MLB Player News

Montero (2-8) allowed one run on six hits and three walks while striking out five batters through six innings during Saturday's win over Miami.

The 26-year-old righty has now allowed just three runs through 12 innings over his past two starts, so with a 9.2 K/9 for the campaign, his fantasy value might be on the rise. Montero sports a discouraging 5.47 ERA and 1.73 WHIP for the campaign, but he owns the pitch arsenal to reward in favorable matchups. His upcoming home start against Arizona will be a telling test.

Neris recorded the final out of Saturday's game against the Giants for his 14th save of the season.

The Giants trimmed what was an eight-run Phillies lead to begin the ninth inning down to three runs, creating an unlikely save situation for Neris. He issued a walk to the first batter he faced, but then got Carlos Moncrief swinging for the final out. It was a fine bounce back after Neris gave up three runs in his last appearance.

Blach (8-9) allowed six runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings in a losing effort against the Phillies on Saturday.

He kept his team in it for five innings, but everything fell apart for San Francisco in the sixth, with Blach, Josh Osich and Cory Gearrin combining to give up seven runs in the frame. The ERA and WHIP still look decent for a 26-year-old in his first full big-league season, but Blach has struggled on the road and he has the lowest K/9 among all qualified starters in baseball.

Hand pitched a perfect ninth inning with two strikeouts against the Nationals on Saturday en route to his 11th save of the season.

He retired the side in order on 13 pitches, preserving the win for starter Travis Wood. Hand has distanced himself from his recent three-run hiccup, and that outing was an aberration anyway -- he has been scored upon just that one time in his last 26 appearances.

Bracho was optioned to Triple-A Reno on Saturday, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

The 25-year-old needs some rest after pitching on back-to-back days, and the Diamondbacks need all the fresh arms they can get with T.J. McFarland starting the series finale. Bracho pitched reasonably well during his latest stint with the big club, but a more prominent role upon his return in September seems unlikely.

Hoover was optioned to Triple-A Reno following Saturday's game, Steve Gilbert of MLB.com reports.

Hoover tossed 2.2 innings (50 pitches) Saturday and would have been unavailable for a couple days, so the Diamondbacks decided to swap him out for a fresh arm ahead of Sunday's bullpen game. Look for Hoover to return in September and serve in a mop-up role.

Stephenson (1-4) allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and three walks while striking out three across five innings to earn the win Saturday against the Braves.

Stephenson was able to keep the Braves in check despite issuing three free passes. He's lowered his ERA by almost two full runs over his last four outings, and he's someone fantasy managers should keep an eye on, as he could be useful down the stretch. He'll make his next start Friday against the Pirates.

Jansen struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 33rd save of the season Saturday against the Tigers.

Jansen bounced back to convert his ninth straight save opportunity after allowing a run in Friday's non-save situation. The 30-year-old has only blown one save this season, and he owns an impressive 1.33 ERA, 0.70 WHIP and 84:5 K:BB over 54.1 innings.

Stewart is a candidate to make a spot start Tuesday against the Pirates, Bill Plunkett of The Orange County Register reports.

With Yu Darvish (back) set to miss his next turn in the rotation while on the shelf, Stewart could rejoin the Dodgers to make his third big-league start of the season. The 25-year-old owns a 2.03 ERA and 20:2 K:BB in four starts (13.1 innings) with Triple-A Oklahoma City this year, though he labored through his two spot starts for the big club earlier in the season, allowing seven runs (two earned) on eight hits and four walks in 7.2 innings.

Paredes was recalled from Triple-A Oklahoma City on Saturday, Andy McCullough of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Paredes will take the place of Yu Darvish (back) on the roster, and he should offer an extra arm out of the bullpen for the Dodgers until they need to swap him out for Darvish's temporary replacement in the rotation. He'll get another shot with the big club after posting a 0.75 ERA and 21:6 K:BB over 12 innings with Oklahoma City.