MLB Player News
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Tim Hill RP | NYY
Yankees' Tim Hill: Notches hold Tuesday
Hill earned a hold against Texas on Tuesday by retiring both batters he faced, striking out one.
Hill hasn't worked in many high-leverage situations this season, but he was brought in Tuesday with New York hanging onto a two-run lead and the bases loaded with one out in the eighth frame. The lefty got the job done, allowing a sacrifice fly before striking out Jonah Heim to keep the Yankees in the lead. It was just the second hold of the season for Hill and his first since coming over to New York on June 20. He's been effective with the Yankees, posting a 2.34 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB while picking up three wins over 27 appearances covering 34.2 innings.
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Diego Castillo RP | COL
Twins' Diego Castillo: Sent down to Triple-A
The Twins optioned Castillo to Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday.
Just three days after he was added to the Twins' 40-man roster and 28-man active roster, Castillo will head back to the minors to open up a spot for right-hander Louie Varland, who was recalled ahead of an expected bulk-relief appearance Wednesday versus the Rays. During his brief time with the Twins, Castillo made one appearance and struck out a batter in a scoreless inning.
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Trent Thornton RP | SEA
Mariners' Trent Thornton: Saddled with loss Tuesday
Thornton (3-3) took the loss against the Athletics on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on two hits and a walk over one-third of an inning. He struck out one.
Thornton was tasked with preserving a 2-2 tie when he entered in the ninth, and after retiring the dangerous Brent Rooker looking, he never recorded another out. Seth Brown would subsequently walk it off for the Athletics with a single that plated JJ Bleday, snapping an eight-appearance scoreless streak for Thornton and saddling him with his first loss since July 22. The veteran right-hander has been a mostly effective option for Seattle, but his presence in a high-leverage spot Tuesday may have been due to the fact closer Andres Munoz is battling elbow soreness.
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Tyler Alexander RP | TEX
Rays' Tyler Alexander: Slated for bulk relief Wednesday
Alexander is expected to serve as a bulk reliever behind opening pitcher Cole Sulser in Wednesday's game against the Twins, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.
Even with Zack Littell returning from the injured list to start Monday's series opener versus Minnesota, the Rays will at least temporarily expand the rotation to six men to include Alexander. Since being recalled from Triple-A Durham on Aug. 17, Alexander has made three appearances, tossing 14.1 innings and striking out 10 while allowing 11 earned runs on 15 hits and five walks.
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Edwin Uceta RP | TB
Rays' Edwin Uceta: Can't complete save chance
Uceta allowed two hits and struck out two across two-thirds of an inning Tuesday against the Twins.
Uceta was called upon to protect a 2-1 lead in the ninth inning. He allowed consecutive singles to lead off the frame, but he struck out the next two batters he faced before being pulled in favor of Garrett Cleavinger. Despite losing out on a save chance, Uceta has still been excellent since Pete Fairbanks (lat) went on the injured list, racking up an 11:1 K:BB across 5.2 innings while recording a save, a hold and a win.
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Chad Green RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Chad Green: Blows save Tuesday
Green (4-5) blew the save and took the loss Tuesday as the Blue Jays fell 10-9 to the Phillies, coughing up three runs on three hits over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out two.
Toronto held 6-1 and 8-4 leads earlier in the game, but Green completed the collapse by allowing three straight hits to begin the ninth inning, the last of which was a three-run homer by Kyle Schwarber. Green has served up a three-run blast in back-to-back appearances while blowing consecutive save chances, sending his ERA soaring from 1.61 to 2.72, but those were his first two blown saves of the season. The Jays don't have a clear alternative at closer unless Jordan Romano (elbow) is able to make it back in September, so Green should get a chance to work through his struggles.
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Chris Martin RP | TEX
Red Sox's Chris Martin: Hammered by Mets
Martin allowed four runs on four hits while striking out two over one inning in Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Mets.
Martin, who entered with the Red Sox down by a run heading into the bottom of the eighth inning, let the game get away quickly. He allowed hits to the first three batters faced, which produced a pair of runs, before Pete Alonso finished it off with a two-run home run. Three of the four hits allowed had an exit velocity of at least 105.5 mph. The eighth inning was a microcosm of Boston's recent slide, during which it has lost 10 of 13 games.
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J.T. Ginn P | ATH
Athletics' J.T. Ginn: Produces quality start
Ginn did not factor into the decision in Tuesday's win over the Mariners, allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out seven over six innings.
Ginn had a rocky start to the game, allowing a single and back-to-back doubles in the opening frame. He blanked the Mariners the rest of the way while only allowing two more base hits despite 10 of the 14 balls in play against him being hard hit. The 25-year-old righty seems likely to get an extended look in the rotation over the final month of the season and projects to take the mound again versus the Tigers over the weekend. Ginn now owns a 4.30 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 15:5 K:BB in 14.2 inning this season.
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Lucas Erceg RP | KC
Royals' Lucas Erceg: Struggles in return to mound
Erceg (hand) allowed three runs on two hits and struck out two over two-thirds of an inning during Tuesday's 7-1 loss to the Guardians.
Erceg loaded the bases with two singles and a hit batsman in the top of the eighth inning. James McArthur then walked in one run and gave up a two-run single to Steven Kwan, with all three runs going on Erceg's line. Erceg has been charged with seven runs across two innings over his last three appearances, a disappointing turn of events after his 15.1-inning scoreless streak from July 22 to Aug. 26. Overall, he has a 3.88 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 59:15 K:BB over 51 innings while logging eight saves and 18 holds between the Royals and the Athletics this year. Prior to his hand issue, Erceg had been operating as the Royals' closer, but if his performance continues to be poor, the job could be once again up for grabs.
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Andres Munoz RP | SEA
Mariners' Andres Munoz: Battling elbow soreness
Munoz said after Tuesday's game that he is dealing with a bit of soreness in his elbow, Ryan Divish of The Seattle Times reports.
Munoz noted that the issue wasn't serious enough to make him unavailable in a save situation Tuesday, but it may still be something worth keeping an eye on. The 25-year-old has bounced back nicely from his three-run outing against the Dodgers on Aug. 20, allowing one earned run and striking out eight batters across his last 3.2 innings.