MLB Player News

Schreiber allowed one run on two hits over one inning and blew the save in Saturday's 4-3 extra-innings loss to Toronto.

For Boston's first save opportunity since closer Kenley Jansen (illness) landed on the COVID-19-related injured list, Red Sox manager Alex Cora brought in Schreiber to close. The right-hander should have survived with a save, but center fielder Ceddanne Rafaela misplayed a Daulton Varsho liner, turning a potential game-ending out into a triple, which plated the tying run. Schreiber entered the game following Chris Martin, who is also in the mix for saves while Jansen works his way back.

Chapman was not used in Saturday's 2-1 loss to the Guardians.

Texas held a 1-0 lead in the top of the eighth inning, and manager Bruce Bochy let setup reliever Will Smith, who finished out the seventh, open the frame. He was pulled with one out after giving up a double and a walk. At that point, instead of using Chapman in a high-leverage spot for a save opportunity, Bochy brought in Jose Leclerc, who gave up two hits that allowed the inherited runners to score. Chapman was well-rested, last having pitched Tuesday, and could have been used for a five-out save. However, he's been erratic of late, allowing seven runs (five earned) on five hits (including two home runs) and seven walks over the last 5.2 innings.

Smith (2-6) was tagged with Saturday's loss, allowing two runs on one hit and one walk over two-thirds of an inning against Cleveland.

The Rangers clung to a 1-0 lead when Smith, who finished up the bottom of the seventh inning, opened eighth. He allowed two baserunners that eventually scored off Jose Leclerc. Smith has pitched well in a setup role since Aroldis Chapman became the primary closer; Saturday's outing halted a streak of seven consecutive scoreless appearances.

Bradford will serve as Texas' opening pitcher in Sunday's game against the Guardians, Jeff Wilson of RangersToday.com reports.

Bradford threw 42 pitches over 2.2 innings of relief Thursday at Toronto and will probably be asked to cover only the first two or three frames Sunday at Cleveland. The 25-year-old left-hander has posted an overall 3.80 ERA and 44:12 K:BB across 47.1 major-league innings this season with the Rangers.

Speier (2-2) took the extra-innings loss against the Dodgers on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on a hit and a walk over one-third of an inning. He struck out one.

Speier got seven of his nine pitches into the strike zone, but he allowed a go-ahead RBI single to Max Muncy that snapped a 1-1 tie and was subsequently charged with an additional run when Chris Taylor singled Muncy in following Speier's exit. The outing marked Speier's second straight allowing a run after a brief four-appearance scoreless streak, but he's still been serviceable for fantasy managers with 17 holds and a 10.3 K/9 across his 64 appearances.

Brieske tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Saturday's extra-inning win over the Angels. He didn't allow any hits or walks and struck out three.

After Sawyer Gipson-Long pitched five effective innings to start the game, Brieske cruised through the seventh and eighth. The righty has worked almost exclusively as a reliever this year, with just one start in 22 appearances. Brieske has been fairly good in the role with a 3.99 ERA, and it's possible he rejoins the rotation mix in 2024 after making 15 starts last year for the Tigers.

Diaz is listed as the Tigers' probable starting pitcher Sunday against the Angels.

The 28-year-old had his contract selected by Detroit when rosters expanded to 28 players Sept. 1, and he's delivered 5.2 scoreless frames in six outings since joining the big club. Joey Wentz is poised to serve as the Tigers' primary pitcher after Diaz works an inning or two.

Banks walked two batters and struck out one in two-thirds of an inning Saturday to record his first career save in a 7-6 win over the Twins.

The White Sox held a 7-1 lead heading into the eighth inning, but after Gregory Santos and Lane Ramsey made a mess of things, Banks took over and escaped with the win barely intact despite walking in a run, which got charged to Ramsey. Banks hasn't had a run added to his own ledger in seven straight appearances, posting a 0.75 WHIP and 9:4 K:BB through 10.2 innings over that stretch, but the southpaw is unlikely to be a regular part of the high-leverage mix down the stretch -- he has more losses (three) than saves and holds combined (one of each) this season.

Clarke recorded the final out of Saturday's 10-8 win over the Astros to pick up his second save of the season.

Carlos Hernandez got the call to begin the ninth inning with the Royals ahead 10-6, but after giving up three straight hits to begin the frame and then issuing a two-out walk to load the bases, Clarke was brought in and coaxed a groundout from Yainer Diaz to end the game. Hernandez has a 16.62 ERA and 3.46 WHIP over his last six appearances, so Clarke appears to be the top closing candidate for the Royals as they wrap up the campaign.

Vest allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Angels.

Vest extended his scoreless streak to 8.2 innings with this effort, which came after Alex Lange blew a save chance in the ninth inning. This was Vest's first save of the season and the second of his career. He's added 10 holds, a 3.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 48:13 K:BB through 42 innings this season, operating in a somewhat high-leverage setup role at times.