MLB Player News

Vesia (0-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and one walk over 1.1 relief innings.

Vesia entered with two outs in the ninth to face Matt Olson, retiring the lefty hitter on a fly out. When the game went into an extra frame, Vesia remained in the contest and initially looked like he would hold Atlanta at bay, retiring the first two batters he faced in the 10th. However, the southpaw issued a two-out walk to Sean Murphy, then served up a long three-run homer to Orlando Arcia, creating a deficit the Dodgers couldn't come back from. It was the second time since the All-Star break Vesia has allowed multiple runs in an outing, but he's been pretty effective overall during that period, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings while notching four holds.

Phillips is a candidate to start a game during the upcoming week while the Reds deal with multiple absences in the starting rotation, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Cincinnati added Graham Ashcraft (toe) to the injured list Saturday, and he's now sidelined along with fellow starters Hunter Greene, Brandon Williamson and Ben Lively, all of whom are on the COVID-19 injured list. The absences leave openings in the starting rotation over the next four days. Carson Spiers will make his MLB debut Sunday, and Phillips could follow soon after. The 22-year-old right-hander last started for Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, when he pitched six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. If the Reds give him a spot start, his five-day schedule comes due Tuesday at home against the Mariners.

Assad did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing seven hits and one walk over eight scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to the Reds. He struck out seven.

Assad was masterful Saturday, racking up seven strikeouts to match the career high that he set last time out against Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old righty was removed after eight innings with a 1-0 lead that Chicago's bullpen was unable to protect, sticking him with a tough-luck no-decision. Assad now has five consecutive outings going five-plus innings while allowing two or fewer earned runs, posting a 1.62 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 24:8 K:BB across 33.1 innings during that stretch. He'll look to continue his impressive string of starts next time out, which is projected to come at home against the Diamondbacks next week.

VerHagen (4-1) allowed two runs on one hit over one-third of an inning to take the loss and a blown save Saturday versus the Pirates.

Verhagen plunked Andrew McCutchen and gave up a two-run home run to Josh Palacios in the ninth inning. Prior to Saturday, VerHagen had been in good form with just one run allowed over 10 innings since the start of August. The right-hander has a 4.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 52:21 K:BB, 12 holds and a blown save through 52 innings this season.

Bednar tossed a scoreless inning to earn a save against St. Louis on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter.

Bednar came on in the ninth frame with the Pirates up one run and gave up a leadoff single to Tommy Edman before hitting Jordan Walker with a pitch. The All-Star closer then saw the tying and winning runs move into scoring position on a Masyn Winn sacrifice but was able to notch a huge strikeout of Lars Nootbaar before getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground out to end the game. Bednar has collected three saves over the past four days, allowing just an unearned run and two hits over three innings during that span. He's tied for sixth in the majors with 31 saves on the season.

Lawrence allowed two earned runs on three walks and a hit while striking out one across two-thirds of an inning Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Lawrence entered the game to start the ninth inning with a three-run lead but failed to convert the save. He allowed six batters to reach base, four of which came via either walk or a hit-by-pitch, and he was pulled with the bases loaded and a one-run lead still intact. Tyler Kinley ultimately came on to convert the save, and Lawrence's grip on the closer role could be in danger given he's allowed 14 earned runs across 18.1 frames and 18 appearances since the All-Star break.

Iglesias allowed an unearned run on one hit and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-2 extra-inning win over the Dodgers.

Iglesias' 17-inning scoreless streak came to an end when Max Muncy generated a run on a sacrifice fly. It didn't stop Iglesias from locking down his 28th save of the year, including his 12th since the start of that scoreless streak. The Atlanta closer has a 2.56 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 59:13 K:BB through 45.2 innings this season while continuing to enjoy some of the best job security among closers in the majors.

Kinley struck out the only batter he faced to earn the save in Saturday's 8-7 win over the Blue Jays.

Kinley wasn't initially brought in for the save chance, but Justin Lawrence gave up two runs and left with the bases loaded. Kinley was able to strike out Spencer Horwitz to end the threat, earning his first save since 2019 in the process. This was Kinley's first appearance since Aug. 16 after a bout of elbow inflammation. The right-hander has a 9.00 ERA, 2.00 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB through six innings this season. Despite Saturday's success, it's unlikely he sees many high-leverage opportunities under normal circumstances the rest of the way unless he continues to improve.

Blach (2-1) allowed five runs on nine hits and three walks and struck out two over six innings to earn the win over the Blue Jays on Saturday.

Blach didn't pitch all that well, but he was able to limit the damage to the first two innings. That gave the Rockies enough time to rally ahead and get him off the hook. Blach had a pair of quality starts in August, but the five runs he allowed Saturday marked a season high. Through 15 appearances (eight starts), he has a 4.33 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 28:15 K:BB over 54 innings. The southpaw is projected to make his next start in San Francisco.

Treinen's rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City has been paused after he felt soreness in his surgically repaired right shoulder after his last appearance Tuesday, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

Treinen was roughed up for three runs while recording just one out in the outing. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts had already referred to Treinen as a "long shot" to return this season even before this setback, so this might cinch it. Treinen had surgery in November of 2022 to repair the labrum and rotator cuff in his right shoulder.