MLB Player News

King (4-5) allowed a run on five hits and struck out four without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win over the Astros on Sunday.

King enjoyed his longest outing of the season, getting through five frames on an economical 69 pitches (44 strikes). That's a further build-up from the 61 pitches he threw over four scoreless innings Tuesday versus Detroit. The right-hander is now at a 2.88 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 91:25 K:BB through 78 innings over 44 appearances (four starts) this year. He appears to be set to remain a starter for the rest of 2023, but he'll likely still have to be efficient to have much of a chance to get wins. King is projected for a home outing versus Milwaukee in his next trip to the mound.

Romano pitched a perfect ninth to pick up the save Sunday against Colorado.

Romano slammed the door on the Rockies with three flyball outs. It was the ninth consecutive outing for Romano in which he hasn't allowed a run. He remains one of the top closers in the game with a 2.44 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 59 strikeouts to go along with 32 saves in 48 innings over 50 appearances.

Coulombe (5-1) struck out one over 1.1 perfect innings to earn the win Sunday over the Diamondbacks.

Jack Flaherty started to fade in the fifth inning, but Coulombe was able to step in and steady things for the Orioles. They rallied ahead in the sixth, allowing Coulombe to pick up his second win in as many outings. The southpaw has an 8.1-inning scoreless streak going, during which he's posted an 11:2 K:BB with a save and four holds. He's at a 2.51 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 52:10 K:BB over 43 innings this season, though his usage Sunday suggests he's not strictly confined to late-inning work.

Graterol allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 3-1 win over Atlanta.

Graterol allowed multiple baserunners for the third time in his last six outings, but he was able to extend his scoreless streak to 16.1 innings. Both Graterol and Evan Phillips pitched Saturday, so this appears to be a managerial choice from Dave Roberts to give Graterol the ninth inning in this contest. The right-hander has a 1.38 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 43:11 K:BB with seven saves and 17 holds through 58.2 innings this year while operating as part of the Dodgers' successful high-leverage mix.

Gallegos picked up a save Sunday against the Pirates. He struck out one over a perfect inning.

Gallegos had allowed six earned runs in 2.2 innings since his last save Aug. 9, but needed only eight pitches to close out Sunday's game. Gallegos has been splitting late-inning duties with JoJo Romero, but with Ryan Helsley recently being activated from the injured list, the pecking order of the Cardinals bullpen remains murky.

Scott picked up the save Sunday against the Nationals. He allowed one hit while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Scott's now gone 11 appearances (13 innings) without allowing an earned run. The left-hander has gotten the last three save opportunities in Miami since David Robertson was removed from the closing role. Overall, Scott's 4-for-7 in save chances with a 2.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 86:23 K:BB across 64.2 innings this season.

Thompson (4-5) earned the win Sunday, allowing three runs on seven hits and zero walks over seven innings against Pittsburgh. He struck out six.

It was the longest outing of Thompson's career, as he closed out the seventh emphatically by inducing a pop-up then striking out the final two batters for a 1-2-3 inning. The win was his second over the Pirates in 11 days and helped the Cardinals stave off a sweep. Thompson will carry a 3.86 ERA into his next start, likely to take place next weekend in Cincinnati.

Antone will serve as the Reds' opening pitcher for Monday's game against Seattle, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Antone was reinstated from the 60-day injured list Friday after spending the start of the 2023 campaign continuing his recovery from Tommy John surgery. He allowed a hit and no walks while striking out one in a scoreless relief inning against the Cubs on Saturday. It's not yet clear who will serve as the Reds' bulk reliever Monday.

Kennedy worked two innings out of the bullpen in Sunday's 15-7 loss to the Cubs, giving up four earned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out one batter.

The Reds likely would have preferred to stay away from Kennedy on Sunday so he could fill the opening in the team's depleted rotation Monday against the Mariners, but the right-hander was ultimately needed for mop-up duties after Cincinnati burned through six pitchers in the game's first seven innings. With Kennedy likely out of consideration for a spot start during the three-game series with the Mariners after his 42-pitch relief appearance Sunday, the Reds are expected to summon another pitcher from Triple-A Louisville to fill the void in the rotation Monday.

Phillips is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Mariners in Cincinnati, Gordon Wittenmyer of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Phillips was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Saturday as a replacement for Brandon Williamson (illness), who became the fourth Reds pitcher to land on the COVID-19 injured list in recent days. The Reds didn't need Phillips in relief for the final two games of their weekend series with the Cubs, so the 22-year-old right-hander will end up filling a hole in the depleted Cincinnati rotation, at least temporarily. Between stops with Louisville and Double-A Chattanooga in 2023, Phillips has compiled a 3.77 ERA, 1.40 WHIP and 154:57 K:BB across 105 innings.