MLB Player News

Thornton (heel) struck out two batters and allowed one hit over a scoreless inning of relief in Sunday's 8-7 loss to the Pirates.

Thornton was forced out of his prior appearance in Monday's 8-6 extra-inning loss to Detroit when he was struck on the left foot by a comebacker, with the reliever later getting diagnosed with a heel contusion. He was able to avoid a stint on the injured list, and after a few days of rest and recovery, Thornton stepped in to pitch a scoreless eighth inning in the Cubs' final game in Pittsburgh. Thornton has ascended into a key late-inning role in an injury-plagued Cubs bullpen, but he could fall down the pecking order soon. Daniel Palencia (elbow) is close to beginning a rehab assignment and could be back from the injured list before the middle of August, and Chicago could also add another high-leverage piece or two to its bullpen ahead of next Monday's trade deadline.

Alvarez is slated to work in a bulk-relief role Monday versus the Blue Jays, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

Eddy Yean will take the ball first as an opener, but Alvarez will absorb the brunt of the innings for Washington on Monday. Alvarez has struggled in his last three outings (two starts, one bulk relief appearance), yielding 11 runs over 12 innings.

Yean will serve as the opening pitcher for the Nationals in Monday's game versus the Blue Jays, Kyle Williams of TheBanner.com reports.

Yean will draw his first MLB start after tossing 5.1 scoreless innings covering his first three appearances with Washington. He'll likely cover an inning or two before giving way to left-hander Andrew Alvarez, who is in line to work as the Nationals' bulk reliever.

O'Brien was unavailable to pitch in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning loss to the Reds due to illness, John Denton of Roundtable.io reports.

The illness provides an explanation as to why O'Brien didn't appear in the ninth inning when the game was knotted up. The Cardinals closer should be considered day-to-day. If a save chance arises Monday versus the Cubs and O'Brien remains unavailable, George Soriano or Ryne Stanek could be used.

Beeter secured the save Sunday against the Diamondbacks, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk in the ninth inning.

Beeter was shaky Sunday but did help put out a fire started by Matt Krook, who walked three batters in the ninth without recording an out. Beeter remains the favorite for saves in Washington's much-maligned bullpen, but his job security is as low as any closer in the major leagues. Through 31.2 innings, the right-hander has a 3.69 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a concerning 33:20 K:BB with 10 saves in 15 opportunities.

Miller earned the save Sunday against the Marlins, striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Miller was unsurprisingly called upon to protect a two-run lead and retired Miami in order on 15 pitches (eight strikes). The right-hander has now tossed eight consecutive scoreless appearances while racking up 14 strikeouts during that stretch. Miller continues to dominate in the closer's role, posting a 0.82 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 80:27 K:BB across 43.2 innings while leading the National League with 27 saves.

Mikolas took a no-decision Sunday against the Diamondbacks, allowing three runs on four hits and one walk in four innings. He struck out four.

Mikolas rejoined the rotation following a pair of outings as a long reliever, but the shift in role didn't yield better results Sunday. The 37-year-old right-hander has had a hard time putting batters away all year long -- he's yet to exceed four strikeouts in any of his 22 appearances and remains without a single quality start. Mikolas is unlikely to carry much fantasy appeal his next time out in Atlanta, where he'll bring a 5.65 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 52:21 K:BB over 102 innings.

Garcia allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Sunday's 5-3 extra-inning win over the Cardinals.

Emilio Pagan wasn't utilized in this game despite not pitching Saturday, though he had worked three of the four days between Tuesday and Friday. Other high-leverage relievers like Pierce Johnson and Tejay Antone were deployed earlier in the contest. Garcia didn't make it easy, but he was able to protect the lead to pick up his first major-league save. He's done a fine job in a lower-leverage role so far with a 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB through 15.1 innings, though he has been scored upon in five of his 11 games. At this time, Garcia doesn't look to be a threat to Pagan's closing role, but the former could see his outings start to come later in games if he continues to pitch well.

Montgomery secured the save Sunday against the Cubs, allowing two runs on two hits and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

It was interesting to see Pittsburgh deploy Montgomery in the ninth over Gregory Soto, who's been the club's primary closer this season and last worked Friday. Montgomery appears to be working his way up the bullpen ladder following the departure of Dennis Santana, but he barely survived Sunday and needed every bit of the 8-5 lead he was granted. Through 42.1 innings, Montgomery has a 4.04 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 65:19 K:BB with two saves in two chances.

Iglesias took a blown save in Sunday's 3-2 win over the Orioles in extra innings. He gave up an unearned run while logging a walk and a strikeout in the ninth inning.

Though an Ozzie Albies error helped Baltimore to tie the game Sunday, Iglesias was still tagged with his second blown save in his last eight appearances after he had converted his first 17 save chances of the season. Iglesias has given up seven runs (six earned) in his last 8.2 innings, though he still sports an excellent 2.43 ERA overall with a 1.08 WHIP and 43 strikeouts through 37 innings this year.