MLB Player News

Jansen notched a save against the Rockies on Wednesday, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter in one inning.

Jansen came on in the ninth inning with Atlanta holding a 3-0 lead. The veteran closer made things interesting by serving up a two-out walk followed by Michael Toglia's first major-league homer, but he was able to get the final out to seal the save. Jansen began August by allowing only one run over his first eight innings, but he finished the month by yielding four runs over his final 1.1 frames. Despite the recent rough outings, Atlanta manager Brian Snitker indicated faith in Jansen following the game, saying, "I'm not worried about him. He bounced back after a tough outing and got a save," per David O'Brien of The Athletic.

Montero allowed one hit and struck out one across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Rangers.

Montero continues to occupy the closer role in the absence of Ryan Pressly (neck), as he has three saves since Aug. 25. He's pitched fairly well in that span, allowing only one earned run across three innings while striking out four and walking nine. Montero will almost certainly cede save chances back to Pressly, though he is in a strong position to provide plenty of saves in the short term.

Diaz earned a save against the Dodgers on Wednesday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning.

Diaz faced a daunting task in going up against Trea Turner, Freddie Freeman and Will Smith with a one-run lead in the ninth inning, but he needed only nine pitches to set the trio down in order. In doing so, he extended his streak of successful save conversions to 19, with his last blown save coming in late May. Over 33 games since that meltdown against the Giants, Diaz has allowed only two runs over 33.2 innings while posting a 66:7 K:BB.

Hader allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Giants.

Hader was removed from the closer role Aug. 20. Nevertheless, with Nick Martinez unavailable, Hader was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning. After allowing a leadoff single, Hader retired the next three batters to record his 30th save of the campaign and first since July 29. It remains unclear whether this outing will convince the Padres to reinstate Hader as the closer, or if he will have to string together multiple positive performances to see consistent opportunities in the ninth inning once again.

Herget walked two and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 3-2 win over the Yankees.

Herget has picked up saves in each of his last three appearances, which makes him look like a slight favorite for closing duties in the Angels' committee. He made it interesting Wednesday with walks to Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton before retiring the next three batters in order. Herget ends August having allowing just one run in 17 innings with an 18:6 K:BB. He's been effective with a 2.70 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 52:12 K:BB through 53.1 innings overall, adding five saves, three holds, a blown save and a 2-1 record through 36 appearances.

Pallante (6-4) got the win after he pitched three innings, giving up an unearned run on three hits and three walks while striking out one in Wednesday's 5-3 extra-innings win over the Reds.

Pallante entered the game in the bottom of the 11th inning with the score tied, pitching two scoreless frames before the Cardinals busted the game wide open in the top of the 13th. He entered the bottom of the 13th with a 5-2 lead, allowing the baserunner to score from second on a Jake Fraley single before getting the final two outs of the contest. Pallante has now produced a 0.77 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 18 strikeouts over 23.1 innings in his last eight appearances.

Hendriks allowed a run on two hits and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Royals.

Hendriks wasn't at his sharpest, but he got the job done despite allowing an RBI single to Michael Massey in the ninth inning. This was Hendriks' first appearance since his blown save Aug. 25 versus the Orioles, though that was mostly due to a lack of save opportunities, as the White Sox snapped a five-game losing streak Wednesday. The closer owns a 3.33 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 67:11 K:BB through 46 innings with 29 saves in 33 attempts.

Sewald pitched a scoreless ninth inning, walking two batters while striking out two on his way to a save in Wednesday's 5-3 win over Detroit.

Sewald was called upon to protect the 5-3 lead in the bottom of the ninth, working around two walks for his 17th save of the season. The right-hander has now pitched three consecutive scoreless outings after giving up three runs over back-to-back appearances. Sewald now owns a 2.52 ERA and 0.69 WHIP with 61 strikeouts over 53.2 innings while appearing in 54 games this year.

Alexander pitched 4.2 innings, surrendering two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four in Wednesday's loss to the Mariners. He did not factor into the decision.

Alexander was tagged for a two-run homer by Eugenio Suarez in the top of the first inning, accounting for all the damage against him before he exited with two outs in the fifth frame. The left-hander rebounded well Wednesday after getting crushed for seven runs Friday versus the Rangers. Alexander has produced a 5.45 ERA and 1.36 WHIP with 19 strikeouts over 34.2 innings in seven starts since joining the Tigers rotation in late July.

Mengden is expected to have his contract selected from Triple-A Omaha to start Thursday against the White Sox, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Mengden spent a few weeks with the Royals in June and allowed one earned run over 4.1 innings out of the bullpen, and he's now poised to rejoin the big club as a starter. The 29-year-old has primarily worked as a starter for Omaha this year and has a 4.55 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 76:50 K:BB over 91 frames.