MLB Player News

Lange recorded the season Tuesday against the Giants, striking out two and walking one over a scoreless ninth inning.

Lange was deployed in the ninth inning, tasked with protecting a one-run lead, and he worked around a Jung Hoo Lee walk by striking out two to secure his ninth save. While the clean outing helped quiet some recent concerns, he's likely not out of the woods. The right-hander blew the save in both of his first two appearances following the All-Star break, which came on the heels of a pair of five-run meltdowns to close the first half. Lange now owns a 6.15 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 41:23 K:BB across 41 innings this season.

Perkins allowed three runs on five hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings in a no-decision versus the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Perkins gave up a three-run home run to Max Kepler in the first inning. After that Perkins settled in for a decent start, though the Athletics didn't catch up until the ninth inning. This was his longest outing in July -- he's allowed 13 runs over 11.2 innings in three appearances this month. Overall, Perkins has a 6.75 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 76:24 K:BB through 62.2 innings across 25 games (seven starts). He's tentatively projected for a home start versus the Red Sox early next week.

Sewald allowed two runs on two hits and struck out two without walking a batter over one inning to take a blown save versus the Athletics on Tuesday.

Sewald served up a two-run home run to Jacob Wilson in the ninth inning, squandering the Diamondbacks' lead. Arizona went on to win in the 10th. Given his recent form, it was only a matter of time before Sewald took a blown save -- he's been scored upon in seven of his last 11 outings, giving up 11 runs over 10 innings in that span. For the season, he's 23-for-25 in save conversions while posting a 4.95 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 42:9 K:BB across 36.1 innings. Sewald's not in danger of losing the closer job yet, but his performance over the last month isn't inspiring confidence.

Pagan struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-2 win over the Mariners.

This was Pagan's second save in five outings since he returned from a hamstring injury. He's allowed two runs while posting an 8:2 K:BB over 4.1 innings in that span. The right-hander is at a 5.89 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 19:8 K:BB with eight saves in 11 chances over 18.1 innings this season. Pagan is still the Reds' top closing option due to the absences of Tony Santillan (oblique) and Graham Ashcraft (elbow), but the team's last-place status makes it tough to expect many saves.

Mikolas allowed three runs on six hits and no walks while striking out one batter over 3.2 relief innings in a no-decision against Colorado on Tuesday.

Mikolas inherited a 4-2 deficit when he entered with two outs and a runner on first base in the second inning. The right-hander got out of that frame without allowing the inherited runner to cross the plate, but Washington scored in three of the remaining four innings in which he appeared. Mikolas has been better this season as a bulk reliever than as a traditional starter, but his overall 5.60 ERA and 4.7 K/9 make him an unappealing fantasy asset in all but the deepest of leagues. He's projected to make his next appearance -- either as a starter or in bulk relief -- at home versus Toronto.

Romano earned a save against the Nationals on Tuesday, striking out two batters over one perfect inning.

Every inning before the ninth featured at least one run by one or both teams, so Romano's task protecting an 8-7 lead didn't look like it would be an easy one. However, the veteran reliever made quick work of the three batters he faced, retiring the side on just 11 pitches. Romano has three saves in six appearances since making his Rockies debut July 4, so he appears to be the team's first choice to close games. Though he still carries a 6.59 ERA overall this season, Romano has surrendered just one run over 5.2 frames with Colorado.

Alexander will serve as the Rangers' opening pitcher for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.

Alexander has given up three earned runs across his last 1.1 innings, but the Rangers will use him as their opener Wednesday to combat the top half of Chicago's batting order, which is often stacked with lefties. Cal Quantrill is expected to handle bulk-relief duties once Alexander exits the game.

Phillips (2-5) completed 4.1 innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and one walk while striking out two batters in a loss to Houston on Tuesday.

Phillips fell behind quickly, giving up a leadoff homer to Jeremy Pena in the bottom of the first inning. The righty hurler got through the third and fourth frames facing the minimum six batters, but he was pulled with one out in the fifth and was charged with an additional run, which was unearned, following his departure. While his final line wasn't entirely disastrous, Phillips managed just two punchouts and saw his season record drop to 2-5. He's lined up for a tough matchup against Philadelphia his next time out.

Hader notched a save against the Marlins on Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in one scoreless inning.

Hader unsurprisingly got the call in the ninth inning with Houston up two runs. He surrendered a ground-rule double to the first batter he faced but responded by retiring the next three hitters in order. Hader had uncharacteristically given up a run in two of his prior three outings entering Tuesday, so this was a strong bounce-back effort. He's a perfect 11-for-11 in save opportunities this season while registering a 1.47 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 29:8 K:BB through 18.1 innings spanning 20 appearances.

Lopez (4-3) took the loss against the Padres on Tuesday, allowing five runs on nine hits and three walks with six strikeouts over 4.1 innings.

Lopez allowed runs in three separate innings, including solo homers in the fourth and fifth. The 32-year-old allowed one earned run in each of his first three starts upon returning to the rotation June 26 but has now surrendered nine earned runs over two straight losses. He'll take a 3.95 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 60:28 K:BB across 66 innings this season into a road matchup with the Orioles this weekend.