MLB Player News

Miller earned the save in Friday's 2-0 win over the White Sox, pitching a scoreless inning with two strikeouts while allowing one hit.

The Oakland closer worked around a one-out Andrew Vaughn single to pick up his 25th save of the season, good for sixth in the AL. Miller has not blown a save since returning from the injured list Aug. 7. Since that date, he has collected 10 saves while pitching to a 2.50 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 23:5 K:BB across 18 innings.

Basso (1-0) was the pitcher of record in Friday's 2-0 win over White Sox, pitching 5.1 scoreless innings while yielding five hits and one walk. He struck out two.

Stepping into the rotation as a replacement for Osvaldo Bido (wrist), Basso made the most of the opportunity and secured his first big-league victory with a tidy 77-pitch performance. Basso worked around five singles as the Chicago lineup couldn't manage to get a runner past second base against him. The 26-year-old has performed well over his first 14.2 innings in the majors, pitching to a 1.23 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 0.89 WHIP and 11:2 K:BB. If Basso sticks in the Oakland rotation, he will line up to make his next start against the Cubs on the road next week.

Uceta picked up the save in Friday's 3-1 victory over Cleveland, pitching 1.2 perfect innings with two strikeouts.

Activated in advance of Friday's contest after serving a two-game suspension for intentionally throwing at the Phillies' Nick Castellanos on Tuesday, Uceta immediately stepped back into a high-leverage spot for Tampa Bay. He relieved Mason Montgomery with one out in the eighth after the latter allowed two hits to his three batters faced. Uceta efficiently retired five straight batters on only 18 pitches to lock down the win for Tampa Bay. He has now pitched to a 1.42 ERA, 0.76 WHIP and 53:6 K:BB with three saves across 38 innings this season. The 26-year-old has been an elite reliever and is in the fluid mix for Tampa Bay save opportunities while Pete Fairbanks (lat) remains on the injured list.

The Red Sox will option Kelly to Triple-A Worcester on Saturday, Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com reports.

The decision to send Kelly down to the minors comes shortly after he allowed three earned runs on a hit and two walks without recording an out in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Yankees. The 29-year-old righty owns a 3.97 ERA through 56.2 big-league innings on the year and could still return to Boston to help the Sox get through the final weeks of the regular season.

Fitts allowed two hits and three walks over five shutout innings in a no-decision in Friday's 5-4 loss to the Yankees. He struck out two.

After making his MLB debut this past Sunday against the White Sox, Fitts was needed to make a second turn through the rotation after Tanner Houck (shoulder) was scratched from his scheduled start Friday. Fitts walked three straight batters in the first inning but escaped the threat. Only one other Yankee would reach scoring position against him. Fitts has not allowed an earned run through 10.2 innings to begin his MLB career, but whether or not he gets another turn in the rotation may depend on Houck's status.

Ortiz (6-6) took the loss Friday against the Royals, allowing seven runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over four innings. He struck out five.

Ortiz and the Pirates fell into a deep hole early after Kansas City put up a six spot in the second inning. The 25-year-old Ortiz has now allowed 11 runs (seven earned) across 9.2 innings in his last two starts. His ERA sits at 3.45 on the year with a 1.13 WHIP and 95:39 K:BB across 122.2 innings. He'll look to right the ship in his next outing, currently scheduled for next week on the road in St. Louis.

Weaver allowed one hit over two scoreless innings Friday. He struck out five and earned a save against the Red Sox.

Weaver gave up a single in the eighth inning but had little trouble closing out the 5-4 victory. He allowed two runs in a Sep. 2 appearance but has since struck out 12 over 5.2 scoreless frames while earning a win, two saves and a hold during that span. Weaver now owns a 3.09 ERA with a 91:25 K:BB over 78.2 innings. With Clay Holmes seemingly out of the ninth-inning picture, Weaver should be expected to see more save opportunities down the stretch.

Alexander is expected to work in bulk relief behind opening pitcher Drew Rasmussen on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Many of Alexander's appearances have come as a bulk reliever this season, though it hasn't necessarily benefited his performance, as he owns a career-worst 5.50 ERA through 93.1 innings. He turned in a solid outing during his last appearance against the Phillies on Monday (one earned run over 4.1 innings), but he's too inconsistent to be considered a reliable streaming option.

Rasmussen will serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game versus the Guardians, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Rasmussen has put up a 2.79 ERA and 1.09 WHIP across 19.1 innings this season. He'll likely be asked to work the first one or two innings of Saturday's contest before turning the game over to Tyler Alexander, who is expected to work in bulk relief.

Finnegan allowed a hit in a scoreless inning and earned a save over the Marlins on Friday.

Finnegan worked around a two-out single by Jesus Sanchez to finish off the 4-1 victory. It was Finnegan's 37th save of the year and his first since recording two during a Sept. 7 doubleheader against the Pirates. He owns a 3.36 ERA with a 56:20 K:BB through 59 innings. Finnegan has converted 14 of his last 15 save chances despite registering a 4.79 ERA during that span (21 appearances).