MLB Player News

Giles suffered his third blown save Thursday against the White Sox, surrendering one run on one hit with two walks and three strikeouts in one inning of work.

Giles entered with a 2-1 lead, but surrendered a one-out solo homer to light-hitting second baseman Yoan Moncada. Clearly shaken by the game-tying long ball, Giles proceeded to walk two of the next three batters, equaling the total number of free passes he had allowed in his previous 12 appearances combined. The hard-throwing righty's still 22-for-25 in save opportunities, so he's in no danger of losing the closer job.

Colome pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 34th save of the season during Thursday's win over Cleveland.

Colome is now tied for the league lead in saves, and while his 3.31 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 7.3 K/9 are hardly standout marks, he's got a firm grasp on the Tampa Bay closer job. After all, he's now converted 14 of his past 15 save opportunities and hasn't blown consecutive chances all year.

VerHagen (0-2) took the loss to the Pirates on Thursday. He gave up six runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out one batter over 3.2 innings.

After taking a step forward in his last start, VerHagen took two steps back in this one -- he gave up runs in four straight innings to begin the game before being pulled. Five of the nine hits against him went for extra bases, and VerHagen also uncorked a wild pitch. The Tigers have not announced any rotation changes, but it would make sense if they turned elsewhere in the near future, if not for the next turn.

De Leon (back) was lifted from Wednesday's start for High-A Charlotte with forearm tightness, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

This helps explain why De Leon lasted just two innings -- his shortest outing of the season -- and failed to throw a pitch faster than 84 mph. He'll head for further evaluation Thursday, after which there should be a clearer idea regarding his status.

Manager Ned Yost said Junis is "probably" the option to start Monday's game against the A's, Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com reports.

Junis could be back with the big club sooner than expected, as he is the leading candidate to make a spot start in place of the injured Trevor Cahill (shoulder). The 24-year-old has compiled a 4.70 ERA and 37:16 K:BB through 44 innings (10 appearances, seven starts) with the Royals this season.

Zych notched his 11th hold in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Athletics, firing a scoreless inning in which he recorded a strikeout.

Zych impressively disposed of Khris Davis, Ryon Healy and Matt Olson on a mere nine pitches, posting his third scoreless outing in four August appearances. The 27-year-old has coaxed his ERA down to 2.17 and has notched four holds in his last five outings.

Pagan (1-2) fired 2.2 scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Athletics, allowing just one hit and recording a pair of strikeouts.

Pagan has shaken off the rare stumble against the Royals that he opened August with, now having put together two subsequent scoreless outings. Pagan has blanked opponents in four of the last five appearances in which he's worked multiple innings, rendering him manager Scott Servais' most consistent long-relief option at present.

Smith was recalled from Triple-A Buffalo on Thursday, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca reports.

Smith was summoned back to the big-league bullpen to take the place of Taylor Cole, who was placed on the disabled list with a fractured toe. The 28-year-old owns a 5.40 ERA and 1.60 WHIP through five major-league innings this season, so he isn't expected to see anything other than low-leverage innings with the Blue Jays.

Maurer (0-1) ended up on the hook for Wednesday's loss after being charged with two runs on a hit and a walk; he didn't record an out.

To be fair, he just left the runners on base, with fellow reliever Peter Moylan serving up a grand slam that brought them home, but it wasn't an effective outing for Maurer nonetheless. Through eight appearances since being dealt to Kansas City, he's been rocked for six runs on 10 hits and six walks (that's almost as many bases on balls as he'd allowed all season with San Diego) over 6.2 innings -- an 8.10 ERA and 2.40 WHIP. Those struggles have deprived him of nearly all his fantasy value, even in leagues that count holds.

De Leon (back) pitched two scoreless innings for High-A Charlotte against Jupiter on Wednesday, allowing a hit and issuing three walks. He also recorded a pair of strikeouts.

De Leon has been effective since returning to game action July 18, averaging a strikeout an inning over five outings. However, Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times notes that Wednesday's appearance was De Leon's shortest, and that he didn't throw a pitch over 84 mph.