MLB Player News

Melancon earned the save against Arizona on Sunday with a perfect inning during which he struck out one batter.

The right-hander came on in the ninth inning to protect a one-run lead. He struggled with his control a bit, working a three-ball count to each of the first two batters he faced, but he was able to get through the frame without allowing any baserunners. Melancon has successfully converted each of his past five save opportunities and leads MLB with 24 saves on the season.

Bickford struck out two in a perfect inning against the Cubs on Sunday and has held opponents without an earned run in 14 of his 15 appearances since joining Los Angeles.

The right-hander's 2.70 ERA and 1.14 WHIP on the season look solid enough, but those numbers improve to 1.72 and 1.02, respectively, since Bickford debuted with the Dodgers on May 23. Aside from a rough outing against Texas on June 13 during which he was charged with three earned runs without getting an out, he has appeared nearly impossible to score upon. Since the blowup against the Rangers, Bickford has hurled 8.2 scoreless innings, registering a 12:3 K:BB and giving up only four hits.

The Rockies placed Stephenson on the 10-day injured list Monday with upper-back tightness.

Lefty Ben Bowden was summoned from Triple-A Albuquerque to fill Stephenson's spot in the Colorado bullpen. Over 27 relief appearances in his first season with the Rockies, Stephenson has posted a 4.56 ERA and 1.56 WHIP across 23.2 innings.

Kranick is slated to remain part of the Pittsburgh rotation after general manager Ben Cherington revealed Sunday that the Pirates would proceed with a six-man starting staff through at least the All-Star break, Stephen J. Nesbitt of The Athletic reports.

Only a mid-game rain delay could stop Kranick in his MLB debut in Sunday's 7-2 win over the Cardinals. The 23-year-old became the first pitcher since 1893 to toss at least five perfect innings in a debut outing, with the right-hander needing just 50 pitches (36 strikes) to record his 15 outs. He'll now get the chance to build on that excellent start, with his next turn most likely coming Saturday in Pittsburgh versus the Brewers.

Long (1-1) was tagged with the loss Sunday against Oakland after allowing four runs on four hits and three walks across five innings. He fanned three.

Long was unable to repeat what he had accomplished in his previous start against the Phillies, when he logged his first quality start of the season. Long has made just four starts this season and owns a rather unimpressive 4.95 ERA, though his 8.6 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 are showing some promise considering he's made just two starts and four appearances at the big-league level. If he stays in the rotation, his next start should come this weekend on the road against Arizona.

Howard is scheduled to start Monday's game against the Reds.

Howard will pick up his first start since June 15, as the Phillies' schedule has allowed the team to get by with a shortened four-man rotation for nearly two weeks. Before temporarily shifting to a relief role, Howard hadn't cleared four innings in any of his four starts, so the Phillies likely won't ask him to work deep into Monday's game as he transitions back into the rotation. Rookie Bailey Falter could be deployed as a piggyback pitcher behind Howard.

Kranick (1-0) earned the win in his big-league debut Sunday against the Cardinals after tossing five perfect innings, striking out three.

Kranick was perfect in his MLB debut, tossing 36 of his 50 pitches for strikes with no hits or walks while looking absolutely in control of the mound en route to an excellent performance. It's only one start and it's still way too early to make assumptions, but there's no question this was an excellent outing for the 23-year-old right-hander. He might have done enough to earn at least another start at some point next week, though his immediate future remains unclear.

Alzolay (4-7) allowed six runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out three across three innings, taking the loss to the Dodgers on Sunday.

Alzolay surrendered a six-run second inning Sunday. He lost control of his command and beaned the first batter, then followed with two walks. With the bases loaded, he gave up a grand slam to Zach McKinstry. After Mookie Betts reached on an error, Alzolay surrendered another long ball to Cody Bellinger. This was one of his worst performances this season, and he was pulled after finishing the third frame. The 26-year-old has a 4.55 ERA and a 1.10 WHIP with 70 strikeouts in 65.1 innings.

Hill (5-3) allowed three runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk across one inning to earn the win over Arizona on Sunday.

Hill entered the seventh inning with a 2-1 lead, but quickly surrendered the lead after the first four batters reached base safely. The Padres ended up retaking the lead later in the inning, giving Hill the win. The 31-year-old has a 2.56 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP in 31.2 innings. Prior to Sunday, he didn't allow a run in his last five straight appearances.

Lamet was placed on the 10-day injured list Sunday with right forearm inflammation.

The 28-year-old exited Saturday's outing after 2.1 innings with what was initially labeled forearm fatigue, and he's now been diagnosed with forearm inflammation after being further evaluated. Lamet had two stints on the injured list during the first month of the season with forearm tightness, though it's unclear if the current injury is something new or a recurrence of the previous issue. Ryan Weathers is the likely candidate to fill Lamet's spot in the starting rotation.