MLB Player News

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman pitched a perfect ninth to record his 23rd save of the year, Tuesday against St. Louis. 

Chapman struck out two of the three batters he faced. He converted his 14th straight save opportunity. 

The Mets will have an off day on Thursday, while the team is in Florida. 

While the rest of the team travels from Miami to Tampa, manager Terry Collins will take a day trip to the team's training complex, in Port St. Lucie, to meet with rehabbing pitcher Rafael Montero. 

Montero has been on the disabled list since April 29 with shoulder discomfort, but repeated tests have not located any injury. 

"I just want to go see this kid just to deliver a little message," Collins said, per MLB.com.

Padres reliever Brandon Maurer took his fourth loss of the season on Sunday, when he allowed a three-run, walk-off home run to the Marlins' Adeiny Hechavarria.

Maurer, who has already established a new career-high in appearances, has allowed seven earned runs over his past five innings of work, spanning seven outings. The right-hander believes fatigue could be a partial reason for his recent struggles.

"I've been tired the last couple days," said Maurer, per MLB.com. "I've stepped up the workload in the training room, trying to flex some stuff [inflammation] out.

"I got hit in the arm [in New York]. I think that might've had to do with my slider not being quite as sharp, pushing it more than snapping it off."

Overall, Maurer has had himself a good season so far. He is 7-4 with a 3.06 ERA in 50 innings of relief.

Pirates reliever Joakim Soria replaced former Pittsburgh closer Mark Melancon with one out in the ninth inning. 

Soria retired both batters he faced to earn his first save for the Pirates. He was traded from Detroit earlier in the week. 

Melancon allowed a double and a hit batter before being ejected with the tying run at the plate. 

Pirates closer Mark Melancon lost his shot at his 32nd consecutive converted save Sunday when he was tossed out of the game after hitting Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart with a pitch.

The game featured several hit batsmen and got ugly when the benches emptied.

Melancon has not allowed an earned run since May 11.

Dodgers pitcher Yimi Garcia was optioned to Triple-A on Sunday, the team announced. The move was made to make room for pitcher Mat Latos on the roster, who was recently acquired in a trade with the Marlins.

Garcia is 3-2 with a 3.99 ERA over 38 1/3 innings.

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman wasn't as crisp as we have become accustomed to on Saturday against the Pirates, but he still managed to pick up his 22nd save of the season.

Despite allowing three hits, a walk and a run, Chapman struck out two batters and closed out his team's 4-3 win over Pittsburgh. He now has a 1.81 ERA in 44 2/3 innings this season.

Reds starting pitcher Raisel Iglesias enjoyed a pretty solid start against the Pirates on Saturday.

Iglesias limited his mistakes during the 6 2/3 innings he faced off against Pittsburgh, and it paid off as he picked up his second win of the season. He allowed two runs on four hits, two walks and a home run, but he did manage to strike out five batters.

With the win, Iglesias improved to 2-3 on the year with a 5.13 ERA.

A night after blowing the save, Padres closer Craig Kimbrel got right back out there and nailed down his 31st save of the year on Saturday. Kimbrel needed 13 pitches to retire the side in order in the ninth, protecting a 5-3 victory over the Marlins.

Kimbrel allowed a game-tying home run in the ninth inning on Friday, but was able to rebound nicely a day later. 

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen didn't have his best stuff on Saturday, but he managed to escape his team's matchup with the Angels with his 19th save of the season.

Jansen gave up a run on two hits and walked a batter during an uneasy ninth inning. He managed to strike out two batters in the process.

Jansen now has a 3.04 ERA in 26 2/3 innings this season.