MLB Player News

Leclerc picked up the save Tuesday against the Red Sox. He struck out one over a perfect inning.

Leclerc was handed the ball for the ninth inning Tuesday, following up Aroldis Chapman's 1.2 shutout innings, and delivered his third save of the season. He bounced back from a blown save in his last appearance and appears to still be in contention with Chapman and Will Smith for ninth-inning duties. In 52 appearances this season, Leclerc owns a 2.98 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 58:27 K:BB.

Chapman (6-4) struck out three over 1.2 innings to earn Tuesday's win over the Red Sox.

Texas manager Bruce Bochy, who told Shawn McFarland of the Dallas Morning News on Tuesday afternoon that he's trying to avoid using Chapman for more than one inning, did just that. Chapman entered the seventh inning with Boston rallying and ended the threat. The reliever managed a perfect eighth before Jose Leclerc picked up the save. The bullpen has blown leads late in two recent games, as Bochy avoided bringing Chapman in before the ninth inning. However, the manager altered course Tuesday, saying "we've got find a way to win ballgames." Bochy perhaps took that approach because the Rangers' bullpen has an AL-worst 6.38 ERA since Aug. 16.

Lange (7-5) took the loss and a blown save in Tuesday's 3-2 loss to the Dodgers, allowing one run on three hits, a walk and a hit batsman over one inning.

Lange entered in the eighth inning and allowed a runner inherited from Jason Foley to score the tying run. In the ninth, Lange gave up a walk-off single to Max Muncy to complete the collapse. Lange has blown saves in two of his last three appearances. He's now at a 3.92 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 74:44 K:BB through 62 innings this season while going 24-for-30 in save chances.

Holton allowed a run on two hits and struck out two without walking a batter over 3.1 innings in a no-decision versus the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Alex Faedo (finger) was initially lined up for bulk innings Tuesday, but he was placed on the injured list. Holton did a decent job in his longest outing of the season, limiting the damage to J.D. Martinez's fourth-inning solo home run. Holton has pitched well this year with a 2.13 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 70:17 K:BB through 80.1 innings over 55 appearances (one start). He could continue to be an option as a bulk reliever over the final two weeks of the season.

The Tigers recalled White from Triple-A Toledo on Tuesday.

White has put up a 5.09 ERA and 1.35 WHIP across 40.2 innings in the majors this season, and he'll return to Detroit's bullpen following the placement of Alex Faedo (finger) on the 15-day injured list. White will likely serve in middle relief to close out the season.

Bowlan was called up from Triple-A Omaha on Tuesday.

Bowlan was with the Royals during major-league spring training yet was unable to earn a spot on the Opening Day roster, but he could now have the chance to make his big-league debut. The 26-year-old had a 5.24 ERA, 1.55 WHIP and 58:32 K:BB across 67 innings for Omaha in 2023.

Baumann (10-1) allowed a run on one hit over 1.1 innings and earned the win Monday over the Astros.

Baumann gave up a solo home run to Martin Maldonado in the eighth inning, but he ended up in line for the win when Cedric Mullins' three-run blast put the Orioles ahead in the ninth. This was Baumann's second appearance since he was recalled from Triple-A Norfolk on Saturday -- he pitched a scoreless inning versus the Rays that day. He's now at a 3.82 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 60:32 K:BB through 63.2 innings this season while adding six holds and two blown saves. Yennier Cano has seen most of the save chances since Felix Bautista (elbow) got hurt, but Baumann could mix in for some setup work if he stays on the major-league roster through the end of the regular season.

Martin picked up the save in Monday's 4-2 win over the Rangers. He allowed one hit while striking out two in a scoreless inning.

With Kenley Jansen on the COVID list, Martin was tasked with protecting a two-run lead in the ninth inning Monday. The right-hander worked around a one-out hit to earn his second save of the season, his first since June 11. While Martin is unlikely to see many save chances with Jansen due to return this week, the former has had an excellent year as a late-innings option for Boston while posting a 1.07 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and 46:8 K:BB across 50.1 innings.

Pressly (3-5) blew the save and took the loss Monday against the Orioles. He allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while striking out three over one inning.

Tasked with protecting a two-run lead in the ninth, Pressly surrendered a pair of one-out singles before Cedric Mullins launched a three-run homer, sticking Pressly with his sixth blown save and the eventual loss. The right-hander's now given up five runs over his last two appearances after holding opponents scoreless in 11 of the previous 12 outings. Overall, Pressly has 30 saves on the year with a 3.84 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 71:13 K:BB across 61 innings.

Cano earned the save Monday, striking out his lone batter faced in an 8-7 win over the Astros.

Cionel Perez got the first two outs in the ninth before the Orioles turned to Cano. The 29-year-old right-hander would strike out Chas McCormick to close out a one-run victory and earn his seventh save of the year. It's Cano's third save since Felix Bautista (elbow) landed on the IL on Aug. 26. While Perez could continue to see high-leverage work against left-handed batters, Cano should remain Baltimore's top ninth-inning option. His ERA is down to 1.96 with a 0.97 WHIP and 59:11 K:BB across 69 innings this season.