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Derek Law RP | ARI
Nationals' Derek Law: Seeing massive workload
Law leads all big-league relievers with 72.1 innings pitched so far this season, posting a 2.99 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 60:18 K:BB with six wins, 11 holds and a save in 58 appearances.
The veteran right-hander has worked more than an inning in four of his last five appearances as the Nationals' rotation struggles to provide consistent length, putting additional pressure on the bullpen. Per Mark Zuckerman of MASN, Law is on pace to become the first reliever in Nats history to toss more than 100 innings in a season -- Saul Rivera holds the record with 93 innings in 2007. Law has already set new career highs in innings and wins, and he's closing in on his personal bests in holds (14) and strikeouts (67).
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JT Chargois RP | TEX
Mariners' JT Chargois: Gets second win Thursday
Chargois (2-0) got the win over the Tigers on Thursday, firing a perfect ninth inning during which he recorded two strikeouts.
The recent trade acquisition extended a stellar start to his Mariners tenure with his fourth straight perfect appearance since arriving from the Marlins. Chargois has enjoyed an excellent season overall, as he's carrying a 1.29 ERA and 1.10 WHIP over 19 appearances. While he has little track record as a late-inning arm, his performance thus far with the Mariners suggests he could earn some high-leverage work.
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Brock Stewart RP | LAD
Twins' Brock Stewart: Needs shoulder surgery
The Twins transferred Stewart from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Friday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Stewart will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right shoulder Tuesday and is expected to be sidelined for 5-to-6 months. He's been limited to just 16 appearances this season because of nagging shoulder problems. If there's a silver lining, it's that Stewart is undergoing a cleanup procedure and is expected to be healthy in time for spring training. That said, Stewart will turn 33 years old in October and has missed considerable time over the last several years with arm issues, so it's not a given that he'll be as effective upon his return. He holds a 2.28 ERA and 59:19 K:BB over 43.1 frames for the Twins since the beginning of the 2023 season.
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Peter Lambert SP | HOU
Rockies' Peter Lambert: Bruises thumb in relief appearance
Lambert was removed from his relief appearance in Thursday's 9-1 loss to the Mets due to what Rockies manager Bud Black described as a "severely bruised" left thumb, MLB.com reports. "It ballooned up as the outing went on," Black said after Lambert was struck by a Francisco Lindor line drive in the fourth inning. "It got to the point where it was becoming a little bit of a distraction for him to pitch, so that's why we got him out of there. We took X-rays, and they were negative."
Coming on in the top of the fourth inning to replace laboring starter Austin Gomber, Lambert allowed a one-out single to Tyrone Taylor, then got a double play when Lindor's liner ricocheted off the right-hander's glove to shortstop Ezequiel Tovar, who stepped on second base and threw to first. Lambert went on to pitch two more innings and struck out three batters on the day, but his overall effectiveness waned as he pitched through the thumb injury, and he ended up giving up two earned runs on five hits and one walk. Though X-rays came back negative, Lambert could be a candidate to go on the injured list if any issues are discovered once the swelling goes down.
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Peter Strzelecki RP | STL
Guardians' Peter Strzelecki: Rejoins major-league club
The Guardians recalled Strzelecki from Triple-A Columbus on Friday.
Strzelecki has allowed one run on five hits while striking out five across 4.2 innings during his time with Cleveland this season. He'll give the bullpen a fresh arm.
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Grant Hartwig RP | MIN
Mets' Grant Hartwig: Returns to action for Double-A club
Triple-A Syracuse activated Hartwig (knee) from its 7-day injured list Tuesday and assigned him to Double-A Binghamton.
Hartwig had been on the shelf at Triple-A since mid-June with a torn meniscus in his left knee, but after making a full recovery from surgery, he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment at Single-A St. Lucie on July 30. After making two appearances, Hartwig was bumped up to Double-A, and he'll likely remain with Binghamton until a spot opens in the Triple-A bullpen. In his first appearance with Binghamton on Tuesday, Hartwig gave up one earned run on two hits and one walk while recording one out.
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Humberto Castellanos RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Humberto Castellanos: Optioned to Triple-A
The Diamondbacks optioned Castellanos to Triple-A Reno on Thursday.
Castellanos served as Arizona's 27th man during Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Guardians, although he didn't make an appearance. The righty could be put back into the rotation at Reno.
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Carlos Estevez RP | KC
Phillies' Carlos Estevez: Records first save with Philly
Estevez picked up the save over the Diamondbacks on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits over one inning while striking out two.
Estevez entered the game with a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning and surrendered a leadoff single to Geraldo Perdomo before fanning the next two batters. The recently acquired reliever would then cough up an RBI single to Jake McCarthy, but Estevez went on to retire the final batter for his 22nd save of the season and his first in a Phillies uniform. It marked the first earned run charged to Estevez since May 20 when he was still an Angel, and he's recorded at least one strikeout in each of his last four appearances.
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Bryan Sammons RP | DET
Tigers' Bryan Sammons: Solid in relief
Sammons did not factor into the decision in Thursday's loss to the Mariners, allowing one run on two hits and one walk over 4.1 relief innings while striking out four.
The lefty took over for opener Brenan Hanifee in the bottom of the third inning and retired the side in order before going on to hurl another two scoreless innings. Sammons would eventually cough up a solo homer to Luke Raley in the sixth, but still pitched into the seventh before being replaced by Tyler Holton. It was only the third appearance of the season for Sammons, though he's pitched at least four innings in two of them while posting a 9:2 K:BB.
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Will Vest RP | DET
Tigers' Will Vest: Blows save, takes loss Thursday
Vest (2-4) retired two batters via strikeout but also allowed two runs on two hits and a walk to blow the save and take the loss Thursday against the Mariners.
Detroit's top closing option, Jason Foley, had pitched each of the previous two games, so the Tigers turned to Vest on Thursday. The righty struggled as he blew his fifth save chance of the season. Vest still has a solid 3.16 ERA overall, and he should continue to see high-leverage work, but the late-inning situation in Detroit's bullpen remains murky. Foley hasn't recorded a save since July 10 but still leads the team with 15, while Vest, Tyler Holton and Shelby Miller are seem like candidates to get save opportunities down the stretch as well.