Closing Time: Nola still dealing, Hazelbaker won't stop hitting

Aaron Nola has not earned a win in either of his two starts for the Phillies this season, but the 22-year-old is piling up Ks — nine in seven innings on Monday, eight in a no-decision against the Reds last week. Nola's next walk will be his first of 2016. He gets late movement on the fastball and his curve looks like a put-away pitch. It's tough not to be impressed. Watch Monday's highlights here.

We have to expect Nola to remain win-challenged all year — he's tied to the Philadelphia bullpen, after all — but that certainly doesn't mean he can't help the fantasy community. He was an early first-rounder out of LSU just two years ago, the National Pitcher of the Year in 2014, and he delivered solid numbers in the high minors last season (1.05 WHIP, 5.11 K/BB) before finishing with the Phils.

I've got zero shares of Nola in my fantasy portfolio, and that's becoming a significant regret. He's still available in 43 percent of Yahoo leagues, so plenty of you can still invest. This will serve as last call.

• Cincinnati left-hander Brandon Finnegan took a no-hitter into the seventh against the Cubs on Monday, which is no simple feat against a loaded lineup. But Finnegan was pulled not long after surrendering a single to David Ross, and the Reds' bullpen was then roughed up, ultimately losing the lead and the game. Jumbo Diaz put a 95-mph fastball on a tee for Addison Russell, and that was that. Still, Finnegan's work was notable. He struck out five Chicago batters over 6.2 innings, though he also issued five walks. Finnegan was throwing 93-94 mph before losing a tick or two in his final inning (at least according to the in-stadium radar). It appears Finnegan will face the Cards and Cubs in his next two starts, so he isn't necessarily the best short-term streaming option.

• Nomar Mazara went 2-for-4 against Hisashi Iwakuma and the M's on Monday, so he hasn't experienced much adversity in the big leagues to this point. He went 3-for-4 in his MLB debut on Sunday (and 3-for-5 for Round Rock on Saturday). The kid can rake. We've had this discussion already, on call-up day. Add as needed. Mazara will get an extended audition with the Rangers, because Shin-Soo Choo is expected to be sidelined for 4-6 weeks.

• If you're a fantasy owner searching for outfield assistance (and/or speed), you'll note that Leonys Martin went 2-for-3 for Seattle on Monday, raising his season slash to .364/.417/.591. He's been hitting at the bottom of the order for the Mariners, but obviously that's less of a worry in the A.L. Martin has a pair of 30-steal seasons on his resume, so we know he can run.

• It can be reasonably argued that Adonis Garcia is not the ideal clean-up hitter for a major league team. But he is, however, the guy batting fourth for the Braves right now, so fantasy owners in deep leagues should be moderately interested. Garcia went 2-for-4 and scored a run against Max Scherzer & Co., lifting his average to .316. If he continues to hold down his spot in Atlanta's lousy batting order, he'll produce a useful enough RBI total.

•

Another day, another multi-hit performance from Houston first baseman Tyler White. He's now 12-for-22 on the season with six extra-base hits, two walks and four Ks. White has been a career .311/.422/.489 hitter in the minors, so it's no great surprise to see him producing in the bigs. As we've mentioned before, he should be owned in any league that uses OBP as a category.

• Over the course of Jeremy Hazelbaker's seven-year minor league journey, he was a .264 hitter with modest power and very good wheels. Nice player, but flawed. At 28, way too old to be considered a prospect. Nothing to see here, right?

Naturally, now that Hazelbaker is getting a shot in St. Louis, HE CANNOT STOP HITTING.

[Expletive] Cardinals, man. Hazelbaker went 4-for-4 on Monday, hitting in the No. 2 slot, finishing a homer short of the cycle. Of course he did. We're seven games into his season and he's now 10-for-19 with five extra-base hits, two homers and two steals. He certainly has the tools to succeed, and he's playing for a team that produces success stories like this every season, like it's no big thing. Doubt him at your own peril. And if you want a deeper dive on Hazelbaker, click here.

• We leave you today with the sublime athletic poetry of Fernando Rodney, on the occasion of his first save for San Diego. He is, without question, the most dangerous source for saves in the fantasy player pool. When he converts, it's glorious.