MLB Player News

Manaea (9-8) earned the win over the Rangers on Saturday, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out three over five innings.

The lefty averaged over 20 pitches per frame, but he was significantly better than Cole Hamels on the other side. He finished his day with four scoreless after a two-run first inning. Manaea was coming off a quality start in his last outing, but he gave up two homers in that game, bringing his total to eight allowed over the span of six starts. Diminished velocity was a likely culprit behind those struggles, and the A's decided to give him a couple extra days between starts to combat fatigue.

Merritt was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday.

With Josh Tomlin (hamstring) expected to come off the DL before the end of the month, Merritt is no longer needed in the rotation, so he'll head back to Columbus after tossing 6.2 scoreless innings in a spot start against the Royals on Friday. He now owns a 1.76 ERA across 15.1 innings (four games, three starts), so expect him to return in a long-relief role in September after rosters expand.

Jimenez (0-2) was saddled with the loss in Friday's game against the White Sox, giving up two hits -- including a walkoff single to Yolmer Sanchez -- without recording an out.

Another outing, another poor performance for Jimenez, who now has an unsightly 11.45 ERA. He came on in the bottom of the ninth and promptly allowed a leadoff double to Tim Anderson before surrendering the hit to Sanchez. Jimenez simply can't be trusted at this point by the Tigers or fantasy owners, though the 22-year-old will probably continue to get low-leverage chances, as the Tigers are going nowhere this season and they'd like to better evaluate the young right-hander at the MLB level.

McHugh (2-2) allowed one run on three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts through six innings to earn the win Friday over the Angels.

McHugh has a blistering 15:4 K:BB with a 1.53 ERA over 17.2 innings over his past three starts. He has allowed more than two runs just twice in his seven starts this season. If McHugh can stay in this groove, he'll be a huge asset for the Astros rotation down the stretch.

Giles struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning for his 25th save Friday against the Angels.

Giles has now struck out a ridiculous eight batters in his last three outings, spanning 3.2 innings. He is now 6-of-7 in save opportunities with 26 strikeouts against just three walks over 16.1 innings in the second half with a 1.17 ERA. Giles has been utterly dominant in the second half and has firmly grasped the Astros closing gig.

Treinen struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his sixth save Friday against Texas.

After converting long saves in his last two outings, covering a combined 3.1 innings, Treinen only had to get three outs this time. He has now saved five consecutive chances and owns a 2.11 ERA with his new club.

Graveman (4-4) allowed just one run on nine hits with six strikeouts over seven innings to earn the win Friday against the Rangers.

Graveman has finally been finding his groove since returning from injury. Since a disastrous first start off the DL, Graveman has now allowed just a 2.84 ERA with a nifty 19:5 K:BB over 25.1 innings. Graveman's sharp control has been his best asset, and beyond keeping runners off the bases, he hasn't allowed a home run in his past four starts.

Martinez (3-5) allowed three runs on four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts over seven innings but took the loss Friday against Oakland.

Martinez was making his first major-league start since he was sent down Aug. 7. Despite the loss, Martinez managed his first quality start since June 20. Given Tyson Ross's struggles this year, the Rangers desperately need starting pitch depth, so Martinez has probably earned himself at least one more trip through the rotation.

Merritt (1-0) picked up the win against the Royals on Friday, tossing 6.2 scoreless innings and allowing seven hits and a walk while striking out three.

The left-hander looked more like last year's playoff hero than he had in his two previous big-league starts in 2017, firing 66 of 97 pitches for strikes and producing an eye-popping 11 groundball outs against only one flyball out. With Josh Tomlin (hamstring) set to come off the DL at the end of the month, however, Merritt will likely settle into a long-relief role over the final weeks of the season.

Diaz pitched a scoreless inning while allowing a walk and striking out one to earn his 30th save Friday against the Yankees.

Diaz came on in the 11th inning to protect a one-run lead and saved his 12th straight contest since July 22. Although his ERA is a bit high for a closer at 3.54, it's a small price to pay for a closer with 30 saves.