MLB Player News

Trivino earned a save against the Astros on Monday, allowing one run on three hits while striking out one batter over one inning.

Trivino entered in the ninth inning with Oakland holding a three-run lead, and he gave up a one-out solo homer to Chas McCormick. Things continued to get dicey from there, as two of the next three batters singled to put the tying run on base. However, the right-hander struck out Jeremy Pena to end the game and notch his ninth save. Trivino hasn't exactly been a pillar of consistency -- he allowed five earned runs over his past 5.2 innings -- but with seven saves in eight chances since June 25, he has been able to hold down the closer's role for the Athletics.

Oller (1-3) earned the victory over Houston on Monday, pitching five-plus innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on four hits and two walks while striking out four batters.

Oller gave up a run in the first inning on a solo homer by Jeremy Pena, but he settled down and held Houston scoreless in the following three frames. The Astros added another run against him in the fifth and put the first two runners on base against him in the sixth, at which point Oller was pulled. Though those two runners eventually came around to score, the right-hander got enough support from his offense to end up with the first win of his major-league career. Oller's ERA still sits at an unappealing 8.07 on the campaign, and it's unclear if his so-so start Monday will enable him to keep his tenuous spot in the rotation.

Bard earned a save against the Brewers on Monday, allowing one hit and one walk in one scoreless inning.

Bard entered in the ninth inning with a two-run lead, and he got into immediate danger when Christian Yelich led off for Milwaukee with a single and Willy Adames subsequently reached on an error. Bard was able to bounce back by retiring the next two batters, and he got Luis Urias to line out to end the contest after loading the bases with a walk. Bard has been a major bright spot for the Rockies this season, racking up 21 saves -- tied for fourth-most in the majors -- while posting a 1.91 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 43:19 K:BB over 37.2 innings. He struggled late in the season last year and eventually lost his closer job, but he's thus far shown no signs of slowing down in 2022.

Karinchak struck out four in 1.2 perfect innings during Monday's 3-1 loss to the Red Sox.

Karinchak gave up three runs in his first two innings this season, but he's since settled down with 6.2 consecutive scoreless frames. Overall, he's pitched to a 3.12 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB in 8.2 innings, though he's pitched in a low-leverage role. The dominance of Emmanuel Clase essentially rules out any chance of closing duties, but continued success could earn Karinchak more of a look as a setup man later in the year.

Finnegan allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 4-1 win over the Dodgers.

Finnegan was called on for five outs to close out Sunday's game versus Arizona, and he was back on the mound again Monday. He gave up a leadoff single to Gavin Lux but retired the next three batters to secure his third save of the year. Finnegan's covered 3.2 scoreless innings in his last three appearances and now owns a 3.66 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB through 39.1 innings. He's the Nationals' closer after Tanner Rainey (elbow) suffered a season-ending injury, but Finnegan's heavy workload in the last two days may leave him unavailable should a save chance arise Tuesday.

Otto (4-7) allowed three runs on seven hits, one walk and a hit batter while striking out five over 5.1 innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Mariners.

Otto got through the Mariners' order without much trouble once, but they accumulated two runs on four hits in the fourth inning. Ty France added a solo shot in the fifth, and the Rangers' offense couldn't get Otto off the hook. The 26-year-old right-hander has given up at least three runs in five of his last six starts, going 0-5 in that span, a noticeable struggle since he returned from the COVID-19 injured list in late June. He now has a 5.37 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 52:35 K:BB across 67 innings in 14 starts. He's projected to make his next start this weekend on the road against the Angels.

Swanson retired both batters he faced to earn the save in Monday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Regular closer Paul Sewald was deployed in the eighth inning, and Diego Castillo put together a shaky start of the ninth. Swanson entered with a one-run lead and two runners aboard, but he escaped by retiring Josh Smith and Marcus Semien. In July, Swanson has allowed one run over 7.1 innings, which included one outing as an opener. The 28-year-old right-hander continues to step up when called upon -- he has a 0.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 36:5 K:BB through 27.2 innings while adding two saves, six holds and a blown save this year.

Junis (4-2) allowed a run on three hits, a walk and a hit batter with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Diamondbacks.

Junis allowed more baserunners than the Giants contributed in the entire contest, and he received no run support in his first start since June 10. The right-hander wasn't bad, but he was limited to 62 pitches (38 strikes) as he continues to build back up after missing over a month with a hamstring strain. He's been generally effective with a 2.98 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 44:11 K:BB through 54.1 innings in 11 appearances (eight starts) this season. He's projected for a home start versus the Cubs this weekend, though it's likely Junis will still have a workload restriction for at least a couple more outings.

Effross worked around a hit to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and record the save in Monday's 3-2 win over the Pirates. He struck out one.

Regular closer David Robertson pitched the last two days, so the Cubs gave him the day off and turned to Effross instead. The 28-year-old responded with his first save at the MLB level in four career chances. Effross has been pretty solid this year with a 2.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 50 strikeouts across 43 innings, and he might end up seeing more save chances if the veteran Robertson ends up getting traded before the upcoming deadline.

Pivetta allowed one run on seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings during Monday's win over Cleveland. He struck out six and did not factor in the decision.

Pivetta tossed four shutout frames before giving up an RBI single to Jose Ramirez in the fifth. While he failed to get back in the win column, it was a strong outing for the 29-year-old after he'd been tagged with 20 runs over his previous three starts. Pivetta lowered his season ERA to 4.35 alongside a 110:42 K:BB through 20 appearances. He's projected to face the Brewers at home this weekend.