MLB Player News

Sewald struck out two in a perfect eighth inning Thursday to record his first save of the season in a win over Cleveland.

The ninth inning never happened due to rain, giving Sewald his third career save and allowing manager Mickey Callaway to avoid having to decide whether to use Edwin Diaz or Seth Lugo as his closer for the evening. Sewald has apparently worked his way into the Mets' setup crew with a 5:0 K:BB in two scoreless innings since rejoining the bullpen.

Garcia allowed one hit and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings Sunday against the Rockies.

Garcia has now delivered four scoreless frames over his last six appearances, fanning four over that stretch. He was given a save opportunity July 19 against the Dodgers, but he failed to slam the door and hasn't seen a save chance since, despite an impressive 2.63 ERA and 1.06 WHIP with 29 punchouts across 37.2 innings this season. Ryne Stanek appears to have a hold on the closer's job for Miami at the moment, though he's struggled of late.

Stanek (0-3) allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out two to take the loss Thursday against the Braves.

Stanek was called upon to begin the eighth inning with the Marlins up by a run. However, he allowed a solo home run to Freddie Freeman in the eighth inning that tied the score. He then came back out in the ninth frame but allowed two of the first three batters to reach base prior to surrendering the game-winning single to Ronald Acuna with two outs. Stanek appears to have the usage of a closer, but he's been rocky since joining the Marlins by allowing seven earned runs across 7.1 innings.

Bickford went 3-0 over his last 11 appearances with High-A Carolina and posted a 0.67 WHIP and 31:6 K:BB over 21 scoreless innings.

Bickford's appearances have been limited this season for the third year in a row, but the former top prospect has found something of late, and has been dominating High-A hitters since early July. Bickford's reached peak prospect status as a starter, but he is pitching as a multi-inning reliever these days. While his role and age (24) will likely prevent him from popping up on Top-100 lists again, his recent run indicates he still has a chance to be a factor for the Brewers at some point.

Leone was recalled from Triple-A Memphis on Thursday.

Leone has a 7.14 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 29 MLB innings this season, but his numbers are dragged down somewhat by a May 5 outing when he gave up six earned runs while recording just two outs. He replaces Junior Fernandez, who was optioned to Triple-A, in the big-league bullpen.

Manager Dave Roberts gave Jansen a vote of confidence after Jansen blew another save Wednesday night, Ken Gurnick of MLB.com reports. "Right now, Kenley's our closer," Roberts said.

Jansen gave up a solo homer to Rowdy Tellez to squander a ninth-inning lead against Toronto, his second blown save in five appearances and sixth this season. He had five blown saves combined in 2017 and 2018. Clearly, the 31-year-old isn't the elite closer he used to be, with his trademark cutter suddenly becoming a whole lot more hittable over the last calendar year or so. The Dodgers have alternatives should Jansen continue to struggle, including Joe Kelly, Pedro Baez, Julio Urias (suspension) and Kenta Maeda, who moved to the bullpen and served as the closer late last season when Jansen was unavailable for a stretch.

Kimbrel earned the save against the Giants on Wednesday after tossing a perfect inning with two strikeouts.

With the Cubs ahead 12-11, Kimbrel was tasked with protecting the lead in the ninth inning. He registered back-to-back strikeouts of Stephen Vogt and Kevin Pillar before forcing Brandon Belt to fly out and end the game. The save was Kimbrel's first since landing on the injured list Aug. 5 with right knee inflammation. The right-hander now has 11 saves on the season along with a 5.28 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 22:8 K:BB over 17 appearances.

Jansen blew the save against the Blue Jays on Wednesday, giving up one earned run on one hit in one inning as the Dodgers eventually came back to win 2-1 in 10 innings. He struck out one and walked none.

Tasked with protecting a 1-0 lead, Jansen was hit with his sixth blown save of the season after serving up a game-tying solo shot to Rowdy Tevez in the ninth inning. It continues to be an uncharacteristically erratic campaign for the right-hander, as he's now sporting a 3.70 ERA over 48.2 innings, a figure that easily qualifies as the highest of his career.

Rodriguez did not factor into the decision during Wednesday's loss to the Cubs after lasting just four innings while surrendering six runs on six hits and three walks with a pair of strikeouts.

The right-hander had much to prove Wednesday and unfortunately couldn't quite get the job done during a sloppy performance. After getting promoted from Triple-A Sacramento for a spot start against the Diamondbacks last week, Rodriguez had delivered a strong outing to earn Wednesday's second chance in the rotation. With Shaun Anderson (finger) and Johnny Cueto (elbow) returning from the injured list sometime within the next few weeks, Rodriguez suddenly finds his starting status in jeopardy with Tyler Beede and Logan Webb also vying for spots. Through 22 appearances this season, Rodriguez owns a 5.26 ERA and 1.23 WHIP.

Neris struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 23rd save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Red Sox.

The right-hander hasn't blown a save -- or even allowed a run -- in over a month, posting a 17:2 K:BB over his last 13 innings. The hot streak has lowered Neris' ERA to 3.19 on the year, but his 0.97 WHIP and 12.1 K/9 offer a better picture of how dominant he's been as the Phillies' closer.