MLB Player News

Diaz gave up a run on two hits and struck out one in the ninth inning Saturday, blowing his fourth save of the season in a 7-2 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

After the right-hander tossed a scoreless inning and recorded a hold Friday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave Diaz another shot at closing with the team clinging to a 2-1 lead. He couldn't get the job done, giving up two singles with a stolen base in between to tie the game before Sean Reid-Foley and Josh Walker combined for a disastrous 10th inning. Diaz has blown three straight save chances and four of five since May 5, stumbling to an 11.05 ERA in 7.1 innings over that stretch despite an 11:3 K:BB. Diaz last had struggles like this in 2019 and was eventually able to find his form again, but the Mets will be hard-pressed to use him in high-leverage spots until he shows some consistency.

Diaz threw a perfect ninth inning against the Dodgers on Saturday to secure his ninth save of the season.

Diaz sat down Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez on a total of seven pitches to nail down the win for starter Hunter Greene. While Diaz still has an ugly 5.95 ERA this season, his job as the Reds' closer is not in jeopardy. He's squandered just one save in his last 10 chances, and with only two hits and two walks allowed in his last four appearances, Diaz seems to have turned the page after a rough stretch in mid-May.

Finnegan struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning against the Mariners on Saturday to earn his 14th save of the season.

Finnegan dotted the inside corner to strike out Cal Raleigh before getting both Mitch Garver and Julio Rodriguez to ground out. With that, Finnegan is now up to 14 saves, two behind Emmanuel Clase and Ryan Helsley for the MLB lead. His last save prior to Saturday was May 14, as he went a while without being used and squandered a save chance, but Finnegan has only strengthened his grasp on the closer job in Washington with his performance this season. In turn he's also given the organization leverage in trade talks that will inevitably take place this summer.

Romero (2-0) allowed three hits and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Saturday over the Cubs.

Romero became the pitcher of record after the Cardinals rallied for the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. While this was a bit of a shaky performance, Romero was able to post his ninth scoreless appearance over 11 outings in May. The southpaw is at a 1.35 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 26:4 K:BB while adding 17 holds and one blown save through 26.2 innings. He's the Cardinals' top lefty reliever and continues to feature in a setup role.

Helsley allowed two runs on four hits in one inning but earned the save in Saturday's 7-6 win over the Cubs. He did not walk or strike out a batter.

Helsley had gone 11 innings without allowing a run, and he hadn't given up multiple hits in an appearance since April 27. Luckily for the Cardinals, they gave him a three-run lead to protect, and that was just enough leeway in this one. Helsley is 16-for-17 in save chances this season with a 1.96 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 24:4 K:BB over 23 innings. His lone blown save came in his season debut, and he remains one of the top closers in baseball despite pitching for a mediocre team.

Megill recorded a one-out save in Saturday's 6-3 victory over the Red Sox.

The Brewers were hoping to give Megill the night off, but they were forced to turn to him with two outs in the bottom of the ninth and the tying run in the batter's box. Megill surrendered an RBI single to the first batter he faced to let one inherited runner score, but he quickly rebounded with a strikeout to end it. Having converted each of the Brewers' last eight traditional saves, Megill is the clear closer in Milwaukee.

Suter will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher in Sunday's game versus the Dodgers, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Suter had some extended relief appearances earlier this season, but he pitched an inning Friday and hasn't lasted more than one frame in any of his last seven outings, so he won't work deep into Sunday's contest. The presumption, while not confirmed, is that Nick Martinez will eat most of the innings behind Suter as a bulk reliever.

Bednar allowed two hits but hung on for a scoreless inning and a save in Saturday's 4-1 win over Atlanta.

Tasked with protecting a three-run lead, Bednar retired the first two batters of the ninth inning before back-to-back hits put the tying run in Ronald Acuna at the plate. The closer then got Acuna to ground into a fielder's choice to thwart the threat. After blowing three save chances in seven tries to start the season, Bednar has successfully converted each of his last seven opportunities.

Walston has joined the Diamondbacks' taxi squad and is expected to be called up from Triple-A Reno to start Sunday's game against the Marlins, Alex Weiner of ArizonaSports.com reports.

The Diamondbacks haven't officially announced their pitching plans for Sunday, but Walston's presence in the clubhouse suggests that he'll be the choice to either start or work as a bulk reliever in the series finale versus Miami. The 22-year-old southpaw allowed two earned runs in 3.2 innings during his MLB debut May 1 against the Dodgers, and he has since posted a 4.20 ERA and 1.40 WHIP across three appearances upon being sent back down to Triple-A.

The Cubs optioned Cuas to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Maddie Lee of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

With Drew Smyly (hip) returning from the injured list, Cuas will be pushed back down to Triple-A after nearly two weeks in the majors. The 29-year-old right-hander gave up three earned runs in 5.1 innings during his latest stint in the majors, and he figures to be on the short list to return to the Cubs' bullpen if they find themselves in need of a fresh arm.