MLB Player News

Walker (3-0) pitched a perfect inning and struck out one to earn the extra-inning win Sunday over the Pirates.

Walker kept the game tied in the ninth inning, and the Giants rallied ahead in the 10th to give him the win. The right-hander has frequently served as an opener with the Giants using a lot of bullpen games in recent weeks, but he has a better chance of collecting decisions when working as a traditional reliever. He's at a 3.00 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 28:8 K:BB and one blown save through 24 innings in a mostly low-leverage role.

Holmes allowed a run on two hits in one-third of an inning, taking a blown save Sunday versus the Rockies.

Holmes was in a tight situation with the bases loaded and two outs following a tough outing from Tommy Kahnle. C.J. Cron hit a grand slam off Holmes in the eighth inning, handing the Yankees' top reliever his third blown save of the season. He's now at a 2.39 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 47:15 K:BB while going 11-for-14 in save chances and adding five holds over 37.2 innings in a general high-leverage role.

Hader blew the save Sunday against the Phillies. He allowed one unearned run on one hit while striking out one over one inning.

Hader took the mound in the 10th inning with a 6-5 lead but was unable to keep the Phillies off the board as Bryce Harper knocked in Johan Rojas, who was Philadelphia's automatic runner, with a single. It was Hader's first blown save since May 31 and also marked his first run allowed in his last 13 appearances (11.2 innings). The 29-year-old remains a highly valuable closing option, owning the seventh-most saves in baseball (22) on a 1.03 ERA.

Bard allowed two runs on a hit, two walks and hit-by-pitch in one inning, taking a blown save Sunday versus the Yankees.

Bard has worked his way back into high-leverage mix, but he threw just seven of 18 pitches for strikes in this sloppy outing. The Rockies were ultimately able to get the win in the 11th inning. He's allowed multiple runs in three of his last nine appearances, making him a somewhat risky reliever in fantasy. For the season, he's at a 2.20 ERA despite a 1.38 WHIP and 28:26 K:BB through 32.2 innings. He's added a save and three holds.

Barria (2-5) worked out of the bullpen and was charged with a blown save and a loss Sunday against Houston after allowing four runs on three hits and one walk over one inning.

Prior to the All-Star break, Barria had serving as the Angels' No. 6 starter, but he's now been deployed out of the bullpen in his first two appearances of the season half. He was tasked with protecting a 7-5 lead in the top of the ninth Sunday and couldn't close the deal, yielding back-to-back home runs to Alex Bregman and Kyle Tucker en route to surrendering four runs in total. With off days coming up Thursday as well as the following Monday, the Angels may opt to get by with a five-man rotation for the time being.

Stephan (4-4) took the loss Sunday, allowing four runs on three hits and two walks over one-third of an inning versus the Rangers.

Stephan was responsible for the entirety of the Rangers' eighth-inning rally before Sam Hentges prevented it from getting worse. It's just the fourth time Stephan's allowed multiple runs in an outing this season, but three of those instances have come since the start of June. He's now at a 3.43 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 41:15 K:BB through 39.1 innings while collecting two saves, 14 holds and six blown saves through 42 appearances. Stephan's allowed too many baserunners all season, and it may be catching up to him in the second half.

Maton picked up the save in Sunday's win over the Angels. He allowed one run on two hits and one walk while striking out one in one inning.

Houston mounted a late comeback, and Maton was able to escape with the save after coughing up a solo homer to Shohei Ohtani. It was Maton's first save chance of the year. He's sporting a 2.51 ERA with a 51:14 K:BB and six holds through 46.2 frames.

Smith allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 6-5 win over the Guardians.

Smith has lost the full-time closer job, but he remains in the ninth-inning mix while sharing duties with Aroldis Chapman. The Rangers didn't take the lead until the eighth inning Sunday, so this was a bit of a surprise save chance. Smith has converted 16 of 18 save opportunities with a 2.83 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 38:8 K:BB through 35 innings. With the Rangers among the top teams in the American League, Smith should continue to see plenty of save chances, though he's also likely to pick up some more holds along the way.

Duran allowed one hit in a scoreless inning while earning a save over Oakland on Sunday.

Duran gave up a one-out double but was able to work around the small threat to close out the 5-4 game. He'll likely be unavailable Monday against Seattle after throwing an inning in each of the last three games against the Athletics. He's now sporting a 2.17 ERA and a 47:15 K:BB through 37.1 frames.

Sewald allowed one hit in a scoreless inning Sunday, striking out three and earning a save over the Tigers.

Sewald made his first appearance of the second half and easily finished off the 2-0 win. He worked around a one-out single and recorded three strikeouts to pick up his 18th save of the year. Sewald lowered his season ERA to 3.13 with a strong 54:12 K:BB through 37.1 innings.