MLB Player News

Melancon (3-2) picked up the win against the Phillies on Saturday with two scoreless and hitless innings during which he walked two and struck out one.

Melancon hadn't pitched in three days, to the Padres handed him the ball with the team trailing by two runs in the top of the ninth. The right-hander faced the minimum three batters thanks to a double play, then watched as San Diego tied the score in the bottom of the frame. He came back out for the 10th and kept Philadelphia off the scoreboard, nabbing the win when the Padres scored in their half of the inning. It was only the fourth time Melancon has hurled more than one inning this season, and he has now held opponents scoreless over his past five appearances covering 6.1 frames.

Bednar notched his first career save in Saturday's 5-4 win over the Cardinals, striking out one and working around a base hit in a scoreless ninth inning.

Save opportunities haven't been plentiful this season for the 44-79 Pirates, and the team's closer situation became murky when Richard Rodriguez was dealt to Atlanta ahead of the July 30 deadline. After converting his first save in relatively stress-free fashion Saturday, Bednar now looks like the clear top pitcher to roster out of the Pittsburgh bullpen. Even before Rodriguez was dealt, Bednar had been one of the team's top setup arms, logging a 2.49 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 62:16 K:BB in 50.2 innings while collecting 10 holds. Bednar still likely can't be counted on to receive more than a handful of save chances the rest of the season, but that might be enough to make the 26-year-old worthy of rostering for fantasy managers desperate to make up ground in the category.

Cabrera (2-4) was charged with the loss and his second blown save of the season in a defeat at the hands of the Pirates on Saturday, allowing three earned runs on four hits and an intentional walk over one inning. He struck out one.

The left-hander was charged with preserving a 3-2 lead when he entered in the seventh, and after retiring two of the first three batters he faced, three singles and an intentional walk led to him surrendering three quick runs. The stumble marked the end of a long stretch of success for Cabrera, who hadn't allowed a run in his 15 previous appearances.

The Nationals activated Voth (illness) from the COVID-19 injured list Sunday, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The righty was struggling considerably before testing positive for the coronavirus in late July, as he allowed eight earned runs in his last 2.2 innings. On the season, Voth sports a 4.81 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 43 innings. Javy Guerra was designated for assignment in a corresponding move Sunday.

Garcia allowed one hit and struck out one in 2.1 innings during Saturday's 6-5 win over Oakland.

Through 11 innings in August, Garcia has given up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk with six strikeouts. The left-hander has pitched well in a versatile role this year with a 2.76 ERA, 0.84 WHIP and 52:13 K:BB across 49 innings. He's added a 4-3 record, one save and eight holds, although his ability to cover multiple innings has often kept him out of a truly high-leverage role.

Smith earned the save against the Orioles on Saturday, allowing one run on one hit while striking out one batter in one inning.

Smith started his outing by serving up a solo home run to Anthony Santander, but the veteran closer bounced back to retire the final three batters he faced. The long ball was the fourth allowed by Smith in his past 7.1 frames, and he has two blown saves along with an 8.59 ERA over that span. Nonetheless, Smith is tied for third in MLB with 27 saves and is relatively secure in his position as Atlanta's closer.

Rogers (4-1) logged a perfect inning and struck out two, earning the win Saturday over Oakland.

The right-hander kept San Francisco within a run during the eighth inning, and LaMonte Wade's two-run homer in the ninth put Rogers in line for the win. Through 10 innings in August, Rogers has given up three runs on 11 hits and no walks while striking out six. The setup man has a 1.98 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 38:9 K:BB, 11 saves and 22 holds through 59 innings overall.

Jansen struck out two and hit one batter in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-3 win over the Mets. He allowed no hits or walks.

Jansen was able to work around plunking Kevin Pillar by getting Brandon Nimmo to fly out before striking out Jeff McNeil and Pete Alonso. The Dodgers' closer has converted all five of his save chances in August and six straight dating back to July 24. He's now 27-for-32 in saves with a 2.86 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 61:31 K:BB across 50.1 innings overall.

Bender (2-2) allowed four runs on three hits and two walks in an inning of work, taking the loss in Saturday's 7-4 defeat against the Reds.

Bender entered into a fresh inning charged with protecting a 2-2 ballgame. Protect it he did not, as the Reds brought seven men to the plate and scored four times. Even with this brutal outing, the rookie reliever still sports a tidy 3.18 ERA thanks to a streak of 21 consecutive appearances without allowing an earned run to begin his career.

Hader gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 25th save of the season in a 9-6 win over the Nationals.

The southpaw hasn't blow a save since July 7, and he's converted four saves in six appearances so far in August. On the season, Hader sports a 1.62 ERA and fearsome 77:16 K:BB through 44.1 innings.