MLB Player News

Finnegan earned the save in Thursday's 4-2 win over the Phillies, allowing one hit in a scoreless ninth inning without recording a walk or strikeout.

The Nationals called Finnegan from the bullpen for the ninth inning to preserve a two-run lead. He retired the first two batters in six pitches and was able to work around a Johan Rojas two-out triple by getting Rafael Marchan to line out to center field. It was a nice outcome for Finnegan, who blew his last two saves after starting the season by converting on his first nine opportunities. His 10 saves are tied with Mason Miller for third most in the majors behind Robert Suarez (12) and Andres Munoz (11).

Lord (1-3) earned the win against the Phillies on Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out four over five-plus innings.

Lord kept the Phillies off the board over the first four innings, facing the minimum number of batters in three of those frames. He yielded his first run in the fifth inning on an Alec Bohm RBI single, and Lord was tagged for a second run after being lifted in the sixth. Lord generated only 10 first-pitch strikes and four whiffs in 69 pitches (47 strikes), but he did enough to limit the Phillies to two runs to earn the first win of his MLB career. He has a 4.43 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 17:10 K:BB across 22.1 innings this season and is slated to make his next start against the Guardians at home next week, though he isn't guaranteed to stick in the rotation with Michael Soroka (biceps) nearing his return from the injured list.

Patrick (1-3) was charged with the loss against the White Sox on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four over 5.2 innings. He did not issue a walk.

Patrick gave up a run in the first inning, but he steadied himself and followed up with four straight scoreless frames. He recorded the first two outs of the sixth inning, but he was lifted after giving up two consecutive singles and was tagged for two runs after Miguel Vargas took Craig Yoho deep for a three-run home run. Patrick has lost three straight starts, but he hasn't yielded more than three earned runs in each of his seven outings this season. He's up to a 2.87 ERA and 1.28 WHIP in 31.1 innings, but Patrick will likely lose his spot in the Brewers' rotation next week if Brandon Woodruff (shoulder) is activated from the 15-day injured list.

Patino (elbow) will make a rehab start with Single-A Lake Elsinore on Sunday.

Patino last pitched meaningful innings in the 2023 Dominican Winter League before undergoing Tommy John surgery early in the 2024 campaign. While he's made significant progress, he'll still need an extended rehab assignment before being activated from the injured list.

Amador isn't in the lineup for Thursday's game against the Giants.

Despite going 4-for-11 in his last three games, Amador will sit down for the third time in the last five days against Justin Verlander and the Giants. Kyle Farmer will fill in at second base and bat seventh.

Espinal went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored in Thursday's 9-1 win against the Cardinals.

Espinal delivered his second consecutive multi-hit game and finished the three-game set versus St. Louis with five hits in nine plate appearances. The 30-year-old hasn't had a regular presence in the lineup since Matt McLain returned from his hamstring injury in mid-April, but Espinal has been performing well as a bench option this year with a .324/.378/.382 slash line through 23 contests.

Happ went 3-for-4 with a walk, a double, an RBI and two runs in Thursday's 8-3 win against the Pirates.

Happ was an ideal leadoff man Thursday as he reached in four of five plate appearances, which is the third time he's been on base at least four times in a game this season. The 30-year-old isn't hitting for much power early in 2025 with just two homers through 32 contests, but he's still been a productive lineup piece with nine doubles, 26 runs and a .279/.365/.390 slash line.

Suzuki went 2-for-4 with a walk, two home runs and three RBI in Thursday's 8-3 win at Pittsburgh.

Suzuki broke a 2-2 with a solo blast during the fifth inning and added some insurance with a two-run shot in the fifth. It's the second two-homer performance of the season for the 30-year-old, who has hit three long balls over the past three games. Suzuki has been one of the better hitters in baseball early in 2025 with nine home runs, 28 RBI and a .295/.365/.625 slash line through 28 games.

Reynolds went 1-for-3 with a walk, a homer and two RBI during Thursday's 8-3 loss to the Cubs.

The outfielder started the scoring with a solo shot in the opening frame, his fourth homer of the year, and delivered an RBI groundout in the eighth for his sixth multi-RBI effort of the season. Reynolds has gone 3-for-8 with a double and a home run in the past two games after going hitless across his previous four contests.

The Nationals are in agreement with Chafin on a major-league contract Thursday, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports.

Chafin had been looking for a new home since the start of the season after being assigned to Triple-A Toledo by Detroit. The lefty had a poor spring training in which he allowed eight earned runs across six innings, which hindered his chances of making the roster. He will get an opportunity with the bullpen in Washington in hopes of building off of his 2024 season's 3.51 ERA. In a corresponding move, Colin Poche was designated for assignment.