MLB Player News

Mayza (1-0) picked up the win Friday against the Astros, striking out two over a perfect inning of relief.

He breezed through the heart of the Houston lineup on 14 pitches (10 strikes) in the bottom of the eighth inning with the score tied 3-3, and the Blue Jays rewarded the lefty by plating the winning run in the top of the ninth. Mayza has established himself as a key late-inning reliever for Toronto so far, posting a 1.59 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 6:0 K:BB with three holds in addition to Friday's win over seven appearances and 5.2 innings.

Neris (1-1) allowed one earned run on two hits across one inning to take the loss Friday against Toronto.

Neris entered the game with the score tied in the ninth inning, a situation traditionally handled by the closer. He allowed a leadoff single to Vladimir Guerrero and then a two-out double to Matt Chapman to account for the game-winning run. Though he was tagged with the loss, it was the first run Neris has allowed this season across 6.1 frames. While Ryan Pressly (knee) remains sidelined, Neris appears to be in the best position to pick up save chances.

Robles did not allow a runner and struck out one over a scoreless 1.1 innings in Friday's 4-3 win over Tampa Bay.

Robles got the final out of the seventh inning then dispatched the Rays in order in the eighth to preserve Boston's lead heading into the ninth. It was yet another dominant performance for Robles, who hasn't allowed a baserunner over his last 4.1 innings and is unscored upon over 6.1 IP. Despite entering in the seventh inning, the right-hander remains in the mix to save games.

Diekman allowed three walks and struck out one over a scoreless two-thirds of an inning in Friday's 4-3 win over the Rays.

Diekman started the ninth inning of a one-run game attempting to close out the Rays for his second save of the season, but the left-hander was unable to finish the frame. He walked three of the first four batters he faced before getting Brandon Lowe on strikes. That was it for Diekman. Enter Matt Barnes, who retired Wander Franco on a 100.9 mph groundout to second baseman Trevor Story. Diekman has been an important high-leverage piece in Boston's bullpen and should continue to be an option to close games despite Friday's command issues (12 strikes in 28 pitches).

Oller (0-2) took the loss Friday, coughing up five runs on five hits and two walks over five innings as the A's were downed 8-1 by the Rangers. He struck out two.

Homers by Nathaniel Lowe and Andy Ibanez in the second inning kicked off a five-run eruption by Texas, and the Oakland offense never came close to climbing out of the hole. Oller tossed only 47 of 88 pitches for strikes before exiting, and his hold on a rotation spot seems very tenuous given his 11.17 ERA, 2.38 WHIP and 8:8 K:BB through his first 9.2 big-league innings.

Otto (1-0) picked up the win Friday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over five innings in an 8-1 victory over the A's. He struck out five.

After going 0-3 in six starts during his debut last year, Otto recorded his first big-league win in his first outing of 2022 for Texas, throwing 46 of 75 pitches for strikes and taking full advantage of his teammates' five-run eruption in the second inning. Otto has a golden opportunity to lock down a rotation spot with Jon Gray (knee) and Spencer Howard (finger) both currently on the shelf and no other Rangers starter pitching particularly well out of the gate.

Romano gave up two hits and struck out three in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his league-leading eighth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Astros.

A leadoff single by Yuli Gurriel put some pressure on Romano, but the Toronto closer answered the challenge. His saves streak now stands at 31, with his last blown opportunity coming more than a year ago, and Romano's 1.13 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB through eight innings to begin 2022 are elite.

Perez allowed a hit and struck out one to earn a hold in Friday's 5-3 win over the Angels.

Perez has two holds through six appearances this season. He's covered five innings without allowing a run -- he's only given up four hits with a 6:1 K:BB. The Orioles' bullpen began the season with few defined roles, which has allowed Perez to step up as a high-leverage arm early in the season, a role he'll likely maintain as long as he continues to produce positive results.

Lopez allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Angels.

Lopez was able to navigate around a leadoff single to Mike Trout in the ninth inning, with the right-hander converting his third save of the season. He's kept runs off the board in six of his seven appearances this season while emerging as the Orioles' top high-leverage arm. Lopez owns a 2.25 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 11:4 K:BB and a 1-1 record through eight innings.

Zimmermann (1-0) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk with six strikeouts in six innings, earning the win Friday versus the Angels.

Zimmermann covered five scoreless innings, but he ran out of steam a bit at the end. He exited with no outs in the seventh inning after Anthony Rendon's two-run blast brought the Angels within two runs. The Orioles' bullpen was able to maintain the lead, earning Zimmermann his first win of the season to go with a pair of no-decisions through three starts. He's been very effective with a 1.20 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 16:5 K:BB across 15 innings, and per the team's PR department, the southpaw's 14-inning scoreless streak to begin the season was the longest by a Baltimore pitcher since Jim Palmer in 1978, which is good company to be keeping. Zimmermann is projected to face the Yankees next week.