MLB

Whit Merrifield will replace Clemens at second base against right-hander Lance Lynn and the Cardinals. Clemens should be considered day-to-day and is likely to return to the Phillies’ starting lineup early next week.

Velázquez didn’t start the game, but he was brought on to face left-hander Yuki Matsui in the ninth inning and drilled a 109 mph triple off the center field wall to tie the game. It was a ball that could have left the yard in 18 of 30 MLB stadiums and continued Velázquez’s trend of only getting hits in big situations. In his last 11 games, Velázquez has gone 8-for-43 but five of those hits have been home runs and two others have driven in runs. The slugger is hitting just .219 on the season, which will dampen his fantasy value, but the power is for real.

Fletcher told the coaching staff that he’d have trouble throwing the ball, which is why the decision was made to pull him. White Sox’ skipper Pedro Grifol told reporters after the game that Fletcher will be re-evaluated on Monday. For now, he should be considered day-to-day.

Tatis Jr. gave the Padres a 2-1 lead in the 8th inning with a run-scoring single that should have been enough to close this one out. It was his 31st RBI of the season and while the 25-year-old hasn’t truly exploded at any point this year, he could easily finish the season with 30 home runs and 20 steals, which is impressive work. If he can keep his batting average around .270, he should still put up fringe first-round value even though he hasn’t stood out as an elite fantasy player at any stretch this season.

It’s still unclear exactly what happened here, but with two outs in the fifth inning Snell received a visit from manager Bob Melvin, the pitching coach and the training staff — after which the decision was made to pull him from the game. To add insult to injury, Erik Miller came on and allowed a two-run single that plated a pair of Snell’s runners. Ultimately, he was charged with three runs on five hits and three walks over his 4 2/3 innings of work while striking out seven batters. Expect the Giants to provide an update on his status shortly.

King was all set to record the win with the Padres up 3-1 heading into the bottom of the ninth inning. However, with their bullpen being taxed heavily over the last few days, the Padres had to go with Yuki Matsui to close the game, and he allowed three runs while only recording one out. King was only able to induce eight whiffs on 48 swings for a 17 percent whiff rate and 24 percent CSW, but he allowed an average exit velocity on all batted balls of just 84 mph. Despite some poor starts, he has been a solid fantasy starter for much of the year and makes for a fine play against the Diamondbacks next week.

The 36-year-old hurler is expected to throw a bullpen session during the team’s next homestand with an eye on potentially rejoining the Giants’ rotation at some point in July. He’s already had plenty of setbacks this season, but Cobb seems cautiously optimistic that he’s on the road to recovery this time.

The left-hander struck out six and walked two on the day while recording 14 whiffs on 46 swings for a 30 percent whiff rate and 27 percent CSW. He had some issues finding the strike zone with his off-speed pitches, but the induced whiffs outside of the zone and the Padres were unable to square him up. He now has a 3.21 ERA on the season and is a must-start every week, including next week against the Mariners.

Díaz walked one and struck out on and was never really in any jeopardy. Of course, it’s been a struggle for him this season, and the command issues are a big reason why. He now has a 5.64 ERA on the season but has a decent amount of job security with nobody to really threaten him in the bullpen.

Hoerner has been slowly increasing his batting average in recent weeks and is up to .262/.351/.366 on the season; however, he didn’t attempt a stolen base today and has just six on the season. After stealing 43 bases last year, it’s discouraging to see Hoerner not running as often. It could partially be a hamstring issue he’s been dealing with or a new philosophy under manager Craig Counsell, but since Hoerner doesn’t have much power, his fantasy value will take a big hit if he’s only a 25-stolen-base hitter who will hit .270-.280. If you need the steals, you should still keep Hoerner in your lineup, but if you’re OK on speed and somebody makes a compelling offer, he could be a player you’re OK parting with.