MLB Player News

Iglesias earned a save against the Cardinals on Saturday, striking out one batter over one perfect inning.

Iglesias was tasked with preserving a one-run lead in the bottom of the ninth inning, and he did so with ease, retiring all three batters he faced on 11 pitches. After a rough first two-plus months of the campaign -- Iglesias held a 6.75 ERA as recently as June 5 -- the veteran reliever has rebounded with 14 straight scoreless outings, during which he's posted a 17:1 K:BB across 12.2 frames. At one point it seemed Atlanta could be moving on from Iglesias at closer, but the right-hander has a save each of the past two days and appears to be back in control of the ninth-inning role.

Bummer allowed three runs on four hits and no walks while striking out one batter over two innings in a no-decision as an opener against St. Louis on Saturday.

Bummer was tabbed to open the bullpen game for Atlanta and gave the team two innings. While he was able to keep the ball in the strike zone, throwing 21 of 33 pitches for strikes and issuing zero free passes, he was tagged for three runs in the second frame, with two of the runs coming on a Nolan Gorman homer. It's not yet clear how Atlanta plans to fill the rotation spot that opened when Spencer Schwellenbach (elbow) landed on the injured list in early July, so Bummer could be called upon to fill the same role after the All-Star break, though the team figures to eventually settle upon a traditional starter.

Hader allowed a run on two hits and struck out two in one inning to take a blown save in Saturday's 5-4 extra-innings win over the Rangers.

Hader served up a game-tying home run to Kyle Higashioka in the ninth inning, which stuck the Houston closer with his first blown save of the year. He's also showing some struggles -- after allowing four runs (three earned) across 13.2 innings in June, he's been charged with six runs (five earned) through five frames in July. The long ball remains a problem, as Hader has given up eight homers in 42.2 innings this season, though he's largely been successful by converting 25 of 26 save chances. He's added a 2.53 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 65:9 K:BB, ratios that are better than last year across the board.

Strahm threw a clean eighth inning in Saturday's 5-4 loss to San Diego. He struck out two.

Even though Strahm hasn't seen a save chance since June 29, he's been excellent to start July. The veteran left-hander has fanned multiple batters in three of his first four appearances of the month, allowing a lone hit over four scoreless innings so far. It's worth noting Orion Kerkering has stumbled to a 6.23 ERA over his last 4.1 frames, which should give Strahm a leg up in Philadelphia's competition for save opportunities going forward.

Brash retired the only two batters he faced to earn a hold in Saturday's 15-7 win over Detroit. He didn't record a strikeout.

The hold was the 10th of the season for Brash, who has thrived as a setup man after beginning the year on the injured list while recovering from 2024 Tommy John surgery. The hard-throwing right-hander appears to be the next man up for save opportunities on occasions where closer Andres Munoz may be unavailable. Through his first 20.2 innings, Brash boasts a 0.87 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 21:7 K:BB.

Estrada struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Phillies.

Estrada was one of four San Diego relievers to have pitched three of the previous four days, but he was apparently deemed good to go for a save chance Saturday. Usual closer Robert Suarez had also seen a similar workload and was held back from pitching in this contest. Estrada is now second on the team with three saves, though he's no threat to Suarez's closer role, as he's instead functioned as a setup man throughout the year. Overall, Estrada has a 2.93 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 60:16 K:BB while adding 21 holds and three blown saves across 43 innings.

Scott earned a save against San Francisco on Saturday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning.

Scott entered Saturday in the midst of a small rough patch, as he blew his previous save opportunity Wednesday versus Milwaukee and gave up three runs over two innings across his past two outings. He got back on track against the Giants to help the Dodgers snap a seven-game losing streak, fanning two of the three batters he faced in a 12-pitch ninth inning. Scott has had some struggles this season -- he's tied for the MLB lead with six blown saves -- but the lefty remains Los Angeles' primary closer and has collected 19 saves while posting a 3.77 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 49:7 K:BB over 43 innings.

Finnegan (1-3) allowed three runs on three hits and two walks over one-third of an inning, taking the loss and a blown save in Saturday's 6-5 loss to the Brewers.

Finnegan had strung together 8.1 scoreless innings over his last eight appearances, allowing just two walks in that span. It came crashing down quickly Saturday, as he allowed three straight batters to reach base, including a two-run double by Andrew Vaughn that tied the game. Caleb Durbin delivered the final blow with a walk-off single. Finnegan has blown his last three save chances dating back to June 10 -- his recent strong pitching has come in non-save opportunities for the 38-56 Nationals. That poor record as a team suggests there won't be many saves to come by for any member of this bullpen, though Finnegan is on a one-year deal in 2025 and could be moved at the trade deadline. He remains Washington's best bet to see saves for now.

Diaz walked one and struck out one over two scoreless and hitless innings to earn the save in Saturday's 3-1 win over the Royals.

It's just the fourth time all season Diaz has been asked to go more than one inning, but he was fresh Sunday, as his last appearance was Tuesday. Diaz got the job done with 13 pitches in the eighth inning and a tidy nine-pitch ninth to secure his 19th save in 20 chances. He's added a stellar 1.66 ERA, 0.87 WHIP and 55:13 K:BB through 38 innings this season.

Bowlan (1-2) allowed two runs on four hits and struck out four without walking a batter over three innings to take the loss versus the Mets on Saturday.

Michael Lorenzen (illness) was scratched from Saturday's start, leading to an impromptu bullpen game for the Royals. Bowlan followed opener Angel Zerpa, and it was a Juan Soto two-run home run that did Bowlan in during this low-scoring, 3-1 loss. Bowlan has allowed three runs over four innings during his current stint in the majors. He's at a 3.79 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB over 19 innings across 14 relief appearances this season.