MLB Player News

Fairbanks recorded his fifth save in a win over Atlanta on Sunday, allowing a hit and recording two strikeouts over one inning.

Fairbanks closed out the comeback victory for the Rays in dominating fashion, working around a single to throw 13 of 17 pitches for strikes and notch his second save of the weekend series. The right-hander now has six straight scoreless appearances, a strong stretch that could continue earning him high-leverage opportunities.

Neris struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save against the Marlins on Sunday.

Ranger Suarez has been used in save situations recently, but he had pitched on each of the last two days and was charged with a blown save Saturday. As a result, Neris was brought on in the ninth inning Sunday to preserve the Phillies' three-run lead, and he picked up his 12th save of the year. It's not yet clear whether the right-hander could be the favorite for closing duties going forward, but it was encouraging to see him earn his first save since June 25 in Sunday's series finale.

Bender (1-1) allowed two runs on three hits and one walk in one inning to take the loss against the Phillies on Sunday.

Bender picked up his first major-league win July 7, but he's given up at least one run in four of his last five outings. Although the 26-year-old took the first loss of his major-league career Sunday, he's posted a 2.30 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 31.1 innings across 30 appearances this season.

Hand (5-2) allowed one run on one hit and three walks while striking out three in one inning to earn the win against the Padres on Sunday.

Hand had some issues with command Sunday and threw only 16 of his 31 pitches for strikes. He was charged with the blown save after giving up the one-run lead in the top of the ninth, but he picked up his fifth win of the year after the Nationals came back in the bottom half of the frame. The southpaw has now recorded a 2.61 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 38 innings this year.

Melancon (2-2) allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out one in a third of an inning to take the loss against the Nationals on Sunday.

Melancon has now been charged with two losses since July 1, but he's also picked up two saves and a win during that time. The right-hander should still have plenty of job security as the Padres' closer, but he's posted a 5.40 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in five innings across his six appearances since the start of July.

Shaw fired a perfect ninth inning, striking out one to earn the save in the win over the Athletics on Sunday.

Shaw retired the side in the ninth inning and struck out Mitch Moreland to end the game. He doesn't normally receive save opportunities, but Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak were unavailable after pitching the previous two games. Shaw has a 1.37 ERA and 17 strikeouts over 13.1 innings covering his last 12 appearances. For the season, he has a 2.83 ERA and a 11.3 K/9 in 41.1 innings. He is 2-for-4 in save opportunities.

Alexander is scheduled to make his second straight turn through the rotation Thursday against the Rangers, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

Alexander was summoned from the bullpen to make a spot start in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader sweep of the Twins. He was limited to 48 pitches and recorded 10 outs during the start, surrendering two runs on four hits while striking out one. The lefty should face slightly fewer restrictions with his workload Thursday, though it would be surprising if he covered more than five innings. Detroit hasn't announced its plans for Alexander beyond Thursday, but he could be in store for an extended stay in the rotation with none of Julio Teheran (shoulder), Matthew Boyd (triceps), Spencer Turnbull (forearm) or Jose Urena (groin) considered especially close to returning from the injured list.

Minter was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett on Sunday.

Minter was charged with the loss and the blown save against the Rays on Sunday after he allowed two runs on two hits and no walks in a third of an inning. He's now given up three runs in one inning across his two appearances after the All-Star break, and he'll attempt to sort things out in the minors going forward.

The Twins will call up Jax from Triple-A St. Paul to start the first game of Monday's doubleheader with the White Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Due to the twin bill, the Twins will temporarily have a need for a sixth starter, so Jax will return from the minors to fill the void. Jax previously made five appearances (one start) for Minnesota earlier this season, posting an 8.66 ERA and 1.70 WHIP across 17.2 innings.

Bickford (0-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit in two-thirds of an inning Sunday, blowing the save in extra innings against the Rockies.

Bickford came on to protect a 5-4 lead in the 10th inning but gave up a Trevor Story sacrifice fly that tied the game before yielding a walk-off homer to Charlie Blackmon. Bickford was handed the extra-innings save opportunity after closer Kenley Jansen was unable to nail down the save in the ninth. The 26-year-old Bickford owns a 3.04 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 25 relief outings this season, with all but one of those appearances coming after he was acquired from the Brewers.