Boston Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts hit his 21st home run of the season Monday night, going deep off Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald in the eighth inning of a 5-4 loss. Bogaerts went 2-for-4 in the game, adding a double in addition to the solo shot. Bogaerts now has two multi-hit games out of four since returning from the COVID list, though this is his first homer since going deep in back-to-back games on August 18 and 20. He's primed for a big finish to another strong year for fantasy managers.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald was unable to close the door against the division-leading Houston Astros Tuesday, picking up his fourth blown save of the season in a 5-4 10-inning loss. Sewald gave up two runs on a hit and a walk while striking out two batters in one inning of work. The cracks are showing for Sewald over his past 15 games, as he's posted a 4.02 ERA in 15 2/3 innings, though his strikeout totals remain very strong, with 26 in that time. He's in no danger of losing the job, so fantasy managers have little choice but to keep running him out there.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald locked down a four-out save against the Houston Astros Wednesday, striking out three batters and allowing two hits. He now has eight saves for the year to go with a 2.45 ERA, 0.94 WHIP, and 79 strikeouts in 47 2/3 innings. Manager Scott Servais called him the team's MVP, and fantasy managers surely feel the same way, as he's gone from waiver wire add to top-10 reliever. There's no reason to think he'll slow down the rest of the way.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald entered in the eighth inning Sunday, and he picked up his 11th hold of the season, though he allowed one run on three hits in his inning of work. He struck out one batter. Sewald is the top relief option for the Mariners, but that doesn't mean manager Scott Servais will hold him for save opportunities exclusively. Sewald will enter for the highest leverage outs, which may limit his fantasy value and leave some save chances for Drew Steckenrider.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald saved his seventh game of the season Monday, throwing a scoreless ninth inning against the Oakland Athletics. He struck out one and did not allow a baserunner. With fellow reliever Diego Castillo on the injured list, Sewald now has minimal competition at the back end of the Seattle bullpen. Drew Steckenrider will get the occasional save opportunity, but Sewald appears to be the top dog with his 2.51 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts in 43 innings. He should be rostered in all leagues.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald got the call in the bottom of the 11th inning Thursday, and he came through with a save against the Texas Rangers to close out a 9-8 victory. Sewald allowed one hit in an inning of work, which let one unearned run score. He struck out one batter. Sewald has staked his claim to the closer role, and his grip only got tighter as Diego Castillo could not close the door in the ninth inning. Sewald has now pitched three days in a row, so fantasy managers in daily leagues can expect him to get a day or two off.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald pitched for the first time since returning from the paternity list Tuesday, entering for the ninth inning with a 3-1 lead over the Texas Rangers. He successfully shut down the opposition, allowing one hit and striking out one batter on his way to earning his fifth save of the year. There had been some question as to whether Sewald or Diego Castillo would be the closer going forward, but with Castillo pitching the eighth in this one, the job seems to be Sewald's to lose. With 65 strikeouts in 39 innings, he has all the makings of a dominant fantasy closer the rest of the way.

Seattle Mariners reliever Paul Sewald has been placed on the paternity list prior to Thursday's game against the Texas Rangers. Sewald will now have to miss at least one game and can't miss more than three. Sewald has had a career year out of the Mariners bullpen, posting a 2.84 ERA, 42.1 K%, and 7.9 BB% across 38 IP. He's also added four saves and nine holds. Sewald's a good option in deep leagues that count holds, as he's a late-inning, high leverage pitcher who may also receive a few more save opportunities this season.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald continued his breakout season against the New York Yankees Sunday, getting five outs in relief, four of which came via the strikeout. He didn't allow a baserunner. Sewald now has seven wins in relief this year, which has greatly increased his value, though most of his contributions come from his excellent strikeout rate of 63 in 37 innings. Despite not being the primary closer, sitting behind Diego Castillo in the pecking order, Sewald has a chance to be the most valuable bullpen option in Seattle for fantasy purposes going forward.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald continued his excellent year Tuesday night, coming on in the eighth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays and striking out two batters in a clean inning to lock up his ninth hold. Sewald appeared to have a claim on the closer's role very briefly this weekend, after Kendall Graveman was traded to the Astros, but his usage since the acquisition of Diego Castillo seems to suggest he'll remain the primary set-up man. He still holds some fantasy value due to his astronomical 58 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings, especially in leagues that value holds.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Paul Sewald seemed momentarily like he might slot into the closer job after the Houston Astros acquired Kendall Graveman days before the trade deadline, but Seattle went on to add Diego Castillo from the Rays, pushing Sewald back into a setup role. He fulfilled that role Friday, striking out two Texas Rangers in a scoreless outing. He now has eight holds on the year, and though he won't see an uptick in saves, he's still an excellent value for strikeouts.

