MLB Player News

Bender (1-5) took the loss Thursday against the Phillies, giving up one run on one hit in two-thirds of an inning.

After entering a 1-1 game with one out in the eighth inning, the right-hander left a 96.7 mph sinker over the middle of the plate that Kyle Schwarber crushed 428 feet to right-center field for the winning run. Bender hasn't struck out a batter in five straight appearances, and all three of the homers he's served up this season have come in June. Over 6.1 innings this month, he's stumbled to a 7.11 ERA and 3:2 K:BB, although he has managed to collect four holds in seven trips to the mound.

Latz didn't strike out a batter and allowed one run on three hits and one walk over 5.2 innings out of the bullpen in Thursday's 4-1 loss to the Royals.

The Rangers are without multiple members of the rotation due to injuries, and as a result, the team has resorted to three bullpen games over the last 10 days. Latz, who was primarily a starter in the minors, entered the game behind opening pitcher Shawn Armstrong and ended up making his lengthiest appearance since April 2022, when he was in the rotation at Triple-A Round Rock.. He's averaged three innings over his last four outings and might be an option to make another spot start or bulk-relief appearance next week if Nathan Eovaldi (triceps) needs more time to return from the 15-day injured list.

The Royals optioned Bowlan to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Bowlan was unscored upon in three appearances during his most recent stint in the majors, but he nonetheless finds himself heading back to Omaha. The Royals will announce a corresponding move prior to Friday's game in San Diego.

Matsui walked one and struck out one over one-third of a hitless and scoreless inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-3 win over the Dodgers.

Sean Reynolds and Robert Suarez both struggled earlier in the ninth inning, and Matsui wasn't much better. He allowed an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch, but Matsui struck out Dalton Rushing to squash the Dodgers' late rally. This was Matsui's first save of the season -- Suarez has been locked in as the Padres' closer, though he's now been scored upon in three straight appearances. Overall, Matsui is at a 3.00 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 35:15 K:BB over 30 innings. He's added just two holds and isn't a regular part of the late-inning mix, as the Padres have plenty of other options to close if Suarez loses the job or becomes part of a committee. Don't expect to see many other save opportunities for Matsui this season.

Bergert allowed three hits and a walk while striking out three over 4.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Thursday.

Bergert came up an out short of qualifying for the win, exiting at 71 pitches (47 strikes). It appears to be simply a managerial decision, as Shohei Ohtani was up with runners on the corners and two outs when Bergert was lifted for Adrian Morejon. While it was a short start, Bergert's holding his own quite well in the majors, allowing just five runs over 20 innings across his first four starts. He's at a 1.88 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 19:9 K:BB through 24 innings over eight appearances in total this season. The 25-year-old is projected to make his next start at home versus the Nationals.

Hader (4-1) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit and struck out two over 1.1 innings to take the extra-inning loss Thursday versus the Athletics.

Hader did well to keep the game tied with a sharp 11-pitch ninth inning, but he served up a walk-off home run to Nick Kurtz in the 10th. This is just the second time all season Hader's been tagged for multiple runs, though he has been scored upon in two of his last four outings. He has a 1.67 ERA, 0.74 WHIP and 50:7 K:BB through 32.1 innings this season, and he remains a perfect 18-for-18 in save chances, as he entered Thursday's contest with the game tied. Hader is as sharp as ever this year, but it'll be important for him to put this outing behind him quickly, as he's had a tendency to let slumps snowball in previous seasons.

Miller allowed a run on two hits and struck out one over 1.1 innings, taking a blown save in Thursday's 6-4 extra-inning win over the Astros.

Miller was brought in with two outs in the eighth inning, but he allowed a game-tying, three-run home run to Victor Caratini. Miller stayed in for the ninth and kept the game tied, but he didn't reap the rewards of that effort, as Michael Kelly pitched the 10th and earned the win. Miller has converted 14 of 17 save chances this season, so his status as the Athletics' closer isn't in question despite mediocre ratios. He's at a 5.20 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 46:14 K:BB over 27.2 innings.

Bautista struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 4-1 win over the Rays.

Bautista had to work for it, throwing 12 of 21 pitches for strikes despite not allowing a baserunner. He's on an eight-inning scoreless streak with a 13:5 K:BB and has allowed just one hit during that span. Bautista struggled at times in May with a 5.59 ERA in 10 outings, but he's rounded back into form with his recent dominant stretch. He's at a 2.81 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 34:17 K:BB through 25.2 innings while converting 15 of his 16 save chances this season.

Kerkering picked up the save after allowing one hit with no strikeouts during a scoreless ninth inning in Thursday's 2-1 win over Miami.

It was the second save of the season for Kerkering, who certainly appears to have worked his way into Philadelphia's ninth-inning mix. Each of his two saves for the year have come in his past three outings, and the right-hander is now riding a streak of 16.1 consecutive innings without yielding an earned run. The Phillies seem to be intent on having a committee at closer perhaps until one of Kerkering, Matt Strahm or Jordan Romano emerges from the high-leverage pack, as it's worth noting Strahm also has two saves in his last three appearances.

Bigge (lat) is being evaluated at a local hospital after taking a 105-mph liner to the side of his face while in the dugout of Thursday's game against Baltimore, Ryan Bass reports.

Bigge suffered a scary injury that was originally believed to be related to his neck or eye. Fortunately, the issue wasn't sustained in either area, and he is coherent at the hospital. More details will likely become available Friday.