MLB Player News

Leone allowed a hit and a walk in a scoreless inning to earn a hold in Friday's 5-3 win over Washington.

Leone has emerged as a reliable arm in the bridge to the late-innings duo of Tyler Rogers and Jake McGee. Through 17 appearances, Leone has a 1.04 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB across 17.1 innings. He's added five holds, two blown saves and a 2-0 record. With an FIP of 2.59, the right-hander's success so far should be fairly sustainable, although he's limited opponents to a .195 BABIP that will likely tick higher in the second half of the season.

Littell walked one and struck out one in a scoreless inning during Friday's 5-3 win over Washington. He earned a hold.

Littell has settled in a bit since a disastrous turn as an opener June 15. In his 11 appearances since then, the reliever has a 2.89 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB across 9.1 innings. The right-hander continues to see low-leverage assignments mostly, but he's now picked up five holds with a 3.25 ERA and 1.30 WHIP across 27.2 innings this year. With a 4.65 FIP, Littell may struggle to continue producing similar results.

Garcia (1-2) allowed a hit and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the win versus Washington on Friday.

The left-hander worked the fifth inning of a tie game, and Darin Ruf put San Francisco ahead in the bottom of the fifth. That lead held up to earn Garcia his first win of the year in 26 appearances. The 28-year-old has done fairly well in a low-leverage role with a 3.34 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 37:12 K:BB across 29.2 innings. He's added three holds, one save and a blown save, but most of Garcia's work is expected to be in the middle innings.

Bass (1-5) took the loss Friday, giving up one run on one hit while striking out two in the first inning as the Marlins were downed 5-0 by Atlanta.

Making his first career appearance as an opener, the right-hander served up a solo shot to Freddie Freeman, and a slumbering Miami offense never climbed out of that early hole. Bass continues to struggle with consistency, getting tagged for runs in four of his last 10 games, and he sports a 4.28 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 31:15 K:BB through 33.2 innings on the year as he falls further out of the high-leverage mix for the Marlins.

Melancon pitched a clean ninth with one strikeout in a 4-2 triumph over Colorado on Friday.

The league's saves leader needed only eight pitches to retire the bottom of Colorado's order and earn yet another save. He's now pitched on consecutive days, which makes Melancon unlikely to appear Saturday.

Knehr pitched 3.2 innings in Friday's 4-2 win against Colorado, allowing two runs on three hits and four walks with three strikeouts. He didn't factor into the decision.

Knehr was decent filling in for Blake Snell, though the start could've gone much worse. The rookie walked in a run with no outs in the second but was able to retire the next three Rockies before surrendering an RBI double to opposing starter Kyle Freeland, at which point he was removed in the fourth. He'll most likely return to the minors following the one-start cameo.

Loup (3-0) allowed a walk and struck out one in one inning Friday, earning the win over Pittsburgh.

The southpaw worked the sixth inning of a tied game, immediately following starter Taijuan Walker. Loup was the beneficiary of the Mets' offense exploding for 10 runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. The 33-year-old has been quite effective lately, allowing just one run in his last 13 innings while racking up a pair of wins and four holds. For the year, he has a 1.73 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 32:6 K:BB in 26 innings across 30 appearances.

Vesia was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Friday.

The lefty has posted a 1.00 ERA in nine innings of relief with the Triple-A squad after being sent down June 3. Vesia's work with the Dodgers earlier this season was less impressive, as he yielded seven runs, including three home runs, in just 10.2 innings. He'll fill the roster spot of Jimmy Nelson (back), who was placed on the 10-day IL on Friday.

Nelson was placed on the 10-day injured list Friday with a left lumbar strain.

The righty has posted a 1.08 ERA in 8.1 innings of work since returning from the IL on June 3, striking out 11 and walking just two in that span. Nelson's 2.00 ERA through 25 appearances in 2021 has made him one of the Dodgers' most valuable relievers, but he'll be sidelined until the start of the second half, if not longer, with the lumbar strain. Lefty Alex Vesia was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding move.

The Diamondbacks recalled Young from Triple-A Reno on Friday.

The lefty allowed two runs in four innings with Reno after being optioned June 29. At the big-league level, Young has a 5.82 ERA through 38.2 innings in 2021, and figures to add some bullpen depth for the final three games before the break.