MLB Player News

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.

The Athletics acquired Blewett from the Cardinals on Sunday in exchange for cash considerations Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports.

After being designated for assignment by St. Louis a few days earlier, Blewett will recapture a 40-man roster spot as he moves on to Sacramento. The right-hander has produced a 5.18 ERA and 1.68 WHIP with 63 strikeouts over 48.2 innings in 37 appearances with Triple-A Memphis this season and tossed two scoreless innings in his lone outing at the big-league level. Blewett doesn't have any minor-league options remaining, so he'll join the Athletics bullpen right away.

The Pirates traded Urquidy traded to the White Sox in return for minor-league right-handed pitcher Felix Doroteo on Sunday, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports.

Urquidy was designated for assignment by Pittsburgh on Friday, and he has now quickly found a new home with the White Sox. The 31-year-old posted an inflated 8.53 ERA and 2.68 WHIP with six strikeouts over 6.1 innings in five appearances with the Pirates this season. Urquidy has had more success at the Triple-A level, registering a 3.53 ERA and 1.04 WHIP with 77 punchouts over 18 starts with Triple-A Indianapolis. It's unclear if Urquidy will join Chicago's major-league roster or if he'll report to Triple-A Charlotte, but he is a member of the team's 40-man roster regardless.

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.

Cruz secured the save Sunday against the Tigers, allowing no runs on one hit and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out two.

Closer Alex Lange was presumably getting Sunday off after picking up the save Saturday against Detroit, allowing Cruz to get a save opportunity. Cruz does have his two saves for the season in his past three appearances, so he at least appears to have worked his way into Kansas City's high-leverage mix along with Lucas Erceg, Matt Strahm and Daniel Lynch. Through 37 innings, Cruz has a 4.62 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 45:17 K:BB.

Pomeranz elected free agency Friday.

The veteran southpaw will explore his options on the open market after he recently cleared waivers upon being designated for assignment by the Cubs. Over his 31 appearances in the majors this season between the Angels and Cubs, Pomeranz has pitched to a 5.59 ERA and 1.66 WHIP across 29 innings.

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.

Hurter (spine) threw a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

Hurter is working his way back from lumbar spine inflammation, which has kept him on the shelf since May 24. He's eligible to come off the 60-day injured list at any time but will likely need to complete a rehab assignment prior to being reinstated.