MLB Player News

Estevez gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 27th save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Mets.

After appearing to be in danger of losing his grip on the closer role in late July and early August as he walked eight batters in 6.1 innings over a six-appearance stretch while blowing two of three save chances, Estevez has regained his control and posted a 9:0 K:BB over his last six trips to the mound, converting his last four save opportunities. On the season, the former Rockie sports a 3.46 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 65:27 K:BB through 52 innings.

Clase struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 34th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Blue Jays.

The right-hander fired 11 of 15 pitches for strikes and worked around an error that allowed Daulton Varsho to reach base with one out. Clase has been tagged for earned runs in only one of 15 appearances since the All-Star break, posting a 1.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 16:1 K:BB through 14.2 innings in the second half.

Fujinami (6-8) allowed a hit and struck out two over two scoreless innings to earn the win Friday over the Rockies.

Fujinami threw 16 of 23 pitches for strikes and became the pitcher of record when Baltimore went ahead in the bottom of the eighth inning. The right-hander has strung together three scoreless outings spanning four innings. He's been inconsistent since joining the Orioles, allowing 10 runs (nine earned) across 17 innings, though his 21:9 K:BB in that span shows his potential for success. Overall, the right-hander has a 7.60 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 72:39 K:BB over 66.1 innings between the Orioles and the Athletics this year, and he's added a save and four holds.

Coulombe struck out the only batter he faced to pick up the save in Friday's 5-4 win over Colorado.

Orioles' closer Felix Bautista was called upon to close the ninth, but with two outs and the count at 2-2 against pinch-hitter Michael Toglia, Bautista was forced from the game with right-arm discomfort. Coulombe replaced Bautista and the lefty needed just one pitch to complete the strikeout against the switch-hitter and finish out the game. If Bautista ends up missing an extended period, Yennier Cano appears to be first in line to pick up save opportunities, though Coulombe could be used if the matchup is right. He holds a 2.75 ERA with 19 holds, two saves and 49 strikeouts over 39.1 innings.

Munoz allowed a hit and two walks while striking out one over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 7-5 win over the Royals.

Munoz blew a save versus the White Sox on Wednesday, but he was able to preserve a two-run lead this time around. He's allowed multiple baserunners in six of his last 10 appearances, posting an 11:7 K:BB while allowing seven runs (three earned) and 12 hits over 10 innings in that span. Despite the dramatic nature of those outings, he's converted five of his seven save chances and added a hold. Munoz is at a 2.70 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 50:18 K:BB with nine saves and 13 holds over 36.2 innings this season.

Ginkel struck out both batters he faced to earn the save in Friday's 10-8 win over the Reds.

A save situation wasn't expected to arise in Friday's game, but Justin Martinez allowed a grand slam while Arizona was ahead by six. With the game getting closer, Ginkel stepped in and stopped the bleeding to pick up his first save in a month. In that span, he recorded four wins and four holds while surrendering five runs (three earned) over 13.2 innings in a setup role ahead of Paul Sewald, who was presumably unavailable after pitching three of the last four days. Ginkel is up to four saves with a 2.19 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 53:17 K:BB over 53.1 innings this season, and he should continue to see high-leverage work.

Walker will serve as the Giants' opening pitcher for Saturday's game versus Atlanta, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

It's a familiar assignment for Walker, as he'll work as the opener for the 11th time this season. Based on recent usage, Sean Manaea would seem to be the top candidate to work in bulk relief Saturday.

Phillips allowed a hit in a scoreless inning against Boston on Friday. He struck out two and earned a save.

Phillips worked around a leadoff single to close out the 7-4 win. Since the All-Star break, he's converted all eight of his save opportunities while yielding three runs over 13.2 frames. For the season, Phillips has 20 saves in 22 chances while registering a 2.39 ERA and a 54:11 K:BB through 49 innings.

Harvey picked up the save Friday in Miami, allowing one hit and striking out one to preserve a 7-4 win.

Kyle Finnegan could have been unavailable after throwing 31 pitches to notch a save Thursday versus the Yankees. Harvey was handed the ball and converted the save without a sweat, retiring three straight after a leadoff single. It's his 10th save of the season but his first since coming off the injured list earlier this month following an elbow injury. Harvey's looked sharp since his return, spinning seven scoreless frames with an 8:1 K:BB. Finnegan has also been terrific and is still the favorite for saves down the stretch, but Harvey has been the Nats' best reliever when healthy.

Pressly allowed four runs on four hits over two-thirds of an inning to take a blown save in Friday's 4-1 loss to the Tigers.

Pressly struck out the first two batters of the ninth inning as he looked to preserve a one-run lead. It wasn't meant to be however, as he gave up three consecutive singles, the third one being a broken-bat hit by Javier Baez which plated the tying run. Parker Meadows then launched a walk-off, three-run home run. Pressly finished July in a rut but had been unscored upon in his first seven appearances in August before this bump in the road.