
San Francisco Giants closer Camilo Doval nearly blew the save in Friday's win on the road over the New York Mets, but he held on to record his ninth save of the year despite a one-run ninth inning. DJ Stewart first doubled to get the tying run to the plate in the ninth, scoring on a Francisco Lindor single. Doval may have been the one to ultimately seal the deal on Friday, but it was Matt Chapman's stunning bare-handed throw to first base to retire Mark Vientos for the final out that completed the adventure. The flame-throwing 26-year-old right-hander features a 3.05 ERA with 27 punchouts through 20 2/3 innings as San Fran's stopper this year, but his 1.50 WHIP is a cause for some concern. Despite the shaky outing, Doval should still be viewed as one of fantasy's preeminent closers going forward.

Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Bailey Falter produced a strong outing in Friday's victory over the visiting Atlanta Braves, striking out four and allowing three runs on six hits (one home run) and two walks over 7 1/3 innings for his third win of the season. This was Falter's third consecutive quality start, and this one should be viewed as all the more impressive when you consider Atlanta's buzz saw of a lineup. On the season as a whole, the 27-year-old right-hander owns a serviceable 3.55 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 33:14 K:BB over 58 1/3 frames (10 starts) as a pleasant surprise from Pittsburgh's rotation. Falter will carry a decent level of streaming appeal for fantasy purposes in his next scheduled start against a disappointing Toronto Blue Jays next Friday at the Rogers Centre.

Minnesota Twins closer Jhoan Duran got back on track in Friday's win over the visiting Texas Rangers, earning his fifth save of the year with one strikeout in the ninth inning. Travis Jankowski walked to get the tying run aboard, but Duran got Marcus Semien to ground out to secure the Twins' 3-2 win. Duran needed a bounce-back effort in the worst way after giving up five runs over his past three appearances, and while the 26-year-old fire-balling right-hander's 4.02 ERA through 10 2/3 innings overall out of Minnesota's bullpen in 2024 leaves a lot to be desired, his 1.03 WHIP is more encouraging. Duran has converted each of his five save opportunities for the Twins as well, and he's starting to get more ninth-inning work following a delayed start to the season.


Miami Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett turned in an excellent performance in a 3-0 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks. Garrett threw a complete-game shutout, striking out six, walking none, and allowing just four hits in the win. The veteran lefty appears to be rounding into form after he opened the season on the injured list with a left shoulder impingement. He has now made three starts for Miami this season, with his best effort coming in Friday's shutout win over Arizona. Garrett now has a 1-0 record, 5.30 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 19 strikeouts over 18 2/3 innings of work. Fantasy gamers will want to check waivers to see if Garrett is available now that he's shown he's over his early-season injury.

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. turned in a productive performance in an 11-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday. Acuna went 2-for-4 with a three-run homer in the loss. The veteran's blast came in the eighth inning, traveling 397 feet with an exit velocity of 103.6 MPH. Off to a slow start this season, by his lofty standards, Acuna is now hitting .247 with four homers, 38 runs, 15 RBI, and 15 steals across 186 at-bats. With that being his first homer in over a week, Acuna will look to stay hot moving forward.
