MLB Player News

Sewald (1-0) recorded the win in the Mariners' victory over the Guardians on Thursday, firing a perfect eighth inning during which he recorded a strikeout.

The hard-throwing right-hander was utilized in a setup role to start the season and came out of the gates exceedingly sharp, pounding in 10 of his 12 pitches for strikes. Sewald was rewarded for preserving a scoreless tie when Ty France slugged a three-run home run in the home half of the frame. Andres Munoz logged the ninth-inning opportunity Thursday, but Sewald -- who recorded a career-high 20 saves in 2022 -- figures to get his fair share of closing chances over the course of the campaign.

May (1-0) was credited with the win in Thursday's season-opening win over the Angels, allowing a hit and a walk while recording a strikeout in a scoreless eighth inning.

May took the ball after back-to-back scoreless relief frames from Zach Jackson and Domingo Acevedo, and he worked himself into a bit of trouble by allowing an infield single and then intentionally putting on Shohei Ohtani. However, May got out of the jam by striking out Anthony Rendon swinging, and he was rewarded for his efforts when the Athletics took the lead in the bottom of the eighth. The right-hander is likely to be deployed in similar high-leverage situations this season, which should give him a solid chance at holds, saves and the occasional win.

Karinchak (0-1) allowed three runs on a hit, a walk and a hit batsman in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Thursday versus the Mariners.

Karinchak was rattled early by a pitch-clock violation, and he then plunked Kolten Wong before Ty France took him deep in the eighth inning. After an uneven spring that saw Karinchak post a 12:5 K:BB and a 4.66 ERA over 9.2 innings, it's a little concerning to see him struggle in a high-leverage situation. The right-hander had a 2.08 ERA over 39 innings last season, but he also carried a 4.8 BB/9, which is something he'll need to get in check to continue to have success as a setup man. With the Guardians locking up Trevor Stephan on a four-year deal Wednesday, Karinchak's place as a setup man is far from guaranteed.

Jax threw a scoreless eighth inning with a walk in Thursday's win over against Kansas City to earn his first hold of the season.

It was notable that Jax was used in the eighth inning ahead of Jhoan Duran in the ninth, while Pablo Lopez worked the seventh. Jax had a breakout season in 2022 after moving to the bullpen and became a key setup man for the Twins. He improved both his strikeout (26.9 percent) and walk (6.9 percent) rates with a 78:20 K:BB over 72.1 innings. It looks like he could be the main set-up man and rack up holds again, and possibly be in the mix for saves if manager Rocco Baldelli sticks to his previous matchup-based bullpen usage.

Graveman (1-0) allowed one hit in a scoreless eighth inning to earn the win Thursday against the Astros.

Graveman was a candidate to serve as the White Sox's closer to begin the season, but he instead entered the game with the score knotted at 1-1 in the eighth frame. Reynaldo Lopez ultimately pitched the ninth inning to earn the save after Chicago grabbed the lead. It's unclear whether Lopez is locked into the closer role or if Graveman will also see some save opportunities in the absence of Liam Hendriks (illness).

Garcia (1-0) gave up two runs on two hits and two walks in the eighth inning of Thursday's 10-9 victory over the Cardinals, getting charged with a blown save but picking up the win.

Few pitchers on either side fared well in the wild Opening Day contest, but it's noteworthy that Erik Swanson entered the game in fifth inning with the score tied 5-5 while Garcia got the nod in the eighth after the Jays had taken a brief 8-7 lead. If he remains the team's primary setup man in front of closer Jordan Romano, Garcia could top last year's career-high 22 holds, but he'll need to pitch better than he did Thursday to keep the spot.

Munoz picked up the save in Thursday's 3-0 win over the Guardians. He allowed two hits and no walks or strikeouts in a scoreless frame.

Paul Sewald handled a scoreless top of the eighth inning with the game tied 0-0 and the 6-7-8 hitters in the Guardians' order due up. After the Mariners scored three times in the bottom of the frame they turned things over to Munoz, who pitched around a single and a double. It was a rare outing without a strikeout for the right-hander -- he had just 14 of those last season among 64 appearances -- but his velocity was fine as he maxed out at 100.6 mph. Seattle figures to give both Munoz and Sewald save opportunities, but if one of them stakes a claim to the full-time closer job, it'll probably be Munoz.

White was placed on the 15-day injured list by the Blue Jays on Thursday with right elbow inflammation, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

White has dealt with both shoulder and elbow issues this spring and it's unclear when he might be available as an option for the Jays. He's out of minor-league options, so White will rejoin the big club when healthy, whether that's as a reliever or as part of the rotation.

Jimenez earned a save against the Angels on Thursday, pitching a scoreless ninth inning during which he allowed one walk and struck out one batter.

Oakland's closer situation had been hazy throughout the spring, but it may have gained some clarity Opening Day. With the A's trailing by a run heading into the eighth inning, manager Mark Kotsay turned to Trevor May, and after the team took the lead in the bottom of the frame, Jimenez was called upon to close things out in the ninth. The right-hander responded well to the situation, working around a one-out walk to shut the door. It would be premature to declare Jimenez a full-time closer, but he could be the most frequent recipient of save opportunities for Oakland given his success Thursday and the 11 saves he recorded last season.

Pressly (0-1) took the loss in Thursday's 3-2 loss against the White Sox. He allowed two runs on two hits and one walk while striking out one over one inning.

Pressly was called upon in the ninth inning with the score tied 1-1, and he was unable to keep Chicago off the board. After retiring Oscar Colas to begin the frame, Pressly allowed three straight hitters to reach base, with Andrew Vaughn's two-run double serving as the crushing blow. The Astros were able to fight back with one run in the bottom of the ninth but couldn't get Pressly off the hook for the loss. While this was certainly not the way the veteran closer envisioned his first outing of 2023 ending, he has plenty of job security and should get the first crack at a ninth-inning save opportunity whenever that arises.