MLB Player News

Hand struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his ninth save of the season in a 5-3 win over Atlanta.

The veteran closer threw only six of 13 pitches for strikes, but the left-hander still got the Job done. He's converted six straight saves and nine of 11 on the season, but Hand's 3.54 ERA and 1.28 WHIP still bear the scars of his struggles in May.

Garcia (3-4) took the loss and blew a save Wednesday as the Marlins were downed 6-5 by the Blue Jays, coughing up three runs on three hits and two walks over only one-third of an inning.

Entrusted with a 5-3 lead in the ninth inning, Garcia gave up three straight hits to tie the game, and his only out came after he intentionally walked Vladimir Guerrero and Teoscar Hernandez to load the bases and create a force play at the plate. The right-hander had converted five straight saves prior to Wednesday, and on the season Garcia is 9-for-11 on save chances with a 2.86 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 23:7 K:BB through 22 innings.

Manaea (4-2) earned the win over Seattle on Wednesday, hurling nine scoreless frames while allowing four hits and two walks. He struck out eight.

This was technically Manaea's second shutout of the season -- he tossed seven scoreless innings in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Twins in April. The southpaw was sharp Wednesday, inducing 19 swinging strikes and holding the Mariners without an extra-base hit. Over his past three starts, Manaea has allowed only two runs in 20.2 frames while posting a 22:7 K:BB. He'll look to keep rolling in his next start, which is lined up to come at home against Arizona next week.

Bard fired a perfect ninth inning, striking out two to earn the save in the win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

Bard retired the side to end Wednesday's game and he's now 6-for-9 in save opportunities. The 36-year-old has a 4.09 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP in 22 innings. Those aren't the numbers you'd typically want from a closer, but the lowly Rockies don't have many options. He will receive the majority of Colorado's save chances, but those situations will be limited. On a good note, he has struck out multiple batters in his last six appearances.

Armstrong allowed two runs on two hits and struck out three in 1.1 innings to earn a hold in Wednesday's 6-3 win over Minnesota.

Armstrong got through the seventh inning with little trouble, but he struggled early in the eighth. A Ryan Jeffers triple put a run on Armstrong's line, and Paul Fry allowed an inherited runner to score on a sacrifice fly. With an 8.55 ERA, 1.90 WHIP and 22:10 K:BB in 20 innings, Armstrong continues to see mainly low-leverage work. His hold Wednesday was his first of the year, and he's also been charged with a blown save.

Pressly fired a scoreless ninth inning, allowing two hits while striking out one to earn the save in the win over the Red Sox on Wednesday.

After blowing his first save of the season in his previous outing, Pressly came back Wednesday to record his eight of the campaign. It wasn't perfect, though, with Pressly allowing the tying run to get in scoring position. The 32-year-old has a 2.25 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP with 25 punchouts in 24 innings. He has also done a great job limiting walks, as evidenced by his 1.5 BB/9.

Pivetta (6-1) allowed two earned runs on three hits and two walks while striking out nine across six innings, taking the loss Wednesday against the Astros.

Pivetta delivered his fourth quality start but took his first loss of the season. The Red Sox offense provided just a single run in support of Pivetta. The 28-year-old leads Boston with six wins and has a 3.77 ERA. He has struck out nine batters in each of his last two starts and carries a 10.3 K/9. He'll look to get back in the win column Monday against the Marlins.

Chapman walked two and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the Rays.

Chapman was called upon to maintain a one-run lead. He walked the first two batters he faced, but then retired three in a row to record his 12th save. Chapman is extremely secure in his role as closer and has also delivered excellent results as he's allowed only one earned run across 22 innings while striking out 42.

Davidson will be recalled to start Thursday's game against the Nationals, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

Atlanta will turn to Davidson for a spot start in their series finale. In such an opportunity May 18, the lefty logged a quality start, striking out five and yielding three runs in six innings. Davidson has excelled as a starter in the minors and may work his way into Atlanta's rotation at some point if that success continues to translate to the major-league level.

Thielbar left Wednesday's game against the Orioles in the seventh inning with a strained groin, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said the team will decide within a day whether they'll place Thielbar on the injured list. Regardless, the lefty will require some time off to recover from the injury, putting further strain on what's been an overworked bullpen of late amidst multiple injuries in the Twins' starting rotation.