MLB Player News

Kahnle earned a hold against St. Louis on Friday, retiring the only batter he faced on three pitches.

Kahnle was brought in to face Brendan Donovan one batter after Jake Cousins served up a solo homer to reduce New York's advantage to one run. Kahnle did his job, getting Donovan to ground out. The brief outing marked the 18th in a row in which Kahnle did not allow an earned run. Over that stretch, the veteran reliever has hurled 16.1 innings, allowing six hits and posting a 15:7 K:BB.

Alexander (shoulder) threw approximately 20 pitches in the bullpen before Friday's game against the Rangers and looked good, the Associated Press reports.

The veteran southpaw was throwing to manager Mark Kotsay, who served as a stand-in for a left-handed hitter and therefore had a first-hand look at how Alexander performed. Kotsay said after the session that he and the training staff would evaluate Alexander's recovery from the activity over the weekend to determine the left-hander's next steps. Given his experience and the fact he's a reliever, Alexander could conceivably return from the injured list without the need for a rehab assignment.

Dominguez gave up a run on two hits in the ninth inning Friday to record his eighth save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Rockies. He struck out two.

Brendan Rodgers got hold of a hanging slider and slugged a one-out solo shot off Dominguez, but the right-hander didn't let Colorado get any closer. It's the fourth homer he's served up in his last seven appearances, a sign that his run of high-leverage success may not last much longer, but Dominguez has also converted all five of his save chances during that stretch. Since being traded to the Orioles, he's posted a 3.00 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB in 15 innings.

Duran gave up a hit in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 19th save of the season in a 2-0 win over the Blue Jays.

A leadoff single got erased on a game-ending double play, and Duran generated plenty of weak contact while firing eight straight pitches at 100 mph or over to begin the frame. The Twins' closer is prone to occasional lapses and was scored upon four times in 11 August appearances, but he also posted a 15:1 K:BB in 9.2 innings on the month.

McArthur (5-6) took the loss Friday, giving up one run on two hits in two-thirds of an inning as the Royals fell 3-2 to the Astros.

With the game tied 2-2 in the bottom of the ninth inning, McArthur got the call and gave up a one-out single to Jake Meyers, setting the stage for Jose Altuve to walk it off with a double. With Lucas Erceg (hand) not 100 percent, the closer role is up for grabs again in Kansas City, at least in the short term, but McArthur may not be in the mix for save chances despite his 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB through 12 innings in August.

Fairbanks (lat) will play catch Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Manager Kevin Cash relayed that Fairbanks is asymptomatic, which clears Fairbanks' path to resume throwing for the first time since landing on the injured list. He's not expected to return until late September.

Booser (elbow) could rejoin the Red Sox on Sunday when rosters expand, MLB.com reports.

Booser had a strong first outing Thursday on his rehab assignment, allowing one hit and striking out all three batters he faced during a scoreless inning. He's been on the 15-day injured list since Aug. 14 with left elbow inflammation.

Miller (6-8) allowed two runs (one earned) on one hit across 1.1 innings of relief to take the loss Friday against the Red Sox. He struck out two.

Miller worked through the top of the ninth inning in order, with the last two batters retired via strikeout. The veteran righty came back out for the 10th with the game tied 4-4 but allowed a Ceddanne Rafaela home run with one out to make it 6-4, after which Miller got the hook. Despite the loss, Miller has been pitching well lately, as this performance snapped a streak of nine straight scoreless outings. His ERA sits at 4.76 after being north of 6.00 at the end of June.

Avila (5-1) retired both batters he faced, including one via strikeout, to earn the win Friday over the Pirates.

Avila got the last two outs of the fifth inning after starter Ben Lively was chased following a barrage of hits from the Pirates in that frame. The Guardians replied with a four-run rally of their own and led the rest of the way, giving Avila his second win in 14 appearances this month. He's allowed six runs on 12 hits and five walks while striking out 16 over 14.2 innings in that span. For the year, Avila has done fairly well in a middle-relief role with a 3.95 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 74:31 K:BB over 70.2 innings between the Guardians and the Padres.

Martin earned the save in Friday's 7-5 extra-inning win over the Tigers, allowing one unearned run while logging a strikeout in the 10th.

After Kenley Jansen blew a save in the ninth inning, the Red Sox responded with three runs in the top of the 10th, setting up Martin for the save chance. The right-hander would allow the free runner to score, but Martin would hold the Tigers there, earning his second save on the campaign. The 38-year-old Martin sports a 2.72 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 41:2 K:BB across 36.1 innings while working primarily in a setup role this season.