MLB Player News

Duran gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 19th save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.

A leadoff single got erased on a game-ending double play, and Duran generated plenty of weak contact while firing eight straight pitches at 100 mph or over to begin the frame. The Twins' closer is prone to occasional lapses and was scored upon four times in 11 August appearances, but he also posted a 15:1 K:BB in 9.2 innings on the month.

McArthur (5-6) took the loss Friday, giving up one run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning as the Royals fell 3-2 to the Astros.

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, McArthur got the call and gave up a one-out single to Jake Meyers, setting the stage for Jose Altuve to walk it off with a double. With Lucas Erceg (hand) not 100 percent, the closer role is up for grabs again in Kansas City, at least in the short term, but McArthur may not be in the mix for save chances despite his 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB through 12 innings in August.

Fairbanks (lat) will play catch Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Manager Kevin Cash relayed that Fairbanks is asymptomatic, which clears Fairbanks' path to resume throwing for the first time since landing on the injured list. He's not expected to return until late September.

Booser (elbow) could rejoin the Red Sox on Sunday when rosters expand, MLB.com reports.

Booser had a strong first outing Thursday on his rehab assignment, allowing one hit and striking out all three batters he faced during a scoreless inning. He's been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 14 with left elbow inflammation.

Miller (6-8) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit across 1.1 innings of relief to take the loss Friday against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

Miller worked through the top of the ninth inning in order, with the last two batters retired via strikeout. The veteran righty came back out for the 10th with the game tied 4-4 but allowed a Ceddanne Rafaela home run with one out to make it 6-4, after which Miller got the hook. Despite the loss, Miller has been pitching well lately, as this performance snapped a streak of nine straight scoreless outings. His ERA sits at 4.76 after being north of 6.00 at the end of June.

Avila (5-1) retired both batters he faced, including one via strikeout, to earn the win Friday over the Pirates.

Avila got the last two outs of the fifth inning after starter Ben Lively was chased following a barrage of hits from the Pirates in that frame. The Guardians replied with a four-run rally of their own and led the rest of the way, giving Avila his second win in 14 appearances this month. He's allowed six runs on 12 hits and five walks while striking out 16 over 14.2 innings in that span. For the year, Avila has done fairly well in a middle-relief role with a 3.95 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 74:31 K:BB over 70.2 innings between the Guardians and the Padres.

Martin earned the save in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Tigers, allowing one unearned run while logging a strikeout in the 10th.

After Kenley Jansen blew a save in the ninth inning, the Red Sox responded with three runs in the top of the 10th, setting up Martin for the save chance. The right-hander would allow the free runner to score, but Martin would hold the Tigers there, earning his second save on the campaign. The 38-year-old Martin sports a 2.72 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 41:2 K:BB across 36.1 innings while working primarily in a setup role this season.

Jansen (4-2) blew the save but picked up the win in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over Detroit, allowing a run on two hits in the ninth. He struck out two.

Called in to protect a one-run lead, Jansen gave up a leadoff single to Zach McKinstry before Jake Rogers laced a one-out double, tying the game at 4-4 and sticking Jansen with his fourth blown save this year. However, he'd wind up with the win after Boston responded with three runs in the top of the 10th. It's the first blown save in over a month for Jansen, who had allowed just two runs on two hits in his last 10 innings prior to Friday. The veteran closer has converted 25 of 29 save chances this year with a 2.98 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB across 48.1 innings.

Clase picked up a one-inning save in Friday's 10-8 victory over the Pirates, working around a solo homer while striking out one.

With this 13-pitch effort, Clase reached the 40-save plateau for the third time in his career, and he trails only Ryan Helsley (41) for the MLB lead. It wasn't a clean appearance though, as the Cleveland closer allowed his second homer of the season on a leadoff solo shot by Andrew McCutchen, snapping a streak of nine straight scoreless appearances. Overall, Clase sports a stellar 0.71 ERA, 0.68 WHIP and 55:8 K:BB across 63.1 innings this season.

Holmes earned the save in Friday's 6-3 victory over St. Louis, pitching a scoreless inning with no strikeouts.

The 31-year-old reliever made quick work of the Cardinals in the ninth, working around an inning-opening error by Anthony Volpe to retire the side on just eight pitches. Despite suffering two blown saves in August, he has pitched to a 1.93 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB with seven saves across 9.1 innings this month. He continues to lead MLB in blown saves (10), but his 29 saves puts him in the top five.