MLB Player News

Minter (1-3) took the loss Tuesday, giving up one run on two hits over an inning of relief. He struck out two as Atlanta was downed by the Mets.

The lefty has had an erratic June, posting a 5.79 ERA and 1.50 WHIP over 9.1 innings despite a strong 9:1 K:BB, but he does have five holds in 12 appearances. Minter remains a key part of Atlanta's setup crew in front of closer Will Smith, but his overall numbers have taken a massive step backwards from 2020.

Matzek walked two batters in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday during a loss to the Mets.

The southpaw is having trouble finding the plate right now, issuing five free passes over his last two appearances, but none of the baserunners came around to score. Matzek has a 2.08 ERA but a 1.50 WHIP over his last 10 games, posting an 8:8 K:BB through 8.2 innings during that stretch, and his luck may not hold much longer if he doesn't find a little more control.

Cousins retired one of the three batters he faced Tuesday but recorded his first career hold in the Brewers' 2-1 win over the Cubs.

Cousins entered the contest in the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on first base when reliever Brent Suter checked out of the game. The rookie didn't make things easy on himself by walking Willson Contreras and then hitting Javier Baez with a pitch to load the bases, but he was able to extinguish the threat by striking out Ian Happ on four pitches. Though Tuesday's outing wasn't the smoothest for Cousins, manager Craig Counsell's willingness to use him in a big spot speaks to how quickly the 27-year-old has gained the skipper's trust. Cousins was making just his third big-league appearance after he was utterly dominant in his first two outings, striking out nine while allowing no runs, no hits and one walk across four innings.

May struck out one in a perfect seventh inning Tuesday to record his sixth hold of the season in a win over Atlanta.

The return of Seth Lugo, who worked the eighth inning in front of closer Edwin Diaz, has pushed May down a spot in the Mets' bullpen pecking order, but the right-hander remains part of the high-leverage crew. On the season, the former Twin has a 3.45 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 38:7 K:BB through 28.2 innings with two wins and a save in addition to his holds.

Hader gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 20th save of the season in a 2-1 win over the Cubs.

It was another dominant appearance for the southpaw, who hasn't given up a run since May 16 and has fanned multiple batters in seven of his last 11 games. Hader has yet to blow a save chance this season, which is not surprising given his stellar 0.55 ERA and 0.73 WHIP.

Reyes earned the save against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, allowing one hit and striking out three over two scoreless frames.

The Cardinals went to Reyes earlier than usual in the contest, bringing the closer in to start the eighth inning in a one-run game. He ran into immediate trouble when the first two batters he faced reach base via an error and a single, but a well-timed strikeout followed by a double play got him out of the eighth unscathed. Reyes remained in the game for the ninth inning and faced much less stress, retiring the side in order on a flyout and a pair of strikeouts. The successful save conversion was Reyes' 19th in 19 attempts this season, and he lowered his ERA to 0.98 with the pair of shutout frames. While a 7.4 BB/9 means that Reyes has frequently pitched with runners on base this season, he has been able to limit the damage by racking up 50 strikeouts in 36.2 innings.

Santillan (1-2) allowed three runs (two earned) on six hits and two walks while striking out four across three innings to take the loss Tuesday against San Diego.

Santillan avoided disaster in the final outcome of his start, but he allowed multiple baserunners in all three innings that he worked. As a result, he needed 75 pitches to record his nine outs and has now failed to complete five innings in three of his four big-league starts. In total, Santillan has allowed seven earned runs across 16.2 innings with a 20:10 K:BB. With Sonny Gray (groin) projected to return to the rotation shortly, Santillan's role with the big-league club could be set to change.

Weathers will be recalled from Triple-A El Paso to start Thursday at Cincinnati, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The left-hander was demoted to Triple-A in mid-June but will rejoin the rotation Thursday with Dinelson Lamet (forearm) landing on the injured list over the weekend. Weathers has pitched well in 14 appearances (eight starts) for the Friars with a 2.47 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 34:13 K:BB across 47.1 innings.

Melancon did not allow a baserunner and struck out one across a scoreless ninth inning to earn the save Tuesday against the Reds.

Melancon was handed only a one-run lead, though he had no issue locking down his 25th save of the season. In addition to his strikeout, he also generated two groundball outs to retire Shogo Akiyama, Tucker Barnhart and Jonathan India in order. Melancon has been stellar all season, highlighted by a 1.80 ERA and and 30 strikeouts across 35 innings. He's converted six straight saves and leads the majors with 25.

Alvarado earned a four-out save Tuesday against the Marlins. He allowed two runs on two hits and a walk while striking out one.

Alvarado came into the eighth inning with two outs and a 4-0 lead and immediately issued a free pass. He then allowed an inherited runner to score on a wild pitch. The ninth inning didn't start off much better for the left-hander, who surrendered a leadoff single to Jesus Aguilar followed by a two-run homer to Adam Duvall before settling down and escaping with the save. Despite recently being named the new closer by manager Joe Girardi, Alvarado has a lot more to prove if he's going to hold onto the role.