Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher Jordan Romano was called upon to protect a three-run lead versus the Minnesota Twins on Sunday. The 30-year-old needed only 16 pitches to eliminate the Twins hopes of a come back. He did allow a single in the inning, but also struck out three batters to earn his 12th save of the season. Romano holds a 3.00 ERA with a 27/6 K/BB over 21 innings of work this season. Romano remains one of the better closers in baseball and should be rostered in most formats.
Texas Rangers rookie left-hander Cody Bradford is set to serve as the team's opener on Tuesday on the road against the Los Angeles Angels. Bradford will be making his 19th appearance of his first MLB season on Tuesday, but just his eighth start. He was an opener his last time out, too, going three innings and allowing six earned runs on seven hits while walking none and striking out two against the Cleveland Guardians on Sept. 17. The 25-year-old southpaw has a great matchup against the out-of-contention Angels, but he's probably only going to go a handful of innings before a bulk reliever takes over for him, so he's not a recommended fantasy streamer for those playing for a championship in the final week of the season. Bradford has gone 4-2 with a 4.65 ERA (4.53 FIP), 1.19 WHIP and 46 strikeouts in 50 1/3 innings in his rookie campaign.
Los Angeles Angels rookie first baseman Nolan Schanuel (knee) was pulled from Monday's loss to the Texas Rangers in the seventh inning after fouling a ball off his knee earlier in the game. Manager Phil Nevin said he took Schanuel out because his knee was tightening up on him and Nevin said he noticed the rookie was limping a little bit. The Angels will re-evaluate him on Tuesday to see if he can play. Injury aside, the 21-year-old extended his on-base streak to 27 games to begin his major-league career, which is the fourth-longest streak to begin a career. Before leaving, Schanuel went 1-for-3 with a double and two strikeouts and is now hitting an impressive .284 with a .750 OPS, one home run and five RBI in his first 27 big-league games.
The Houston Astros didn't need him in their big win over the division-rival Seattle Mariners on Monday night, but manager Dusty Baker said before the game that outfielder Michael Brantley (shoulder) would be available off the bench. Brantley didn't make his 2023 debut until Aug. 29 due to a shoulder injury that required surgery late last year, and he's now dealing with more shoulder issues and hasn't played since Sept. 17. The 36-year-old has gone 11-for-42 (.262) with two home runs, six RBI and six runs scored in his 12 games played. It sounds like he's improving, but it remains to be seen how much he'll play in the final week of the regular season or if the Astros will even include him on their postseason roster once the playoffs begin in October.
Houston Astros starting pitcher Justin Verlander rose to the occasion in Monday's 5-1 win over the Mariners. The 40-year-old veteran pitched eight innings, allowing one run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts. Verlander is now 12-8 with a 3.32 ERA and 7.95 K/9 rate in 26 starts. He has not been quite as dominant this season as he has throughout his career, but he showed his grit in an important division matchup. Fantasy managers are currently slated to get one more start from Verlander at the Diamondbacks, but should pay attention to potential rotation shuffling as the week progresses.
San Diego Padres relief pitcher Robert Suarez blew his third save of the season and fell to 4-3 in Monday's 2-1 loss to the Giants. Suarez came in to pitch the bottom of the seventh inning up by one with two outs and a runner on first, ending the inning with a groundout. He stayed on to pitch the eighth inning but allowed two runs on two hits and two walks with no strikeouts. Josh Hader had been used heavily in the Padres' recent games, so Suarez was called upon to try to get the multi-inning save. The 32-year-old has a 4.21 ERA over 25 2/3 innings pitched and was never able to carve out enough of a role to really garner fantasy attention.
San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Logan Webb was excellent in Monday's 2-1 win over the Padres. Webb pitched a complete game, allowing a single run on nine hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. In a season where starting pitching was so volatile, the 26-year-old has been the definition of consistency. He is now 11-13 with a 3.25 ERA, 8.08 K/9 rate, and 1.29 BB/9 rate. He is currently slated for one more matchup against the Dodgers to end the season. While this is not a favorable matchup, fantasy managers should trust him to try to gain any final advantage they can get.
Texas Rangers catcher/designated hitter Mitch Garver had another nice day at the plate in Monday's 5-1 win over the Angels. Serving as DH, Garver went 3-for-3 with two singles, a solo home run, and a walk. The 32-year-old has been great offensively when healthy, slashing .281/.381/.525 with 19 HR and 50 RBI in 324 plate appearances. Hopefully, he can keep things going for the final week of the season as the Rangers push for the playoffs.
New York Yankees closer Clay Holmes picked up his 22nd save of the season in Monday's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks. Holmes entered the game to pitch the top of the ninth up by two and turned in a 1-2-3 inning with two strikeouts. While his role and performance have fluctuated at times throughout the season, Holmes has pitched well overall, converting all but three save opportunities with a 2.95 ERA and 10.18 K/9 rate. Hopefully, he will be able to help fantasy managers out a bit more in the final week of the season.
San Francisco Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford (hamstring) said Monday that he expects to play in Sunday's season finale at Oracle Park, per the San Francisco Chronicle. The 36-year-old veteran is currently on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain but wants to play in what could be the final game of his career. While this season was a forgettable one for Crawford overall, he has enjoyed a successful 13-season career with the Giants, winning two World Series titles, four Gold Gloves, and a Silver Slugger Award. He also provided several higher-end fantasy seasons offensively.
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Patrick Sandoval (oblique) exited Monday's game against the Rangers with right oblique tightness, per the team's Communications Department's Twitter account. Sandoval pitched three innings, allowing no runs on two hits and five walks with two strikeouts. The 26-year-old was not able to build on his 2022 success this season, posting a 4.11 ERA, 7.96 K/9 rate, and 4.60 BB/9 rate in 28 starts. He was slated for a favorable matchup against the Athletics later in the week, but fantasy managers should keep an eye out for further health updates.
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