MLB Player News

Finnegan (3-3) blew the save and took the loss Friday as the Nationals fell 3-2 to Atlanta, giving up two runs (one earned) on three hits in the eighth inning.

With Washington nursing a 2-1 lead, Finnegan got the call against the heart of the Atlanta order and gave up back-to-back singles to lead off the frame, eventually watching both runners come around to score. While Hunter Harvey was likely being held back for the ninth, Finnegan still appears to be manager Dave Martinez's first choice in higher-leverage spots between the two late-inning options. That arrangement may not last much longer, however -- Finnegan has blown saves in three straight appearances, and his 4.74 ERA and 1.62 WHIP on the season are a far cry from Harvey's 3.33 and 1.00 marks.

Pressly blew his second save of the season in Friday's 10-9 extra-innings loss to the Guardians, giving up a run on a hit and a walk in the ninth inning. He struck out one.

The Astros had already seen a 5-4 lead slip away, but after they re-took the lead in the top of the eighth inning, Pressly got the call to try and secure his 12th save. Instead, Cleveland tied it up again, something the Guardians would do twice more in extra innings before finally taking their first and only lead of the night in the 14th. Pressly has been tagged for a run in three of his last four appearances, but the stumble seems to be more a product of bad luck than bad performance -- over his last 12 games, the veteran closer has an 18:2 K:BB in 12 innings.

Duran (2-2) picked up the win in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning victory over the Blue Jays, allowing one hit and two walks over two scoreless innings. He struck out two.

With the score tied 2-2, Duran was brought in to face the bottom of the Toronto order in the ninth inning and nearly made a mess, plunking Santiago Espinal to lead off the frame and eventually loading the bases with two outs before escaping the jam. After Minnesota took the lead in the top of the 10th, however, the team's closer looked a little more comfortable as he finished things out. Duran has struck out multiple batters in nine of 11 appearances since the beginning of May, a stretch of dominance that has seen him post a 0.63 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB through 14.1 innings, but circumstances have let him record only two saves during that time. If the Twins can get him more opportunities, expect the 25-year-old to have few issues converting them.

Jansen picked up the save in Friday's 3-2 victory over the Yankees. He allowed two hits and no walks while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Jansen made things quite interesting after getting two quick outs, allowing back-to-back singles before getting Anthony Volpe to fly out to end the game. The veteran hurler has been spectacular so far on the road this season, striking out 12 batters in 11.2 innings while not allowing a run. Jansen has settled down after hitting a bit of a rough patch, allowing just two runs over his last seven appearances.

Hendriks (1-0) pitched a scoreless inning without allowing a baserunner to earn the win Friday against the Marlins.

Hendriks entered the game with the score tied in the ninth inning and set down the Marlins in order. Given the White Sox were playing at home, his usage suggests that he was being treated as the team's closer. In addition, Kendall Graveman pitched the eighth inning, and he appears to be Hendriks' top competition for saves. The White Sox could use a committee in the ninth frame for the time being to ease Hendriks back into action, but it certainly appears that he's trending toward a majority of the save chances moving forward.

Bautista picked up the save in Friday's 3-2 victory over the Royals. He allowed zero hits and zero walks while striking out two over a scoreless inning.

Bautista has now gone six straight games without allowing a run, and he has not allowed more than one earned run in any of his 30 appearances thus far. The 27-year-old flamethrower is now tied for second in MLB with 17 saves while allowing opponents to bat a paltry .162 against him. Bautista and stablemate Yennier Cano have formed one of the most dynamic late-inning tandems in all of baseball for the Orioles.

Alzolay struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-2 win over the Giants.

Alzolay has been in the high-leverage mix throughout the season, and he's now logged two saves and a hold over his last six appearances (6.1 innings). The right-hander continues to be effective in relief for the Cubs with a 2.10 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 30:4 K:BB through 30 innings overall. Mark Leiter, who is also in the closer committee, pitched 1.1 innings Friday to earn his 10th hold of the campaign.

Estevez allowed a run on one hit and one walk while striking out one to earn the save in Friday's 5-4 win over the Mariners.

Estevez gave up a solo home run to Mike Ford but was able to prevent any other damage. This was the second run Estevez has allowed over his last 5.1 innings, but he has a save in each of the five appearances in that span. For the season, he's 17-for-17 in save chances with a 1.59 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 36:12 K:BB over 28.1 innings.

Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters after Friday's win over Seattle that Joyce (hand) is expected to be placed on the injured list prior to Saturday's game against the Mariners, Jeff Fletcher of The Orange County Register reports.

Joyce left Friday's game without recording an out while experiencing irritation in his right hand, and he also reportedly felt some numbness in his fingers. The flame-throwing right-hander is likely to miss at last two weeks, but as Fletcher notes, Joyce won't have a clear timeline until he undergoes more testing Saturday.

Hader allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Friday's 9-6 win over the Rockies.

Hader went over two weeks between save conversions, and his only other chance in that span was a blown save May 31 versus the Marlins. Friday's outing was the third in a row in which he's allowed multiple baserunners. Despite the shaky efforts of late, Hader is still one of the top closers in baseball with 14 saves in 25 appearances, though he's also blown three saves. The hard-throwing reliever has a 1.48 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 32:12 K:BB over 24.1 innings.