MLB Player News

Doval picked up the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Brewers after recording two outs in the ninth inning, striking out one.

Ryan Walker was able to log just one out before being pulled from a non-save situation, allowing two runs on three hits to make it a 4-2 game. That created a save situation for Doval, who fired each of his five pitches for strikes to tally his fourth save of the year. Both Walker and Doval have received six save chances apiece to begin the campaign, so this hierarchy atop San Francisco's bullpen has been more of a committee than expected so far. Doval has a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB while converting four of his six save chances over 11 innings.

Hodge struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to collect his first save of the season in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

With Ryan Pressly unavailable due to knee problems, manager Craig Counsell turned to Hodge to preserve a one-run lead in the ninth inning for his first save of the year. The 24-year-old responded by retiring all three batters he faced on 14 pitches, striking out Shohei Ohtani in the process. Since allowing six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against Arizona on Friday, Hodge has fired three shutout frames, lowering his ERA from 7.45 to 5.11.

Webb (3-1) earned the win Wednesday against the Brewers after allowing six hits and three walks in 6.1 scoreless innings. He struck out six.

Other than escaping a bases-loaded jam in the second inning, Webb didn't face very much trouble from Milwaukee. He scattered six singles and threw a season-high 106 pitches, also tossing at least six innings for the fourth time in his last five starts. The star right-hander holds a sparkling 1.80 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 33:4 K:BB over 25 frames in the month of April, but he'll encounter a tough test in his next scheduled outing on the road against the Padres.

Peralta (2-2) took the loss Wednesday against the Giants, giving up three runs on five hits and two walks in five-plus innings. He struck out three.

Although the right-hander yielded a season-high three runs, he tossed at least five innings in his sixth consecutive start to open the campaign. Peralta was mostly sailing until the sixth inning, when he allowed three straight baserunners to reach, with the bullpen allowed all three to come around to score. Peralta still holds a strong 2.43 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB over 33.1 innings this year, and he'll have a prime opportunity to rebound from Wednesday's showing in his next scheduled start against the White Sox.

Casparius didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs after allowing one hit and zero walks while striking out four batters across 2.2 shutout innings.

Casparius looked sharp in his first career major-league start, as a second-inning double from Michael Busch was all the Cubs' offense could muster against him. Casparius turned the game over to the bullpen once Chicago's lineup turned over midway through the third frame, at which point the Cubs' bats began to wake up. The amount of injuries plaguing Los Angeles' pitching staff makes it possible that the 26-year-old righty will get a chance to make another start next week, though there's no guarantee he would pitch deep enough into the game to qualify for a win.

Pham went 1-for-4 with an RBI on Wednesday against the Angels.

Pham has had a poor start to his tenure with the Pirates, as he failed to record multiple hits across his first 18 starts. That streak ended Sunday when he delivered a pair of hits, and he now has at least one knock in three straight games. Pham is still hitting only .184 with seven runs scored, six RBI and three steals across 86 plate appearances.

Bednar struck out two without allowing a baserunner in a scoreless seventh inning to earn a hold Wednesday against the Angels.

This marked Bednar's third appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, and he's now allowed just two baserunners across three innings of work while maintaining a 5:0 K:BB. He's worked in the seventh inning with Pittsburgh ahead in each of his last two outings, but he's likely to see save chances at some point if he continues to show strong form.

Boyd (2-2) collected his second win Wednesday against the Dodgers, giving up six runs (three earned) on 10 hits and a walk while striking out four batters across six innings.

Boyd can thank his own throwing error in the fifth inning for taking three earned runs off his final statline. He can also thank the Cubs' hitters for allowing him to collect a win by keeping up with the Dodgers' star-studded offense, which had little trouble creating traffic on the basepaths against the 34-year-old lefty. Thanks to two straight scoreless starts to begin the campaign, Boyd still carries a 2.54 ERA and 1.38 WHIP through 28.1 innings, and he's lined up to have a favorable matchup during his next start against the Pirates, who own the second-lowest OPS (.639) in the National League.

Double-A Amarillo reinstated Melendez (ankle) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday.

Melendez missed the tail end of the 2024 season due to ankle tendinitis, but it's unclear if it was the same injury or a different one that caused him to begin the current season on the IL. The 25-year-old first baseman spent all of last season with Amarillo, slashing .240/.313/.440 with 23 home runs and three stolen bases over 448 plate appearances.

Pressly had his right knee drained Tuesday, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

Pressly hasn't appeared in a game since Sunday, and manager Craig Counsell confirmed after Wednesday's win over the Dodgers that the 36-year-old reliever has been dealing with a knee injury over the past few days. The Cubs are optimistic that he'll be available out of the bullpen when they return to action Friday for a three-game series against Philadelphia. While the right-hander was unavailable, Porter Hodge picked up his first save of the season Wednesday.