MLB Player News

Morejon earned a save against the Pirates on Wednesday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Robert Suarez has worked as the Padres' closer this season, but he was deployed in the ninth inning with the score tied Wednesday. The contest ended up going to an extra frame, and San Diego took the lead with a three-run top of the 10th. Recently acquired Tanner Scott was asked to preserve the lead in the bottom of the frame, but he walked three straight batters to force in a run before Morejon was called upon to clean up the mess. The southpaw's outing didn't begin well -- his first offering was a wild pitch that allowed another Pirate to cross the plate to make the score 9-8 -- but Morejon rebounded impressively, retiring the next three batters without allowing the tying run to score. As a reward, he earned his first career save in his 90th MLB appearance. Morejon has been a solid bullpen piece for the Padres this season, posting a 2.66 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 52:16 K:BB through 47.1 innings.

Fulmer allowed two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out one batter over four innings in a no-decision in Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader versus the Yankees.

Fulmer was staked to an early 6-0 lead that increased to 8-1 by the middle of the fourth, and he kept New York from drawing close enough to cause major concern. However, the right-hander didn't record any clean frames and allowed multiple hits in three of the four innings in which he took the mound, which drove up his pitch count and resulted in him getting pulled at 90 pitches after four frames. That prevented him from qualifying for the win, which instead went to reliever Hunter Strickland, who followed Fulmer with two scoreless innings. Fulmer has given up three or fewer runs in each of his five outings since moving into the rotation July 14, but he's finished fewer than five frames in three of those starts.

Holmes earned a save against the Angels in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.

Holmes had little trouble protecting a three-run, ninth-inning lead, retiring the side in order on 13 pitches. The right-hander had blown four of his previous six save chances coming in, though he had allowed just two earned runs over 7.1 frames during that span. Holmes leads the majors with nine blown saves on the campaign, but his numbers have been otherwise acceptable, as he has a 2.70 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 49:12 K:BB across 46.2 innings.

Miller pitched a perfect ninth inning to record his 16th save of the season Wednesday against the White Sox. He did not record a strikeout.

Activated off the injured list Wednesday morning, Miller needed just 13 pitches to notch his first save since July 10. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, Miller should have little competition for saves the rest of the way. The 25-year-old is in the midst of a breakout season, posting a robust 2.16 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 70:14 K:BB across 41.2 innings while going 16-for-18 in save opportunities.

Helsley allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 5-2 win over the Rays.

Helsley allowed multiple baserunners for the third time in four appearances in August, but he was able to work out of the jam to earn his second save in as many days. Since the start of July, he's given up 11 hits and five walks over 11.2 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) while converting six of eight save chances in that span. The prolonged shakiness has led to his ratios looking less dominant than they did early in the year, but he's still posted a 2.72 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 57:21 K:BB across 49.2 innings while converting 36 of 40 save chances.

Hader struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to collect his 24th save of the season Wednesday against the Rangers.

Pitching for the third day in a row, Hader needed just 11 pitches to lock down his 24th save of the season. The 30-year-old has has been excellent over his past five appearances, notching four saves while allowing just one hit and three walks over 4.1 scoreless innings. Hader owns a 3.75 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 77:18 K:BB across 50.1 innings this season, converting 24 of 25 save opportunities.

Martinez earned the save in a 5-3 win over the Guardians in the second game of a doubleheader Wednesday, working around a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.

Martinez found himself in some trouble in the ninth before ultimately striking out Lane Thomas, who represented the go-ahead run, to seal a 5-3 Arizona victory. The 23-year-old Martinez has been entrusted with back-to-back save chances for the Diamondbacks and has delivered five consecutive scoreless appearances, allowing just two hits while striking out 11 in that span (five innings). Overall, the right-hander sports a 1.97 ERA with a 1.21 WHIP and 61:26 K:BB through 50.1 innings this season. Martinez could continue to see work in the closer's role alongside the likes of A.J. Puk and Ryan Thompson, with Paul Sewald working in lower-leverage situations.

Urena (3-7) took the loss Wednesday against the Astros, allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks in four innings. He did not record a strikeout.

Urena was fortunate to escape with only two earned runs allowed as he put multiple baserunners on in each of the first three frames. He stranded seven runners with the help of two double plays. The 32-year-old failed to record a strikeout Wednesday and has now registered a paltry four punchouts over his last three appearances (12.1 innings). During that span, the right-hander owns an ugly 7.30 ERA, 2.64 WHIP and 4:3 K:BB. With Max Scherzer (fatigue) out until at least Aug. 15, Urena could make another start for the short-handed Rangers. If he does stick around in the rotation, Urena will likely face off against the Red Sox early next week.

Lopez (2-2) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Wednesday against the Twins. He allowed two hits and struck out two.

After starter Javier Assad covered only four innings, Lopez swooped in for the win against his former team. The righty struggled with the Twins, Orioles and Marlins last season, and he was released by the Mets earlier this year, but he's seemingly found a home in Chicago. In 14 relief appearances for his new team, Lopez has turned in a sparkling 0.54 ERA and he's struck out 14 batters across 16.2 innings.

Manager Dave Roberts said Wednesday that Graterol is dealing with a Grade 1 strain of his right hamstring, Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports.

Graterol was initially believed to have suffered a Grade 3 strain during his outing Tuesday, but the Dodgers' skipper corrected his previous statements. The news gives the 25-year-old reliever a significantly greater chance of pitching again for the Dodgers this season, though it remains unclear how far he is from a return.