MLB Player News

Pirates closer Mark Melancon struck out the side Saturday to earn his 11th save and finish off his team's 5-3 win over the Cubs.

Melancon just replaced Jason Grilli in the closing role and acquitted himself just fine in his first save opportunity after the change was made. He owns a sparkling 1.83 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB ratio in 34 1/3 innings.

Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson could begin pitching in Arizona League games next week, MLB.com reports.

Hudson is trying to return from his second Tommy John surgery last June. The surgeries have kept him sidelined since early 2012.

The Rockies have promoted reliever Wilton Lopez and demoted fellow right-hander Chris Martin to Triple-A. They have also moved outfelder Michael Cuddyer to the 60-day disabled list.

Lopez had been sent down last week.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen imploded Friday, failing to hold on to a two-run lead in a 6-5 loss to the Padres.

Jansen simply couldn't get the Padres out, allowing three straight hits to open up the game, including a pair of doubles to tie it. He induced outs to the next two batters, but the second was a sacrifice fly to right field to end it, costing him the game.

Jansen has struggled to remain consistent this season, but still has 20 saves in 23 tries. He has a 4.55 ERA and 1.45 WHIP in 29 2/3 innings, with 49 strikeouts and 11 walks. 

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman was not pitching in a save situation Friday against the Blue Jays, but he took his second loss as he melted down late in a 14-9 loss.

Chapman was charged with sending the game into extras, with the scored tied 9-9 following a furious Blue Jays rally. Unfortunately, he came out with his worst performance of the season, allowing four runs on two hits and two walks in just two-thirds of an inning before he was pulled.

Chapman is now 0-2 with a 2.84 ERA in 19 innings, though he had allowed just two runs prior to Friday's game. He is still 12 for 13 on save tries as well. 

Braves closer Craig Kimbrel allowed his first home run of the season Friday against the Nationals, in his fourth blown save.

Kimbrel allowed the Nationals to tie the game up on a two-run home run by infielder Anthony Rendon. Kimbrel ended the inning having allowed two runs on two walks and one hit while failing to record a strikeout for the first time since May. The Braves went on to win the game, 6-4, in extras.

Kimbrel has been just a little less dominant than usual this season, with a 2.45 ERA that is more than a run higher than his career mark. Still, he ranks second in the National League with 21 saves in 25 attempts, while striking out 52 batters in 29 1/3 innings. 

Funny the way things change.

When Jason Grilli hurt his forearm midway through last season, it was something just short of a disaster in Fantasy. He was the darling late-rounder whose rapid rise was as surprising as the Pirates' as a whole, giving him numbers on par with -- or perhaps better than -- Joe Nathan, Aroldis Chapman and even Craig Kimbrel.

Granted, Mark Melancon thrived in his absence, recording 14 saves with a 1.99 ERA in 23 appearances from the time Grilli went down to the time he returned, but he didn't quite dominate the way Grilli did and was, at that time, considered inferior.

Flash forward nearly a year, and Fantasy owners couldn't be more excited to see Melancon back in the role. Grilli just hasn't been the same since the forearm injury -- Fantasy owners came to realize it well before the Pirates did -- and once again, Melancon is thriving with a 1.89 ERA, 0.78 WHIP and 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings. He even got 10 saves earlier this year when Grilli missed time with a strained oblique, eliminating any shred of doubt he could handle the role.

While most every reliever who inherits the closer role midseason brings some measure of uncertainty to it, Melancon looks like a safe bet. Make him a priority off the waiver wire.

Clint Hurdle has announced that Mark Melancon is the new closer for the Pirates. He is the logical candidate with experience in that role. Jason Grilli has been ousted.

"We're very comfortable with what (he) can do in (the ninth inning)," Hurdle told the Pittsburgh Tribune Review.

Melancon locked down 10 of 12 save chances through May before Grilli returned from injury. He has continued his effectiveness in a late-inning role, having pitched 7 1/3 scoreless innings on just one hit and fanning nine.

Cardinals pitcher Joe Kelly is hoping to begin a rehab assignment next week, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Kelly is coming back from a hamstring issue. He said he probably won't run at 100 percent the rest of the season. Kelly threw a bullpen session Wednesday. He'll head to the minors as a starter in order to build up his arm. 

Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson has been moved to the 60-day disabled list.

Hudson had Tommy John surgery last season, and has been rehabbing. There's some hope he can return to the majors before the end of the season. Hudson hasn't pitched since 2012 due to having two separate Tommy John surgeries.