MLB Player News

Romano struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his fifth save of the season in a 4-1 win over the A's.

The right-hander has an early lead in saves across MLB, as he's seen a save opportunity in all five of his appearances so far and has yet to stumble. Romano's 0.00 ERA, 0.60 WHIP and 6:0 K:BB through five innings are excellent, and the 28-year-old could be ready to ascend to the ranks of elite closers in 2022.

Cimber (3-0) picked up the win in Friday's 4-1 victory over the A's, giving up one hit over 1.2 scoreless innings of relief while striking out three.

Starter Ross Stripling only lasted four innings, and Cimber was judged to be the most effective of the Blue Jays' relievers even though he allowed an inherited runner to score after entering the game with two on and one out in the sixth inning. Cimber has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of the abbreviated spring training, but his opportunities to vulture wins in this fashion could dry up quickly over the next week or two. He owns a 1.69 ERA, 0.38 WHIP and 4:0 K:BB through 5.1 innings this season.

Jimenez struck out two in a scoreless inning of relief to earn a hold in Friday's win over the Royals.

Jimenez has carried over a strong spring into the regular season, as he's now logged four scoreless innings with four strikeouts in the early going. The righty has been volatile before, but he has the talent to string together some good performances if he's able to find some consistency. He should continue to work in front of Michael Fulmer and Gregory Soto in the Detroit bullpen.

Barnes allowed two runs on one hit, two walks and a hit batsman in Friday's 8-4 loss to Minnesota.

The Red Sox struggled against Minnesota pitching but finally cracked the code during a three-run eighth inning that closed the gap to 6-4. Barnes, who had two encouraging appearances in low-leverage spots earlier in the week, was brought on to keep the Twins in check for a potential ninth-inning comeback. Unfortunately, he was unable to find the strike zone, walking two straight and hitting a batter, leading to two runs. This had the appearance of manager Alex Cora testing Barnes as a ninth-inning guy, but it was not a closer-like performance.

Iglesias allowed one hit in a scoreless inning during Friday's win over Texas. He struck out two and earned a save.

Iglesias gave up a leadoff single to Corey Seager but was able to retire the next three Rangers in order, including back-to-back punchouts of Mitch Garver and Adolis Garcia. The 32-year-old righty has converted both of his save chances this season and is now sporting a 2.25 ERA with four strikeouts through four appearances.

Staumont pitched a perfect eighth inning Friday, striking out one in a 2-1 loss to Detroit.

Staumont needed just nine pitches to retire the side in order in the eighth. It was the first clean inning of the season for the righty. In 2021, he allowed fewer than six hits per nine innings while fanning nearly 10 batters per nine and picking up five saves and 16 holds. Scott Barlow is the closer for the Royals, but Staumont is still one of the top high-leverage arms in their bullpen.

Fulmer picked up the save Friday, striking out one in a perfect ninth inning during a 2-1 win in Kansas City.

After Gregory Soto received both of Detroit's save opportunities to start the season and pitched in three of the prior four games, manager A.J. Hinch called upon Fulmer to get the final three outs Friday. The righty needed just 11 pitches to retire the side in order and finished the night by striking out Hunter Dozier on three pitches. Fulmer, the 2016 American League Rookie of the Year as a starter, was second on the Tigers last season with 14 saves and is next in line should Soto falter.

Hendriks struck out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning and earned a save over the Rays on Friday.

Hendriks quickly retired the Rays in order in the ninth, needing just 11 pitches to secure his third save of the year. It was his first scoreless appearance of the season after coughing up four runs (three earns) in his first three outings. The White Sox clearly still have full confidence in Hendriks as he's earned three saves in the last four days.

Pivetta (0-2) allowed four runs on five hits and two walks while striking out a pair over two innings Friday to take the loss against the Twins.

Per Christopher Smith of The Springfield Republican, manager Alex Cora mentioned after the game that Pivetta's mechanics were off, leading to a drop of velocity and a corresponding drop in effectiveness. That gives some hope that Pivetta could turn things around soon if he corrects the flaw, which he'll need to do to remain in the rotation. After his poor performance Friday, he's now given up eight runs on nine hits (including three homers) in 7.2 innings of work, striking out six while walking five. It's tough to have much confidence in him next week, as he'll face the Blue Jays' loaded offense Wednesday.

Pearson (illness) will throw a bullpen session Saturday, Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Pearson was always unlikely to break camp on the big-league roster, but a bout of mononucleosis late in spring training ruled him out entirely. He still has plenty of work to do to build up to a starter's workload, which remains the Blue Jays' plan for now even though he could help the major-league squad sooner in a bullpen role.