MLB Player News

Cousins (elbow) faced live hitters Saturday, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Cousins is in the final stages of his recovery from Tommy John surgery, which he underwent last June. The veteran reliever was signed by the Dodgers in late March. Cousins' ability to face live hitters is a sign of progress, but he'll presumably need to log multiple rehab appearances before he's ready to make his Dodgers debut. It's not out of the question that he could be activated before the end of the regular season.

Hentges (1-6) took the loss and was charged with a blown save Saturday against the Red Sox, allowing two earned runs on two hits and an intentional walk across one-third of an inning. He also hit a batter.

Hentges entered in the ninth inning with a runner on first base and plunked the first batter he faced. The 30-year-old southpaw went on to give up a single and a double before Boston won on a fielder's choice. Hentges owns a 3.56 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 33:23 K:BB across 30.1 innings this season.

The Marlins recalled Ralston from Triple-A Jacksonville on Sunday.

The right-hander was added to Miami's 40-man roster in early August, and he's now on the cusp of making his major-league debut. Ralston has enjoyed a strong season for the Jumbo Shrimp with a 2.04 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 76:30 K:BB across 61.2 innings out of the bullpen.

Dion struck out four and allowed one hit and two walks over three innings in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Marlins.

Brad Lord made his third consecutive appearance as a starter but was once again held under three innings, clearing the way for Dion to follow him in bulk relief. Dion has looked sharp in each of his three outings behind Lord, yielding no runs and giving up just two hits while posting a 12:3 K:BB in 10.1 innings during that stretch. The Nationals are likely to eventually get a potential starter in DJ Herz (elbow) back from the 60-day injured list in September, but until that happens, the Lord and Dion tandem could remain in place when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up.

Lord struck out a batter and allowed no hits and one walk over 2.2 innings in a start during Friday's 3-2 loss to the Marlins.

Though Lord has now started in three consecutive appearances, the Nationals don't seem to be looking to stretch him out. He's seen his pitch count drop in each successive start, as he threw just 31 pitches before getting pulled midway through the third inning Friday. Will Dion has worked in bulk relief in each of Lord's last three starts, and the two could continue to work in tandem when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up until the Nationals get one of DJ Herz (elbow) or Connelly Early (elbow) back from the injured list.

Miller struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 7-5 win over the Twins.

Miller retired the side on 10 pitches (eight strikes) to pick up his 32nd save of the season. This was his third perfect inning in his last three appearances, though he has pitched consecutive days and may be unavailable Sunday if a save chance arises. Miller has maintained a superb 0.83 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 99:19 K:BB through 54.1 innings this season as arguably the most reliable closer in the majors.

Tidwell allowed three hits, two walks and a hit batsman while striking out seven over 5.2 scoreless innings in a no-decision versus the Red Sox on Saturday.

Tidwell allowed six runs in his last outing, which was by far his worst start of the year. He bounced back well in this road appearance, but the Giants' bullpen couldn't maintain the lead. Tidwell now has a 3.58 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 27:12 K:BB across 32.2 innings through 12 games (four starts) in the majors this season. He's lined up to make his next start at home versus the Diamondbacks.

Scott struck out one in a clean ninth inning to earn the save Saturday against the Pirates.

Back in the closer role for the Dodgers with Edwin Diaz (neck) sidelined, Scott has successfully converted three straight save appearances since Tuesday. Manager Dave Roberts said Saturday that Diaz will handle a low-leverage role once he returns from the injured list, so it sounds like Scott has a real chance to retain the ninth-inning gig for the remainder of the regular season. The hard-throwing left-hander boasts a 2.24 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 64:11 K:BB over 52.1 innings, collecting 19 saves (21 attempts) and 12 holds.

Mlodzinski is expected to pitch in bulk relief behind opener Lake Bachar during Sunday's game against the Dodgers, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.

Bachar will likely be limited to around 1-to-3 innings before giving way to Mlodzinski, who has been essentially serving as the Pirates' fifth starter since the Aug. 3 trade deadline but has yet to be trusted with a full workload. Over his last three outings, Mlodzinski hasn't covered more than three innings and has posted a 14.04 ERA, 3.00 WHIP and 5:5 K:BB across 8.1 total frames.

Bachar will serve as the Pirates' opening pitcher for Sunday's series finale against the Dodgers, Jason Mackey of MLB.com reports.

Bachar tossed one inning and 32 pitches in his most recent appearance in Friday's 5-4 extra-inning loss to Los Angeles, so he'll probably be capped at around two or three frames while he opens the series finale. Carmen Mlodzinski is expected to work in bulk relief behind Bachar.