MLB Player News

Melancon struck out one in the course of a perfect ninth inning Thursday against the Brewers for his 28th save in 31 tries.

The Pirates' closer had allowed a run in consecutive outings, so it's nice to see him clean up efficiently in this one. Melancon may not carry a very impressive strikeout rate by the standards of his peers, but he's still been putting up some of the most unimpeachable ratios in the game for years.

Jansen worked around a hit and struck out one to earn his 28th save of the season Thursday versus the Nationals.

Thursday marked Jansen's first save since blowing his fourth of the season on July 16 against the D'Backs, which also snapped a 14-game streak of not allowing an earned run. The ninth-inning man ranks fourth in saves so far this season, but owns the league's best WHIP (0.70) among closers.

Making his first start for Triple-A Reno since getting demoted on July 14, Miller went 6.2 innings on Tuesday, allowing four hits and three earned runs while striking out 10. He walked two.

While Miller will need to string together a few solid outings before the Diamondbacks and fantasy owners can trust him again, Tuesday's outing was certainly a step in the right direction. At the MLB level this season, Miller is 2-9 with a 7.14 ERA and 1.75 WHIP.

Law has yet to allow a run through six relief appearances in July.

Law has totaled five innings pitched in that span and has given up just two hits with six strikeouts. This is encouraging for the rookie who gave up six runs over 13 innings pitched in June. Law now has a 2.65 ERA along with a 1.06 WHIP that ranks best among Giants' relievers with at least 10 appearances.

Kontos has given up just three earned runs and two walks over his last 11 relief appearances.

The five-year vet now boasts a 2.86 ERA along with 20 strikeouts over 28.1 innings pitched this season. However, the return of Sergio Romo (forearm) has booted Kontos from his set-up role and Kontos is unlikely to see any spontaneous save opportunities in the near future.

Law tossed 1.2 shutout innings against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Law was actually the only Giants pitcher to enter the game and not surrender a run to the red-hot Boston lineup. In a year of bullpen struggles, the unproven Law has been a revelation for the Giants with a 2.65 ERA and an impressive 35:6 K:BB ratio over 34 innings. While current closer Santiago Casilla has struggled as of late, manager Bruce Bochy is unlikely to turn to Law if he decides to make a mid-season change. However, his current string of excellence will undoubtedly earn him more high-leverage situations in the second half, which could lead to more holds.

Kiekhefer was optioned to Triple-A Memphis following Wednesday's doubleheader.

He was recalled to serve as the 26th man for the doubleheader and will predictably be sent back to Memphis. Kiekhefer has flashed the potential to be a solid big league reliever in the future, but he is still in the development/organizational depth phase at Triple-A.

Hudson gave up three hits and four runs (one earned) while recording just two outs in Wednesday's loss to the Blue Jays.

It's been a July to forget for Hudson. In six appearances this month, the righty has given up 13 hits and eight earned runs in just five innings of work. In the process, his ERA has gone from 3.82 to 5.30. After Brad Ziegler was traded to Boston, the thought was that Hudson could be in line for some save chances. But right now, it seems hard to imagine that the Diamondbacks would trust him to close out games. Tyler Clippard looks like the guy to own in Arizona's bullpen.

Gomez required just 10 pitches to retire the Marlins in the ninth inning Wednesday for his 26th save.

After blowing a save in the opening game of this series Monday, Gomez pitched both Tuesday and Wednesday, so if there's a save chance Thursday, it'll likely be handled by Hector Neris. The 28-year-old Gomez has responded to winning the ninth-inning role in April with his best MLB season to date, but his meager total of 29 strikeouts in 45.2 innings is pretty bad for a closer. Of course, he's still fifth in the NL in saves.

Lopez was optioned back to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

One day after making his major league debut, Lopez is headed back to Triple-A where he has only made two starts this season. He may stay down in Triple-A until September as Joe Ross will be returning from his injury soon, and Lopez could always end up in a bullpen role once rosters expand.