MLB Player News

Covey (4-6) took the loss Thursday against the Angels, surrendering six earned runs -- including two home runs -- over four innings. He struck out two and walked two over 86 pitches.

After tossing his best start of the season last time out, Covey reverted back to recent form with another disappointing outing. He's gone five-or-fewer innings in six of his last seven starts, surrendering 30 earned runs in 32.1 innings in that span. His next start is tentatively scheduled for Wednesday when the White Sox face the Royals.

Martin (groin) will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, TR Sullivan of MLB.com reports.

Martin was able to throw a 20-pitch batting practice session Thursday, which was the final obstacle before heading out on a short rehab stint. The Rangers haven't formally announced how many appearances Martin will require in the minors, but it's expected that he will need multiple outings since he's been on the shelf for three weeks.

Treinen grabbed his 26th save in a win over the Rangers on Wednesday, striking out the side on 12 pitches in a perfect ninth inning.

Treinen mowed through the trio of Robinson Chirinos, Ryan Rua and Carlos Tocci in his one frame, slamming the door after Khris Davis had slugged a two-out, two-run, go-ahead home run in the top half of the ninth. The right-hander has quickly rebounded from a blown save Saturday against the Giants, posting back-to-back saves over the last two nights against the Rangers.

McHugh (5-1) was tagged with his first loss and first blown save Wednesday when he allowed one run on three hits while striking out four in a 3-2 loss to the Rockies.

McHugh came on in the middle of the seventh inning with men on base and allowed an inherited runner to score, the first that's scored off him this season. It's hard to be upset at McHugh, who has been sensational in first full season as a reliever. The right-hander's sporting a 1.09 ERA with 64 strikeouts to 10 walks over 49.2 innings.

Giles has no timetable for his return to the majors, Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle reports. In five appearances at Triple-A Fresno, he's allowed one run on six hits and one walk while striking out seven over 4.1 innings.

The Astros maintain that Giles' demotion to the minors was a baseball decision, although it appeared the former closer had uttered an expletive directed toward manager A.J. Hinch the day before he was sent down. The club wants Giles to work on his slider and fastball command. "He's had some good outings, he's had some not so good outings," Hinch said, "but he's getting the regular work that he needs in order to get his posture back, get his slider headed to the right direction, get his fastball in the right area of the zone." For now and likely through the end of the season, Hector Rondon will be the Astros' primary closer.

Hand struck out three in 1.1 perfect innings Wednesday to record his 25th save of the season, and first with Cleveland, in a 4-0 win over the Pirates.

Cody Allen threw an inning Tuesday but hadn't pitched since July 21 before that, so seeing him get bypassed in favor of Cleveland's newest bullpen acquisition is bound raise some eyebrows. For the moment, Hand shouldn't be considered the team's closer, but if Allen's July struggles continue, the left-hander is more than capable of stepping into the role on a more permanent basis.

Leclerc (2-3) took the blown save and loss Wednesday, allowing two runs on one hit and a walk while striking out one over one inning against the Athletics.

With the Texas bullpen spent following Tuesday's 13-10 defeat, manager Jeff Banister turned to Leclerc for the save opportunity Wednesday night. After retiring two batters and issuing a walk, Leclerc yielded the game-winning, two-run homer to Khris Davis. Though he won't be turned to in save situations often, the 24-year-old owns a 2.45 ERA and should continue seeing action in high-leverage situations.

Trivino (8-1) was credited with the win Wednesday, pitching a scoreless inning with a strikeout against the Rangers.

Trivino sent the Rangers down in order in the eighth inning, then was the beneficiary of Oakland's ninth-inning comeback to nab the win. The recent acquisition of Jeurys Familia means fewer innings will be available out of the back end of the bullpen going forward, but Trivino has worked to a 1.33 ERA and has certainly earned his keep as a reliable high-leverage option.

Diaz picked up his 38th save of the year Wednesday against the Giants, striking out the side.

Diaz sent Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford and Pablo Sandoval down swinging. He now has six more saves than any other reliever and hasn't allowed an earned run in his last 12 appearances, posting a 22:1 K:BB over that span.

Johnson will transition to the bullpen following his start against Minnesota on Thursday, Sean McAdam of the BostonSportsJournal.com reports.

Through four turns in the rotation dating back to June 28, Johnson has posted an impressive 2.45 ERA and 1.36 WHIP to go along with a 14:7 K:BB across 18.1 innings, but the addition of Nathan Eovaldi on Wednesday will bump him from the starting staff for the time being. It wouldn't come as a surprise to see Johnson eventually grab hold of Drew Pomeranz's spot if the latter can't revert to from, but president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski stated that Pomeranz will "stay in the rotation for now."