MLB Player News

Valdez allowed two hits in the ninth inning to record the three-out save in the win over the Athletics on Friday.

Valdez bounced back to record his sixth save Friday after blowing the save Thursday against the Yankees. He is 6-for-8 in save opportunities and has a pair of wins. The 36-year-old remains the best arm in the Orioles bullpen with a 1.42 ERA in 12.2 innings.

Shaw struck out one in a perfect seventh inning to earn a hold in Friday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.

Shaw was the first reliever up after Shane Bieber lasted six innings in the start. The 33-year-old Shaw needed just eight pitches to earn his third hold of the season in 10 outings. He's been solid so far with a 0.90 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB across 10 innings.

Karinchak pitched a perfect eighth inning with two strikeouts to earn a hold in Friday's 5-3 win over the White Sox.

Karinchak was one of three relievers -- along with Bryan Shaw and Emmanuel Clase -- to log a scoreless inning for Cleveland following Shane Bieber's six-inning start. The 25-year-old Karinchak has allowed only two hits and two walks with 22 strikeouts across 10.2 innings this season. He has two saves, one blown save and four holds in 12 outings. Clase is still manager Terry Francona's preferred closer option, as he's converted five saves.

Yarbrough (1-3) took the loss Friday as the Rays fell 9-2 to the Astros, giving up five runs on nine hits and a walk over six innings. He struck out five.

The lefty lasted 103 pitches (71 strikes) but wasn't particularly effective, allowing runs to cross the plate in the first, third and fourth innings. Yarbrough now has a 4.86 ERA and 26:6 K:BB through 33.1 innings, and with higher-upside arms like Shane McClanahan and Luis Patino now pushing for work, Yarbrough isn't guaranteed to hang onto his rotation/bulk relief spot if he doesn't turn things around.

Almonte (hand) will work on his mechanics while he's on the 10-day injured list, Nick Groke of The Athletic reports.

Almonte has struggled out of the bullpen early in the season, and he's posted a 12.46 ERA and 2.31 WHIP in 8.2 innings. His right hand contusion is considered minor, but manager Bud Black said that the injury provided a convenient point to take Almonte out of action. Black said Friday that he isn't sure whether Almonte will be able to return after spending the minimum of 10 days on the injured list, and it appears as though his return timetable will depend on the progress he makes with his mechanics while he's sidelined.

Antone retired the only batter he faced Friday to record his first save of the season in an 8-6 win over the Cubs.

Carson Fulmer started the ninth inning for the Reds with the club ahead 8-4, but after he put the first two batters aboard, Lucas Sims entered the game. Sims did no better, allowing both inherited runners to score and loading the bases with two outs, forcing manager David Bell to turn to Antone, who needed only three pitches to rack up his first career save by getting David Bote to ground out. The Reds prefer using Antone in longer high-leverage stints a la Josh Hader -- he's gotten more than three outs in five of his eight appearances so far -- but with both Sims and Amir Garrett struggling badly in save situations, the 27-year-old could find himself working the ninth more often.

Clase yielded a hit during a scoreless ninth inning to earn a save over the White Sox.

After giving up a leadoff single to Luis Robert, Clase forced three groundouts to secure the 5-3 win for Cleveland. The flamethrowing right-hander is now 5-for-6 in save chances with a perfect 0.00 ERA through 11.1 innings this season.

Coonrod allowed a walk and struck out one in one inning to earn the save in Friday's 2-1 win over the Mets.

Closer Hector Neris pitched three of the previous four days and needed rest, so Coonrod was given an opportunity for a save. He did well, as a two-out walk to Brandon Nimmo was the only blemish in Coonrod's performance. The 28-year-old right-hander has a 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB across 12 innings this season. He's picked up two holds and two blown saves in 11 outings.

Garcia (2-2) took the loss Friday versus Washington, allowing two runs (one earned) on one hit. Garcia did not record an out.

Garcia's outing lasted only two pitches before Washington's Kyle Schwarber hit a walkoff two-run home run. In addition to the loss, Garcia was also charged with a blown save, as Miami held a 1-0 lead when he entered. The 30-year-old has a 2.19 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 10:3 K:BB across 12.1 innings. He is now 4-for-5 in save chances, and he added two holds before taking over the closer job from Anthony Bass earlier in April.

Hand (2-0) allowed an unearned run on one hit and two walks with one strikeout in two innings to earn the win Friday versus Miami.

Hand allowed an RBI single to Garrett Cooper in the top of the 10th inning, but Kyle Schwarber bailed him out with a walkoff two-run home run in the bottom half of the inning. The run against Hand was the first he has allowed all season, but it won't show up on his still-perfect 0.00 ERA. The southpaw has added a 0.89 WHIP, 7:4 K:BB and three saves across nine innings as Washington's closer.