BOSTON (AP) — Alex Verdugo hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning and the AL East-leading Boston Red Sox rallied late for the second straight game, beating Toronto 5-4 on Monday night in the opener of an important series for the Blue Jays. Boston star Rafael Devers added a solo homer on the four-year anniversary of his first major-league shot. Bo Bichette hit a two-run homer for fourth-place Toronto, which fell to 10½ games behind in the East. Adam Ottavino (3-3) worked a scoreless inning for the win. Matt Barnes got the final three outs for his 22nd save. Toronto starter Thomas Hatch made just his second big-league start after being sidelined with a shoulder impingement since spring training. The 26-year-old right-hander gave up three runs on seven hits in 3 2/3 innings. Trevor Richards (1-1) took the loss. ANGELS 6, ROCKIES 2 ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Shohei Ohtani pitched seven strong innings and hit an early RBI single as Los Angeles beat Colorado. Ohtani (5-1) gave up one run and five... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Eduardo Rodriguez shut down the short-handed Yankees into the sixth inning, Christian Arroyo and J.D. Martinez homered and the Boston Red Sox beat their rivals 4-0 on Friday night with New York missing slugger Aaron Judge and five others due to a coronavirus outbreak. A day after the series opener was postponed for testing and contact tracing, Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela and catcher Kyle Higashioka were added to the COVID-19 injured list. They joined Yankees pitchers Jonathan Loaisiga, Nestor Cortes Jr. and Wandy Peralta, who have also tested positive over the past week. New York was also without first baseman Luke Voit, who went on the injured list Friday with a bone bruise in his left knee. Rodriguez (7-5) allowed two hits over 5 2/3 innings, retiring 10 straight during one stretch and finishing with eight strikeouts. Hirokazu Sawamura got the final out of the sixth, and Tanner Houck pitched the final three innings, closing out Boston’s three-hitter for his first... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr. will have season-ending surgery to repair a completely torn ACL in his right knee after he was injured during Atlanta’s 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins on Saturday. An MRI showed the severity of the injury and the Braves made the announcement shortly before midnight that their three-time All-Star will be out until at least next year. Acuña landed awkwardly on his right leg after jumping on the warning track in right field to try to catch a drive from Jazz Chisholm Jr. in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old slammed into the outfield wall and crumbled on the warning track, immediately grabbing his right knee while Chisholm sprinted out an inside-the-park homer. The 23-year-old Acuña did not put any weight on his right leg and had to be helped to a cart before being taken from the field. Freddie Freeman had a two-run homer and an RBI single, while Dansby Swanson and Austin Riley ripped doubles as the first three Braves reached base off All-Star pitcher... [More]

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Rookie reliever Daniel Camarena hit a stunning grand slam off Washington ace Max Scherzer and the San Diego Padres overcame an eight-run deficit, finally beating the Nationals 9-8 Thursday night on Trent Grisham’s RBI single in the ninth inning. The Padres matched the biggest comeback in franchise history, helped by Fernando Tatis’ 28th home run and Grisham’s two-out hit. But it was Camarena’s blow that really jolted the crowd at Petco Park. Camarena, who went to San Diego’s Cathedral Catholic High, was called up earlier in the day for his second stint with the Padres. He replaced Yu Darvish starting the fourth inning and allowed Trea Turner’s second homer of the game, a two-run drive that gave the Nationals an 8-0 lead. With the Padres’ bullpen taxed in recent days, manager Jayce Tingler had Camarena bat for himself against the struggling Scherzer with the bases loaded and two outs in the fourth. The left-hander drove a 1-2 fastball into the right-field stands to send... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Julio Urías allowed Jazz Chisholm’s leadoff homer, then pitched shutout ball through the seventh inning for his major league-leading 11th win, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 6-1 Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep. Urías (11-3) gave up just four more hits, struck out nine and walked two. Chris Taylor’s RBI single tied the score in the fourth. Matt Beaty singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth, chasing Sandy Alcantara (5-8_, and Will Smith hit a sacrifice fly off David Hess. Miami announced Don Mattingly will return for a seventh season in 2022. PHILLIES 8, CUBS 0 CHICAGO (AP) — Brad Miller hit three home runs in a game for the first time in his career and Philadelphia routed the sinking Cubs. Miller hit a solo drive in the third inning and added two-run homers in the fifth and seventh innings. With a chance at joining the other 18 players who have hit a record four home runs in a game, Miller popped up in the ninth. Zach Eflin (4-6) tossed six crisp innings... [More]

