MLB Player News

Mayers allowed one run on one hit across one inning Sunday in the Cardinals' loss to the Diamondbacks.

The 26-year-old gave up a solo home run in the eighth inning, which allowed Arizona to boost its lead late in the game. The right-hander figures to see more action this year, as the Cardinals struggle with a banged up bullpen. Mayers has been knocked around at the big-league level in just eight career appearances, accruing a 18.00 ERA.

Boxberger pitched a scoreless ninth inning while allowing one hit and recording a strikeout Sunday to record his fourth save of the season to cap the Diamondbacks' 4-1 win over the Cardinals.

Boxberger has tossed five innings without allowing a run. The 29-year-old is set to see ample save opportunities this season if he can stay healthy and limit walks.

Richards allowed three earned runs on six hits while walking three and striking out two across four innings Sunday against the Phillies.

Richards' results improved marginally in his second start of the season, but he still was unable to escape the fifth inning. He may not be long for the rotation with both Dan Straily (forearm) and Wei-Yin Chen (elbow) likely to return from injury by the end of April.

Edwards tossed a perfect inning and recorded a strikeout to earn a hold Sunday against Milwaukee.

Edwards earned his second hold of the season, setting up Brandon Morrow for the save. The 26-year-old right-hander has been impressive to start the season, giving up just one run in five innings while recording nine strikeouts. He'll likely remain in a setup role unless Morrow starts to slip up.

Blach threw six one-run innings en route to a no-decision Sunday in the Giants' loss to the Dodgers, allowing four hits and three walks with one strikeout.

Blach got into a spot of trouble in the fourth inning when he allowed his only run, but he did well to scatter baserunners and otherwise limited the damage. Unfortunately, he dueled against Clayton Kershaw and didn't receive any run support. Blach has enjoyed a pair of solid outings with a disappointing one sandwiched in between and will carry a 4.11 ERA into his next start against the Padres.

Jansen struck out the side around a hit in a scoreless inning of work to earn his first save of the season Sunday against the Giants.

Jansen required 23 pitches to retire the side, but he did so in overpowering fashion en route to his first save of the season. The big right-hander didn't quite look like himself over his first three appearances, racking up a 12.00 ERA and 2.00 WHIP with decreased velocity, but Sunday's effort was a big improvement, as his cutter was sitting in the 92-93 mph range. Jansen is considered 100 percent healthy and seems to be rounding into form after his early struggles.

Hernandez (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Sunday, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.

Hernandez has been slowed by shoulder inflammation the past two weeks but seems to have turned a corner in his recovery. He'll still need to face hitters in live batting practice and then likely head out on a brief rehab assignment before the Reds are comfortable activating him from the 10-day disabled list.

Peralta threw two perfect innings Saturday against the Pirates and picked up the win when the Reds rallied in the eighth inning.

Peralta has thrown four scoreless innings to start the season, including the two Saturday that included three strikeouts. He got off to a great start last year but wilted a bit over the second half due to overuse. On its surface, the Reds' rotation looks a little better this season, so perhaps their key relievers won't be as taxed.

Leone notched his first hold Saturday in the Cardinals' 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks, firing a scoreless sixth inning during which he recorded two strikeouts.

That's three strong outings in four appearances for Leone, who's also racked up a pair of strikeouts in each of his trips to the mound. Despite what appears will be a relative dearth of save opportunities behind closer Greg Holland, Leone's ability to miss bats and surprisingly sharp control thus far affords him solid upside, particularly in NL-only formats.

Hicks notched his first hold Saturday in the Cardinals' 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks, allowing an unearned run on two walks over one inning.

A throwing error by Matt Carpenter that allowed Paul Goldschmidt to reach got Hicks' inning started on the wrong foot, and the young fireballer hurt his own cause with a walk to A.J. Pollock. That eventually set up an RBI groundout by Chris Owings, but Carpenter's miscue allowed Hicks' ERA to remain unblemished over the first five outings of his big-league career. Given his blistering velocity and early success, it appears manager Mike Matheny will have to fight the temptation to overuse the 21-year-old, as he's already shown the ability to be a late-inning force.