MLB Player News

Barnes pitched a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Monday's 5-4 win over Toronto.

Barnes needed just nine pitches to protect a one-run lead that materialized on Alex Verdugo's two-run home run in the eighth. The 31-year-old right-hander is now 22-for-26 in save chances with a 2.36 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in 42 innings. He's pitched on each of the last two days, so there's no guarantee he'll be utilized if a save chance comes up Tuesday.

Pivetta allowed four runs on six hits and two walks while striking out three in 4.2 innings, taking a no-decision versus Toronto on Monday.

The right-hander allowed four runs or more for the fourth time in his last five starts, and Monday was the third time in that span he's failed to complete five innings. Pivetta's inconsistency has led to a 4.51 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 120:48 K:BB through 107.2 innings this season. He lines up for a tough road start at Tampa Bay this weekend in a battle of the AL East's two best teams.

Chafin was traded from the Cubs to the Athletics on Monday in exchange for Greg Deichmann and Daniel Palencia, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

One of the top relief arms for the Cubs this season, Chafin has pitched his way to a 2.06 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with a 37:12 K:BB and 17 holds across 39.1 frames in 2021. Per Jeff Passan of ESPN.com, the deal won't become official until both teams review the medical records of all players involved, but all signs point to the trade getting done. He'll join Lou Trivino and Sergio Romo at the back of Oakland's bullpen.

Smith registered the save after allowing one hit in a scoreless inning during Game 1 of Monday's doubleheader against the Mets.

Smith allowed the tying run to step to the plate after a one-out single, but he induced a double play to slam the door in a 2-0 shoutout. The southpaw has successfully converted on each of his last four save chances and is 20-for-22 on the year. Smith owns a 3.40 ERA and 1.08 WHIP with a 50:12 K:BB across 39.2 frames in 2021.

Howard was removed in the fourth inning of Monday's game against the Nationals due to an apparent blister issue, Scott Lauber of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. He allowed three runs on six hits and struck out two over 3.2 innings prior to his departure.

Howard's velocity noticeably decreased in the fourth inning and he allowed all three of his runs in the frame prior to leaving with the team trainer. He'll be considered day-to-day until further notice.

Loup will start Game 2 of Monday's doubleheader versus Atlanta, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.

Loup will make the second start of his big-league career after delivering two scoreless frames as an opener July 11 against the Pirates. The left-hander is unlikely to pitch much deeper than that Monday, and he has a 1.44 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 37:7 K:BB across 31.1 innings this season.

Snead had his contract selected from Triple-A Buffalo on Monday, Mitch Bannon of SI.com reports.

Snead earned the promotion by pitching well at Triple-A Buffalo this season with a 2.01 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 43:12 K:BB over 31.1 innings. The left-hander is looking to make his MLB debut and should fill a low-leverage role out of the bullpen.

Holmes was sent from the Pirates to the Yankees on Monday in exchange for Diego Castillo and Hoy Park, Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

This won't be anywhere near the biggest deal this deadline season, but Holmes should at least be a useful piece for the Yankees. His 4.93 ERA in 42 innings of relief this season isn't particularly encouraging, but it comes with a much better 4.06 FIP and 3.81 xFIP. While he walks too many batters (13.2 percent), his 72.8 percent groundball rate leads all pitchers who have thrown at least 30 innings this season. When combined with a roughly average 23.3 percent strikeout rate, that should make Holmes at least a serviceable middle reliever.

Dominguez (elbow) is hopeful that he could begin a rehab assignment next week, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

Dominguez is nearly a year removed from Tommy John surgery, but his fastball velocity has returned to 93-94 mph. If the right-hander is able to begin his rehab assignment next week, he's hopeful that he could rejoin the Phillies in late August or early September.

Adams retired only one batter Sunday against Miami while allowing four runs on two hits and two walks.

The right-hander has been solid out of the bullpen this season, but he simply did not have his best stuff Sunday. Adams threw only seven of 16 pitches for strikes and walked a pair of batters in addition to giving up a double and a single. The four earned runs he allowed were his most in a single game this season and exceeded the total earned runs he had given up over his previous 41 outings combined. Adams' ERA jumped from 1.82 to 2.83 as a result of the poor performance.