MLB Player News

Barria (2-5) worked out of the bullpen and was charged with a blown save and a loss Sunday against Houston after allowing four runs on three hits and one walk over one inning.

Prior to the All-Star break, Barria had serving as the Angels' No. 6 starter, but he's now been deployed out of the bullpen in his first two appearances of the season half. He was tasked with protecting a 7-5 lead in the top of the ninth Sunday and couldn't close the deal, yielding back-to-back home runs to Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker en route to surrendering four runs in total. With off days coming up Thursday as well as the following Monday, the Angels may opt to get by with a five-man rotation for the time being.

Stephan (4-4) took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs on three hits and two walks over one-third of an inning versus the Rangers.

Stephan was responsible for the entirety of the Rangers' eighth-inning rally before Sam Hentges prevented it from getting worse. It's just the fourth time Stephan's allowed multiple runs in an outing this season, but three of those instances have come since the start of June. He's now at a 3.43 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 41:15 K:BB through 39.1 innings while collecting two saves, 14 holds and six blown saves through 42 appearances. Stephan's allowed too many baserunners all season, and it may be catching up to him in the second half.

Maton picked up the save in Sunday's win over the Angels. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one in one inning.

Houston mounted a late comeback, and Maton was able to escape with the save after coughing up a solo homer to Shohei Ohtani. It was Maton's first save chance of the year. He's sporting a 2.51 ERA with a 51:14 K:BB and six holds through 46.2 frames.

Smith allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Guardians.

Smith has lost the full-time closer job, but he remains in the ninth-inning mix while sharing duties with Aroldis Chapman. The Rangers didn't take the lead until the eighth inning Sunday, so this was a bit of a surprise save chance. Smith has converted 16 of 18 save opportunities with a 2.83 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 38:8 K:BB through 35 innings. With the Rangers among the top teams in the American League, Smith should continue to see plenty of save chances, though he's also likely to pick up some more holds along the way.

Duran allowed one hit in a scoreless inning while earning a save over Oakland on Sunday.

Duran gave up a one-out double but was able to work around the small threat to close out the 5-4 game. He'll likely be unavailable Monday against Seattle after throwing an inning in each of the last three games against the Athletics. He's now sporting a 2.17 ERA and a 47:15 K:BB through 37.1 frames.

Sewald allowed one hit in a scoreless inning Sunday, striking out three and earning a save over the Tigers.

Sewald made his first appearance of the second half and easily finished off the 2-0 win. He worked around a one-out single and recorded three strikeouts to pick up his 18th save of the year. Sewald lowered his season ERA to 3.13 with a strong 54:12 K:BB through 37.1 innings.

Devenski will be placed on the injured list Monday due to a hamstring injury, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Devenski hasn't performed particularly well in July, as he's allowed nine runs in 4.2 innings over his last five appearances. It's possible his injury factored into some of his struggles, and he'll have some time to recover over the next few weeks. It's not yet clear whether he'll be forced to spend more than the minimum amount of time on the IL.

Alcala (forearm) has started throwing and is expected to pitch again this season, John Shipley of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Alcala was diagnosed with a stress fracture in his right forearm in the middle of May, and it wasn't clear if he would be able to return this season. He struggled with a 6.46 ERA and 1.37 WHIP through 15.1 innings before the injury.

Thielbar (oblique) threw a 30-pitch bullpen session in St. Paul without any issues July 16, MLB.com reports.

He'll next throw another bullpen session Saturday, and the Twins are expected to make plans for a rehab assignment soon thereafter. It looks like Thielbar may not return until August as a result.

Stewart (elbow) has been playing catch from up to 90 feet without issues and hopes to be back in "several weeks" after building up his throwing progression, MLB.com reports.

A report on July 7 said Steward would be ready soon after the All-Star break, but it sounds like he's still weeks away since he's throwing only long toss. Stewart went on the injured list June 27 with right elbow tendinitis.