MLB Player News

Junis registered a no-decision during Tuesday's 2-1 win against Arizona, allowing one run on four hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings.

Junis engaged in an unlikely pitcher's duel with opposing starter Merrill Kelly and appeared to be done in by a Christian Walker solo shot in the fourth inning until Brandon Crawford walked it off in the ninth to erase him from the ledger. The 29-year-old had his best stuff working with 16 swinging strikes on 101 pitches and fell one short of his season high with seven strikeouts. Aside from last week's blip, Junis has held opponents to three runs or fewer in each of his last eight turns and possesses a solid 3.53 ERA and 1.14 WHIP with 63 strikeouts in 71.1 innings. He currently lines up for another start this week Sunday in Colorado.

Kimbrel (3-5) took the loss and the blown save during Tuesday's 5-4 defeat at the hands of the Brewers, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk while striking out one in one-third of an inning.

Kimbrel was brought in for the bottom the 11th after Los Angeles took the lead in the top of the inning and struggled to find the zone, walking one and firing only 11 of 20 pitches for strikes. A leadoff Hunter Renfroe single and one-out Luis Urias walk set the stage for a two-run Victor Caratini single to saddle the 34-year-old with the blown save and loss on the same pitch. Kimbrel has struggled since the calendar turned to August, surrendering five total runs across 5.1 innings this month, including permitting runs in four of his last five appearances. It's track record over performance keeping Kimbrel in the closer role right now.

Helsley (7-1) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the win in Tuesday's 5-4 win over the Rockies.

Helsley kept the game tied in the top of the ninth inning, and the Cardinals won on a walkoff hit-by-pitch in their half of the frame. While he's allowed two runs in 7.1 innings in August, he's also picked up two wins and three saves with an 8:1 K:BB. The fact that this has been one of his poorer months speaks to how dominant the right-hander has been all year -- he owns a 0.91 ERA, 0.66 WHIP and 72:13 K:BB with 12 saves and six holds through 49.2 innings overall.

Leiter pitched a scoreless 11th inning with two strikeouts to earn the save in Tuesday's 7-5 win over the Nationals.

Chicago used five relievers before turning to Leiter, but he made the most of the opportunity with a lead and earned his first MLB save. The righty has quietly been pretty solid since getting recalled from Triple-A Iowa on July 30, recording a 1.46 ERA across 12.1 innings. Leiter is still more of a long reliever for the Cubs, so he shouldn't see regular save chances moving forward.

Floro picked up the save Tuesday, striking out three and allowing a hit in the ninth inning of a 4-3 victory over San Diego.

Floro entered the game with a man on first and nobody out and gave up a single to the first batter he faced. He then struck out Josh Bell, Jake Cronenworth and Wil Myers to end the game. It was his first save since he closed out back-to-back games at the beginning of July. Tanner Scott had pitched in consecutive games, leading to Floro being called upon to close Tuesday.

Manaea allowed three runs on four hits and a walk, striking six in four innings in a 4-3 loss Tuesday in Miami. He did not factor into the decision.

Nick Fortes tagged Manaea with solo homers in the second and fourth innings. The lefty was removed from the game after four innings, having tossed 64 pitches. It was his fifth straight outing of 83 pitches or fewer. Since the All-Star break, he has an 8.06 ERA, 1.75 WHIP and seven homers allowed in 22.1 innings across five outings.

Phillips will be available out of the bullpen for Tuesday's game against the Brewers, despite taking a 105-mph line drive off his left knee during a relief appearance in Monday's 4-0 win, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.

On his third pitch of the night, Phillips was struck by a comebacker off the bat of Christian Yelich, but he calmly picked up the ball and threw to first to record the out. He proceeded to retire the final two batters he faced to conclude the eighth inning, and Phillips didn't require any X-rays after the contest, suggesting that he's dealing with nothing more than cosmetic damage to his knee. Since June 1, Phillips has been one of the most dominant setup men in baseball, as he's posted an 0.33 ERA, 0.63 WHIP and 31:7 K:BB in 27 innings over a stretch of 28 appearances.

The Mets optioned Medina to Triple-A Syracuse on Tuesday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Medina's demotion comes after he was tagged for six runs (five earned) on five hits and a walk over 1.1 innings in Monday's 13-1 loss to Atlanta. Since Medina was unlikely to be available in the bullpen for at least the next two days after the 50-pitch appearance, the Mets opted to swap him off the active roster for a fresh reliever in R.J. Alvarez, whose contract was selected from Triple-A.

Hudson is scheduled to make his next start Saturday in Arizona against the Diamondbacks, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.

Hudson was initially lined up to start Wednesday at home versus the Rockies, but the Cardinals used Monday's off day to push the right-hander to the back of the rotation. The Cardinals want Hudson to use the extra time off to adjust his approach against left-handed hitters during a pair of bullpen sessions. He sports a bloated 10.8 percent walk rate for the season, and 32 of the 50 free passes he's issued have come against lefties.

The Marlins reinstated Sulser (lat) from the 60-day injured list Tuesday, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Fellow reliever Parker Bugg was designated for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster for Sulser, who has been on the shelf since June 15 with a right lat strain. After producing a 3.86 ERA and 1.29 WHIP to go with six holds and two saves in 26 appearances for Miami prior to landing on the IL, Sulser will likely settle into a setup or middle-relief role now that he's healthy again.