MLB Player News

Sborz was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock on Wednesday.

Sborz was with the big club for just one day after Texas designated him as its 27th man for Tuesday's doubleheader with Cleveland. He appeared in the Rangers' 6-3 loss in the first game of the twin bill, working around one hit and one walk to turn in a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.

Pilkington did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing four runs on four hits and four walks over 5.2 innings against the Athletics. He struck out two.

Pilkington tied his season high with four walks and threw just 45 of 85 pitches for strikes. However, the left-hander was able to limit the damage for the most part and kept Cleveland within striking distance for a late-inning comeback. Across four starts, the rookie sports a 4.51 ERA and 1.81 WHIP with a 20:13 K:BB. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday's contest in Colorado.

Jansen picked up the save Thursday against the Pirates. He allowed zero runs on zero hits and zero walks while striking out two over one inning.

Jansen entered with a two-run lead in the ninth and pitched a perfect inning, striking out two of the three batters he faced. The veteran reliever has 16 saves in 19 opportunities and sports a 36:8 K:BB across his first 25.2 innings with Atlanta.

Melancon asked manager Torey Lovullo to let him pitch in Thursday's game because he hadn't pitched since last Saturday, the Arizona Republic reports. Melancon (2-6) picked up the win, allowing one hit over a scoreless eighth inning in a 5-4 victory over the Reds.

Ian Kennedy closed out the Reds for the save, but the Diamondbacks were on the road and trailing 3-1 heading into the eighth inning. Because a bottom of the ninth inning was not guaranteed, Lovullo had Melancon pitch the eighth. Bottom line, there is no change in Arizona's closer situation, and Melancon remains the primary option for saves.

Pivetta (5-5) took the loss against the Angels on Thursday, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out 11 over five innings.

Pivetta's season-high 11 strikeouts were impressive, and he started out the contest with four scoreless innings. However, Shohei Ohtani broke through against him with a two-run shot in the fifth, and Pivetta was pulled after issuing two straight free passes to begin the sixth. Those walks came back to haunt him as both baserunners were cashed in after he departed. Pivetta gave up more than three earned runs in each of his first three starts this season, but this was the first time he surrendered that many runs in nine starts since. He's posted a 2.45 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 59:14 K:BB across 55 frames while recording a 5-2 record over the nine-game stretch.

Iglesias pitched a perfect ninth inning against the Red Sox on Thursday, striking out two to earn a save.

Iglesias was tasked with closing out the contest as the Angels sought to snap a franchise record 14-game losing streak, and he succeeded by retiring all three batters he faced. The veteran closer had only one save opportunity during the stretch of team losses, so his job security was never in question. Iglesias has racked up 12 saves on the campaign while posting a 4.43 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 28:4 K:BB across 20.1 innings.

Barlow earned the save against the Orioles on Thursday, pitching 1.1 scoreless innings and allowing two hits and one walk while striking out one.

Barlow threw only 12 of 23 pitches for strikes in the outing, and he allowed a run-scoring double to the first batter he faced after entering with two outs in the eighth inning. However, the right-hander was able to settle down to notch his first save since May 26. The gap was a product of team play -- no other Kansas City pitcher earned a save in the two-week stretch, and Barlow didn't have any save opportunities during the time. He appears to have a good hold on the closer role, but that won't necessarily lead to many saves given the Royals' awful 19-37 season record.

Krehbiel (shoulder) started throwing Thursday, Andy Kostka of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Krehbiel said he felt good after throwing for the first time since he landed on the injured list with shoulder inflammation last Friday. The reliever doesn't have a specific timeline to return yet, and he's expected to take it slow initially in his recovery.

Holmes earned the save against the Twins on Thursday, pitching a perfect ninth inning during which he struck out one batter.

It appeared unlikely that Holmes would make an appearance in the game when Minnesota jumped out to a 7-3 lead after three innings, but New York's offense stormed back to produce a three-run lead after eight frames. Holmes was brought in to close things out in the ninth, and he retired the side in order on 12 pitches. This was the right-hander's ninth save in nine opportunities this season, and he has also racked up seven holds. Holmes has been one of the top relievers in MLB this season, complementing his saves and holds totals with a minuscule 0.33 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 29:3 K:BB across 27.2 innings.

Adam allowed one walk and struck out one across a scoreless inning to earn the save Thursday against the Cardinals.

Adam was the only Rays reliever to enter the game, and he collected his second save of the season with little trouble. Now that Andrew Kittredge (elbow) is back on the injured list, the closer role in Tampa Bay is wide open. Adam has certainly proven to be reliable to this point in the season, as he's maintained a 0.72 ERA with a 30:8 K:BB across 25 innings. However, Colin Poche and Brooks Raley have also been used in save situations.