MIAMI (AP) — Julio Urías allowed Jazz Chisholm’s leadoff homer, then pitched shutout ball through the seventh inning for his major league-leading 11th win, and the Los Angeles Dodgers beat the Miami Marlins 6-1 Thursday to avoid a four-game sweep. Urías (11-3) gave up just four more hits, struck out nine and walked two. Chris Taylor’s RBI single tied the score in the fourth. Matt Beaty singled in the go-ahead run in the fifth, chasing Sandy Alcantara (5-8_, and Will Smith hit a sacrifice fly off David Hess. Miami announced Don Mattingly will return for a seventh season in 2022. MARINERS 4, YANKEES 0 SEATTLE (AP) — Rookie Logan Gilbert (3-2) pitched one-hit ball over seven innings, struck out a career-high eight and retired his final 18 batters. Kyle Seager and Dylan Moore homered off Jordan Montgomery (3-4) as Seattle salvaged the final game of the three-game set. Paul Sewald struck out a pair in the eighth and Kendall Graveman finished. New York was held to one hit for the first time since... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Zack Collins hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox scored at least seven runs for the fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Thursday for a four-game sweep. Chicago got four runs off Minnesota’s bullpen after the Twins erased a 3-0 deficit. The AL Central-leading White Sox won their fourth straight after losing seven of nine. Collins broke a 4-4 tie when he hit a fastball from Jorge Alcala (1-3) into the left-center field bleachers. Jose Abreu drove in another run in the sixth, and Danny Mednick and Collins drove in two more in the seventh. Michael Kopech (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth and Garrett Crochet struck out Miguel Sano to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. BRAVES 4, METS 3 ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman singled home the winning run with a low line drive that deflected off reliever Seth Lugo in the ninth inning, Atlanta beat New York. Dominic Smith homered twice for the Mets, including a tying solo shot off... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Zack Collins hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox scored at least seven runs for the fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Thursday for a four-game sweep. Chicago got four runs off Minnesota’s bullpen after the Twins erased a 3-0 deficit. The AL Central-leading White Sox won their fourth straight after losing seven of nine. Collins broke a 4-4 tie when he hit a fastball from Jorge Alcala (1-3) into the left-center field bleachers. Jose Abreu drove in another run in the sixth, and Danny Mednick and Collins drove in two more in the seventh. Michael Kopech (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth and Garrett Crochet struck out Miguel Sano to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. BRAVES 4, METS 3 ATLANTA (AP) — Freddie Freeman singled home the winning run with a low line drive that deflected off reliever Seth Lugo in the ninth inning, Atlanta beat New York. Dominic Smith homered twice for the Mets, including a tying solo shot off... [More]

CHICAGO (AP) — Zack Collins hit a tiebreaking homer in the sixth inning and the Chicago White Sox scored at least seven runs for the fourth straight game, beating the Minnesota Twins 8-5 on Thursday for a four-game sweep. Chicago got four runs off Minnesota’s bullpen after the Twins erased a 3-0 deficit. The AL Central-leading White Sox won their fourth straight after losing seven of nine. Collins broke a 4-4 tie when he hit a fastball from Jorge Alcala (1-3) into the left-center field bleachers. Jose Abreu drove in another run in the sixth, and Danny Mednick and Collins drove in two more in the seventh. Michael Kopech (3-0) pitched a scoreless sixth and Garrett Crochet struck out Miguel Sano to escape a bases-loaded jam in the seventh. ASTROS 7, INDIANS 2 CLEVELAND (AP) — José Altuve hit a grand slam to briefly quiet constant booing by Cleveland fans, Yordan Álvarez and Michael Brantley homered, and Houston snapped a four-game losing streak. Jeered from the moment he stepped into the batter’s... [More]