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Sean Manaea SP | NYM
Giants' Sean Manaea: To start Saturday vs. KC
Manaea will start for the Giants on Saturday against the Royals, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.
Manaea came out of the bullpen in his first appearance of the season Monday against the White Sox and gave up three earned runs on two hits and two walks over two innings of work. Now he steps into a rotation spot, at least for the time being. Giants manager Gabe Kapler has been noncommittal about steadily deploying a six-man starting mix.
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Erik Swanson RP | TOR
Blue Jays' Erik Swanson: Notches second hold
Swanson struck out one in a perfect eighth inning to record his second hold of the season in Wednesday's win over the Royals.
The former Mariner is showing his 2022 breakout was no fluke, posting a 4:1 K:BB through his first 3.1 innings with the Blue Jays. Swanson joins Yimi Garcia and Tim Mayza as the main late-inning options ahead of closer Jordan Romano, and in that role he should easily top last year's career high of 14 holds.
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Dylan Floro RP | ARI
Marlins' Dylan Floro: Nabs win Wednesday
Floro (1-0) picked up the win in Wednesday's victory over the Twins, striking out one in a perfect eighth inning.
The score was tied 1-1 when Floro entered the game, but the Marlins piled on four runs in the bottom of the frame. The right-hander has a win and a hold in his first two appearances this season, and while he's a key part of the team's high-leverage mix, A.J. Puk appears to be the favorite for saves for now.
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Adam Ottavino RP | NYY
Mets' Adam Ottavino: Tagged with loss Wednesday
Ottavino (0-1) took the loss Wednesday against the Brewers, failing to record an out and serving up a walkoff home run to Garrett Mitchell in the bottom of the ninth inning.
With the score tied 6-6, Ottavino battled Mitchell to a full count before the outfielder turned on a slider that caught too much of the plate and drove it over the right-field wall. Ottavino had worked two clean innings in his first two appearances of the season, picking up a hold with a 2:0 K:BB, and while David Robertson remains the favorite for saves in the Mets' bullpen, he's not the only arm in the late-inning mix. Ottavino has a combined 43 holds and 14 saves over the last two seasons, and he figures to contribute in both categories in 2023.
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Kaleb Ort RP | LAA
Red Sox's Kaleb Ort: Faulty support
Ort allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over one inning during Wednesday's 4-1 loss to Pittsburgh.
Ort was partially victimized by shoddy fielding. He allowed a leadoff double to Jason Delay, who eventually scored on a sacrifice fly that wouldn't have happened without the fielding miscues. In between, there was a poor decision by first baseman Triston Casas, and another one by outfielder Masataka Yoshida which was compounded by third baseman Rafael Devers failing to cut off a misguided throw to plate. Ort's allowed four runs over five innings for a 7.20 ERA, which is an improvement on his spring ERA of 9.58.
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John Schreiber RP | NYY
Red Sox's John Schreiber: Makes third appearance
Schreiber allowed one run on three hits and one walk over one inning during Wednesday's 4-1 loss to the Pirates.
Boston manager Alex Cora surprisingly removed starter Corey Kluber after five innings and 67 pitches, turning the game over to a bullpen that's been good early in the season. Schreiber allowed a couple of quick hits, before the Red Sox were caught off guard by a safety-squeeze bunt single that produced the first run off the reliever in three outings. Schreiber, who posted a 2.22 ERA last season, is a key piece of the bridge to closer Kenley Jansen.
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Jordan Romano RP | COL
Blue Jays' Jordan Romano: Grabs another save
Romano earned a save against the Royals on Wednesday with one scoreless inning. He allowed one hit and struck out one batter.
Alek Manoah gave Toronto seven scoreless innings, and Erik Swanson put up another zero in the eighth. The Blue Jays then turned to Romano, who completed the combined shutout and picked up his third save of the campaign with a scoreless frame. The closer is tied with David Bednar for the MLB lead in saves, and he's allowed just one hit while posting a 4:0 K:BB over three innings so far this season.
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Jose Quijada RP | LAA
Angels' Jose Quijada: Earns save Wednesday
Quijada picked up a save Wednesday against the Mariners, allowing one hit and striking out one batter in a scoreless inning.
The Angels led by one run heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, and manager Phil Nevin elected to go to Quijada with Seattle due to send up a switch hitter and a lefty as the first two batters in the frame. That decision paid off, as the southpaw reliever worked around a one-out walk to close out the contest and earn the save. Quijada wasn't expected to be a lead candidate for saves out of the Angels bullpen this season, and he may not pick up many more along the way. However, Wednesday's contest provided evidence that Nevin is willing to play the matchups rather than commit to a full-time closer.
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Elijah Morgan RP | KC
Guardians' Eli Morgan: Secures win
Morgan (1-0) allowed a hit and struck out one over one inning, earning the extra-inning win Wednesday over the Athletics.
Morgan has had a productive series in Oakland, earning a win and a save in his last two appearances. The right-hander was dialed in with 15 of his 19 pitches going for strikes Wednesday. He's given up a hit in each of his four outings this season, but he also boasts a 6:1 K:BB and has allowed only one unearned run through four innings. With James Karinchak struggling early on, there's a chance Morgan's strong pitching could lead to him featuring as a high-leverage option as part of the bridge to closer Emmanuel Clase.
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Clay Holmes SP | CHC
Yankees' Clay Holmes: Earns first save
Holmes earned a save against the Phillies on Wednesday, striking out three batters in a perfect ninth inning.
Holmes continues to improve from his rough season debut. The 30-year-old earned his first save of the season and threw nine of his 16 pitches for strikes while punching out all three batters he faced. Holmes has provided impressive performances in consecutive outings and will continue to serve as the go-to option in the Yankees' bullpen for save situations.