MLB Player News

The Pirates recalled Kranick from Triple-A Indianapolis to start Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Mets.

As expected, Kranick will pitch the nightcap in his second start for the Pirates this season. The first start was fantastic, as he lasted five perfect innings and struck out three before a rain delay ended his afternoon.

The Phillies recalled Hammer from Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Hammer has a 1.74 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 20.2 relief innings with the IronPigs this season. He last appeared in the big leagues in 2019, appearing in 20 games for the Phillies and posting a 3.79 ERA. Odubel Herrera (ankle) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move Saturday.

The Mets recalled Hartlieb from Triple-A Syracuse to be the 27th man in Saturday's doubleheader.

Hartlieb, whom the Mets claimed off waivers Thursday, had a 7.71 ERA in 4.2 innings with the Pirates this season. He'll provide some added bullpen depth in Saturday's games before likely returning to the minors after the doubleheader.

Leone allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning to earn a hold in Friday's 5-3 win over Washington.

Leone has emerged as a reliable arm in the bridge to the late-innings duo of Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee. Through 17 appearances, Leone has a 1.04 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB across 17.1 innings. He's added five holds, two blown saves and a 2-0 record. With an FIP of 2.59, the right-hander's success so far should be fairly sustainable, although he's limited opponents to a .195 BABIP that will likely tick higher in the second half of the season.

Littell walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Friday's 5-3 win over Washington. He earned a hold.

Littell has settled in a bit since a disastrous turn as an opener June 15. In his 11 appearances since then, the reliever has a 2.89 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB across 9.1 innings. The right-hander continues to see low-leverage assignments mostly, but he's now picked up five holds with a 3.25 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 27.2 innings this year. With a 4.65 FIP, Littell may struggle to continue producing similar results.

Garcia (1-2) allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the win versus Washington on Friday.

The left-hander worked the fifth inning of a tie game, and Darin Ruf put San Francisco ahead in the bottom of the fifth. That lead held up to earn Garcia his first win of the year in 26 appearances. The 28-year-old has done fairly well in a low-leverage role with a 3.34 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 37:12 K:BB across 29.2 innings. He's added three holds, one save and a blown save, but most of Garcia's work is expected to be in the middle innings.

Bass (1-5) took the loss Friday, giving up one run on one hit while striking out two in the first inning as the Marlins were downed 5-0 by Atlanta.

Making his first career appearance as an opener, the right-hander served up a solo shot to Freddie Freeman, and a slumbering Miami offense never climbed out of that early hole. Bass continues to struggle with consistency, getting tagged for runs in four of his last 10 games, and he sports a 4.28 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 31:15 K:BB through 33.2 innings on the year as he falls further out of the high-leverage mix for the Marlins.

Melancon pitched a clean ninth with one strikeout in a 4-2 triumph over Colorado on Friday.

The league's saves leader needed only eight pitches to retire the bottom of Colorado's order and earn yet another save. He's now pitched on consecutive days, which makes Melancon unlikely to appear Saturday.

Knehr pitched 3.2 innings in Friday's 4-2 win against Colorado, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts. He didn't factor into the decision.

Knehr was decent filling in for Blake Snell, though the start could've gone much worse. The rookie walked in a run with no outs in the second but was able to retire the next three Rockies before surrendering an RBI double to opposing starter Kyle Freeland, at which point he was removed in the fourth. He'll most likely return to the minors following the one-start cameo.

Loup (3-0) allowed a walk and struck out one in one inning Friday, earning the win over Pittsburgh.

The southpaw worked the sixth inning of a tied game, immediately following starter Taijuan Walker. Loup was the beneficiary of the Mets' offense exploding for 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. The 33-year-old has been quite effective lately, allowing just one run in his last 13 innings while racking up a pair of wins and four holds. For the year, he has a 1.73 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB in 26 innings across 30 appearances.