MLB Player News

The Dodgers considered making a change in the ninth inning after Brandon League took his second straight loss on Tuesday, but the club is sticking with the right-hander as its closer, MLB.com reports.

"Obviously I can't say I haven't given thought to it," Mattingly said before Wednesday's game against Arizona. "The games that Brandon has given up runs have been games he wasn't necessarily closing. But Kenley is throwing the ball good. I've given thought to it."

Mattingly added that he could still move Kenley Jansen into the closer's role.

"I'm just still thinking about it," Mattingly said. "We still talk about it and go back and forth. It's like anything else -- all of a sudden we flip it and then we got a mess. Not that we're not in a mess already a little bit. But Brandon is actually throwing the ball OK. He's not walking a bunch of people. In save situations, he's been really good."

Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson told MLB.com on Wednesday that Heath Bell will receive the first shot at closing games with J.J. Putz on the disabled list. David Hernandez will remain in his current role as setup man.

"I just think Heath's got more experience at closer right now, and if we move Heath and David right now we're really moving the whole bullpen," Gibson said. "It just seems like it's less disruptive."

Despite blowing away hitters over the past few seasons with overpowering stuff, David Hernandez is still waiting for his chance. The Diamondbacks appear keen on prioritizing experience at the back end of the bullpen, and all signs appear to indicate that former All-Star Heath Bell, and not Hernandez, will get the call for save opportunities with J.J. Putz on the disabled list.

For Fantasy owners who have been making Hernandez a target of speculative pickups, this is bad news, but it is by no means a death knell for his long-term value. I definitely would not run out to grab Hernandez right now, but Bell is unlikely to get much of a leash, given his dreadful season with the Marlins a year ago.

Hernandez clearly has the most upside out of the Diamondbacks' relief options if he can get some save chances, so Fantasy owners should continue to keep a close eye on the situation. If Bell looks shaky in the ninth inning, I would definitely take a look at Hernandez. He has averaged 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings in his last three seasons, with a 3.05 ERA.  

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel took his third blown save in his last five appearances Tuesday against the Reds. On Wednesday, manager Fredi Gonzalez showed no concern over Kimbrel's recent struggles.

"It is what it is," Gonzalez said, per MLB.com. "At the end of the year, [Kimbrel's] going to have 40-something saves and five blown saves or four blown saves. It just so happens he's getting them right here in a little bunch. No worries."

After recording eight saves and posting a 0.00 ERA in his first nine outings, Kimbrel has a 9.64 ERA, two saves and three blown saves in 4 2/3 innings since April 24.

"We probably won't [use him Wednesday]," Gonzalez said, "but yeah, if we've got a save situation [Thursday], we run him back out there, of course."

Pirates pitcher Jeanmar Gomez, who was thrust into a start Tuesday against the Mariners after James McDonald (shoulder) was placed on the disabled list, will start again Sunday against the Mets, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Gomez, who tossed five shutout innings Tuesday, is 1-0 with a 2.00 ERA and .182 opponents' batting average in two starts this season.

Diamondbacks closer J.J. Putz is headed for further evaluation Wednesday after leaving Tuesday's game with elbow stiffness. If Putz has to miss extended time, then the Diamondbacks would need to replace his absence in the closer's role.

Heath Bell, who recorded his second save after replacing Putz Tuesday, believes the Diamondbacks would use a two-closer committee, involving David Hernandez and himself, if Putz needs a stint on the disabled list.

"They brought me in to help out if J.J. needed a day off or if David needed a day off," Bell said. "I mean, you never want to see anybody hurt. But unfortunately, if he has to take some time on the DL, I think myself and David can fill in real nicely."

In just five weeks of action, Braves closer Craig Kimbrel already has allowed as many home runs as he did all of last year -- three -- the same number of blown saves he had in both seasons. It is especially discouraging that all three have come in his last five apperances.

Is it time to start worrying about Kimbrel, the consensus top closer in the game entering the season?

Kimbrel allowed a pair of home runs as he blew his third save of the season Tuesday, but there does not appear to be any physical issues underlying his stumble. Kimbrel hit 96 mph n eight of 11 fastballs Tuesday, and he is averaging 96.1 mph on his fastball for the season, so there is little reason to think he is struggling through an injury. He is still striking out 14.18 batters with just 2.03 walks per nine innings, but he has had some bad luck with home runs.

The only significant change in Kimbrel's line is he is allowing more flyballs to come off the bats of opposing hitters. Tuesday, he allowed two fly balls and two home runs, pushing his percentage of flyballs that have gone over the fence to 25 percent on the season. That number was just 9.7 last year and 5.3 the previous year, so we can probably assume this is just a small blip.

Long story short, there is nearly no reason for Fantasy owners to panic right now. The 24-year-old is still blowing batters away with filthy stuff and pinpoint control. One out of four flyballs will almost certainly not keep leaving the yard for him, so all signs still point to Kimbrel dominating from this point on. This is not a controversial opinion, but I would not expect Kimbrel to keep struggling. 

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel could not hang on to a late lead as he gave up back-to-back solo home runs and blew his third save of the season Tuesday night against the Reds.

Kimbrel (0-1) entered the ninth inning with a one-run advantage. He served up a solo home run to Devin Mesoraco to tie the game and a walkoff solo shot to Shin-Soo Choo. Kimbrel surrendered two runs, two hits and struck out two in two-thirds of an inning.

He has converted just two of his last five save opportunities and has watched his ERA rise from 0.00 to 3.38 over that span.

Pirates pitcher Jeanmar Gomez pitched five shutout innings while making a surprise spot start Tuesday against the Mariners. Gomez, who didn't find out he would be starting in place of the injured James McDonald until about 90 minutes prior to the first pitch, limited Seattle to two hits.

He was pulled after throwing 66 pitches -- 41 strikes -- and finished with two walks and five strikeouts, while improving to 2-0 with 2.38 ERA.

Gomez made the roster as a long reliever but has made two straight starts for the Pirates. With McDonald on the 15-day disabled list, the right-hander is tentatively scheduled to face the Mets Sunday in New York.

In my latest Reality Check, I looked at DL players and ranked the 25 most worth owning in Fantasy. Predictably, the comments section became a list of who I left out, but one name in particular caught my attention: Daniel Hudson.

To be honest, I didn't give the Diamondbacks' right-hander much thought. At last check, he's aiming to come back in early July, which puts him not far behind fellow Tommy John victim Brandon Beachy, but I'm just not as excited about the prospect of him returning.

For one thing, we still don't know how good he can be. Beachy was looking like an ace at the time of his injury last year while Hudson was getting pummeled, and while Hudson's 2011 season was significantly better, he allowed nearly a hit per inning even then.

Obviously, if I had a free DL spot, I'd stash Hudson, but I'm not so convinced he'll make a big impact right away that I'm willing to invest a bench spot in him outside of NL-only leagues.