MLB Player News

Diaz struck out the side in the ninth inning but also surrendered a solo home run to Kole Calhoun to pick up his fifth save of the season in Wednesday's 8-7 win over the Angels.

Calhoun seems to have his number, homering off Diaz in consecutive games, but after hitting Mike Trout with a pitch immediately after serving up the tater the 23-year-old was able to buckle down and strike out Albert Pujols to end the game. While Diaz has had a bumpy beginning to the season, nine of his last 11 outs have come via strikeout and he showed what he was capable of in 2016.

Santiago (3-1) allowed three runs on four hits and three walks over six innings in Wednesday's 7-4 win over the A's. He struck out two.

The left-hander returned from the bereavement list and recorded his fourth quality start in six outings. Santiago will look for win No. 4 on Tuesday on the road against the White Sox.

Graveman (2-2) surrendered six runs on five hits and four walks while striking out three over 3.1 innings in Wednesday's 7-4 loss to the Twins.

He needed 94 pitches (52 strikes) to record just 10 outs in what was his shortest outing of the season, and Graveman saw his ERA rise to 3.95 as a result. He'll try to find his April form in his next start Tuesday at home against the Angels.

McHugh (elbow impingement) will join his teammates on the trip to Anaheim for a weekend set against the Angels, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Manager A.J. Hinch said McHugh may start playing catch "pretty soon." While that sounds positive, it's been only four weeks since McHugh was diagnosed with a posterior impingement in the right elbow. At the time of his diagnosis, the plan was to shut him down for six weeks.

Martinez (0-1) gave up seven runs (six earned) on nine hits -- including three homers -- and three walks in a road loss to Houston on Wednesday.

He didn't even strike a batter out. Martinez looked like he might offer some appeal after two successful outings landed him the opportunity to make Wednesday's start, but this outing certainly brought anyone with big dreams about his fantasy value back to earth. It's quite possible that this game was bad enough to knock him out of the rotation entirely.

Kimbrel recorded his AL-leading 10th save Wednesday, striking out the side on 12 pitches in a perfect ninth inning against Baltimore.

After last season's career-worst 3.40 ERA, Kimbrel has come back with a vengeance. His K/9 is up to 16.2 (his highest mark since 2012), his WHIP is a ridiculous 0.53, and Colorado's Greg Holland is the only pitcher in the majors with more saves.

Pomeranz (3-1) held the Orioles to two runs on five hits and two walks while striking out seven over 5.1 innings in a winning effort Wednesday.

It'd be nice to see a bit more longevity -- he's completed six innings just twice in his first five starts -- but Pomeranz has also allowed two or fewer runs in all but one of his outings. Moreover, the lefty owns an impressive 34:9 K:BB over 27 innings. Boston certainly isn't as pitcher-friendly an environment as Oakland or San Diego, but all the indicators look positive for Pomeranz as long as he can stay healthy.

Manaea (shoulder) is scheduled to throw a bullpen session Thursday, MLB.com's Jane Lee reports.

Manaea was expected to miss just one start after being placed on the 10-day disabled list with a shoulder strain. Thursday's bullpen will be a good test to see if he can return when eligible, which could be as soon as May 7 against the Tigers.

Bass was recalled Wednesday from Triple-A Round Rock.

Bass, who has operated on the majors-to-minors shuttle this week, is back with the big league club following the injury to Cole Hamels (oblique). The 29-year-old will likely be seldom used in high-leverage situations, and in his one appearance this season, he gave up six runs over three innings.

Valdez was designated for assignment Wednesday.

Valdez had allowed 10 earned runs on 14 hits over 9.1 innings this season. In his four outings, he allowed three or more runs three times, including getting walloped for three home runs in just one inning of work Tuesday against Minnesota. Josh Smith and Bobby Wahl were called up in corresponding moves.