MLB Player News

Gomez retired the only batter he faced to earn his second save Saturday against the Giants.

The Phillies entered the ninth inning with a four-run lead, but after Hector Neris allowed a pair of runs and left runners on base as well, Gomez needed to come in to preserve the victory. With a 7.47 ERA and a 1.72 WHIP, Gomez will need to improve quite a bit before being considered to return to the closer role he once held.

Garcia has four holds and an ERA of 4.32 through 16.2 innings in his first season in the majors.

Garcia has taken advantage of being the only left-handed pitcher in Miami's bullpen, giving him a role that nobody is in position to take from him. The 15th-ranked prospect in Miami's system is making it difficult for hitters to get on base against him, holding hitters to a .213 average and walking 2.2 hitters per nine innings. As long as he's the only southpaw reliever for the Marlins, the rookie's playing time should only increase as the season goes on and Miami falls further from the playoff conversation.

Hoffman could start for the Rockies on Sunday if Tyler Anderson lands on the disabled list, according to Bob Nightengale of USA Today.

Nightengale reported that that Anderson was headed for the disabled list and that Hoffman would be called up to start Sunday, but another report -- from Nick Groke of The Denver Post -- indicated that Anderson is still hoping to start Sunday. Hoffman will be in limbo until a final call is made, but if Anderson does wind up on the DL, Hoffman would be the pitcher who takes his spot.

Gearrin has struck out 15 and walked 14 in 20.2 innings this season for the Giants.

It's not often you see a player with an ERA lower than his WHIP, but Gearrin has nearly achieved the feat this year. His WHIP of 1.55 is on pace to be the second highest of his career, while his ERA of 1.74 would be a career best. Last season, his first in which he spent the majority of a year in the major leagues, Gearrin finished with a 4.28 ERA and 1.16 WHIP, so any expectations for his stats to continue at this rate should probably be tempered.

Peralta has struck out 28 in 23.1 innings this season with an ERA of 3.09.

Peralta's WHIP after the first two months sits at 0.94, down from his 2.45 mark in 7.1 innings last year. His efficiency at keeping guys off base does not come too much as a surprise. Almost every time Peralta has been promoted in the Reds' farm system, he has lowered his WHIP from his previous stop. However, his career best 1.16 came last year for Triple-A Louisville, so whether or not he can continue to keep batters off base at this rate in the majors should be looked at with a bit of skepticism.

Leiter was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Saturday.

The Phillies needed to clear a spot on the roster for starter Ben Lively, and Leiter was the casualty. He will continue to offer organizational bullpen depth at the Triple-A level.

Pivetta will be recalled to start Monday's game in Atlanta, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

He was bumped from his scheduled start Saturday for Triple-A Lehigh Valley, which will allow him to come up and take Vince Velasquez's spot in the Phillies' rotation. Pivetta has been borderline unhittable at Triple-A, boasting a 1.41 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 37:2 K:BB in 32 innings. However, he struggled to duplicate that success in a four-start run in the majors earlier this season, posting a 5.12 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 21:9 K:BB in 19.1 innings. His Triple-A numbers are a little misleading, as he lacks high-end stuff and gets by mostly on excellent command and pitchability. However, with Velasquez (elbow) out indefinitely, Pivetta could be given a fairly long leash this time around.

Maurer walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to notch his ninth save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Rockies.

He's rewarded the Padres' faith in him by converting four straight save opportunities, but Maurer's 2:1 K:BB in those four innings isn't exactly the mark of a dominant closer. He should continue to have fantasy value as long as remains in the ninth-inning role despite his 5.48 ERA, but his job security is poor.

Blach (4-2) fired a complete game shutout on seven hits while striking out four Friday against the Phillies.

Blach gave the Giants bullpen a night off while enjoying 10 runs of support on the way to an easy victory. After a brutal outing in early May, he's now fired five straight quality starts. In addition, he's reeled off victories in each of his last four outings, and with a 3.24 ERA, he's become an excellent fantasy option. He'll make his next start Wednesday against the Brewers.

Hoffman was scratched from Friday's start with Triple-A Albuquerque, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

It's unclear as to the reason for the scratch, but Hoffman may be on his way back to the big leagues after lowering his ERA to 3.68 over eight starts at Triple-A this season. The 24-year-old could represent a better rotation option for the Rockies than Tyler Anderson and his 5.85 ERA, though that decision will likely be made sometime this weekend. Hoffman posted a solid 2.98 ERA and 15:2 K:BB in two starts for Colorado earlier this season.