MLB Player News

Diaz got the save against the Tigers on Friday, working around one hit and recording one strikeout over a scoreless ninth inning to preserve Seattle's 5-4 victory.

Diaz was tagged with a blown save his last time out against the Rangers but the flame-throwing righty bounced back by protecting a one-run lead against the Tigers to lock down his American League-leading 15th save of the season. His 39:9 K:BB in 22.1 innings is the stuff of an elite closer and if the 24-year-old continues on his current pace he could wind up topping last season's total of 34 saves, provided he gets enough opportunities to do so.

Pomeranz (1-2) took the loss against the Orioles on Friday, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and three walks over four innings while striking out two.

The left-hander threw only 48 of 81 pitches for strikes before exiting, the fourth time in six starts that Pomeranz has failed to last at least six innings. He'll take a 5.97 ERA into his next outing Thursday on the road against the Rays.

Treinen struck out three over 1.1 perfect innings Friday to collect his ninth save of the season in a 3-1 win over the Blue Jays.

The right-hander is locked in right now, converting six straight save opportunities while posting an 11:3 K:BB through 9.2 innings in May. Treinen has lowered his ERA on the season to 1.25 in the process, and with the A's wining four of five to climb back over .500, there should be plenty more leads to protect in his future.

Junis (5-3) got the win against the Yankees on Friday, giving up two earned runs on seven hits over 5.1 innings with three strikeouts and a walk as the Royals won 5-2.

Junis hasn't been quite as dominant lately since his red-hot start to the season but he still continues to pitch well, as this victory against the Yankees lowered his ERA to 3.51 to go along with a 1.08 WHIP through 56.1 innings. Those numbers, along with his solid 48:12 K:BB, have allowed him to provide unexpectedly consistent fantasy value in the early going. If there's any reason for concern here, it would be that he's served up 11 long balls in his nine starts -- a trend that could start to negatively impact those shiny ratios should it persist.

Pagan was promoted to the big leagues prior to Friday's game in Toronto, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Pagan will return to the major-league club after appearing in three games with Triple-A Nashville over the past two weeks. Over 13.2 innings with Oakland in March and April, the right-hander posted a 5.93 ERA and 1.76 WHIP with a 7:4 K:BB. Expect to see him serve out of low-leverage situations.

May (elbow) gave up one run in four innings with five strikeouts and two walks in a rehab start Thursday for Triple-A Rochester.

It's not clear how many rehab starts May will need before he's activated from the DL. It's also not clear if he'll initially return as a starter or reliever. However, it looks like he's close to adding depth to the Minnesota pitching staff after missing last season following Tommy John surgery.

Yarbrough will throw most of the game Saturday against the Angels but won't enter until the second or third inning, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

The Rays will continue their unconventional pitcher usage, throwing Sergio Romo against the top of the Angels' lineup for an inning or two before handing the ball over to Yarbrough. In terms of fantasy impact, this seems to have a slight positive effect for Yarbrough in most leagues. He'll avoid the Angels' best hitters once through the lineup, and as he's not technically the starter he won't face the requirement of having to throw five innings in order to get a win. Those in quality starts leagues will be disappointed, of course, as Yarbrough can't get a quality start if he's not technically starting, but he's never thrown more than five innings in a game this year so a quality start is more or less off the table anyway regardless of when he enters the game.

Jimenez recorded his eighth hold of the season in Thursday's win over the Mariners by striking out all three batters he faced in the eighth inning.

Jimenez was electric, as he struck out Mitch Haniger, Kyle Seager and Ryon Healy on 14 pitches. The 23-year-old had a 3.71 ERA only 10 days ago, but he hasn't allowed an earned run in his last five appearances (4.2 innings), which has lowered that mark to 2.91. Jimenez also has 22 strikeouts in 21.2 innings this season.

Saupold (2-1) picked up the win Thursday against the Mariners by retiring the lone batter he faced.

This was about as easy a win as a pitcher can get, as Saupold needed just three pitches to induce a Jean Segura groundout in the bottom of the seventh before the Tigers scored twice in the top of the eighth to pull ahead. The 28-year-old has been fairly effective as he now has a 2.30 ERA, though his 1.40 WHIP and six strikeouts in 15.2 innings suggest some regression may be coming.

Leclerc (1-1) allowed four runs (none earned) on one hit and three walks, picking up the loss against the White Sox on Thursday.

Leclerc didn't help himself with a throwing a error, his second one this week, on what could have been the third out. The inning spun out of control from there. The 23-year-old right-hander had performed well for the Rangers this season, which no doubt was a factor for manager Jeff Banister when be brought Leclerc into the game with a two-run lead in the eighth inning. However, he's been tagged with a loss and two blown saves over his past three outings, which could move him out of high-leverage spots for the time being.