MLB Player News

Grace heads into the second half with a 6.53 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 20:8 K:BB through 30.1 innings, and he's still looking for his first win or save while recording four holds in 35 appearances.

The 30-year-old southpaw appeared to be turning things around in mid-May, reeling off nine straight scoreless appearances between May 19 and June 6, but since then he's been tagged for runs in three of his last four outings. Grace is essentially the second LOOGY in the Nats bullpen behind Tony Sipp at this point, putting a severe limitation on his ability to produce fantasy value even if he were to regain some consistency,

Beede (1-3) was charged with the loss against the Diamondbacks on Thursday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings.

Beede retired 10 of his first 11 batters until David Peralta doubled and scored in the fourth to give Arizona the lead. The 26-year-old then allowed a leadoff homer to Nick Ahmed in the fourth to make the score 2-1. Unfortunately, the Giants failed to provide enough run support against Alex Young's solid debut on the mound for the Diamondbacks. On the bright side, Beede's performance was a huge improvement from his last outing against the Diamondbacks on June 22, when he gave up four runs on six hits over four innings. Even still, Beede's inconsistencies have made him a tough pitcher to trust. His struggles have left him with a 6.45 ERA, 1.86 WHIP and 39:28 K:BB over nine appearances. The right-hander will look to bounce back during a Tuesday matchup at the Padres.

Young (1-0) earned the win Thursday after holding the Giants to one run on three hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings.

Overall, Young displayed impressive command in his big-league debut. The southpaw threw his first three pitches for balls but pulled it together to retire nine of the first 10 batters he faced. Young did not allow a hit until Brandon Belt's solo shot led off the fourth inning. The 25-year-old, who joined the Diamondbacks' rotation, went 2-3 with a 5.79 ERA over eight starts for Triple-A Reno. Clearly he was ready for some tougher competition, although his successful night could be chalked up to beginner's luck against a struggling offense. Either way, Young owns a shiny 1.80 ERA and 0.80 WHIP at the major-league level. After Thursday's performance, the rookie is sure to earn additional opportunities on the hill, at least until Luke Weaver (forearm) returns.

Lambert allowed five runs on nine hits with no walks across 4.2 innings in a no-decision Thursday against the Dodgers. He struck out two.

Lambert allowed a pair of solo home runs in the second inning before conceding three more runs via the long ball in the fifth, when he was removed with two outs. His outing resembled that of Walker Buehler on the other side of this high-scoring affair, and he's now allowed 16 earned runs across 12.2 innings over his last three starts. Lambert looks like a different pitcher than the one who impressed in his first two starts, so it remains to be seen if he holds onto his place in the rotation. If he does, he's in line for another tough matchup at home against the Astros.

Kimbrel pitched a scoreless ninth inning to pick up the save against the Braves on Thursday, allowing a hit and a walk while striking out one batter.

Kimbrel's first appearance with the Cubs looked to be smooth sailing when he retired Brian McCann and Johan Camargo to begin the ninth inning, but things got interesting after he gave up a double and a walk to the next two batters. Freddie Freeman followed with a smash down the first base line that Anthony Rizzo snagged on one hop, diving to narrowly beat Freeman to first base and end the game. Kimbrel may exhibit some rust after sitting much of the season, but his career 1.91 ERA and 334 saves make him the obvious choice to close games for the Cubs the rest of the season.

Neris allowed three earned runs on four hits while managing to record just one out to blow the save Thursday against the Mets.

Neris entered the game in the ninth inning with the Phillies up one, but he quickly blew the lead by allowing a two-run homer to the third batter he faced. He then allowed two more singles prior to being pulled, though he was charged with another run after JD Hammer allowed an inherited runner to cross the plate. It was a disappointing effort for Neris and the second time in his last six appearances that he's allowed multiple earned runs. As a result, his ERA has jumped to 3.18, though he still has a strong 1.06 WHIP to go along with 46 strikeouts across 34 innings for the season.

Wilson gave up six runs (four earned) in 4.1 innings and did not factor into the decision against the Cubs on Thursday. He gave up six hits and one walk while striking out six.

On the day he was recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to take Mike Foltynewicz's spot in the rotation, the 21-year-old was roughed up by the Cubs, giving up a home run to the first batter he faced and scuffling through a three-run fourth inning. He received plenty of offensive support but was pulled in the fifth after 82 pitches following an Anthony Rizzo RBI double that turned what was once a 6-1 lead into a 6-5 nailbiter. Neither of Wilson's starts have gone well this season -- in the other, he was pounded for four runs in 3.1 innings by Philadelphia -- so it remains to be season whether he'll remain in the rotation for another start.

Hader completed two perfect innings against the Mariners on Thursday, striking out three batters to earn the save.

Hader was summoned in the eighth inning to protect a three-run lead and made things look easy, retiring all six batters he faced -- including three by strikeout -- to earn his 19th save. It was the third straight outing of exactly two innings for Hader, each of which has resulted in a blemish-free save. After posting an uncharacteristic 4.63 ERA in April, the 25-year-old has been downright dominant in May and June, allowing only two runs while striking out 45 batters in 25 innings.

Diaz (1-5) allowed five earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out one to blow the save and take the loss Thursday against the Phillies.

Diaz immediately blew the Mets' 3-1 lead, as he walked the first batter he faced and then allowed a two-run home run to Maikel Franco. However, the trouble didn't stop there, as he allowed three more hits, capped by a three-run home run to Jean Segura to give the Phillies the win. After beginning the season in similar fashion to his dominant 2018 campaign, Diaz has three outings in the past month in which he's allowed three or more earned runs. That's caused his ERA and WHIP to rise to 4.94 and 1.42 respectively, though he has still managed 50 strikeouts across 31 innings. Diaz will look to get back on track during the Mets' weekend series against the Braves.

Young had his contract selected from Triple-A Reno ahead of his scheduled start against the Giants on Thursday.

As expected, Young will join the big-league rotation. Prior to earning a promotion, the 25-year-old Young compiled a 5.79 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 32.2 innings (eight starts) with Reno. Assuming the southpaw holds his own in his big-league debut, he should be given an opportunity to stick in the rotation until Luke Weaver (forearm) returns. Steven Souza (knee) was transferred to the 60-day injured list to free up a 40-man spot for Young while Stefan Crichton was optioned to the minors to clear a spot on Arizona's active roster.