MLB Player News

Jimenez (1-3) allowed an unearned run on one hit and took the loss in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader against the Twins.

Jimenez pitched the eighth inning of a 2-2 game, and because it was technically extra innings, Minnesota started the frame with a runner on second. A little seeing-eye single up the middle did Jimenez in, and he didn't get any help from center fielder Derek Hill, who bobbled the ball as he tried to come up firing to home. It's a tough-luck loss for the 25-year-old in a season that's been a disaster of late. Jimenez now has a 10.80 ERA, and he's on the outside looking in at the closer role in Detroit.

Barnes gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning Friday to record his fourth save of the season in the second game of a doubleheader against the Blue Jays.

It was his fourth straight scoreless appearance, and the 30-year-old appears to be settling into the closer role for Boston. Since Brandon Workman was traded to Philadelphia, Barnes has converted four of five save chances while posting a 2.84 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 9:2 K:BB through 6.1 innings.

Bass struck out one in a perfect seventh inning Friday to record his fifth save of the season during the first game of a doubleheader against the Red Sox.

After going nearly a month without a save, Bass has now picked one up in consecutive appearances. He's been effective however he's been deployed this season, posting a 2.37 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 15:4 K:BB through 19 innings, but his flexibility will likely bump him from the closer role once Ken Giles (forearm) or Jordan Romano (finger) gets healthy.

Weber will start Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Weber has improved while working out of the bullpen following a shaky beginning to the season as a starter. He last pitched Tuesday when he worked four innings against the Braves. The soft-tossing right-hander is getting a second chance in the rotation.

Fleming (3-0) allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings in a win over the Marlins on Friday. He struck out two and did not issue a walk.

This was not Fleming's best performance -- he gave up a pair of homers -- but his offense and bullpen picked him up and carried the lefty to his third win. A fifth-round pick in 2017, Fleming only throws around 90 mph with his fastball and never cracked even 7.0 K/9 at any stop in the minors. All that contact leaves the door open for some blowups, but Fleming is enjoying a lot of success through three big-league starts, has good control and the team context is a big plus in his favor. Up next is a home start against the Red Sox.

Anderson (forearm) threw a scoreless ninth inning against the Marlins on Friday to earn his fourth save of the season. He struck out one batter and issued one walk.

Activated earlier in the day, Anderson was thrust into a save chance in his very first appearance back from a forearm injury. He needed 22 pitches to record three outs, but Anderson got the job done, and manager Kevin Cash's bullpen management Friday hints at Anderson being the preferred closing option moving forward. Peter Fairbanks and Diego Castillo pitched the seventh and eighth innings, respectively.

May struck out the side to earn the save in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers.

Sergio Romo pitched a scoreless seventh inning to keep the game tied, and after the Twins grabbed the lead on a Marwin Gonzalez single in the eighth, May shut the door for his second save of the season. May is throwing harder this year and ranks among the top 15 qualified relievers in strikeout percentage, but he's still clearly behind Romo and lefty Taylor Rogers in the pecking order for saves.

Alexander allowed one run on seven hits over four innings in a no-decision against the Twins in the second game of Friday's doubleheader. He struck out four and did not issue a walk.

The lefty did his best to quiet the Twins' offense, though he was limited to 59 pitches in the spot start and would not have earned the win even if the Tigers' bullpen hadn't squandered a late lead. Alexander made history earlier this season, tying the AL record for the most consecutive outs via strikeout by a reliever (nine), but his overall numbers are just OK and the swingman/long-relief role works against him in a big way from a fantasy standpoint.

Soto was charged with the blown save in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Twins. He allowed one run on two hits, a walk and a wild pitch while failing to record an out.

This was on the heels of six straight scoreless appearances, a span during which Soto earned his first two career saves. Jose Cisnero cleaned up Soto's mess and now has a 1.37 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 22:6 K:BB. It would not be a surprise to see Cisnero grab hold of at least a partial share of the closer role and steal some saves from the hard-throwing lefty over the remainder over the season.

Garcia (0-1) gave up four runs on five hits and two walks over 4.2 innings versus the Orioles in Game 2 of Friday's doubleheader. He took the loss and struck out six.

Garcia's second career start wasn't as clean as his first. Ryan Mountcastle hit a two-run homer in the second inning and sparked a rally with an RBI single in the fifth, which ultimately ended Garcia's outing. He's got a 3.38 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 12 strikeouts through 10.2 innings, but he's likely to return to the alternate training site, as he was the 29th man for Friday's doubleheader.