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Buddy Boshers RP | HOU
Twins' Buddy Boshers: Called up to Twins' bullpen Wednesday
Boshers was called up from Triple-A Rochester on Wednesday, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.
Boshers was called up after Glen Perkins (shoulder) experienced a setback in his recovery and was placed on the 60-day disabled list. Boshers has an 1.42 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 19 innings pitched at the Triple-A level in 2016. He has saved a couple games for the Triple-A affiliate but figures to work in the middle innings with the big club.
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Matt Barnes RP | WAS
Red Sox's Matt Barnes: Perfect ninth inning Tuesday
Barnes pitched a perfect ninth inning Tuesday, striking out two in Boston's 8-3 win over Colorado.
Coming in for a clean inning with a five-run lead is pretty low-leverage stuff, but Barnes was impressive Tuesday, hitting 99 mph on the gun while mowing down the heart of the Rockies' order on two Ks and a weak come-backer. The right-hander has been entrusted in more high-leverage spots of late -- he's stranded all but one of 14 inherited runners -- and has not allowed a run in eight of his last 10 appearances. At a time when Boston learned it will be without Carson Smith (Tommy John surgery) for the rest of the season, manager John Farrell is expected to lean more on Barnes for setup work.
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Kendall Graveman RP | ARI
Athletics' Kendall Graveman: Takes no-decision against Mariners
Graveman allowed two runs on seven hits and two walks with three strikeouts over 4.1 innings in a no-decision Tuesday against Seattle.
Graveman was bailed out of a two-on, one-out situation in the fifth inning by his bullpen, or else this start could have been even worse. Hitters are routinely punishing his mistakes this year, as he has allowed a whopping 56 hits in 47 innings this year. The result has been a brutal 5.36 ERA and 1.60 WHIP. Graveman has just 113 strikeouts in 162.2 innings dating back to last season, and he is just giving up too much contact to be successful right now.
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Dan Runzler RP | BOS
Twins' Dan Runzler: On DL with strained groin
Runzler was placed on the 7-day DL at Triple-A Rochester with a strained right oblique.
Runzler had a 3.93 ERA at Triple-A but a troubling 11 walks in 18 innings. He could still get a shot at the majors as a lefty specialist at some point this summer given the turnover in the Minnesota bullpen.
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Alex Colome RP | CHW
Rays' Alex Colome: Records two-inning save Tuesday
Colome pitched two scoreless innings while allowing one hit and striking out two to earn his 12th save Tuesday at the Marlins.
Colome came into the game with a two-run lead and two runners on with nobody out in the eighth inning. After allowing one inherited runner to score in the inning, he set the side down in order in the ninth inning to close out the win. He's now held opponents scoreless over his last 10 outings to lower his ERA to 1.29.
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Ashur Tolliver RP | SEA
Orioles' Ashur Tolliver: Contract selected, will be available Tuesday
Tolliver's contract was selected by the Orioles on Tuesday and he will be available out of the bullpen for their series opener against the Astros, Roch Kubatko of MASN reports.
With Brian Matusz being traded to the Braves and subsequently DFA'd, the Orioles needed to add a left-handed reliever to the bullpen. Tolliver, a southpaw, has notched a 2.42 ERA with 25 strikeouts and eight walks across 26.0 innings at Double-A Bowie this season. He figures to serve as the Orioles' new left-handed specialist out of the pen with Matusz out of the picture.
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Chad Green RP | TOR
Yankees' Chad Green: Strikes out seven in win
Green pitched six innings against Indianapolis on Saturday, scattering five hits and two runs while striking out seven and walking one during a win.
Throughout his time with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre in 2016, Green has posted a 1.47 ERA with a 3-3 record during 43 innings. His 43:13 strikeout to walk ratio is in line with his typical career numbers while allowing opposing batters to hit just .218 against him is a career-best at any level of professional baseball. Green made one start with the Yankees this season and allowed four runs in four innings of work, but could end up getting another chance with the club if injury issues flare up amongst the starting pitchers.
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Bryan Shaw RP | CIN
Indians' Bryan Shaw: Pitches shutout inning in Indians victory
Shaw struck out one batter while throwing a scoreless inning in Monday's victory over the White Sox.
After his latest outing, Shaw's ERA continued to fall and is now at 5.21 for the 2016 campaign. The bulk of that damage came from a three game span where he gave up nine runs in just 2.1 innings. In the 17 games (15.2 innings) following, he's posted a 1.15 ERA and 0.89 WHIP. His steady improvement is promising, as Shaw is coming off his second straight season with an ERA below 3.00.
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Ken Giles RP | ATL
Astros' Ken Giles: April struggles were due to mechanical flaw
Giles has seven straight scoreless appearances for the Astros after fixing a mechanical flaw that attributed to his April struggles, Jake Kaplan of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Giles developed bad habits with his hand placement, an issue he fixed via repetitions in side sessions. "It was mechanical 100 percent. Not confidence. I always knew I had the confidence," the 25-year-old right-hander said. Giles' fastball velocity has improved as he's ironed out his mechanics, eclipsing 99 mph five times during the month of May. Luke Gregerson has three blown saves in his last five chances, so it may be time to get Giles back on your radar if you need help in the category.
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Carson Smith RP | BOS
Red Sox's Carson Smith: Needs Tommy John surgery
Smith (forearm) will have Tommy John surgery to reconstruct the UCL in his right elbow.
Smith thought his injury was similar to the flexor strain he suffered during spring training, but it turns out the issue is far more serious this time around. He'll now miss all of 2016 and probably most of 2017, leaving the Red Sox with one less late-inning option. The team still has Koji Uehara and Junichi Tazawa in front of closer Craig Kimbrel.