MLB Player News

Williams struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 15th save of the season in a 5-2 win over the Mets.

The right-hander continued an impressive stretch that has seen him get scored upon only once in his last 17 appearances, posting a 2.08 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 22:11 K:BB through 17.1 innings since May 10. Williams has converted 15 of 16 save chances so far in his first full season as Milwaukee's closer, and as expected he's cementing himself as one of the league's elite ninth-inning options.

Francis (1-0) was credited with the win in Wednesday's 6-1 victory over the Giants, allowing one run on four hits over four innings. He struck out two without walking a batter.

The 27-year-old rookie took the mound in the fourth inning with the Jays ahead 5-0, after Trevor Richards had spun three shutout frames, and aside from an Austin Slater solo shot, Francis was effective over 47 pitches (32 strikes) en route to his first career win in the majors. The right-hander has worked multiple innings in four of his five MLB appearances, often serving as the back half of a tandem with Richards, and Francis has delivered a 2.92 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 10:4 K:BB through 12.1 innings. The role does afford him some fantasy upside as a source of further wins, but he's already been optioned back to Triple-A Buffalo twice since making his season debut in early June as Toronto juggles its pitching staff while trying to cover the fifth spot in its rotation.

Richards didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Giants, allowing one hit and one walk over three scoreless innings while striking out five.

The right-hander's changeup was devastating, and Richards generated 10 swinging strikes in the first inning alone -- becoming only the fourth pitcher this season to rack up double-digit whiffs in a single frame and joining Hunter Greene (hip), Andrew Heaney and MacKenzie Gore in that club. Richards continues to give the Jays some impressive outings as the front end of a tandem, posting a 3.07 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 21:5 K:BB through 14.2 innings in June, but the role puts a cap on his fantasy value as it makes it virtually impossible for him to record a win. Until the front office finds more permanent options to fill the holes in the team's rotation though, the 30-year-old should continue to be deployed as an opener.

Harvey picked up the save Wednesday against the Mariners, striking out two over one scoreless inning.

Harvey entered the game with a three-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and immediately took care of business, striking out Teoscar Hernandez to open the frame before getting Cal Raleigh to go down swinging to close things out. The right-hander did basically all of his work with his four-seamer and has now converted each of his last three save opportunities. He also has not allowed a run over his last five appearances.

Littell will serve as an opener Thursday against the Diamondbacks, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Littell will take the mound first for Tampa Bay, with Yonny Chirinos slated to cover bulk relief innings. It will be the first opener assignment this season for Littell, who holds a 6.57 ERA and 11:5 K:BB over 12.1 innings covering 10 appearances between the Red Sox and Rays.

Winn will make his first major-league start for the Giants on Thursday in Toronto, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Winn's first three appearances in the big leagues have been in relief, although they've all lasted at least three innings. Nine of the 25-year-old's 12 outings at Triple-A Sacramento this season have come as a starter. That said, while this isn't an opener situation, Winn does figure to have a fairly limited workload Thursday consdering he threw just 44 pitches in his last appearance over the weekend.

Murphy allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out one over two innings in Wednesday's 6-2 loss to the Marlins.

Murphy pitched the eighth and ninth innings of what was a bullpen game for the Red Sox. The former starter has showed promise as a bulk reliever since transitioning to the bullpen in the minors at the beginning of the month. The Red Sox are rolling with three healthy starters and expect James Paxton (knee) to start Friday. Beyond that, the fifth spot in the rotation may be what was on display Wednesday, a combination of long relievers that features Murphy and Nick Pivetta. Both Tanner Houck (face) and Chris Sale (shoulder) are on the injured list.

Pivetta (4-5) allowed two runs on one hit and two walks while striking out seven over 3.1 relief innings Wednesday, taking the loss as Boston fell 6-2 to Miami.

The Red Sox scheduled a bullpen game with Kaleb Ort throwing the first two innings followed by Pivetta, who retired 10 of the first 11 batters faced before back-to-back walks in the sixth inning. At that point, rain fell and the game was delayed. When play resumed, Josh Winckowski and poor infield defense -- a common theme for Boston in 2023 -- conspired to let both of Pivetta's runners score. A former member of the starting rotation, the right-hander has thrived in a long-relief role, posting a 2.16 ERA with 18 strikeouts and seven walks over 16.2 innings (11 appearances).

Lawrence picked up a save against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing one hit and one walk while striking out three batters over 1.1 innings.

Lawrence entered in the eighth inning with two outs, two on and Colorado clinging to a two-run lead. He allowed a Freddie Freeman RBI single and walked Will Smith to load the bases but got J.D. Martinez to strike out to end the threat. Lawrence then returned for the ninth and had a much smoother frame, retiring the side in order to secure a save. He appears to be settling in as Colorado's closer with three saves over the past six days.

Cox (0-1) took the loss against Cleveland on Wednesday, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks while striking out two batters over 3.2 innings.

Cox was magnificent in his first six major-league appearances (all out of the bullpen), posting 12.1 scoreless innings with a 13:4 K:BB. The scoreless streak continued for two frames in his first start Wednesday, but Jose Ramirez put an end to it with a grand slam in the third. Cox retired five of the next seven batters before being pulled with two outs in the fourth. Control was a problem for him in the outing, as he threw just 39 of 68 pitches for a strike and walked four. The last-place Royals could keep in the rotation to see if he's able to improve upon his poor first start, though his minor-league numbers don't inspire confidence that he's ready to be a reliable big-league arm.