MLB Player News

Cousins (2-0) earned the win in relief Sunday against St. Louis after tossing a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and fanning one.

Cousins bounced back from Saturday's outing in which he allowed one run and two hits over one inning against St. Louis, and now he clinched his second win of the season. He's looked effective so far and has posted three scoreless outings over his last four relief appearances while pitching to a 3.60 ERA over 5.0 innings to date.

Hader clinched the save Sunday against the Cardinals after tossing a scoreless ninth inning, striking out two.

The star reliever delivered a clean inning to record the 100th save of his career. Hader has been outstanding to begin the year, going 4-for-4 in save chances while striking out 40 percent of the batters he's faced. He owns a 3.0 K/BB and should remain one of the most dominant relievers in the National League as long as he remains healthy.

Arano gave up a hit and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning Sunday to record his first hold of the season in a loss to the Pirates.

The 27-year-old right-hander took over for Patrick Corbin in the sixth inning with the bases loaded and one out, and while Arano allowed two of those inherited runners to score, his own line remained clean. He hadn't pitched in the majors since 2019 prior to breaking camp in the Nationals' bullpen, but he's put together a strong start to the year with a 2.84 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB through 6.1 innings. With roles in the Washington 'pen still in flux, Arano could work his way into a consistent setup gig before long.

Stanek did not allow a baserunner or strike out any hitters in a scoreless inning Sunday against the Mariners.

Stanek was dealing with tightness in his back throughout the weekend series, but he was able to take the mound in the finale. His performance wasn't particularly notable, as the Astros were down 7-2 when he entered the game. However, with Ryan Pressly (knee) on the injured list, Stanek is a potential source of saves in the short term.

Robertson earned the save Sunday against Colorado after tossing a scoreless ninth inning, striking out one.

Robertson has been excellent so far for Chicago and he's yet to give up a run through four appearances while going 3-for-3 in save chances. He's yet to give up a hit since Opening Day.

Melancon noted a mechanical adjustment following last Saturday's win over the Mets in which he recorded a save, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

With the help of pitching coach Brent Strom and physical therapist Ben Hagar, Melancon made a change with his "hip hinge," per Strom. "Instead of (his right knee) just being straight and falling, he would get into his back leg and that helped create a little bit better power through the middle of the body, which then works its way up the chain and helped his cutter a great deal, which was evident in (Saturday's) game." The reliever, who struck out two over a clean inning Saturday, had the best of his four outings. Melancon had a rough Cactus League, which he attributed to toying with new grips of some pitches. It's unclear if those spring training struggles may have also been due to shifting mechanics.

Hudson (0-1) allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits in two walks in three innings, taking the loss Sunday versus the Brewers. He struck out two.

The Brewers did most of their damage in the first inning, plating three runs. Albert Pujols tied the game with a three-run home run in the third, but Hudson got back into trouble in the fourth. T.J. McFarland then allowed an inherited runner to score the tiebreaking run, which left Hudson with the loss when the Cardinals failed to pull even again. The right-hander has been shaky through two starts, allowing seven runs (six earned) in seven innings with a 6:2 K:BB. He lines up to make his next start versus the Reds next weekend.

Rogers saved Sunday's 2-1 victory over Atlanta, striking out two in a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Rogers was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning and made quick work of the heart of Atlanta's order to lock down his fourth save in as many appearances. The 31-year-old has acclimated well to his new team, submitting four scoreless innings with one hit allowed compared to five strikeouts.

Oller (0-1) allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and three walks over 3.1 innings Sunday, striking out three and taking a loss against the Blue Jays.

Oller allowed one run in each of the first three innings; he allowed an RBI sacrifice fly to Lourdes Gurriel in the first followed by RBI singles from Santiago Espinal and Matt Chapman. The 27-year-old owns a brutal 13.50 ERA through 4.2 innings in two appearances this season. Oller is currently expected to face the Rangers at home next week.

Diekman struck out two in a perfect eighth inning to earn the hold in Sunday's 8-1 win over the Twins.

Diekman earned a save in last Sunday's win over the Yankees, and he's been credited with holds in his three other outings early in the season. Hansel Robles picked up the save Wednesday against Detroit, but it's been hard to pinpoint Boston's ninth-inning layout due to the team's lack of save situations. While Matt Barnes and Garrett Whitlock are also in the mix for late-inning work, Diekman has shown that he's a trusted high-leverage option for Boston by tossing three scoreless innings in his first four appearances of the year.