MLB Player News
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Miles Mikolas RP | WAS
Nationals' Miles Mikolas: Solid in bulk relief Monday
Mikolas allowed three hits and no walks while striking out two over 4.2 scoreless innings of bulk relief Monday against the Giants.
Entering in the second inning following opener Richard Lovelady, Mikolas didn't miss many bats but kept the Giants' offense off the board before exiting after 54 pitches (41 strikes). It was a nice rebound outing after he surrendered six runs across six frames in his previous start against the Marlins, though the right-hander's season numbers remain quite poor. Mikolas will take a 1-5 record with a 5.90 ERA and 1.34 WHIP across 61 innings (14 appearances) into his next outing, which is tentatively scheduled for Sunday against the Mariners.
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Kirby Yates RP | LAA
Angels' Kirby Yates: Blows save Monday
Yates blew a save chance against the Astros on Monday, allowing one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one batter over one inning.
With the Angels up 5-4 entering the ninth inning, manager Kurt Suzuki turned to Yates to shut the door. The veteran right-hander couldn't do so, as Jeremy Pena led off the inning with a walk, stole second base and came around to score on a one-out Christian Walker single. Monday marked Yates' first save opportunity since he logged his lone save May 23, but that's largely due to the Angels' struggles as a team, as the club as a whole has zero saves since then. Though Yates has pitched to a poor 5.23 ERA this season, Suzuki seemed to commit to giving him more ninth-inning opportunities moving forward, saying after the game, "We signed him to be our closer, and we're going to give him a chance to close," per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
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Bryan Abreu RP | HOU
Astros' Bryan Abreu: Steps in for save in 10th frame
Abreu notched a save against the Angels on Monday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter over one scoreless inning.
Josh Hader was deployed with the score tied in the bottom of the ninth inning and struck out the side in order. After Houston plated a run in the top of the 10th, manager Joe Espada turned to Abreu, whose last save had come May 19. The right-hander got the job done with some help from his defense -- Jose Siri singled off Abreu to lead off the frame, but Brice Matthews threw Mike Trout out at home plate. With Hader back in action, Abreu isn't likely to get many save chances moving forward, but he should be an option on days when Hader is unavailable.
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Jhoan Duran RP | PHI
Phillies' Jhoan Duran: Secures 16th save
Duran earned a save over the Blue Jays on Monday, allowing one hit over a scoreless inning.
Duran had a three-run lead to work with when he entered in the ninth frame and needed just nine pitches to record three outs. The fireballing right-hander notched his eighth straight scoreless outing, and he's converted all 16 of his save opportunities this season. Duran recorded a career-high 32 regular-season saves last year, and he's currently on pace to exceed that mark. His 1.25 ERA and 0.83 WHIP are also tracking toward career-best numbers.
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Andres Munoz RP | SEA
Mariners' Andres Munoz: Picks up save No. 10
Munoz secured the save Monday against the Orioles, allowing no runs on no hits and one walk in the ninth inning. He struck out two.
Baltimore made Munoz work Monday, as the hurler needed 20 pitches (11 strikes) to complete the frame. The hard-throwing right-hander is looking for some consistency as Seattle's closer, considering he's not yet converted four consecutive save opportunities at any point this year. Through 24.1 innings, Munoz has a shaky 5.18 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 37:10 K:BB with 10 saves in 15 attempts.
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Mason Englert RP | TB
Rays' Mason Englert: Goes unused in win
Englert was expected to work in a bulk-relief role during Monday's 3-1 win over the Red Sox, but he ended up going unused after opener Ian Seymour pitched the first four innings and five other relievers finished out the contest, Adam Berry of MLB.com reports.
After being called up from Triple-A Durham last Wednesday, Englert proceeded to cover five innings of long relief behind starter Nick Martinez in the Rays' loss to the Tigers later that day. With the Rays announcing over the weekend that Steven Matz would be moved to the bullpen, Englert looked like a logical candidate to fill the open spot in the rotation. Instead, Seymour now looks like he could wind up getting stretched out for the vacated starting role, as he permitted just one hit and one walk while striking out five across 55 pitches Monday. Englert has underwhelmed over his 11 appearances (one start) with Tampa Bay this season, logging a 4.71 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 16:4 K:BB across 21 frames.
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Carlos Rodriguez RP | MIL
Brewers' Carlos Rodriguez: Lands on injured list
The Brewers placed Rodriguez on the 15-day injured list Monday due to a right shoulder impingement, MLB.com reports.
Milwaukee optioned Rodriguez to Triple-A Nashville on May 31, but he hadn't made an appearance since being demoted and has now been moved to the IL retroactive to that date. Rodriguez will be eligible for activation June 15, but whenever he's reinstated, Milwaukee is likely to option him back to Triple-A.
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Bryan Baker RP | TB
Rays' Bryan Baker: Hangs on for save No. 17
Baker secured the save Monday against the Red Sox, allowing no runs on one hit and no walks in the ninth inning. He struck out one.
Baker did let the potential tying run get to the plate, but he was able to hold on for the save. The 31-year-old right-hander has established a strong grip as Tampa Bay's closer, successfully converting six save opportunities in a row. Through 26.1 frames, Baker has a 2.05 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB while converting 17 of his 20 save chances.
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Ian Seymour RP | TB
Rays' Ian Seymour: Excels as starter Monday
Seymour took a no-decision Monday against the Red Sox, allowing one run on one hit and one walk in four innings. He struck out five.
With Steven Matz recently moving to the bullpen, Seymour fared very well in his second start of the season Monday. The 27-year-old southpaw, who poured in 37 of his 55 pitches for strikes, turned in his longest outing of the year and fanned a season-high five, which could earn him another look in the rotation over the weekend against the Angels. Through 35 innings, Seymour has a 4.89 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 38:16 K:BB.
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Taylor Rashi RP | MIN
Twins' Taylor Rashi: Dealt to Minnesota
The Twins acquired Rashi from the Diamondbacks on Monday in exchange for cash considerations, Nick Piecoro of The Arizona Republic reports.
Rashi was booted from Arizona's 40-man roster Friday, and he'll now receive a fresh start in Minnesota. The right-hander has made three relief appearances in the big leagues so far this season, allowing four runs on three hits and one walk while striking out four over 3.2 innings. The Twins announced that Rashi has been added to the 40-man roster and will report to Triple-A St. Paul, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic.