MLB Player News

Helsley (5-1) allowed an unearned run on two hits and a walk with three strikeouts over 2.1 innings to earn the extra-innings win over Atlanta on Thursday.

Helsley got out of a jam created by Junior Fernandez in the eighth inning and then worked two more frames. Helsley wasn't able to finish off the game in the 10th, as Matt Olson tagged him for a game-tying single, but the Cardinals took the lead in the 11th and Packy Naughton converted the save. In his last five outings, Helsley has picked up three wins, one loss, one save and one blown save, as the Cardinals' struggles of late have limited his closing opportunities. He has a 0.77 ERA, 0.69 WHIP and 53:12 K:BB with six saves, five holds and three blown saves across 35 innings this year.

Naughton pitched a perfect 11th inning to earn the save in Thursday's 3-2 win over Atlanta.

Naughton was shaky in his previous stints in the majors this year, but he's allowed just one run, two hits and three walks in seven innings across six appearances since his June 24 recall. With the Cardinals exhausting their top high-leverage arms earlier in Thursday's contest, Naughton got the call to protect a one-run lead, and he delivered. He now has a 3.98 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 18:4 K:BB across 20.1 innings, and he's added a hold and an 0-2 record through 15 appearances (three starts). The southpaw likely won't contend for many high-leverage chances, but he's building up some trust with his recent success.

Ortega was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake on Thursday.

Ortega's latest big-league stint lasted just over two weeks. He posted a 3.86 ERA in seven innings and recorded his first career save, but he also stumbled to a 2.00 WHIP. Reid Detmers was recalled in a corresponding move.

Adon (1-12) took the loss Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and three walks over four innings against the Phillies. He struck out five.

Adon was recalled from Triple-A Rochester ahead of Thursday's game and made his second start at the MLB level since June 7. However, the rookie right-hander continues to struggle and has allowed at least four runs in three consecutive starts. Across 64.2 innings in the majors, Adon sports a 7.10 ERA with a 55:39 K:BB.

Dominguez picked up the save in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Nationals. He allowed zero baserunners while striking out one over one inning.

Dominguez entered in the ninth with a two-run lead and retired Cesar Hernandez, Juan Soto and Josh Bell en route to his third save in four opportunities. The right-hander continues to split closing duties with Brad Hand, who operated in the eighth inning Thursday, but the fact that Dominguez was trusted to face a tough lefty like Soto may be a sign that he'll be the go-to guy moving forward.

Pressly picked up the save Thursday against the Royals. He allowed allowed zero baserunners while striking out one over one inning.

Pressly came on in the ninth with a three-run lead and retired Nicky Lopez, Ryan O'Hearn and Whit Merrifield to secure his 18th save. The veteran closer sports a 3.38 ERA and a 1.08 WHIP with a 24:8 K:BB across 24.0 innings this season.

Long will start Friday's game against the Padres, Evan Webeck of The San Jose Mercury News reports.

Long picked up his first career save by recording the final out Wednesday in Arizona, and he's now been tabbed to start Friday's contest. He delivered three scoreless frames in his previous appearance Sunday -- which is tied for his longest outing of the season -- so he's unlikely to last much beyond that as a starter.

Bednar allowed one hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Reds.

Bednar surrendered a one-out double to Mike Moustakas but otherwise pitched a clean frame to tally his 14th save of the season. Since allowing five earned runs across 1.1 innings and two appearances in late June, Bednar has turned in three consecutive scoreless appearances, earning saves in each, to get back on track. He has maintained a strong 2.31 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 52:12 K:BB across 39 frames on the season and is locked into the closer role in Pittsburgh.

Brieske (2-6) pitched 6.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Thursday against the White Sox. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four.

Chicago trotted out the red-hot Dylan Cease, but Brieske was up for the duel. This was the third time this season the rookie has allowed zero runs in a start, with the other two coming in consecutive outings June 11 and June 16. The two hits were also the fewest he's allowed in a game. Brieske only has 50 strikeouts across 75.2 innings, so he's not overpowering hitters, but he's been reasonably effective with a 4.16 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. He'll carry some positive momentum into his next scheduled start Tuesday against the Royals.

Leiter (2-3) took the loss against the Dodgers on Thursday, allowing four runs on five hits and no walks while striking out four batters over five innings.

Leiter gave up only five hits in five innings, but all five went for extra bases, including three that left the yard. The right-hander did well with 5.1 frames of one-run ball after stepping in for Alec Mills (back) in the first inning against Boston last Saturday, but he was unable to duplicate that effort against Los Angeles. Kyle Hendricks (shoulder) recently joined Mills, Marcus Stroman (shoulder), Drew Smyly (oblique) and Wade Miley (shoulder) as Cubs starters on the injured list, so Leiter has a chance to keep a spot in the rotation, though that isn't guaranteed with both Stroman and Smyly expected to be back in action this weekend.