MLB Player News

Rays starting pitcher Matt Moore felt good and was encouraged after throwing from 60 feet for the first time since feeling soreness in his injured left elbow, the Tampa Bay Times reports. The next step for Moore will be a bullpen session and he remains on schedule for a mid-August return.

The Royals have called up pitcher Will Smith from Triple-A Omaha, the Kansas City Star reports. Smith posted a 3.86 ERA in 16 1/3 innings for Kansas City earlier this season and owns a 3.04 ERA in 86 innings at Omaha.

Rays starting pitcher Matt Moore will play catch Sunday for the first time since going on the disabled list with elbow soreness, the Tampa Bay Times reports.. Moore is planning to return in mid-August, shortly after he is eligible, and this throwing session will be a factor in determining if such a return date is realistic.

Blue Jays pitcher Esmil Rogers dropped to 3-6 after giving up seven runs (five earned) on 10 hits and one walk while striking out five in five innings in his team's 7-3 loss to the Angels Saturday.

Rogers is 0-4 over his last eight starts, which have included just three quality starts. He brings a 4.61 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 65:28 K:BB ratio into Friday's scheduled start against the A's.

Mariners reliever Danny Farquhar earned his first career save in his team's 8-4 win over the Orioles Saturday. Farquhar recorded the final out of the eighth inning to preserve a 6-4 lead, and he was left in to get the final three outs after his team scored two runs in the top of the ninth.

Farquhar has given up just one hit and no walks while racking up 11 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings over his last three appearances.

The Red Sox recalled pitcher Rubby De La Rosa from Triple-A Pawtucket Saturday.

De La Rosa has made 20 starts for Pawtucket, going 3-3 with a 4.23 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 74:42 K:BB ratio in 76 2/3 innings. After a nice stretch in May and June, he stuggled in July, giving up 22 earned runs in 21 1/3 innings over six starts while striking out 18 and walking 17.

Royals reliever Tim Collins returned to the club Saturday against the Mets after missing Friday's game to attend to his ailing grandfather, the Kansas City Star reports.

Collins has gone 2-5 this season with a 4.30 ERA over 46 appearances with 36 strikeouts over 37 2/3 innings.

White Sox starting pitcher Hector Santiago was the victim of poor run support yet again Friday, as his winless streak reached seven starts in a 2-1 loss to the Tigers.

Santiago held Detroit to just two runs in seven innings of work, allowing one each in the fourth and fifth innings. He struck out seven batters, while allowing six hits and one walk and throwing 70 of 106 pitches for strikes.

Santiago is now 3-7 on the season, despite a solid 3.28 ERA. He has thrown a quality start in five of his last six outings, but is just 0-2 with 10 runs of support total in that span. He will try to snap his winless skid in his next start, Wednesday against the Yankees. 

The Mariners could mix and match as many as four relievers to close games, now that Tom Wilhelmsen has been removed from the closer's role.

"As of right now, maybe like in the past, we'll piece it together and match up and go from there," acting manager Robby Thompson told MLB.com Friday. "Those games like that and even closer games where we've got the lead, we've got to find a way to win the ballgame."

Thompson said Oliver Perez, Charlie Furbush, Yoervis Medina and Danny Farquhar could all see closing chances while the team tries to sort out the back of the bullpen.

Following his ninth-inning meltdown against the Red Sox Thursday, Tom Wilhelmsen is out of the closer role, and though the Mariners have said they'll take a by-committee approach to the ninth inning for now, one reliever stands out as the right choice to inherit the role full-time.

His name is Danny Farquhar. He has the stuff of a closer, racking up 50 strikeouts in 33 innings so far this season, and lately, he's had the reliability of one, allowing just two hits over 9 1/3 scoreless innings in his last five appearances. His overall ERA is still an unimpressive 5.45, but considering he has an xFIP -- which measures what ERA theoretically should be -- even lower than Craig Kimbrel's, those last five appearances could be just the tip of the iceberg.

Of course, I don't know if xFIP will enter the discussion for the Mariners. They may just play it safe with a lefty-righty platoon of Oliver Perez and Yoervis Medina. But because Farquhar stands out as the one of the three with legitimate staying power, I'm prioritizing him on the waiver wire.