MLB Player News

Cruz struck out one over a scoreless inning and picked up a hold in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Yankees.

The Yankees erased most of the Reds' 5-0 lead in the middle innings before Cruz and closer Alexis Diaz shut down New York's final six batters in order. The hold was Cruz's team-leading 16th. After a rocky first month-and-a-half, Cruz has settled in, pitching to a 2.08 ERA with 26 strikeouts over the last 17.1 innings (20 appearances).

Hoffman struck out two batters in a scoreless inning to collect the save Tuesday versus the Cubs.

The Phillies saw a 6-1 lead quickly get cut to 6-4 after Seiya Suzuki hit a three-run shot off Jose Ruiz in the ninth inning, so Philadelphia brought in Hoffman to make sure things didn't get out of hand. Jose Alvarado remains the team leader with 12 saves on the year, but Hoffman has also proven to be a reliable option with a 1.24 ERA in 36.1 innings.

Wesneski (2-5) took the loss Tuesday versus the Phillies, giving up five earned runs on five hits and three walks while striking out seven batters over five innings.

Wesneski struggled heavily in what was just his second start since May 8, as his five runs allowed set a new season high for the 26-year-old righty. Three of those runs came courtesy of Trea Turner, who hit a pair of home runs in the third and fifth frames. Wesneski has now surrendered eight earned runs in nine innings since returning to the Cubs' rotation. He's lined up to face the Angels on Sunday, and any starts beyond that point will likely depend on whether Javier Assad (forearm) is able to return from the IL.

Diaz picked up the save Tuesday against the Yankees, striking out one across a perfect ninth inning.

Diaz needed only nine pitches to retire Trent Grisham, Austin Wells and Anthony Volpe in order Tuesday. Diaz has fired five consecutive scoreless innings and is up to 18 saves on the season, which is tied for eighth most in baseball. Despite the strong save total, Diaz owns a 4.60 ERA across 31.1 innings.

Finnegan struck out one over a perfect inning in Tuesday's extra-inning loss to the Mets.

Finnegan entered in the top of the ninth in a 2-2 game and fired a perfect frame. The 32-year-old has delivered four consecutive scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk over that stretch. Finnegan owns the third-most saves in baseball with 22.

Sewald (0-1) took the loss and a blown save Tuesday versus the Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out two in two-thirds of an inning.

Sewald's 15.2-inning scoreless streak came to an end, and he also took his first blown save of the year. He labored in the ninth inning and ended up giving up a game-tying double to Freddie Freeman, who then scored on Teoscar Hernandez's walk-off single. Sewald is now 11-for-12 in save chances while sporting a 1.56 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 17:3 K:BB through 17.1 innings. He is unlikely to lose the closer job as long as he's with Arizona, though he's on a one-year contract for a struggling team and could be flipped before the July 30 trade deadline.

Phillips (1-0) allowed a run on one hit and struck out one over one inning but earned the win Tuesday over the Diamondbacks.

Phillips gave up a tie-breaking solo home run to Joc Pederson in the top of the ninth inning, but the Dodgers replied with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame. The homer was just the second Phillips has allowed all year, though this was the second outing in a row he's been scored on. The right-hander is at a 2.10 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 27:8 K:BB with 13 saves and a hold over 25.2 innings this season.

Mears (1-4) was tagged with the loss and a blown save after he allowed two runs on two hits and two walks over two-thirds of an inning Tuesday against the Brewers.

Mears didn't give up hard contact as the two hits against him were infield singles, but he was unable to get through the frame on 39 pitches. It's the second blown save of the season for the right-hander, who remains without a save but has seven holds to go along with an ugly 6.28 ERA. Closer Tyler Kinley threw three innings over the previous two days, which likely prompted manager Bud Black to look elsewhere for Tuesday's save opportunity.

Megill allowed one hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-3 win over the Rockies.

The Brewers scored two runs in the top of the ninth to take a one-run lead, and Megill came through in the bottom of the frame for his 18th save despite giving up a two-out single. The right-hander has converted 12 straight save chances and hasn't allowed a run across his past nine appearances, which has improved his ERA to 1.59 and WHIP to 0.99, respectively.

Helsley earned a save against the Pirates on Tuesday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning.

Helsley was asked to protect a 7-4 lead in the ninth inning and did so on 17 pitches. He leads the league with 31 saves and has not blown a save chance since his first outing of the season. Through 38 innings, the 29-year-old owns a 2.54 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 47:16 K:BB.