MLB Player News

Alexander got the final out of Tuesday's 3-2 win over the Rockies to pick up his first career big-league save.

Kelvin Herrera left the game with two outs and the bases loaded due to forearm tightness, and with Brandon Maurer struggling recently and Mike Minor having pitched earlier in the night, it was Alexander who got the call to finish things. If Herrera's injury proves to be a serious one, however, don't expect Alexander to factor into the ninth-inning mix on a regular basis.

Colome gave up two hits and a run in the ninth inning against Toronto on Tuesday, but he was able to hold on for his 37th save.

Although this game broke a streak of eight straight scoreless outings for the Rays' ninth-inning man, he's now matched last season's save total -- albeit with a far higher ERA and WHIP, not to mention a far lower strikeout rate. Indeed, Colome is proof that opportunity is everything as far as closers go, as his subpar ratios this year have been obscured by his MLB-leading save total.

Rowley (1-1) took a loss in Tampa on Tuesday after giving up four runs on five hits and three walks in just 3.1 innings.

He managed to navigate his way around five walks en route to a two-run outing against the Rays last week, but it's hard to get by consistently when you're totaling more bases on balls than strikeouts. Rowley's sharp decline in bat-missing ability after being promoted from Double-A to Triple-A makes it unsurprising that he's having trouble early on in the majors, and the 27-year-old won't hold much (if any) fantasy relevance until he proves he can turn that trend around.

Duffey likely won't be able to pitch again until Thursday after registering a three-inning save in the second game of Monday's doubleheader against the White Sox, the Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

After struggling in July with a 7.36 ERA, Duffey has given up just one run in 9.1 innings with a 7.7 K/9 in August. The Twins remain a bit unsettled at the back end of the bullpen following the July 31 trade of Brandon Kintzler, but Duffey still seems to rank behind at least Matt Belisle and Trevor Hildenberger in the pecking order for saves.

Curtiss is expected to have his contract selected by the Twins on Wednesday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Tim Melville was designated for assignment Tuesday to open up a 40-man roster spot that will soon be occupied by Curtiss. The 24-year-old currently owns a 1.38 ERA over 39 innings between Double-A Chattanooga and Triple-A Rochester this season. He'll likely slot into the Twins' bullpen upon his promotion.

Belisle gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to pick up his fourth save of the season in a 4-1 win over the White Sox.

He's been outstanding since the beginning of July -- Belisle hasn't been charged with a run in 16 of 17 appearances over that stretch, leading to a 1.04 ERA, 0.63 WHIP, a 21:2 K:BB, five holds and four saves in his last 17.1 innings. His grip on the closer role in Minnesota appears to be tightening.

Andriese (hip) will make a rehab start for Triple-A Durham on Wednesday and an additional one next Monday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Following that pair of outings, Andriese will presumably be ready for activation from the disabled list, provided he's suffered no setbacks. That timeline would put the right-hander on target for the early September return that been the goal for some time, giving him the opportunity to build on the 5-1 record and 3.54 ERA that he's compiled through 12 starts.

Kittredge was recalled from Triple-A Durham on Tuesday.

A spot on the roster opened up Tuesday when the Rays designated Trevor Plouffe for assignment, and the team has decided to recall Kittredge to provide some additional depth in the bullpen. The 27-year-old allowed two earned runs over 3.1 innings of relief with the big-league club earlier this season.

Treinen allowed one hit while recording a scoreless four-out save Tuesday against the Orioles. He struck out one batter.

The lone hit Treinen allowed came with the bases loaded after he relieved Chris Hatcher with two outs in the eighth inning. Though two runs scored at that juncture, Treinen escaped the jam with no further damage before recording a 1-2-3 ninth. The 29-year-old allowed three runs over a 2.2-inning span last week, but he's bounced back with 3.1 scoreless innings and a pair of saves over his last two outings.

Diekman (abdomen) will make his second minor-league rehab appearance Wednesday with Double-A Frisco, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.

Diekman made his first appearance of the season Thursday, striking out two in a clean scoreless frame. The 30-year-old will likely make one or two more rehab appearances following his Wednesday action, but could conceivably return from the disabled list in the next couple of weeks.