MLB Player News
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Carlos Estevez RP | KC
Royals' Carlos Estevez: Secures 22nd save
Estevez gave up a run on one hit in the ninth inning Friday to record his 22nd save of the season in a 6-5 win over the Padres.
A Manny Machado solo shot to lead off the ninth made things nervous for the Royals, but Estevez shook it off and got infield pop-ups from the next three batters. The 32-year-old righty now leads the majors in saves, converting six of seven chances in June while posting a 3.24 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 5:4 K:BB over 8.1 innings.
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Erik Sabrowski P | CLE
Guardians' Erik Sabrowski: Throws on back-to-back days
Sabrowski (elbow) allowed one hit and one walk while striking out two over one scoreless inning for Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.
This marked the first time Sabrowski's thrown on back-to-back days during his rehab assignment. The left-hander is scheduled for another outing over the weekend, per MLB.com. The upcoming appearance will be his eighth overall.
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Paul Sewald RP | DET
Guardians' Paul Sewald: Throws live BP
Sewald (shoulder) threw 25 pitches in a live batting practice session Friday, MLB.com reports.
Sewald threw bullpen sessions before Friday's activity, which likely signals a rehab assignment in the offing. He's been out since late April and may require a multiple outings before being activated.
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Bennett Sousa RP | HOU
Astros' Bennett Sousa: Collects extra-inning save
Sousa struck out one in a perfect 10th inning Friday to record his second save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Angels.
Josh Hader worked the ninth to keep the game tied at 2-2, and with Bryan Abreu having handled the eighth, Sousa got the call to close things out after Houston grabbed the lead in the top of the 10th. The southpaw's first save came in a nearly identical scenario, as he wrapped up a 10-inning win over the Guardians on June 7 after Hader got the ninth. Sousa hasn't allowed a run in June, posting a 0.31 WHIP and 12:2 K:BB in 9.2 innings, and he appears to be working his way onto the fringes of the high-leverage picture for the Astros.
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Sawyer Gipson-Long SP | DET
Tigers' Sawyer Gipson-Long: Working in bulk relief Saturday
Gipson-Long is slated to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Brant Hurter in Saturday's game against the Rays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Gipson-Long remains part of the Detroit rotation but will be working out of the bullpen for his third straight appearance. After giving up three earned runs over 3.2 innings against the White Sox on June 4 in his lone start for the Tigers following his return from the 60-day injured list, Gipson-Long has posted a 2.35 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 7:1 K:BB in 7.2 innings over his last two outings.
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Brant Hurter P | DET
Tigers' Brant Hurter: Serving as opener Saturday
Hurter will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Rays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.
Hurter will draw his fourth start of the season, but as was the case in the previous three outings, he'll be operating as an opener once again Saturday rather than a traditional starter. The southpaw tossed 23 pitches in his most recent relief appearance Thursday against the Pirates, so the Tigers are unlikely to ask him to cover more than 2-to-3 frames Saturday. Once Hurter exits the game, right-hander Sawyer Gipson-Long is expected to work in bulk relief.
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Tyler Alexander RP | TEX
White Sox's Tyler Alexander: Shines in bulk relief
Alexander (4-7) was the pitcher of record in Friday's 7-1 win over the Blue Jays after striking out two batters while giving up four hits and no walks in four innings of relief.
Davis Martin had initially been scheduled to start Friday, but he was instead placed on the injured list prior to the game due to a right forearm strain. As a result, the White Sox had right-hander Grant Taylor step in for a spot start, though he covered just one inning before turning the game over to Alexander. The veteran lefty delivered a quality performance in the extended relief outing, retiring 12 of the 14 batters he faced on 49 pitches. The White Sox will have an opening in the rotation the next time Martin's turn comes up Wednesday versus the Diamondbacks, and Alexander might have performed well enough Friday to serve as a starter or primary pitcher in that outing over Mike Vasil, who was roughed up for six runs in 3.2 innings against the Cardinals on Thursday.
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Felix Bautista RP | BAL
Orioles' Felix Bautista: Collects 16th save
Bautista struck out two batters in a perfect ninth inning to come away with the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Yankees.
Bautista needed 17 pitches (11 strikes) to convert the save opportunity, forcing a flyout from Trent Grisham before striking out Aaron Judge and Jazz Chisholm. Bautista has converted on each of his last nine save opportunities, and over that span he sports a 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 19:6 K:BB across 11 innings. His 16 saves are tied with Emmanuel Clase and Trevor Megill for eighth most in the majors this season.
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Luke Weaver SP | NYM
Yankees' Luke Weaver: Tagged with loss in return
Weaver (1-2) took the loss against the Orioles on Friday, allowing two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one batter in two-thirds of an inning.
Weaver was activated from the 15-day injured list ahead of Friday's game. He was brought in for the eighth inning with the game tied at 3-3, but things quickly got out of hand as he gave up a solo home run to Ramon Urias before being tagged for another run later in the frame. It was a less-than-ideal return for Weaver, given that he was deployed in a high-leverage situation and is expected to split closing duties with Devin Williams.