MLB Player News

White Sox pitcher Zach Putnam struck out the only batter he faced Saturday to earn his fifth save in his team's 4-3 win over the Astros.

Putnam threw five pitches, all for strikes, to his lone opponent, giving him saves in back-to-back outings to open the second half. He owns a 2.41 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 32:13 K:BB ratio in 37 1/3 innings.

Red Sox pitcher Rubby De La Rosa picked up a win Saturday after giving up one earned run on five hits and four walks in seven innings and striking out two in his team's 2-1 victory over the Royals.

De La Rosa (3-2) posted the lowest number of strikeouts and the highest number of walks in a start this season but managed to keep the Royals' offense at bay throughout the game. He owns a 2.64 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 35:12 K:BB ratio in 44 1/3 innings. De La Rosa is scheduled to face the Blue Jays Thursday.

Twins pitching prospect Trevor May is scheduled to make his return to the mound with Triple-A Rochester Sunday, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

"I'll certainly take a look as he's going through that outing (tonight), but I'm not going to get too discouraged or encouraged one way or other," general manager Terry Ryan said Saturday. "We need to get him on the mound."

May was placed on the minor-league disabled list in June with a right calf strain. He was selected to the All-Star Futures Game after going 8-4 with a 2.94 ERA and 81 strikeouts in 79 2/3 innings over 14 starts but was unable to participate. If he remains healthy, he could be a factor in the Twins rotation later this season.

Astros pitcher Collin McHugh will make a rehab start with Triple-A Oklahoma City next week before potentially returning to the rotation, the Houston Chronicle reports.

McHugh is on the disabled list while recovering from a finger injury, and the team wants to make sure he's fully recovered before putting him back in the rotation. Brett Oberholtzer is in line to start Tuesday instead of McHugh.

With regular closer Casey Janssen sidelined by an injury, the Blue Jays turned to reliever Aaron Loup to close out Saturday's game against the Rangers.

Loup walked the leadoff batter with a three-run lead, but erased the runner with a double-play from the next batter. He finished off the 4-1 win in 11 pitches, for his third save of the season.

Loup has been a dependable option for the Blue Jays out of the bullpen this season, posting a 3.09 ERA and 1.18 WHIP in 46 2/3 innings of work.

White Sox pitcher Scott Carroll is expected to start Tuesday against the Royals, as the hamstring and back issues that forced him out of his last start are no longer an issue. 

Carroll has a 4.19 ERA in 68 2/3 innings this season, and has allowed no runs in 11 2/3 innings over his last two starts. 

Angels pitcher Hector Santiago was forced into relief duty Friday night against the Mariners, leaving his role moving forward somewhat in doubt.

Santiago threw 38 pitches over 2 2/3 scoreless innings as he got the win in a 3-2 victory, striking out two batters. Santiago moved to 2-7 on the season with the win in 16 innings, but it is not clear how this will impact his chances of starting moving forward.

Santiago made his last appearance July 10 as a starter, and was expected to slot back into the rotation after the All-Star break. The Angels have not announces their starter for Tuesday, and it is not clear at this point whether he will be a candidate to take the bump for that evening's game against the Oriles. 

White Sox reliever Zach Putnam picked up his third save Friday against the Astros.

Putnam entered the game with a one-run lead. He tossed a perfect ninth inning, striking out two hitters. Putnam lowered his ERA to 2.43 with the outing. 

Yankees closer David Robertson worked his way past a hit in a scoreless ninth inning to close out a 4-3 win over the Reds at Yankee Stadium on Friday. Robertson has converted 24 of 26 save chances, with a 2.67 ERA and a 1.04 WHIP over 33 2/3 innings of relief.

Astros pitcher Collin McHugh (finger) tossed a bullpen session without any reported setbacks on Friday, manager Bo Porter told MLB.com. It remains to be seen if McHugh will start Tuesday against the A's.

"I'm looking forward to getting back out there on the hill and seeing hitters," McHugh said. "I don't feel like I'm rushing. I feel good at this point."