MLB Player News

Leclerc allowed one hit with one walk and one strikeout in a scoreless inning to record the save in a 7-6 victory over the Orioles on Friday.

The 25-year-old has been inconsistent since returning as the closer in August, but this was his sixth save in his last seven opportunities. He's also rebounded with three straight scoreless outings since taking a loss against the Mariners on Aug. 29. Leclerc is 2-4 with 11 saves, 4.15 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 89 strikeouts in 60.2 innings this season.

Pagan pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout to record his 19th save in a 5-0 victory over the Blue Jays on Friday.

The 28-year-old took the mound with the bases loaded and no outs, so Pagan entered in a save situation despite also having a five-run lead. He made quick work of the Blue Jays, not letting any of his inherited runners score in his sixth straight successful save situation. Pagan is 3-2 with a 2.19 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 85 strikeouts in 61.2 innings this season.

Burke allowed six runs on six hits with two walks and one strikeout across five innings during a no-decision against the Orioles on Friday.

The left-hander was dealing with a virus this week and only threw 75 pitches, but it's unclear if that's because of the illness or ineffectiveness. Burke tossed up three homers in just five frames and was fortunate to escape with a no-decision. Three strong starts to begin his career, though, still has his ERA at a healthy 3.52 mark. He is also 0-1 with a 1.17 WHIP and 12 strikeouts in 23 innings across four outings. Burke will face the Rays at home in his next start Thursday.

Lopez (3-7) threw six scoreless innings Friday against the Marlins to pick up the win, striking out five while allowing four hits.

It was a smooth outing for Lopez, as he only once allowed a Marlin to reach scoring position. The 26-year-old was able to lower his ERA to a still-poor 6.23, and the performance was likely strong enough to earn him another start, lining him up to face the White Sox on Thursday.

Lakins will open a bullpen game for the Red Sox on Saturday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

The Red Sox have 21 pitchers on their active roster at the moment, so there may not be a bulk reliever to follow Lakins. The outing will be the first "start" of the 25-year-old's big-league career.

Hernandez will start Saturday against the Orioles.

The 23-year-old made his big-league debut in late August and has gone on to allow one run while posting a 5:4 K:BB in 5.2 innings of work, all in relief. He's been primarily a starter thus far in his professional career and will get his first chance to pitch in that capacity in the majors Saturday.

Treinen has been dealing with back issues, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

The nature and severity of Treinen's back problems are not yet clear. He's pitched just once in the last five days, walking two batters and allowing one run while recording just one out in that appearance.

Kay will start Saturday against the Rays, Mike Wilner of Sportsnet 590 The Fan reports.

Previous reports had indicated Kay would pitch Saturday, but it wasn't clear until now that Kay would be a proper starter rather than a bulk reliever. The 24-year-old lefty struggled to a 6.61 ERA in seven starts for Triple-A Syracuse in the Mets' system before posting a much stronger 2.50 ERA in another seven starts for Triple-A Buffalo after joining the Blue Jays' organization in the Marcus Stroman trade.

Richards will give way to Tyler Glasnow (forearm) for Sunday's start against the Blue Jays, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Richards may still pitch Sunday, but it would be in a piggyback role after Glasnow throws two or three innings as the opener in his return from the injured list. A changeup specialist, Richards fared well as a traditional starter in Game 1 of Tuesday's doubleheader against Baltimore, allowing two runs over five innings, and now has a 2.70 ERA and 3.99 FIP in 16.2 innings with Tampa Bay. He posted a 4.50 ERA and 4.73 FIP in 112 innings with Miami before being traded at the deadline.

Puk (1-0) recorded his first big-league victory in a win over the Angels on Thursday, allowing an earned run on a solo home run while also issuing a walk and recording two strikeouts over two innings.

A day after manager Bob Melvin had explained Puk's long respite between appearances was due to the Athletics' skipper wanting to be selective with what sorts of game situations the rookie would face, the promising southpaw was brought on in a low-leverage scenario. Puk entered in the sixth with the Athletics down 5-1 and breezed through his first frame by sandwiching a pair of strikeouts around a groundout. Although he subsequently allowed a solo home run to Kevan Smith to lead off the seventh, Puk was able to eventually induce an inning-ending double play from Albert Pujols after walking Mike Trout and then was unexpectedly rewarded with his first victory when Oakland exploded for seven runs in the home half of the frame. The outing was Puk's first since Aug. 26, and he's now carrying a 4.15 ERA through his first 4.1 major-league innings.