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Merrill Kelly SP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Merrill Kelly: Tosses complete game
Kelly (3-3) tossed a complete game in Friday's win over the Rockies, allowing one run on four hits while striking out three without a walk over nine innings.
Kelly needed 100 pitches to record 27 outs Friday, and while he didn't overpower hitters, he looked in control all game long. He had outstanding run support, as the Diamondbacks erupted for six runs in the first inning and never looked back. Kelly has won his last two starts, posting a 9:3 K:BB while allowing two runs across 16 innings in that stretch. Kelly will try to extend his run of good results in his next start, scheduled for next week at home against the Giants.
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Gordon Graceffo RP | STL
Cardinals' Gordon Graceffo: Earns win in relief Friday
Graceffo (3-1) earned the win in relief Friday against the Royals after tossing a scoreless 10th inning. He issued one walk.
Graceffo only tossed seven of his 14 pitches for strikes, and he walked the first batter he faced, but the righty emerged from the inning unscathed and ended up getting the win after the Cardinals won the game in the bottom of the 11th inning. Graceffo hasn't provided a lot of fantasy value out of the Cardinals' bullpen. He hasn't recorded a strikeout in his last five outings, a stretch in which he's issued three walks while allowing three earned runs and two homers across 5.1 frames.
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Tejay Antone RP | CIN
Reds' Tejay Antone: Logs save
Antone allowed one run on one hit over one inning, recording the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Guardians.
It was an unlikely save opportunity for Antone and the Reds, who upped a lead to 6-1 in the eighth inning before the bullpen fell apart. Graham Ashcraft and Brock Burke combined to give up four runs on five walks and one hit in the bottom of the eighth to make this contest a closer-than-it-should-have-been affair. Cincinnati's closer has been unsettled since Emilio Pagan (hamstring) landed on the injured list, and Antone could be one of several arms trotted out in the ninth inning.
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Steven Cruz RP | KC
Royals' Steven Cruz: Tagged with loss in extras
Cruz (0-1) was tagged with the loss Friday against the Cardinals after allowing an unearned run on one hit and one walk across two-thirds of an inning.
Cruz entered Friday's game to pitch the 11th inning in a 4-4 tie, but he allowed a two-out RBI single to Yohel Pozo, scoring Nathan Church. Cruz has made four appearances since returning to the big-league roster May 8, posting a 6:3 K:BB across 3.2 innings. This unearned run was the lone run he's given up in that span.
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Lucas Erceg RP | KC
Royals' Lucas Erceg: Blown save Friday
Erceg allowed an unearned run on two hits in an inning of work Friday against the Cardinals, striking out two. He was charged with a blown save.
Erceg entered the game in the 10th inning with the Royals holding a one-run lead, but he allowed an RBI single to Alec Burleson that scored Thomas Saggese. This was Erceg's third blown save of the season, and he's now allowed runs in his last two outings. Erceg has gone 10-for-13 in save chances this season while posting a 3.44 ERA and 17:12 K:BB across 19 outings (18.1 innings).
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Bryan King RP | HOU
Astros' Bryan King: Earns fourth save of season
King recorded his fourth save of the season Friday against the Rangers after tossing 1.2 scoreless innings, striking out one.
King recorded the final five outs of the game while tossing 11 of his 17 pitches for strikes. This was a strong bounce-back effort for King, who blew his previous save chance Wednesday against the Mariners and was coming off three straight outings in which he had allowed baserunners. King has a 3.26 ERA in 16 appearances (19.1 innings) this season while going 4-for-6 in save chances thus far in 2026. King should remain as the go-to option for saves in Houston as long as Josh Hader (biceps) remains sidelined. Hader is eligible to return from the 60-day IL on May 24, so King's tenure as the Astros' closer might not last long.
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Ildemaro Vargas 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Ildemaro Vargas: Four hits in win
Vargas went 4-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored in Friday's 9-1 win over the Rockies.
Vargas got the rout started with a run-scoring single in the first inning and logged hits in his first four plate appearances. It was his third consecutive game with two RBI, giving him 30 over his first 36 games. That's one shy of the career-high 31 he had across 86 games for the Nationals in 2023. It's been an unprecedented year for the utility infielder, who entered 2026 batting .249 and averaging 16 RBI across nine MLB seasons. Just when it looked like he was regressing, he's responded by going 7-for-14 with six RBI over the last three contests.
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Pavin Smith 1B | ARI
Diamondbacks' Pavin Smith: Ramping up activity
Smith (elbow ) has begun a throwing program, MLB.com reports.
Smith, who began taking dry swings earlier this month, has added another baseball activity in his recovery from elbow surgery. He underwent a procedure to remove loose bodies April 16. The Diamondbacks have not yet offered an estimated timetable for Smith's return. He's currently on the 60-day injured list and eligible to return May 29.
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Carson Kelly C | CHC
Cubs' Carson Kelly: Plates four in Friday's win
Kelly went 3-for-5 with a double and four RBI during Friday's 10-5 win over the White Sox.
Kelly gave the Cubs a 2-1 lead with an RBI single in the fourth inning, and his second hit in the seventh plated another run to break a 4-4 tie. He completed the hat trick with a ground-rule double in the eighth that scored Alex Bregman and Seiya Suzuki, concluding a 10-run outburst from the Cubs' offense. Kelly is now batting .281 since the beginning of May, but his .636 OPS in that span and inconsistent playing time both work to limit his fantasy appeal.
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Sean Burke SP | CHW
White Sox's Sean Burke: Escapes with no-decision
Burke didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 10-5 loss to the Cubs, allowing four earned runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out five batters across 4.1 innings.
Burke put the Sox in an early hole by allowing consecutive singles to Alex Bregman and Ian Happ to give the Cubs a 1-0 lead in the first inning. Burke bounced back and kept the North Siders off the scoreboard for the next two frames, but he allowed a combined seven batters to reach base during the fourth and fifth, inflating the Cubs' lead to 4-1 at the time of the 26-year-old's removal. The Pale Hose tied the game at four apiece in the sixth inning, taking Burke off the hook for the loss, but that does little to help the fact that he's given up 10 earned runs in 8.2 innings over his last two starts. He'll have a chance to redeem himself next week when he takes the mound in Seattle to face a Mariners offense that ranks in the bottom third of MLB with a .232 batting average.