MLB Player News

Hand allowed a one-out double in the ninth but was still able to come down with his second save of the season in a 3-2 win over the Cardinals on Tuesday.

Hand had no easy task, preserving a one-run lead in the ninth with the heart of the Cardinals' order due up. He surrendered a double to Yadier Molina but got all three other hitters he faced to fly out. The 31-year-old southpaw has been stellar to kick off the season with five scoreless innings and a 4:1 K:BB.

Hudson (2-0) pitched a clean eighth inning while striking out a batter in a 3-2 win over the Cardinals.

Hudson pitched an easy 1-2-3 eighth inning, getting the first two hitters out on contact before striking out Paul Goldschmidt to end the frame. The Nationals were able to mount a comeback in the bottom half of the inning, which earned him his second win of the year. Hudson has allowed one run through five innings pitched and sports a respectable 7:2 K:BB as the team's main setup man.

Gallegos (2-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Nationals after allowing two runs on one hit, three walks and a hit batsman while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.

Gallegos opened the eighth inning with a one-run lead to protect, but he was unable to do so. The 29-year-old right-hander found himself in immediate trouble by walking the leadoff batter and then hitting Josh Harrison before surrendering an RBI single to Trea Turner that tied up the game. Gallegos wound up facing a bases-loaded, two outs scenario and completely flopped, as he walked in the go-ahead run on four straight balls and was taken out afterward. After opening up the season with five shutout innings, Gallegos has allowed four runs in his last four appearances, which has inflated his ERA to 3.72.

Jansen earned the save Tuesday against the Mariners, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

The veteran right-hander made quick work of the top of Seattle's lineup, retiring the side in order while delivering eight of 10 pitches for strikes. Jansen is 4-for-5 in save chances and has allowed two runs on two hits with a 10:6 K:BB through eight innings this season.

Chafin allowed one hit across 1.1 scoreless innings to record a hold in Tuesday's win over the Mets.

Chafin retired Brandon Nimmo to end the seventh inning, then worked through a clean eighth to hand the game over to closer Craig Kimbrel. Chafin now has a 3.86 ERA and three holds across seven innings this season, and the lefty should continue to operate in a prominent role ahead of Kimbrel in the Cubs' bullpen.

Matzek (0-2) was tagged with the loss Tuesday in a 3-1 loss to the Yankees, giving up two runs on two hits and a walk without recording an out.

The southpaw entered the game to begin the eighth inning with the score tied 1-1 and promptly loaded the bases, then had to watch as Nate Jones uncorked a wild pitch to bring around an inherited runner and issued a bases-loaded walk to tack another run onto Matzek's ledger. The runs were the first Matzek has allowed this season, and he still sports a 2.35 ERA and 14:5 K:BB through 7.2 innings with three holds in nine appearances.

Kimbrel worked around a hit and two walks to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and secure the save in Tuesday's 3-1 win over the Mets.

Kimbrel made things interesting, as he loaded the bases with just one out, but the veteran reliever then struck out Brandon Nimmo and induced a Francisco Lindor groundout to end the game. Kimbrel now has four saves this season and has yet to allow a run. He should have a pretty firm hold on the closer's role due to his strong start, but he'll need the 7-9 Cubs to start scoring more runs if he wants to see a significant uptick in save opportunities.

Morejon will require Tommy John surgery on his left elbow after undergoing an MRI, Kevin Acee of The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.

The 22-year-old was initially diagnosed with a left forearm strain last week after exiting during the first inning of his second start of the season, but further examination revealed a worst-case scenario. Morejon will miss the rest of the season and will also be sidelined for at least the first half of the 2022 campaign. Ryan Weathers has joined San Diego's rotation for the short term while Dinelson Lamet (elbow) is set to come off the injured list for his season debut this week.

Martin (shoulder) has resumed playing catch but has yet to throw off a mound, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The fact that Martin is able to throw in some capacity represents a step forward for the righty, though he doesn't seem particularly close to returning to game action. In his absence, no righty has earned a save in Atlanta, with three going to Will Smith and one going to Sean Newcomb.

The Phillies aren't expecting Moore to be activated from the COVID-19 injured list ahead of his next scheduled turn in the rotation Friday against the Rockies at Coors Field, Matt Breen of The Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

Philadelphia is instead having Vince Velasquez stay prepared for a spot start Friday, and the right-hander could stick in the rotation for additional turns if Moore isn't able to clear MLB's health and safety protocol in expedient fashion. Moore is 0-1 with a 9.82 ERA and 2.36 WHIP through his first three outings, so fantasy managers holding him in deeper mixed leagues or NL-only formats won't fret too much about him missing out on a start at a hitter-friendly park.