MLB Player News

Phillips (2-0) was charged with a blown save and earned the win against Milwaukee on Saturday. He allowed one run on one hit while striking out one batter over one inning.

With the Dodgers up 3-2 in the top of the eighth frame, manager Dave Roberts elected to call upon Phillips to face the heart of the Brewers order. The right-hander couldn't protect the lead, giving up a one-out solo homer to Christian Yelich. Phillips did get credited for the win, however, as a result of Los Angeles tallying two runs in the bottom of the frame and Alex Vesia closing things out in the ninth. This was the second time in the past two weeks that Roberts has called upon Phillips before the ninth inning in a high-leverage situation, so it's clear that the team is comfortable using him in that way. Phillips should still get the vast majority of save chances for the Dodgers, though Vesia has five saves on the campaign and is probably the leading candidate for ninth-inning duties when Phillips is either unavailable or deployed earlier in a contest.

Vodnik picked up the save over the Royals on Saturday, allowing one hit and one walk over one inning while striking out one.

Vodnik entered the contest with a two-run lead in the ninth and got Salvador Perez to go down on strikes before allowing two of the next three men to reach. The right-handed reliever was able to escape the jam, however, and secure his first save of the campaign. Vodnik had blown each of his previous two save attempts this season coming in but has now recorded a win and a save in his last two appearances. He's also recorded at least one strikeout in seven consecutive outings.

Diaz struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his eighth save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Pirates.

Seeing his first action since serving a 10-game suspension for use of a foreign substance, Diaz hit Oneil Cruz with a pitch to begin the frame but escaped the minor jam by striking out Rowdy Tellez and getting Andrew McCutchen to ground into a double play. Diaz has had a turbulent campaign in his return from a knee injury that cost him the entire 2023 season, but he had been showing signs of turning things around prior to the suspension -- he's allowed only one run in his last six innings with a 7:0 K:BB.

Smyly allowed a walk and a solo home run over two innings of relief in Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Angels. He struck out one.

Starter Kyle Hendricks left the game after two innings due to back tightness, which forced the Cubs to use five relievers, including Smyly. The veteran lefty has been solid this year with a 3.48 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 31 innings of relief work. While he's been used exclusively out of the bullpen so far in 2024, Smyly did make 23 starts for the team last season, and he could be an option for the rotation in the short term if Hendricks has to miss any time.

Miller (5-6) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to earn the win in Saturday's 5-3 victory over the Reds. He allowed one hit and struck out three.

It was a badly needed positive effort for Miller, who came into the contest having allowed nine earned runs across 2.1 innings in his previous three appearances. The veteran righty lowered his ERA to under 6.00 in the process. Miller is in a high-leverage role for the Tigers, but he'll need more good performances to earn any trust in fantasy leagues.

Yates pitched a perfect ninth inning Saturday without a strikeout to record his 13th save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Rays.

The right-hander needed just 10 pitches to produce two flyballs and a comebacker by Ben Rortvedt that Yates knocked down before calmly throwing out the Tampa Bay backstop. Yates still has yet to blow a save chance this season, and he's been tagged with just one earned run over his last 16 appearances, posting a 0.60 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 26:7 K:BB through 15 innings over that dominant stretch.

Vesia picked up the save over the Brewers on Saturday, pitching a perfect ninth inning while striking out one.

Vesia entered the contest with a two-run lead and went 1-2-3 through the back end of Milwaukee's lineup to earn his fifth save of the campaign. It was the lefty's first save opportunity since blowing one against the Giants on June 29, and he's now recorded a strikeout in each of his last three appearances. Vesia also hasn't allowed a hit in either of his last two outings. Primary closer Evan Phillips was deployed to face the heart of the Brewers order in the eighth inning Saturday and remains in line to receive the bulk of the save chances for Los Angeles.

Cruz (3-6) picked up Saturday's loss, allowing three runs on two hits and one walk over one-third of an inning against Detroit. He was also charged with a blown save.

Cruz was part of a bullpen effort that spoiled starter Hunter Greene's seven shutout innings. The usually reliable Cruz retired the first batter he faced before permitting a double, a home run and a walk, and the recipient of the free pass came around to score after Cruz was removed. The reliever had allowed just five runs over his last 18 innings coming into Saturday.

Chafin earned a save against the Reds on Saturday by striking out the only batter he faced.

Detroit held a three-run lead heading into the ninth inning and turned the ball over to closer Jason Foley. However, the right-hander wasn't effective, giving up a leadoff homer to Spencer Steer and a two-out single to Noelvi Marte. Chafin was subsequently brought in to get the final out of the contest and did so by fanning Santiago Espinal on six pitches. Chafin recorded a career-high eight saves with Arizona last year, but this was his first save this season.

Faedo allowed one hit while striking out two batters in two scoreless innings as the opener in Detroit's win over Cincinnati on Saturday.

Faedo began the Tigers' bullpen game and got the job done with two scoreless innings. It marked the first time the right-hander opened a contest this season. This is Faedo's first campaign as a full-time reliever in the majors, and he's posted a 3.18 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 35:15 K:BB over 39.2 frames.