MLB Player News

Puk picked up the save Sunday against the White Sox. He pitched a perfect inning.

Puk extended his scoreless inning streak to 4.2 frames (five appearances) while picking up his fourth perfect inning of the season to improve to seven-for-eight in save opportunities. Though he spent almost a month on the IL with an elbow injury, Puk hasn't shown any rust (0.00 ERA) and has reclaimed full closing duties from Dylan Floro.

Mantiply (hamstring) struck out two over a perfect inning Friday in a rehab appearance for Triple-A Reno.

Mantiply looks to be closing in on a return from the Diamondbacks' 15-day injured list after he was shut down in early May with a strained right hamstring. After facing hitters in live batting practice without issue, Mantiply began a rehab assignment with the Diamondbacks' rookie-level Arizona Complex League last Tuesday. He made one appearance in the ACL before advancing his rehab assignment to Reno.

Chafin allowed one hit and one walk over a third of an inning to earn a hold in Sunday's 7-5 win over Detroit.

Chafin entered with a save opportunity to begin the ninth inning but ceded a leadoff triple and one-out walk before giving way to Scott McGough. The former remains a reliable bullpen arm and will continue to get save chances along with McGough and Miguel Castro. Since a two-game hiccup in early May, Chafin has a 1.56 ERA with 12 strikeouts, four walks and seven holds over nine innings (12 appearances).

Kolarek allowed one hit and struck out two batters over 1.1 scoreless innings against Philadelphia on Sunday.

In his first appearance of the campaign, Kolarek gave up a run-scoring single to the first batter he faced before retiring four straight Phillies. The southpaw was called up from Triple-A Oklahoma City earlier in the day and figures to fill a low-leverage role for Los Angeles while he's up with the big club. Kolarek spent most of last season in the minors, but he's had success with the Dodgers in the past, as he posted a minuscule 0.95 ERA and 0.79 WHIP over 19 innings with the team in 2020.

Beck (1-0) allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk over two innings Sunday, striking out two and earning a win over the Cubs.

Beck entered the game in the second inning following the opener John Brebbia. It wasn't the cleanest outing for Beck, as he needed 62 pitches to record just six outs. He allowed a run at the MLB level for the first time since May 22 and now owns a 3.73 ERA with a 28:5 K:BB through 31.1 innings.

Naughton (forearm) was removed from his rehab appearance Sunday with Triple-A Memphis after throwing just three pitches, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

The Cardinals haven't revealed whether Naughton suffered a setback with his strained left forearm in the first outing of his rehab assignment or if he's dealing with a new physical issue, but whatever the case, he didn't end up pitching a full inning for Memphis like the organization had planned. Naughton has been shelved since April 8 with the forearm injury and is eligible to return from the 60-day injured list whenever St. Louis deems him ready to go.

Lamet allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and three walks while striking out five over five innings in a no-decision versus the Padres on Sunday.

This was Lamet's first start against the Padres, though he previously faced them in relief appearances twice early in the season. He held his own Sunday, and the Rockies ultimately won 5-4 with a walk-off home run by Nolan Jones after a rain delay. Lamet has now allowed 11 runs (10 earned) over 11 innings across three starts. He's at a 10.38 ERA, 2.31 WHIP and 26:17 K:BB through 21.2 innings, but Sunday's outing appeared to be a step in the right direction. He's tentatively lined up to make his next start on the road in Atlanta.

Hicks (1-4) allowed a run on a hit and a walk while striking out one over one inning to take the loss Sunday versus the Reds.

Hicks put two runners on base and then yielded a fielder's choice to Tyler Stephenson, who knocked in the Reds' go-ahead run. After a month-long, 12.1-inning scoreless streak, Hicks has yielded three runs over 1.1 innings in two appearances versus Cincinnati. He's now at a 4.73 ERA, 1.69 WHIP and 42:21 K:BB over 26.2 innings with five holds and two blown saves this season. With four walks over his last four innings, Hicks will need to once again regain his command to be an effective reliever.

Diaz pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Cardinals.

The Reds took the lead in the eighth inning, and Diaz had no trouble securing the one-run advantage. He saw a 9.1-inning scoreless streak snapped in Saturday's outing versus the Cardinals, which came in a non-save situation. Diaz remains one of the steadiest closers in baseball with a 1.71 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 48:12 K:BB through 26.1 innings. He remains perfect at 15-for-15 in save conversions.

Strahm will start Monday's game against the Diamondbacks, Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia reports.

The Phillies appear to be in line to rely on several bullpen arms during Monday's series opener in Arizona, so Strahm should operate as an opener while beginning the game on the mound. The southpaw hasn't been particularly sharp in recent outings, posting a 6.75 ERA and 1.29 WHIP in 9.1 innings over his last six appearances.