Hard-throwing rookie Enrique Burgos got his first career save on Monday for the Diamondbacks, closing the door on the Marlins in the 13th inning. On Tuesday, Burgos notched a more traditional save, whiffing two Marlins while allowing a hit and a walk in the ninth. Monday's outing could have been a fluke, and Tuesday's might have had something to do with Brad Ziegler being unavailable, but two saves in a row require our attention.
The Arizona Republic reported that manager Chip Hale "stopped short of giving the job to Burgos" after Tuesday's game, but added that there was "no missing how pleased Hale was." Burgos has been a closer in the minors, and his bat-missing stuff seems a natural for the role. All good, right?
Sort of. Burgos has struck out 19 batters in 11 2/3 innings this season, but walked eight. His minor-league track record is littered with control issues, and managers hate that. The Diamondbacks don't seem to have a great alternative, and because Burgos seems to be the man for now, I picked him up in two leagues this morning. You should grab him if you need saves, but don't be shocked if his tenure as the D-backs' closer is short-lived.
In other news ...
Yankees OF Jacoby Ellsbury has been placed on the DL with a sprained right knee. The Yanks called up Slade Heathcott to take Ellsbury's roster spot, but look for Chris Young and maybe Garrett Jones to get more playing time while Ellsbury is out.
Also placed on the DL Tuesday: Jayson Werth (wrist), Corey Dickerson (plantar fasciitis), Victor Martinez (knee). You knew all those were possible.
Brewers OF Ryan Braun hit his ninth home run on Tuesday after hitting 19 all of last season. His OPS is .808 compared to last year's .777, and the numbers say he's hitting the ball harder. He's not the old Braun, but probably a better version than we've seen in a couple of years.
The Mariners acquired Welington Castillo from the Cubs to back up Mike Zunino. Do they know how bad of a hitter Zunino is?
A's OF Coco Crisp is day-to-day with neck tightness, which is an issue that troubled him last season.
Phillies rookie 3B Maikel Franco had three more hits and three RBI on Tuesday. So far, so good.
Royals closer Greg Holland wasn't available Tuesday because of a stiff neck, but it's probably nothing to worry about.
Dodgers SP Hyun-Jin Ryu might need shoulder surgery, which could end his season.
Reds C Devin Mesoraco (hip) went through some catching drills on Tuesday for the first time since early April. At this rate, he'll be back behind the plate by November.
In Red Sox news, 3B Pablo Sandoval (knee) is day to day, while OF Rusney Castillo could be called up any day now.
Soft-tossing lefty Tsuyoshi Wada joins the Cubs' rotation tonight in San Diego. I'd like to call my shot on a Justin Upton home run.
Blue Jays SS Jose Reyes (rib) is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment on Thursday, and could get activated over the weekend.
Tuesday streaming starter Jon Niese got pummeled by the Cardinals, but we're going to shake it off. Today's pick is Arizona's Chase Anderson (owned in 6.9 percent of FOXSports.com leagues) at Miami. The Marlins have struggled against RHP, and Anderson has been solid so far.
DFS advice (salaries from DraftKings, A's-Astros not included): With no aces on today's slate, my SPs will probably be Jordan Zimmermann ($8,900) against the Ellsbury-less Yankees, and Jake Odorizzi ($8,500) at Atlanta, despite the Braves' high contact rate. Chase Anderson ($6,100) is an interesting option, though ... Lefty masher Derek Norris ($3,600) is an obvious play against Wada ... 1B Adam Lind ($4,400) comes at a reasonable price against Shane Greene ... Mariners 2B Rickie Weeks ($3,400) can be a money saver vs. Wei-Yin Chen ... Paying $4,500 for Nolan Arenado against a no-name Phillie seems like a good idea ... If you're going to pay for someone, it's Bryce Harper ($5,700) against Adam Warren ... Ryan Raburn ($3,100) is always a good idea vs. a LHP.
See you back here tomorrow morning.
