MLB Player News

Alvarado earned a save against the Padres on Monday, issuing two walks and striking out two batters over a hitless and scoreless inning.

The Phillies built a big early lead before the Padres stormed back in the sixth and seventh frames. In the eighth, usual closer Craig Kimbrel was brought in to face the top of San Diego's order and settled matters down with a scoreless frame. Alvarado followed in the ninth and quickly put himself in trouble with two straight walks before righting the ship and retiring the next three batters he faced, two by strikeout. The save was Alvarado's seventh of the season, but his first since he returned from a lengthy stay on the injured list Aug. 22. Kimbrel has emerged as a steady ninth-inning option for Philadelphia and should maintain that role most days moving forward, though as Monday highlighted, Alvarado could still sneak in the occasional save chance.

Bednar earned a save Monday with a perfect inning against the Brewers.

Bednar had no trouble protecting a two-run ninth-inning lead, retiring the side in order on 13 pitches. The right-hander has successfully converted nine straight save opportunities, allowing just two earned runs over 10.1 innings while posting a 7:1 K:BB during that span. Bednar is 32-for-35 in save chances on the campaign, compiling a 2.02 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 64:16 K:BB across 58 frames.

Lambert (3-6) allowed four runs on six hits and a walk over six innings Monday, striking out five and taking a loss against Arizona.

Lambert gave up one run through three innings before the Diamondbacks plated three runs in the fourth. Entering Monday, he had a streak of four straight outings with three or fewer runs allowed. Lambert saw his season ERA climb back to 5.03 while being handed a second consecutive loss. He's currently expected to face the Cubs at home next week.

Cuas pitched a scoreless ninth inning in Monday's 5-0 win over the Giants. He struck out one.

It wasn't a save situation for Cuas, but the game wasn't entirely out of reach either, and it was a matchup against a team jockeying with the Cubs for a playoff spot. Cuas looked comfortable closing out the important win, and he's been solid this season with a 3.56 ERA and 61 strikeouts across 55.2 innings of relief. The 29-year-old isn't in the mix for saves, though he's become a trusted option for Chicago down the stretch, which could lead to some holds or wins occasionally.

Sewald allowed a run on one hit and a walk in one inning but still earned a save over the Rockies on Monday.

Sewald needed 26 pitches to finish off the win and pick up his 30th save of the year. Since joining the Diamondbacks, he's registered a 4.63 ERA, driving his season ERA to 3.29 through 54.2 frames. On the bright side, he's given up just three runs over his last 10.2 innings while converting nine of his last 10 save chances.

Gibaut picked up the save Monday against the Mariners. He allowed one hit while striking out one over one-third of an inning.

Gibaut came on in relief of Buck Farmer with two outs and two runners on in the ninth inning. He'd give up an RBI single to J.P. Crawford before punching out Julio Rodriguez, who represented the tying run, to close out the 6-3 victory. It's the second save of the year for the 29-year-old Gibaut and his first since April 9. He's been solid while working in a setup role in front of Alexis Diaz this season -- Gibaut now sports a 3. 32 ERA with a 1.22 WHIP, 61:24 K:BB and 20 holds across 65 innings.

Stanek suffered a right ankle injury during his relief appearance in Monday's game against the Rangers, Julia Morales of AT&T SportsNet Southwest reports. He failed to record an out and surrendered one earned run on two hits prior to his departure.

Stanek went down hard after covering first base, and he was eventually carted off the field. The Astros will likely re-evaluate him after the game before providing a diagnosis of his injury, but if Stanek is forced to miss significant time, it would be a significant loss to the Houston bullpen. He's posted a 1.86 ERA and 0.62 WHIP with a 9:0 K:BB over his last 10 appearances heading into Monday.

Stewart (elbow) will throw a 25-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

He threw a 15-pitch bullpen session last weekend, so it's been a steady progression for Stewart. The 31-year-old righty has been out since late June with elbow tendinitis and an ensuing setback in his recovery, but he's still got a chance to make it all the way back this season.

Swanson (back) will throw off a mound Tuesday, Arden Zwelling of Sportsnet.ca reports.

It will be his first time throwing from the bump since he went down with thoracic spine inflammation in late August. Swanson is eligible for activation on Sept. 11 and should be able to return then, barring any setbacks.

Mears was recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque on Monday, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Mears has yielded two runs over seven innings at the major-league level this season and had been pitching well of late with Albuquerque. He's taking Tommy Doyle's spot on the roster.