MLB Player News

Leiter threw a perfect inning while striking out two Thursday against the Cardinals.

Leiter was called upon to pitch the seventh inning and did so without issue, retiring the side in order. It marked the third consecutive scoreless outing for the right-hander, who has struggled mightily at times during his first season with the Athletics. Leiter has allowed multiple runs in four of his 20 appearances this year, contributing to a 7.64 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 17.2 innings.

Hanifee will serve as the Tigers' opening pitcher in Friday's game against the Blue Jays, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

The 27-year-old reliever has yielded just one run with a 4:1 K:BB over 8.1 frames for the Tigers this season, but that run came in Hanifee's last appearance Thursday, when he served up a solo shot to the Mets' Juan Soto. Ty Madden is expected to serve as the bulk reliever for Detroit on Friday.

Duran earned the save Thursday against the Red Sox, allowing one walk while striking out three over a scoreless ninth inning.

Duran was called upon with a two-run lead in the ninth inning and overpowered Boston's lineup, working around a walk to Masataka Yoshida by striking out three batters to secure his seventh save of the season. The hard-throwing right-hander continues to succeed, allowing one run over his five appearances since returning from the injured list while recording multiple strikeouts in each. Duran now owns a 1.54 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB across 11.2 innings.

O'Brien earned the save Thursday against the Athletics, striking out two over a scoreless and hitless ninth inning.

O'Brien was called upon in the ninth inning and worked around plunking leadoff batter Nick Kurtz to lock down his 13th save of the season, tying him for the MLB lead. The right-hander has responded well after a rough stretch in which he blew three saves over eight appearances, bouncing back with hitless saves in his past two outings. O'Brien continues to dominate overall, sporting a 2.57 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and an outstanding 25:2 K:BB across 21 innings.

Scott earned a save against the Giants on Thursday, striking out two batters in a perfect ninth inning.

Scott had a relatively low-stress assignment, as the Dodgers held a three-run lead when he entered in the ninth inning. The left-hander needed just nine pitches (seven strikes) to set down the side in order. Scott struggled as the Dodgers' closer last season, which led to Los Angeles bringing in Edwin Diaz (elbow) via free agency. Diaz has since landed on the 60-day IL, and Scott has shined since retaking the closer role. Over 10 outings in Diaz's absence, Scott has gone 4-for-4 on save opportunities while giving up just two runs and posting a 10:2 K:BB across 9.2 innings.

Lopez did not factor into the decision Thursday against the Cardinals, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks while striking out two over five innings.

Lopez was effective through the first four innings, allowing just one hit before trouble arrived. Victor Scott tied the game with a solo homer in the fifth, and Jordan Walker added another solo shot an inning later before a throwing error helped bring home an additional run that ended Lopez's outing. The left-hander threw 56 of his 86 pitches for strikes but continued to struggle with keeping the ball in the yard, as he's now allowed multiple homers in three straight appearances. Lopez also has yet to complete six frames in a start this season. He owns a 5.80 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 30:27 K:BB across 40.1 innings and is slated to face the Angels in his next turn through the rotation.

Newcomb notched a save against the Royals on Thursday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over two scoreless innings.

Newcomb entered in the eighth inning with Chicago holding a three-run lead. He tossed a scoreless frame, then saw the White Sox tack on a run in the bottom of the inning. Newcomb returned for the ninth and retired the side in order to lock down the save. Primary closer Seranthony Dominguez pitched each of the previous two days, and it's unclear if he would have been called upon in the ninth anyway since the White Sox held a four-run lead. Dominguez remains the team's clear top ninth-inning option, so fantasy managers probably shouldn't expect Newcomb to see many additional save chances going forward.

Kay (3-1) earned the win over Kansas City on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six-plus innings.

Kay gave up a run in the first inning but then tossed five straight scoreless frames. He departed after giving up a leadoff triple in the seventh, and though that runner eventually came around to score, Kay ended with both a quality start and a victory. The southpaw has shown improvement on the mound of late -- after failing to complete five innings in five of his first six starts and posting a 6.12 ERA over that span, he's tossed at least five frames in each of his past three starts and has given up just four earned runs while notching a 14:5 K:BB across 16 innings during that stretch. Kay is projected to next take the mound next week in Seattle.

Palencia tossed a scoreless inning of relief to secure the save in Thursday's 2-0 win over Atlanta. He allowed one hit and struck out two.

Palencia allowed his first two runs of the season his last time out Sunday, but he bounced back by recording his third save of the year. Outside of that one hiccup, the flamethrowing righty has been excellent with a 2.25 ERA and nine strikeouts across eight innings of work. Now that he's recovered from an early season lat strain, Palencia appears to once again be locked in as Chicago's closer.

Waguespack signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers on Sunday.

Waguespack was briefly a free agent after being released by the Brewers on May 5, but he quickly returned to the organization. The 32-year-old will likely return to Triple-A Nashville after a stop in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League. Waguespack has produced a 2.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with 22 strikeouts over 15 innings in 10 appearances with Nashville this season.