MLB Player News

Diaz walked one and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his 35th save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Giants.

He needed 20 pitches (12 strikes) to get the job done after walking Patrick Bailey to begin the frame, but Diaz got a little defensive help from Elly De La Cruz to avoid any further trouble. Diaz's 35 saves ties him for the NL lead with Camilo Doval, but the Reds' closer is showing signs of wearing down -- through 10.1 innings in August, he has a 10:8 K:BB to go along with his 2.61 ERA and 1.26 WHIP.

Ottavino was tagged with a blown save against the Rangers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk over one scoreless inning.

The Mets led by a run heading into the eighth, and the plan appeared to be to have Brooks Raley serve as a bridge to Ottavino. That plan imploded when Raley allowed three straight baserunners to start the frame, which led to Ottavino being summoned with no outs and the bases loaded. The veteran right-hander hit the first batter he faced to force in the tying run and allowed an RBI single to Jonah Heim but otherwise kept the damage to a minimum. Both runs that crossed the plate while Ottavino was on the mound were charged to Raley, but it the former who had a blown save pasted on his ledger. Still, the outing extended Ottavino's scoreless stretch to seven straight appearances, during which he's allowed just one hit while posting a 5:3 K:BB.

Reyes completed 5.1 innings against Texas on Wednesday, allowing two runs on three hits and no walks while striking out three batters. He did not factor into the decision.

Reyes faced a daunting task facing the third-highest scoring team in the majors after spending nearly all of the past four months in the minors. The right-hander was mostly up to the task, holding the Rangers scoreless for three frames before Corey Seager tagged him for a solo shot in the fourth. Reyes gave up one more run in the outing and departed in line for the win, but the Mets' bullpen couldn't hold the lead. Reyes still holds a poor 6.23 ERA on the campaign, though he's had a rough draw -- of his 17.1 innings, 12.1 have come against the league's top three scoring teams (Atlanta, Texas and the Dodgers). It's uncertain if he'll stick in the rotation, with the deciding factor possibly being whether Carlos Carrasco is claimed off waivers or moved to the bullpen if he goes unclaimed.

Yarbrough allowed four hits and struck out four without walking a batter over four shutout innings to earn the save in Wednesday's 7-0 win over the Diamondbacks.

Yarbrough continues to serve as a multi-inning option out of the bullpen, and this marks the second time in six appearances as a Dodger that he logged a save of three-plus innings. He's maintained a 1.86 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB over 19.1 innings with his new team, and he's also collected three wins while still roughly operating every fifth day or so. Yarbrough is at a 3.58 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 45:10 K:BB through 70.1 innings overall when accounting for his time with the Royals. If Ryan Pepiot sticks in the rotation beyond Wednesday, Yarbrough may often serve as a piggyback for the young right-hander.

Pallante (4-1) allowed a hit in a scoreless inning and earned the win Wednesday over the Padres.

Pallante erased the hit with a double play, keeping the Cardinals within a run of the Padres in the ninth inning. Tommy Edman then delivered a walk-off two-run home run. This was just the fifth scoreless outing in 12 appearances in August for Pallante, who has still held onto a somewhat high-leverage role despite his lackluster recent performance. The right-hander has a 5.13 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 39:24 K:BB with 11 holds and five blown saves over 54.1 innings this season. With Ryan Helsley (forearm) nearing a return, Pallante could soon find himself in more of a middle-relief role.

Bednar allowed a hit and struck out one over one scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-1 win over the Royals.

Bednar has converted six saves over his last seven outings, though he's given up two runs over 7.1 innings in that span. The right-hander looks to have moved past his shakiness from earlier in August to return to high-end form in the ninth inning. For the year, he's maintained a 2.13 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 63:16 K:BB with 29 saves in 32 chances over 55 innings.

Jackson (1-1) earned the win in Wednesday's 4-1 victory over the Royals, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out seven over 5.2 innings.

Jackson has pitched relatively well since joining the Pirates in a trade from the Dodgers, allowing eight runs over 24.2 innings while posting a 27:7 K:BB in that span. This was his third start of the season, all of which have come with Pittsburgh. Overall, he's amassed a 4.46 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 43:10 K:BB through 42.1 innings over 13 appearances in 2023. Should Jackson remain in the rotation, he's projected for a tougher home start versus the Brewers next week.

X-rays on Nardi's left hand came back negative after he was forced to leave Wednesday's game against Tampa Bay upon getting hit by a line drive, Daniel Alvarez-Montes of ElExtraBase.com reports.

The southpaw will likely still miss some time after getting hit in his throwing hand, but Nardi and the Marlins seem to have avoided what could've easily been a much worse outcome. Steven Okert could see an uptick in high-leverage opportunities while Nardi recovers.

Alzolay (2-4) worked around a walk and a hit batsman to toss 1.1 scoreless innings and earn the win Wednesday against the Brewers.

The Cubs turned to Alzolay with the bases loaded and two out in the top of the eighth inning. The righty proceeded to hit Mark Canha, which allowed Milwaukee to tie the game at 2-2 and saddled Alzolay with just his second blown save this season. However, Chicago scored in the bottom half of the frame, and Alzolay pitched a clean ninth to earn the win. The Cubs' closer has pitched each of the last two days, but he will get to rest Thursday during a team off day, so he should be ready if needed Friday against the Reds.

Nardi was removed from Wednesday's game against the Rays after getting hit in the left hand by a comebacker, Steve Carney of StPeteNine.com reports.

Nardi will go in for imaging on his hand, and the Marlins should provide an update on his status in the near future. Until more is known, he should be considered day-to-day.