Philadelphia Phillies DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Los Angeles Angels closer Carlos Estevez nailed down the win for the Halos, retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth inning of Saturday's 2-1 win over the Red Sox. Estevez threw 15 pitches, 10 of them for strikes, and didn't allow a hit or a walk while striking out one batter on his way to a third save. The 31-year-old has been good thus far in his three appearances, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out one. Estevez saved 31 games for the Angels last season, striking out 79 batters in 62 1/3 IP on his way to his first All-Star selection. He's rostered in just 71% of Yahoo leagues, so managers in need of saves should pick him up immediately.

Philadephia Phillies left-hander Jose Alvarado allowed one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Washington Nationals. Alvarado needed 28 pitches to get through Washington's order to collect his second save of the season. After surrendering five runs on Opening Day, Alvarado has not allowed a run in his last four appearances. The 28-year-old owns a 9.64 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, and six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings in 2024. Alvarado has been the favorite to handle ninth-inning duties for the Phillies, and fantasy managers should continue to roll with him in all leagues.

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Orion Kerkering has had a couple of successful minor league outings, and if everything goes to plan, the 23-year-old will pitch Tuesday and Thursday next week before rejoining the Phillies over the weekend. Kerkering was generating some preseason buzz after his performance in the minors and at the big league level in 2023, but an illness and a forearm strain threw cold water on it. He's expected to serve in middle relief upon his return, but Jose Alvarado has not looked sharp as the closer and Kerkering could be in the mix should Alvarado continue to falter. Kerkering has big-time strikeout stuff, so if he were to take over as closer he could help out fantasy managers tremendously. He's certainly worthy of the watch list, but also could be a speculative add in deeper leagues.

Philadelphia Phillies right-hander Aaron Nola will be looking to bounce back in his second start of the season Friday versus the Washington Nationals. The veteran was shelled for seven earned runs on a whopping 12 hits, including two homers, with one walk against just three strikeouts across 4 1/3 innings in his season debut against the Braves on March 30. Of course, a matchup with the high-octane Braves is a tough one to begin the season as Nola sees a far better matchup on Friday. He'll take on a Nationals team that ranked 21st with a .309 wOBA last season but their 18.9% K% was the second-lowest in all of baseball. At the same time, the Nats have struck out in an elevated 24.3% of their plate appearances on the young 2024 season.

Baltimore Orioles outfielder Austin Hays is taking the day off on Friday with the team facing the Pittsburgh Pirates. Hays has gone 2-for-18 on the year with six strikeouts in 21 plate appearances over his first five games and has gone hitless in his last 10 at-bats, so it's probably a good time for him to take a mental break. Meanwhile, rookie Colton Cowser has four hits in his first eight plate appearances this year, including two doubles and an RBI, and he will make another start in left field and will bat eighth on Friday against Pirates rookie right-hander Jared Jones. Cowser, 24, has above-average power and speed and is an interesting stash candidate in deep-mixed leagues, especially if Hays continues to struggle offensively.UPDATE: Hays is out sick on Friday.