MLB Player News

Kittredge (3-2) threw two scoreless innings and issued one walk while striking out one and was awarded the victory Sunday against Oakland.

Although Diego Castillo served as the opening pitcher, Kittredge came on in relief during the second inning and departed two frames later in a 2-0 ballgame. He's managed to nab two victories over the past two games, as he was called upon to record one out in Saturday's win. The 28-year-old right-hander sits near the middle of the pack within Tampa Bay's bullpen, so he figures to see mid-to-high-leverage opportunities in the final few weeks of the regular season.

Junis tossed three innings Sunday, allowing four runs on eight hits and a walk in the 9-6 loss to Minnesota, though he didn't factor into the decision. He yielded three home runs and struck out three.

It's actually somewhat impressive that Junis coughed up three long balls and eight hits but only managed to get tagged for four runs. All three homers were solo shots, coming from Max Kepler, Tyler Austin and Johnny Field. The short outing bumped his ERA up to 4.42 in 165 innings this season. He'll look to get back in the win column against Detroit on Friday.

Ortiz (hamstring) will undergo an MRI on Monday or Tuesday and is unlikely to be available soon, Roch Kubatko of MASN Sports reports.

Ortiz lasted just five outs into his first career start Friday against the White Sox before exiting with a left hamstring injury. The severity of the issue is not yet clear, but the Orioles likely aren't banking on him pitching again in 2018 with just two weeks left in the season.

Fulmer will undergo an MRI on his right knee Monday, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News reports.

Fulmer exited his start Saturday after just five pitches with an inflamed right knee. Given the timing of the injury, he'll likely be shut down for the year unless the issue is minor, though a precise timetable won't become clear until after the MRI.

Hendriks is expected to be used as the Athletics' opener Tuesday against the Angels, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Hendriks has already been used as an opener five times this season. The position, unfortunately, reduces his chances of earning a win from unlikely to impossible and guarantees he'll face the toughest part of the opposition's batting order.

Sadzeck worked around a walk to pitch a scoreless eighth inning and net his fourth hold in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Padres.

Sadzeck picked up his fourth hold in seven major-league appearances, allowing only one unearned run since his callup from Triple-A Round Rock. He had pitched the day before, serving as an opener Friday, and his fastball didn't lose any velocity. "He's a power right-handed arm that can go into that situation and record the outs late in the game," manager Jeff Banister told Katie Woo of MLB.com. "That's a pretty special twist to the game right there." It's a promising start for Sadzeck, but one thing jumping out is the walks: He has five in 5.1 innings.

Martin was unavailable for the first two games of the series against the Padres due to an upper respiratory infection, Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News reports.

Martin was not at the park Saturday and may be held out for Sunday's series finale.

Jurado (3-5) allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out three across four innings but still earned the win Saturday against the Padres.

Jurado came out of the bullpen as the Rangers primary pitcher after Alex Claudio opened the game. Although all three of his earned runs came on a homer by Eric Hosmer, Jurado was working out of jams throughout this appearance, allowing multiple runners on base in all but one inning. He now has a 7.01 ERA and 1.69 WHIP across 43.2 innings.

Leclerc didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one to record the save Saturday against the Padres.

Leclerc made short work of the Padres, needing just 13 pitches to lock up the win for the Rangers and record his 11th save. He's converted all 11 of his opportunities since taking over the role in early August, making him one of the more productive closers as the season comes to an end.

Littell exited Saturday's game against the Royals with a blister on his right index finger, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

Littell had allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three across 2.2 innings before exiting the game. The 22-year-old righty believes he'll be fine in two or three days. He owns a brutal 8.44 ERA, 2.01 WHIP and 6:7 K:BB across 10.2 big-league innings this season.