MLB Player News

Urena allowed two hits and a walk while striking out two over 3.1 scoreless innings of relief in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Mariners.

Starter Andrew Heaney struggled over 4.2 innings, but Urena's strong performance spared the Rangers' bullpen. Prior to Friday, Urena had worked as a starter, covering 31.2 innings with a 2.84 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 21:8 K:BB over his previous six appearances. Urena's at a 3.23 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB through 55.2 innings overall. The Rangers have a short-term dilemma on their hands, as Urena has been at least as good as Heaney, though both pitchers could be out of the rotation once Max Scherzer (back/arm) is able to return.

Munoz walked one and struck out three in a scoreless and hitless eighth inning to earn a hold in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.

Munoz has been dealing with a back issue for most of June so far, but he's still seen high-leverage work when available. The right-hander was deployed in the eighth inning Friday against the top of the Rangers' lineup, while Ryne Stanek got the call in the ninth and earned the save. Munoz has picked up three holds and a loss over his last four outings, but it seems this is less about his injury and more about a matchups-based approach to the late innings by manager Scott Servais. Munoz has a 1.55 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 41:10 K:BB with 12 saves and six holds through 29 innings this season.

Stanek allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Rangers.

This was the second outing in a row in which Stanek got a save, as manager Scott Servais deployed Andres Munoz against the top of the Rangers' lineup in the eighth inning. Stanek has kept runs off the board in eight of his last nine outings, though the exception was a three-run meltdown versus the Royals on June 7. He's pitched to a 4.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 28:10 K:BB with six saves, 10 holds and two blown saves over 26.2 innings. Stanek's numbers aren't dominant, but he's done well enough to remain in the high-leverage mix. Munoz is still the primary closer, but Servais may be leaning toward a committee approach in the late innings during a busy stretch in which the Mariners play 22 games in 23 days.

Smith (0-3) allowed an unearned run on two hits and struck out one in one-third of an inning to take the loss Friday versus the Dodgers.

Smith gave up a run for the first time since May 22, though it was deemed unearned since Mookie Betts advanced to second base on an error before Freddie Freeman brought him home with an RBI single. After a rough start to the year cost him his high-leverage role, Smith has allowed just three runs (two earned) over his last 14.2 innings, though he has a mediocre 10:3 K:BB in that span. The veteran southpaw is at a 5.40 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB with one save, five holds and one blown save through 21.2 innings overall.

Vesia allowed a hit in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-3 win over the Royals.

Most of the Dodgers' bullpen had pitched twice over the last three days, including regular closer Evan Phillips. The two freshest relievers were Vesia and Daniel Hudson, who earned the win after pitching the eighth inning. Vesia is on an 8.2-inning scoreless streak with a 13:1 K:BB, two saves and two holds in that span. He continues to impress this season with a 1.13 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 42:15 K:BB over 32 innings. He's up to three saves and four holds, so while he hasn't often been rewarded for his strong pitching, he's still capable of handling high-leverage assignments.

McGough will serve as Arizona's opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the White Sox, Theo Mackie of The Arizona Republic reports.

Saturday will mark McGough's second time serving as Arizona's opener, and he's once again expected to work in front of Tommy Henry, who is likely to operate as a bulk reliever. McGough owns a 5.85 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 20 innings this season.

Carasiti signed a minor-league contract with Atlanta on Friday.

Carasiti elected to become a free agent Monday after being DFA'd by the Rockies, and he'll now look to carve out a role for himself with Atlanta. The 32-year-old righty has allowed 10 earned runs in only 8.2 major-league innings this season, so it would likely take a major turnaround at Triple-A Gwinnett for him to spend any amount of time in Atlanta's bullpen.

Diaz allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and a walk Friday while earning a save over Milwaukee.

Diaz was tasked with protecting a 6-3 lead in the ninth inning and ran into some trouble. He walked in a run after an error loaded the bases and allowed what would've been the game-tying hit if not for Will Benson throwing out Jake Bauers at home. Diaz has converted eight straight saves and 15 of his 17 chances this season. Despite his relative success in those situations, his ERA is up to 5.47 with a lackluster 27:19 K:BB through 26.1 innings.

Ortiz (3-2) picked up the win Friday against the Rockies, yielding one run on seven hits and no walks over five innings. He struck out three.

After Carmen Mlodzinski tossed a scoreless opening frame, Ortiz entered in the second as the bulk reliever for a scheduled bullpen day. The Pittsburgh righty held his own at Coors Field in his longest outing of the season, firing 69 pitches en route to his first win since May 5, which also came against Colorado. Ortiz has been a dependable option in the Pirates bullpen, throwing 43 innings with a 2.51 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 33:17 K:BB.

Iglesias recorded one out to earn a save over the Rays on Friday.

Iglesias came into the game with two runners on base and two outs. He quickly finished the 7-3 win with just three pitches. He's now converted 10 straight saves and is 18 for 20 in save chances this season. Iglesias is sporting a 2.10 ERA with a 17:5 K:BB.