MLB Player News

Diaz struck out one in a perfect ninth inning to secure the save against the Nationals on Saturday.

Diaz is now 4-for-4 in save opportunities and has given up only two hits and a walk over 3.2 innings. The 25-year-old has been as good as advertised thus far after being acquired from the Mariners in December.

Smith pitched a scoreless ninth inning to record his third save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Rays on Saturday.

The lefty converted his third save in as many chances and has thrown three scoreless innings in the process. The 29-year-old has a firm grip on the closer role and now has struck out four and walked just one this season.

Yates struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to record his fifth save of the season in a 6-4 win over the Cardinals on Saturday.

The righty allowed a two-out single to Yadier Molina but then struck out Dexter Fowler to end the game. The 32-year-old has given up only one earned run this season and has converted all five of his save opportunities.

Reyes was optioned to Triple-A Memphis after Saturday's loss to the Padres, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Manager Mike Shildt talked in spring training of Reyes being used in a multi-faceted bullpen role, but his poor start to the season instead has him headed to the minors to straighten things out. The 24-year-old is one of the most talented arms in the organization but has allowed five runs with a pitiful 1:6 K:BB over three innings thus far in 2019. Reyes could still earn his way into a high-leverage role this season, but he'll first have to illustrate better control at Memphis.

Edwards was optioned to Triple-A Iowa on Saturday, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

Edwards was supposed to be one of the Cubs' top bullpen arms, but he's endured an awful 2019 so far. In four appearances (lasting just 1.2 innings) he's allowed six earned runs, walking five while striking out just two. He was forced to scrap a new deceptive delivery after it was ruled illegal, so it's likely that his spring preparations have been thrown off. He'll head to the minors to get his rhythm back and could return as a high-leverage arm later in the season if he can earn back manager Joe Maddon's trust.

Robertson pitched a clean ninth inning in Friday's 10-4 win over the Twins, allowing one hit while striking out a pair.

After struggling in his first three appearances, Robertson finally had his first scoreless outing Friday. His season numbers are still quite ugly, with a 12.00 ERA, a 3.67 WHIP, and a 3:5 K:BB, but it's possible that he's now figured things out. The veteran threw just 3.2 Grapefruit League innings, so he may have just needed a bit of a tune-up before getting back to his typical self.

Chafin retired the lone batter he faced in Friday's 15-8 win over the Red Sox.

Chafin was called on at the most critical juncture and got the left-handed-hitting Rafael Devers in the sixth inning with the bases loaded. Facing one or two lefties has become Chafin's role, and he filled it nicely Friday, giving Devers nothing to hit and inducing a meekly hit groundball back to the mound. It may be a stretch to call any moment in a 15-8 game a high-leverage spot, but one poorly located pitch would have cut the Diamondbacks' lead to two while giving Boston momentum. Instead, Chafin got the one batter he needed to, called it a night, and the Diamondbacks tacked on another eight runs before it was over.

Pivetta (1-0) allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits with four strikeouts and one walk to pick up the victory over the Twins on Friday.

The Twins averaged two baserunners per inning, and three of the four runs they scored against Pivetta came via the home run, but the Phillies pitching staff held the Twins to 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. Pivetta could easily have two wins this season, but he has a lot of work to do in the other categories. He has a 6.52 ERA, 1.97 WHIP and eight strikeouts in 9.2 innings. His next start will likely come against the Nationals.

Kelly's X-rays on his right wrist came back negative, and he'll test the wrist prior to Saturday's game against Colorado to determine his availability, Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register reports.

Initial indications are positive for the Dodgers' top setup man, though he'll be re-evaluated Saturday to determine his status moving forward.

Rodriguez (1-1) allowed four runs on seven hits and struck out five with no walks across 5.1 innings during a loss to the Rays on Friday.

The right-hander yielded all four runs in the first inning, three of which came on two home runs. Rodriguez was a good first-inning pitcher as a rookie last year, and he posted a 0.7 HR/9, so it's not likely that this will becoming a reoccurring issue. He simply wasn't good out of the gate Friday. Rodriguez is 1-1 with a 5.23 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and seven strikeouts in 10.1 innings this season. His next start will probably come against the Padres.