MLB Player News

Taylor's fastball velocity has decreased recently, but he says it is not due to injury, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Taylor has averaged 93.2 mph with his four-seamer, but the left-hander ended the eighth inning of Friday's game with a heater that measured just 86.9 mph. He averaged just 91.2 for the 18 four-seam fastballs he threw during the 7-3 win over Texas. Manager Dusty Baker asked about the drop, and the pitcher said he's okay. The manager speculated that he could be out of sync, which can affect velocity. Taylor has worked 3.1 scoreless innings over four outings since returning from the All-Star break.

Hernandez didn't factor into the decision in Saturday's 9-8 win over the Tigers, surrendering five runs (four earned) on two hits and four walks over 2.2 innings. He struck out two.

It was a brutal performance by the veteran, who tossed only 27 of 53 pitches for strikes before getting the hook with the Royals in a 5-0 hole. Fortunately for Hernandez, the team rallied and he avoided the loss. He now has a 5.72 ERA and 1.66 WHIP through 28.1 innings with an untenable 15.9 percent walk rate, and he could get bumped from the rotation as soon as the Kansas City staff gets a little healthier.

Mejia (1-6) took the loss Saturday as Cleveland fell 8-2 to the Rays, coughing up five runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and two walks over six innings. He struck out six.

The rookie did give his team some length, lasting six innings for only the second time in nine starts, but Mejia left too many juicy pitches over the plate as five of the seven hits off him went for extra bases. The 24-year-old has served up an ugly nine homers over his last 28 big-league innings, posting a 9.00 ERA and 1.57 WHIP over that stretch despite a superficially strong 28:10 K:BB.

Tate gave up a hit and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his second save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Nationals.

The 27-year-old has been getting more high-leverage work lately, and he's responded with a modest six-appearance scoreless streak during which Tate has posted a 0.40 WHIP and 6:0 K:BB over five innings with one hold in addition to Saturday's save. It's unlikely O's manager Brandon Hyde is going to change his committee approach to the closer role any time soon, but Tate's stuff is as good as anyone in the Baltimore bullpen, and he could emerge as a trusted ninth-inning option for the team.

Trivino (3-4) suffered the loss Saturday at the hands of the Mariners, allowing one run on a hit and two walks with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.

Trivino permitted the first two Mariners to reach base in the ninth and loaded the bases with one out before unleashing a wild pitch against Mitch Haniger that allowed the winning run to score. Though the outing resulted in a loss, Trivino's ERA is still an excellent 2.08. However, his FIP is significantly higher at 3.75.

Graveman (3-0) won Saturday's 5-4 contest against the Athletics, striking out one in a clean ninth.

Graveman entered a tie game in the ninth, needed just nine pitches to retire the side and became the winner when Seattle walked it off in the bottom of the inning. The 30-year-old has now thrown 11.1 straight scoreless innings and boasts an impressive 0.84 ERA along with a 0.69 WHIP. Seattle has lost only two of the 30 games in which the righty has made an appearance.

Richards (4-0) struck three batters out while allowing a hit over an inning, earning the win over the Mets on Saturday.

Richards entered the fifth inning in a tie game with one out and runners on first and second base. He earned his first win with the Blue in his fifth appearance with his new team. Since joining Toronto, he's allowed just one run in 5.2 innings while striking out 11 batters. The 28-year-old owns a 3.38 ERA in and 52 strikeouts in 37.1 innings.

Chapman allowed one hit and one walk but struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Saturday against the Red Sox.

Chapman was called upon to protect a one-run lead in the ninth inning. He made things interesting by surrendering a walk and double with two outs but managed to strike out Enrique Hernandez to earn his 18th save of the season. Though he struggled mightily in a three-appearance stretch in late June and into July, Chapman has now allowed only one earned run across his last six innings of work. He's also locked in each of the Yankees last two saves and appears to have a clear handle on the closer role once again.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said Friday that King (finger) remains "a ways away" from returning from the injured list, Max Goodman of SI.com reports.

King suffered a right middle finger contusion during weight training in early July. X-rays came back negative, per MLB.com, but the right-hander has been unable to play catch or do any throwing while he recovers. As such, he'll need some time to ramp up completely once the finger heals enough to allow him to pitch again.

Hearn will start Sunday against the Astros, Kennedi Landry of MLB.com reports.

Hearn will draw his second start of the season, though it's hard to see him working deep into the game. While he regularly throws multiple innings out of the bullpen, Hearn has not completed more than two frames since April 12. Mike Foltynewicz is available out of the bullpen and could also chip in several innings if needed, according to Landry .