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Matt Barnes RP | WAS
Red Sox's Matt Barnes: Escapes self-inflicted jam
Barnes allowed one hit, hit a batter and struck out two over one scoreless inning in Friday's 3-2 extra-inning win over the Yankees.
Barnes got himself into a one-out, two-on jam after plunking Aaron Judge, but the right-hander was amped up while walking off the mound after striking out Anthony Rizzo and Josh Donaldson. It was a brief glimpse into the old Barnes -- the All Star of a season ago. This was the second consecutive good outing for Barnes, who has allowed one run on three hits and two walks while striking out four over 4.1 innings since being activated off the injured list. With Boston's bullpen in turmoil, the old Barnes would be a big help.
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Aroldis Chapman RP | BOS
Yankees' Aroldis Chapman: Surging while Holmes struggles
Chapman picked up his first hold, striking out two batters in a perfect inning against the Red Sox on Friday, while Clay Holmes blew his third straight save opportunity in the contest. Yankees manager Aaron Boone suggested after the loss that Holmes could see fewer ninth-inning opportunities, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic.
There had already been hints that Chapman could begin to see closing opportunities again -- he was slated to finish last Friday's game against the Cardinals before Holmes gave up the lead in the eighth inning -- and the continued struggles of the latter make that likelihood stronger. Boone implied that Holmes may have lost his grasp on the ninth-inning role following this Friday's loss, stating, "We'll see. I'm trying to get him in the best positions to be successful. Some nights it'll be the ninth, some nights it'll be having the full go with the pen. We'll keep working with him. Got to get him right and consistent." If Holmes is pulled from the role, Chapman is the most likely candidate to take over closing duties given his extensive history of success (he has 315 career saves) and his recent return to form (he's tossed eight consecutive scoreless innings, posting an 8:1 K:BB and allowing three hits over that stretch).
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Josh Sborz RP | TEX
Rangers' Josh Sborz: Hit by comebacker
Sborz was hit by a comebacker on the right arm during Friday's loss to the Mariners, Arianna Vedia of MLB.com reports.
Sborz, who was the game opener, got the first two batters before taking a line-drive single off the right arm. The right-hander stayed to finish the inning, but Texas manager Chris Woodward said the team is waiting to see how Sborz responds Saturday. Woodward referred to the pitcher as a "tough kid" but acknowledged the arm was sore Friday.
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Jay Jackson RP | MIN
Braves' Jay Jackson: Sent back down
Jackson was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.
Jackson was called up by Atlanta on Thursday, but he didn't make his season debut during his brief stint in the majors. He'll head back to the minors as part of a move to make room for a pair of starting pitchers for Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins.
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Mark Melancon RP | ARI
Diamondbacks' Mark Melancon: Making slight changes
Melancon tweaked his delivery since Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo added other relievers to the closer mix, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports. "I've been always trying to tweak things to be better," Melancon said.
Melancon said the changes are barely perceptible to the naked eye and involve tightening his torso and creating more tension throughout his body to hone his command. "I'm creating more down angle, or cut, on the ball," Melancon said. "And just less stress on the shoulder, creating more tension throughout." The changes, however small, have worked for the right-hander. In the three outings since the role change, Melancon has allowed one hit and three walks with three strikeouts over three scoreless innings, which includes two saves.
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Lou Trivino RP | PHI
Yankees' Lou Trivino: Takes loss in 10th inning
Trivino (1-7) was tagged with the loss against Boston on Friday, allowing an unearned run on two hits in one-third of an inning.
After closer Clay Holmes blew another save opportunity in the ninth inning, Wandy Peralta came to the rescue to send the game into extra frames. New York failed to score in the top of the 10th, and Trivino gave up the winning run in the bottom of the frame on Tommy Pham's walkoff single. The run was unearned, but it was the first Trivino has given up since joining the Yankees on Aug. 2. With Holmes in danger of losing his closing spot, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic, Trivino -- who saved 10 games for Oakland prior to being traded -- could see some work in that role, though Aroldis Chapman would appear to be the more likely replacement.
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Hector Neris RP | HOU
Astros' Hector Neris: Picks up second save
Neris pitched a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout to earn the save in a 7-5 victory over the Athletics.
With Ryan Pressly unavailable to pitch due to a stiff neck, per Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle, Dusty Baker turned to Neris to close the door in the ninth. Neris only needed seven pitches to retire the side and pick up his second save of the season. Neris has put together five scoreless appearances in a row to lower his ERA to 3.33 and his WHIP to an excellent 0.89. It is worth monitoring the health of Pressly to see if Neris could combine with Rafael Montero to pick up any further saves while the usual closer is sidelined.
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Adam Oller RP | MIA
Athletics' Adam Oller: Walks three in no-decision
Oller gave up two earned runs on five hits and three walks over 4.2 innings in a 7-5 loss to the Astros on Friday. He struck out two and did not factor into the decision.
Oller came into the fifth having only given up one run, but he was not able to make it out of inning. He was pulled after 78 pitches and the runner he left on base came in to score on a Kyle Tucker grand slam off reliever Sam Moll three batters later. Oller has struggled so far in his rookie season. He has an ERA of 7.26 and a WHIP of 1.78 over nine starts and 14 appearances. Oller's batted-ball metrics are some of the worst in the majors so there is no sign that his fortunes are about to turn around. The 27-year-old right-hander is expected to take the mound next week at Texas.
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Bryse Wilson RP | MIL
Pirates' Bryse Wilson: Stuck with seventh loss
Wilson (2-7) allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out one in 5.1 innings, taking the loss Friday versus the Giants.
Wilson couldn't build off Sunday's strong outing versus the Orioles. Mike Yastrzemski did most of the damage against Wilson, knocking in three of the four runs on his line. The 24-year-old right-hander continues to struggle with consistency, though he's been generally better since the start of July. He has a 5.93 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and 48:20 K:BB through 71.1 innings across 16 appearances (13 starts) this year. Wilson is projected for a home start versus the Red Sox next week.
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Camilo Doval RP | SF
Giants' Camilo Doval: Logs 16th save
Doval struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Friday's 5-3 win over the Pirates.
Doval cruised through this outing, needing just nine pitches to earn his 16th save of the season. He's earned saves in his last three outings, and he hasn't allowed a run in his last five innings. The closer has a 2.87 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 59:19 K:BB through 47 innings this year.