain the first option to close in the Phillies' pen, but he has to perform to keep that role.
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Dinelson Lamet RP | LAD
Padres' Dinelson Lamet: Torched in Arizona
Lamet (2-1) was smashed for nine runs (seven earned) on five hits and five walks over three-plus innings in Arizona on Tuesday.
Having debuted with a pair of impressive outings against the Mets and Cubs, Lamet had the attention of fantasy owners, but this game may see him cut to the wire in a lot of leagues. That's not necessarily the best idea; after all, Lamet has significant potential and a friendly matchup on tap for his next turn in the rotation, Sunday at home against the Royals.
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Dylan Floro RP | ARI
Cubs' Dylan Floro: Minor-league bound after just one day
Floro was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Tuesday, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports.
The 26-year-old was recalled a day ago to fill in for Wade Davis while he was on paternity leave, but with Davis back in the fray, Floro will head back to the minors. Floro did not log an appearance during his brief time in the show, although he seems to be one of the first options to return to Chicago if any of the big-league bullpen arms falters or gets injured.
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Mark Melancon RP | ARI
Giants' Mark Melancon: Throws scoreless inning Monday
Melancon tossed a clean inning while striking out a batter in a non-save situation against the Brewers on Monday.
The veteran closer has pitched well this season (2.20 ERA and 15.0 K/BB), but he hasn't seen a save opportunity since May 27. This is due to the Giants' general lack of wins, but in the games in which they are victorious, there simply haven't been many save situations generated. Melancon's average of 49 saves over his last two seasons appears to be out of reach, but the 32-year-old remains a consistent closing option even if he maintains his 30-save pace.
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Dinelson Lamet RP | LAD
Padres' Dinelson Lamet: Changeup responsible for rotation success
Lamet's changeup has progressed enough over the past three months that he now has the three-pitch mix necessary to remain in the rotation long term, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com reports.
Coming into the year, the big knock on Lamet was that he didn't have a third pitch, and would eventually need to move to the bullpen. His fastball and slider both project as plus pitches, but he needed to add a changeup to consistently turn over big-league lineups. Lamet didn't start regularly honing his circle changeup until he was sent to minor-league camp in March. With an average velocity of 90.2 mph, it is the hardest changeup in baseball, among pitchers who have thrown at least 30 changeups this year. "He could've been good with just fastball-slider," catcher Austin Hedges said. "The changeup could make him very, very special." Lamet has a 2.70 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 16:3 K:BB in 10 innings over two big-league starts this year, and given the addition of a quality third pitch, he should be scooped up in the majority of formats.
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Jeff Hoffman RP | MIN
Rockies' Jeff Hoffman: Expected to draw another start Saturday
Hoffman is expected to make another start Saturday against the Cubs, Nick Groke of The Denver Post reports.
Hoffman was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Sunday and entered the rotation later that day for his third start of the season, replacing the injured Tyler Anderson (knee). After impressing in his first two turns, Hoffman was even better against the Padres, holding the opposition to one run on three hits and no walks while striking out nine over seven innings. The right-hander is now 3-0 with a 24:2 K:BB and 2.33 ERA over 19.1 innings in his three starts, which could give him a compelling case to stick around in the rotation even once Anderson, who carries a 5.85 ERA for the season, is healthy again. Anderson won't come off the disabled list until Sunday at the earliest, so with a strong showing in the tough matchup during the upcoming weekend, Hoffman would certainly strengthen his claim to a starting role.