MLB Player News

Kelly earned a hold against San Francisco on Tuesday, completing 1.1 perfect innings and striking out one batter.

The right-hander picked up his fifth hold of the campaign with the efficient outing during which he fired nine of 10 pitches for strikes. Kelly has held opponents scoreless over his past eight appearances, allowing only one hit while posting an 8:2 K:BB over that span. After a rough start to the season, he now carries a 4.00 ERA and 1.00 WHIP overall.

Nationals manager Dave Martinez said Finnegan (hamstring) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is "getting really close" to a return from the 10-day injured list, Mark Zuckerman of MASNSports.com reports.

Finnegan was shut down June 22 with a left hamstring injury, but the fact that he's throwing again a week later suggests that he's dealing with a fairly minor strain. Before activating him from the IL, the Nationals will likely want Finnegan to head out on a minor-league rehab assignment, which he could do this weekend.

Hudson (elbow) completed a 25-pitch bullpen session in Washington on Wednesday, Maria Torres of The Athletic reports.

Hudson had been limited to playing catch off flat ground since beginning a throwing program last week, so the bullpen session represents a step forward in the recovery process for the right-hander. Because he's been on the shelf since June 12 with elbow inflammation, Hudson will likely require a minor-league rehab assignment before being activated from the 10-day injured list.

Jansen picked up the save in Tuesday's win over the Giants after hurling a scoreless ninth inning, walking one and striking out two.

Jansen hit Alex Dickerson and walked Buster Posey to start the inning, but he settled down and struck out two of the final three batters he faced to clinch his 20th save of the year, tying him for second in the National League in that category. The righty also extended his streak of scoreless outings to 11.

Cabrera secured his 11th hold in a win over the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, allowing an earned run on a hit and two walks while recording a strikeout over two-thirds of an inning.

Cabrera didn't exactly help himself with some fairly significant control issues, as he got just eight of his 19 pitches into the strike zone. Ultimately, he was able to wiggle out of trouble with the help of fellow reliever Andrew Miller, who got the final out of the seventh inning. Cabrera has now allowed at least one run in five of his last 12 appearances, leading to an elevated 4.63 ERA and 1.54 WHIP during that stretch.

Littell pitched a perfect inning in Tuesday's 3-1 loss to the Dodgers.

Since an ugly turn as an opener June 15 versus Arizona, Littell has bounced back relatively well. He's allowed two runs on three hits and three walks in six innings across his last seven outings. The right-hander has been reasonably effective in a low-leverage role with a 3.33 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 17:11 K:BB across 24.1 innings. However, Littell may not be able to sustain those ratios -- a .235 BABIP has helped limit the damage against him so far this year.

Bender gave up two runs on one hit and two walks in an inning of relief during Tuesday's loss to the Phillies. He struck out two.

The earned runs were the first the 26-year-old has allowed in the majors after beginning his career with a 0.00 ERA through his first 21.1 innings. With Adam Cimber now in Toronto, Bender could find himself working in more high-leverage spots, as he has only four holds through 22 appearances despite his impressive numbers.

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.