MLB Player News

Vizcaino saved his eighth game with a scoreless ninth and struck out a batter Wednesday against the Cubs.

Vizcaino bounced back well from his first blown save in his last eight chances. He has struck out a batter in five straight outings and is now 8-for-10 in save opportunities with a strong 2.61 ERA. Dan Winkler and A.J. Minter seem to be in the mix for saves, but Vizcaino still looks like the primary option in the ninth inning.

Edwards (2-1) took the loss Tuesday against the Braves, allowing three earned runs on three hits and two walks while recording just a single out.

Edwards had his worst outing of the season and saw his ERA jump from 2.41 to 3.79 in the process. He got the first batter he saw in the eighth inning, but things unraveled quickly, as Edwards proceeded to allow three straight hits followed by two walks (one intentional) before getting the hook. The 26-year-old had a 0.53 ERA as recently as Friday, but he's allowed seven earned runs in two innings of work since then.

Suarez (1-3) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk while striking out five over six innings against the Reds.

The bulk of the damage was done in the first inning, as Suarez allowed two singles, a double and a home run to find himself down 4-0 before recording his first out. All things considered, he actually recovered fairly well to get through six innings while allowing only one unearned run after the first, but it was too late at that point. The lefty has allowed 10 runs (nine earned) over 10 innings in his last two starts and has seen his ERA jump from 3.06 to 4.88 as a result. He'll look to right the ship Tuesday in Houston.

Koch (2-2) was dealt the loss Wednesday, allowing eight runs on nine hits and a walk over 4.1 innings against the Brewers.

It was a dreadful day from start to finish, as Koch gave up four home runs and failed to record a strikeout despite throwing first-pitch strikes to 16 of the 22 batters he faced. It's the lefty's second loss in a row, but Wednesday was really the first time so far he's been hit hard. Prior to this most recent outing, Koch turned in four quality starts in five tries and boasted a 2.43 ERA. That's now bloated up to 4.06. He'll look to right the ship in a rematch against the Brewers on Monday.

Pivetta (3-2) recorded the win over the Orioles on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and a walk over seven innings while striking out 11,

The 11 Ks tied the right-hander's career high as he generated 23 swinging strikes among his 99 pitches. Pivetta made only one real mistake on the day, which Adam Jones deposited in the seats in the first inning, but he shut down Baltimore's bats after that until the Phillies could break through against Andrew Cashner in the sixth. Pivetta will take a 3.72 ERA into his next outing Monday at home against the Braves.

Grace (groin) played catch Wednesday and plans on resuming his rehab assignment next weekend, Mark Zuckerman of MASN Sports reports.

Grace was shut down for a few days after suffering a setback during his original rehab assignment at Triple-A Syracuse on May 8. He will look to gradually increase his throwing distance over the weekend and hopefully report back to Syracuse for another outing or two by the end of next week.

Leiter was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on Wednesday.

Leiter was up for just one day after being activated from the disabled list but did not see any game action. The 27-year-old appeared 11 times as a starter and 16 times as a reliever for the Phillies last season. His 4.96 ERA was unremarkable, though his 21.3 percent strikeout rate and 7.9 percent walk rate suggest that he could make a fine back-end starter or long reliever. A corresponding move has not yet been announced, but both Adam Morgan (back) and Victor Arano (shoulder) are nearing returns from their respective injuries, and it's possible that one of them is about to be called up.

Santana was promoted to Triple-A Oklahoma City on Wednesday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Santana impressed through his first eight starts for Double-A Tulsa, recording a 2.56 ERA and a 31.7 percent strikeout rate. He profiles as a future No. 4 starter with average command of a plus fastball and slider. The promotion puts him on the brink of a major-league callup, especially as he's already on the 40-man roster.

Garcia is expected to transition to the bullpen, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Though there hasn't been anything official announced from the club at this point, it seems as though Garcia will move to a relief role following a pair of rough outings. In his place, Elieser Hernandez will enter the rotation and get a start Wednesday against the Dodgers. Over eight appearances this year -- including six starts -- Garcia has posted a 3.14 ERA and 1.05 WHIP with a 30:17 K:BB across 43 innings.

Hernandez will make his first career major-league start during Wednesday's game against the Dodgers, Joe Frisaro of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez has appeared in two games out of the bullpen over the past week since being promoted to the majors last Thursday. Over those outings, he allowed six hits and one earned run while striking out one across three innings. The 23-year-old made a handful of starts at the Triple-A level earlier this year and could be a temporary addition to the Marlins' rotation moving forward. Caleb Smith, who was expected to start Wednesday, will now toe the rubber for Thursday's series finale, while it's expected that Jarlin Garcia will move to the bullpen.