MLB Player News

Montero retired the only batter he faced to pick up a save Friday in a win over Cleveland.

Seattle entered the ninth inning staked to a six-run lead, but things got a little dicey after Cleveland scored a pair of runs and then put two additional runners on base. Montero was summoned to put out the fire, and he succeeded by inducing a groundout to first base. The save was Montero's first since May 2 as he appeared to have yielded the the primary closer role to Kendall Graveman. However, Graveman was called upon to pitch part of the sixth and all of the seventh inning Friday, so the situation may be a fluid one moving forward.

Barnes struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his ninth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Angels.

He fired 10 of 11 pitches for strikes while remaining perfect on the season on save chances. Barnes has been nothing short of outstanding to begin the season, posting a 1.89 ERA and 33:3 K:BB through 19 innings.

Pivetta didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 4-3 win over the Angels, giving up two runs on four hits over six-plus innings. He struck out seven without walking a batter.

He delivered his second straight quality start and third of the season, but Pivetta was denied his sixth win when Anthony Rendon led off the top of the seventh inning with a single to drive the right-hander from the game, and Matt Andriese subsequently let Rendon come around to score. Pivetta will take a 3.16 ERA and 42:22 K:BB through 42.2 innings into his next outing.

Hendriks gave up a hit in a scoreless seventh inning Friday during the second game of a doubleheader against the Royals to record his eighth save of the season.

Called on to protect a 3-1 lead, Hendriks gave up a bunt single to Jarrod Dyson with one out but otherwise had things well in hand. The right-hander has converted eight of his first 10 save chances with the White Sox while posting a 2.76 ERA and stellar 26:1 K:BB through 16.1 innings.

Thornton (1-1) allowed two runs on a hit and two walks with three strikeouts in 1.2 innings, taking the loss Friday versus Philadelphia.

Thornton had little trouble in the sixth inning, but he walked two batters in the seventh, and Tim Mayza allowed both of his inherited runners to score. That left Thornton with the loss. He has a 3.15 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB across 20 innings this season. Thornton has logged more than one inning in 10 of his 12 appearances, so he's unlikely to see much high-leverage work.

Junis (1-3) took the loss in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the White Sox, giving up three runs (two earned) on four hits over 1.1 innings. He struck out one.

The right-hander hadn't recorded more than five outs in any of his first four appearances in May, so he likely wasn't going to last long in Friday's spot start anyway, but Junis' struggles made the decision to pull him quickly easier for Royals manager Mike Matheny. Junis now carries a 5.52 ERA, largely fueled by a 1.53 HR/9, despite a 31:8 K:BB through 29.1 innings.

Fairbanks (1-0) allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the win Friday versus the Mets.

Fairbanks entered with the game tied at 2-2 in the top of the ninth inning, and he did his job well. Brett Phillips then hit a walkoff single for Tampa Bay in the bottom of the ninth. Fairbanks has a 1.59 ERA, 1.59 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB across 5.2 innings this season. He's recorded four holds in six outings. The right-hander is expected to see high-leverage work in the late innings.

Borucki (forearm) was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday.

What was initially described as a dead arm has now been diagnosed as a left forearm flexor strain. The Blue Jays did not immediately provide a recovery timetable nor did they announce a corresponding roster move.

King pitched 2.1 innings in relief against Tampa Bay on Thursday, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out six.

The right-hander came on in relief of Jameson Taillon with a pair of runners on base and two outs in the bottom of the fifth inning. King registered a strikeout to escape the jam but then served up a three-run homer to Randy Arozarena in the next frame. The trio of runs were the first King has given up this season. Despite the imperfect outing, he still owns a 1.84 ERA and 0.95 WHIP across 14.2 innings.

Pearson will miss his next Triple-A start due to a mild right shoulder impingement, Keegan Matheson of MLB.com reports.

Pearson still has considerable potential, but a constant stream of injuries has thus far prevented him from establishing himself at the big-league level. He was expected to spend most of last year in the majors but was limited by a flexor strain to just 18 largely unimpressive innings. This year, it was a groin injury which kept him out for the first month of the year before he failed to get out of the third inning in his season debut. He was demoted to Triple-A following that outing and is now dealing with yet another injury. He's still been able to throw long toss, so this particular issue may not wind up being a major one, but it's a quickly becoming a worrying pattern for the young righty. He'll have to get healthy again and will likely need to make a handful of good Triple-A starts before returning to the big leagues.