

The Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez earned his third win with six strong innings on Saturday afternoon over the Boston Red Sox. Lopez had eight strikeouts and a walk while surrendering one run, one walk, and five hits. Lopez lowered his ERA from 4.83 to 4.30 with the solid outing. Lopez now has 45 strikeouts in 38 innings this season. Many fantasy players drafted Lopez as their staff ace this spring. Lopez is right at his career norms with a 29.4K% and 5.6 BB%, so we can expect Lopez to continue to provide worry-free innings in 2024.


Minnesota Twins right-hander Cole Sands earned his second save of the season on Saturday afternoon in a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Sands pitched a spotless ninth and added a strikeout in relief of usual closer Jhoan Duran, who was called upon to face the heart of the Red Sox order in the eighth inning. That left the save opportunity for Sands. With the usual setup men Brock Stewart and Justin Topa out with injuries, Sands could see himself in a higher leverage role in the short-term with lefty Caleb Thielbar and should earn holds and the occasional vulture save.


Chicago Cubs outfielder/infielder Christopher Morel launched his seventh homer in a 6-5 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. Morel hit the home run off Tobias Myers in the third inning. The third baseman is hitting .213 with the aforementioned seven home runs, 20 RBI, three stolen bases and 20 runs scored. Morel launched 26 round-trippers in 2023. Morel has been hitting in the cleanup spot for the Cubs. Continue to look for more pop in his bat, but be aware that could come with a batting average hit to your fantasy team.


Chicago Cubs relief pitcher Hector Neris earned his sixth save of the season in a 6-5 win against the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday afternoon. Neris gave up two hits and an earned run with a walk and a strikeout to notch the save in the ninth inning. Neris has taken over the closer role for the ineffective Adbert Alzolay. Despite some shaky peripherals, including a 20.8 walk rate and an xERA of 7.15, Neris continues to get the job done for the Cubs. He should remain in the role for the foreseeable future.


Seattle Mariners outfielder/first baseman/designated hitter Luke Raley will head to the bench on Saturday night with the Mariners facing Houston Astros' lefty Framber Valdez. The left-handed hitting Raley is hitting .224 with no home runs, three RBI, and four runs scored in 60 plate appearances. Sam Haggerty gets the start in left field. Raley and Haggerty appear to be in a left-field platoon at this time. Raley will look to be the starter when the Mariners face right-handed pitching.
