MLB Player News

Fairbanks secured his 14th hold in a win over the Blue Jays on Tuesday, allowing a hit over a scoreless sixth inning.

Fairbanks' control could hardly have been sharper, as he got all nine offerings into the strike zone during a blink-and-you-missed-it frame. The right-hander's dominant performance was a nice bounce-back effort after he took the loss against Detroit his last time out by allowing three earned runs in two-thirds of an inning.

Barnes is scheduled to make a rehab appearance for Triple-A Worcester on Wednesday and is expected to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list Friday, Bill Koch of The Providence Journal reports.

Barnes initially appeared on tap to return from the IL ahead of Wednesday's series finale in Seattle, but the Red Sox will instead have him pitch in a tune-up outing in the minors before he rejoins the big club. Assuming Barnes feels fine physically following the outing, he should be ready to take on a late-inning role with Boston over the weekend. Before testing positive for the virus Aug. 30, Barnes was already on the ropes as the Red Sox's closer after blowing his last two save chances and allowing 10 earned runs across his last 10 appearances. Adam Ottavino, Hansel Robles and Garrett Whitlock have all picked up saves while Barnes has been sidelined, though none of the three has truly run away with the closer's gig.

Hernandez is starting Wednesday's game against the Athletics, Alec Lewis of The Athletic reports.

Hernandez was initially scheduled to start Thursday, but he'll be moved up a day since the Royals will shift their rotation plans. The right-hander has earned wins in three of his last four outings and has posted a 1.09 ERA and 0.89 WHIP in 24.2 innings during that time.

Alexander will start in Thursday's game against the Rays in Tampa Bay, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports.

After a brief cameo out of the bullpen Sept. 7, Alexander rejoined the rotation last weekend versus Tampa Bay, stepping in for the injured Matthew Boyd (elbow) on late notice. With Boyd having since landed on the injured list and at risk of missing the rest of the season, Alexander should have some security in a starting role. Since the start of August, Alexander has posted a 3.00 ERA and 1.12 WHIP across 33 innings.

Kowar didn't factor into the decision Tuesday against Oakland after allowing five runs on three hits and four walks across one inning, fanning one. He also tossed a wild pitch.

It's not a secret that Kowar has struggled mightily in his first big-league campaign, but this one could go down easily as his worst start to date. The fact that he hasn't been able to complete two full innings in three of his six appearances is concerning, but so is the fact that he has allowed at least four runs in four of those six starts. With those numbers, the fact that he owns an 11.50 ERA with a 2.17 WHIP and a 7.5 BB/9 through 18 big-league innings shouldn't be surprising.

Brentz (5-2) earned the win in relief Tuesday against the Athletics after tossing a scoreless inning, striking out two.

Brentz has secured the win in each of his last two relief outings while striking out four of the six batters he's faced in that span, but perhaps more importantly, he has posted five straight scoreless efforts. He owns a 2.84 ERA across seven September appearances.

Barlow picked up the save Tuesday against Oakland after tossing a scoreless inning, walking two.

Barlow had a few command-related issues, issuing multiple walks for the first time since July 8, and tossing 10 of his 23 pitches for strikes. He found a way to get the job done, however, and he's now closed the door in each of his last five save chances. He has gone 13-for-19 in save opportunities this season but still owns a career-best 2.34 ERA through 66 appearances (69.1 innings).

Colome gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning during the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader to record his 14th save of the season in a 6-3 win over Cleveland.

After blowing his last save chance Monday, Colome got an opportunity to get right back on his horse and didn't disappoint. Since moving back into the closer role at the beginning of August, the right-hander has a 2.29 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 15:6 K:BB through 19.2 innings while converting 12 of 15 save chances, adding two wins to his ledger as well.

Coulombe (3-2) took the loss in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against Cleveland, giving up two runs on three hits and a walk in the seventh inning of a 3-1 defeat. He struck out two.

Joe Ryan (wrist) tossed five strong innings but exited after being struck by a comebacker, and while Jorge Alcala was able to keep the score knotted at 1-1 in the sixth, Coulombe wasn't able to get the game to extra innings when he got the call. The southpaw has been fading since the beginning of August, posting a 4.50 ERA, 1.57 WHIP and 11:6 K:BB over his last 14 appearances and 14 innings while collecting two wins and two holds.

Clase struck out one in a perfect seventh inning during the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader to record his 23rd save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Twins.

The right-hander continues to thrive as the main man in the Cleveland bullpen. Since July 25, Clase has converted 12 straight save chances, posting a dazzling 0.40 ERA, 0.49 WHIP and 23:1 K:BB through 22.2 innings over that stretch. With James Karinchak still trying to fix his mechanics at Triple-A, Clase has taken full advantage of his opportunity to cement himself as the unquestioned closer for his club.