MLB Player News

Romano struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his 18th save of the season in a 6-3 win over the Rays.

The Jays closer had a bumpy couple outings earlier in September, but for the most part Romano has been outstanding this season. He sports a 2.41 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 73:20 K:BB through 56 innings, and he's picked up a win (seven), save or hold (five) in 30 of his 56 appearances.

Hernandez (6-2) allowed seven earned runs on nine hits and four walks while striking out three across four innings to take the loss Wednesday against the Athletics.

Entering Wednesday's outing, Hernandez had allowed multiple runs in only two of his last eight starts and had completed at least six innings six times in that span. While he allowed only a solo home run and no additional extra-base hits, Hernandez walked four batters -- his highest total since July 24. Control of the strike zone is an emerging concern for Hernandez, as he has now surrendered 10 free passes across his last 16 innings of work. Despite the poor outing and some concerning trends in his skills, Hernandez likely deserves the benefit of the doubt heading into his next start based on his excellent results across the last two months.

Chafin allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks while striking out one across 1.1 innings to earn the save Wednesday against the Royals.

Chafin bailed Jake Diekman out of a jam by recording the final out in the eighth inning. He remained on the mound for the final frame, but he had trouble of his own by allowing the first three batters he faced to reach base. Chafin settled down to escape the jam, though the bases were loaded when he recorded the final out to earn his fourth save of the season. This was his first outing since blowing a save and taking the loss Sept. 11, though he appears to be the Athletics' chosen closer for the time being despite his recent struggles.

Manaea (10-9) allowed five earned runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out three across five innings to earn the win Wednesday against the Royals.

Manaea wasn't particularly sharp, though the only extra-base hit he surrendered was a solo home run by Salvador Perez. The majority of the damage against him came in the fourth inning, when he allowed three consecutive singles to begin the frame. Manaea has mostly struggled since August began, as he now has a 6.49 ERA across seven starts and 34.2 innings in that span. That's inflated his ERA on the season to 3.95 across 161.2 frames.

Iglesias allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Wednesday against the White Sox.

Iglesias was called upon to protect a one-run lead, and that looked in jeopardy when he allowed a leadoff double to Eloy Jimenez. However, he managed to strand the tying run at third with the winning run also at first base. Since the All-Star break, Iglesias has allowed only three earned runs across 21.1 innings. For the season, he has a strong 2.67 ERA with a 96:11 K:BB across 64 innings.

Mejia was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Wednesday.

Mejia was summoned as the 29th man for Tuesday's doubleheader versus Minnesota, but he did not appear in either game before returning to Columbus. With two doubleheaders on the schedule next week, it's possible Mejia could be called up again to provide length out of the bullpen.

Jax (3-4) allowed five runs (three earned) on seven hits and a walk over 4.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against Cleveland. He also had three strikeouts.

Jax kept Cleveland off the board until the fourth inning when Bobby Bradley broke a scoreless deadlock on a run-scoring double. Cleveland tacked on four more runs in the following frame, the big blast coming on Oscar Mercado's three-run homer. Jax has been throttled to the tune of a 9.36 ERA over his last five starts, yielding eight home runs in that stretch.

Chapman pitched a perfect ninth inning while striking out two to earn a save in the win over the Orioles on Wednesday.

The left-hander made easy work of the Orioles, retiring them in order on only eight pitches. The save was his 27th of the season and he has now converted 11 consecutive save opportunities dating back to July 20. Over that span, he has posted a 2.41 ERA while striking out 33 batters in 18.2 innings.

Fulmer allowed a hit and struck out four to earn the save in Wednesday's 4-1 win over Milwaukee.

The right-hander protected a three-run lead over the last two innings of the contest to earn his ninth save of the year. He's posted 6.1 consecutive scoreless innings while adding three holds in his last five appearances. Fulmer has a 3.29 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 67:17 K:BB across 63 innings this year while earning a place in Detroit's closer committee, although he's often played second fiddle to Gregory Soto.

Lovelady (elbow) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Wednesday.

Lovelady was already expected to miss the rest of the season after being diagnosed with a sprained UCL in his left elbow in late August, and the move to the 60-day IL frees up a spot on the 40-man roster. The 26-year-old hasn't undergone Tommy John surgery and is instead going through a rest and rehab program, so he should be able to pitch next season if all goes well in his recovery.