MLB Player News

Slaten retired all five batters faced to earn a hold in Tuesday's 2-0 win over the Mets.

Slaten entered the middle of the seventh inning with a runner at first base and induced a double-play grounder to squelch the threat. He then got three harmless groundouts in the eighth. Slaten endured a three-game hiccup at the end of April/beginning of May (six runs, 2.1 innings), but the right-hander has been on point since. Tuesday's work extended a scoreless streak to 7.2 innings, during which he hasn't allowed a hit or a walk.

Kahnle earned the save in Tuesday's win over the Cardinals, tossing a perfect ninth inning while picking up a strikeout.

Kahnle was called upon for the save after Will Vest pitched the eighth inning against the heart of the Cards' order. Kahnle retired the side on 12 pitches for his first save since April 30. Kahnle leads the team with six saves this season, but Vest leads the team in May with two saves. They both have been effective in the role, as the Tigers continue to roll with a committee. Kahnle has had an excellent season, posting a 1.37 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 20:6 K:BB in 19.2 innings.

Martinez (shoulder) allowed one hit over a scoreless inning during a rehab appearance for Triple-A Reno on Tuesday.

Martinez made his second appearance while on rehab assignment after throwing an inning in a rookie-level Arizona Complex League game Saturday. The reliever has already spent more than the minimum 15 days on the injured list, so he could be on track for activation at some point in the coming days.

Miller allowed three runs (two earned) on a hit, two intentional walks and a hit batsman over two-thirds of an inning, taking a blown save and the loss versus the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Miller has flirted with danger a few times in high-leverage spots, but prior to Tuesday, he had logged five saves, one hold and one blown save over his first eight appearances in May. He ended up taking a second blown save with a sloppy effort against the top of the Dodgers' order in the 10th inning Tuesday. Even with this meltdown, he's at a 2.18 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 22:10 K:BB across 20.2 innings while adding five saves, six holds and three blown saves. Miller has pitched three days in a row, so the Diamondbacks will likely have to turn elsewhere should a save situation arise in Wednesday's series finale.

Nelson allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out two over five innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Nelson made his second start of the year and kept a dangerous offense mostly in check, outside of allowing an RBI double to Will Smith in the fourth inning. With Eduardo Rodriguez (shoulder) on the injured list, Nelson appears to have a chance to reclaim a starting role for a while. He threw 71 pitches (40 strikes) in this start and will need to stretch out after spending much of the early part of the season in a long-relief role. Nelson has mustered a 4.60 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 30:11 K:BB across 31.1 innings over 11 appearances this season. He is tentatively projected for a favorable home start versus the Pirates early next week.

Scott allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and struck out two over 1.2 innings, taking a blown save in Tuesday's 4-3 extra-inning win over the Diamondbacks.

Scott was called on to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning but surrendered a one-out solo shot to Gabriel Moreno. Despite that hiccup, Scott stayed in to begin the 10th and promptly allowed a two-run blast to Corbin Carroll. Luckily for Scott, the Dodgers were able to rally in their half of the 10th to help him avoid the loss. This ended his 7.2-inning scoreless streak. He's now 9-for-12 in save chances while adding four holds with a 2.42 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and 23:1 K:BB over 22.1 innings this season. Scott has been the Dodgers' primary closer for much of the season, but manager Dave Roberts doesn't hesitate to utilize the southpaw earlier to protect a lead.

Jansen allowed a run on two hits and struck out two over one inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Athletics.

Jansen gave up a run in a save situation for the first time this season, but he had a three-run cushion to work with. He's had a heavy workload of late, pitching four of the last five days, which may explain his struggles Tuesday. The 37-year-old is up to 10 saves while adding a 5.28 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 15:3 K:BB across 15.1 innings. Should a save situation arise Wednesday, Ryan Zeferjahn, Brock Burke or Hector Neris could be options to step in, as it's unlikely Jansen will be asked to pitch three days in a row.

Santana didn't allow a baserunner or record a strikeout in one scoreless inning to record a hold Tuesday against the Reds.

The Pirates have had very few save chances of late, as they've gone 4-14 in May. Despite the limited opportunities, Santana seemed to have the upper hand over David Bednar for the closer role, but he entered Tuesday's game in the eighth inning to face the bottom of Cincinnati's order while ceding the ninth to Bednar. Positively, Santana managed to work his fourth consecutive scoreless appearance, though he doesn't appear to be in line to earn every save chance in Pittsburgh for the time being.

Walker pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Royals.

Walker has recorded the Giants' last two saves, so he's currently doing a decent job of fending off Camilo Doval's challenge for the closer role. Walker has also pitched four consecutive scoreless and hitless innings, though he has a 1:2 K:BB in that span. The right-hander is at a 5.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 16:7 K:BB with nine saves in 11 chances over 18 innings this season.

Birdsong (2-0) allowed one unearned run on five hits and struck out four without walking a batter over five innings to earn the win over the Royals on Tuesday.

Birdsong's strong start to the year out of the bullpen earned him a chance to replace Jordan Hicks in the Giants' rotation. This outing was a good first look for Birdsong, who wasn't asked to do too much with 80 pitches (54 strikes) while facing a low-scoring offense. He had been tagged for eight runs (four earned) over 7.2 innings across four relief outings in May before his promotion to the rotation. Birdsong is sporting a 1.91 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB across 28.1 innings this season. He is projected to make his next start on the road versus the Tigers, which is a much more intimidating matchup.