MLB Player News

Padres closer Craig Kimbrel nailed down his 19th save of the season, working a scoreless ninth inning in Friday's 4-2 win over the Diamondbacks. Kimbrel worked around a two-out walk by getting Jake Lamb to strike out and end the game.

Kimbrel has now converted 10 consecutive saves chances, and is 19-for-20 overall this season.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen worked a scoreless ninth inning in a non-save situation on Thursday. Jansen closed out the 4-0 win over the Cubs, striking out a batter in his perfect inning of work. 

The hard-throwing righty has given up just one earned run all season, and owns a miniscule 0.61 ERA.

Diamondbacks starting pitcher Rubby De La Rosa tossed seven innings in a no-decision against the Rockies on Thursday.

De La Rosa gave up five hits and just one earned run in what was a very solid performance. He left the game with a 2-1 lead and was in line to earn his seventh win of the year before his bullpen allowed five runs in the eighth inning.

De La Rosa (6-3) has a 4.69 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 25 walks in 96 innings this season.

Rockies relief pitcher John Axford stopped the bleeding in the ninth inning of his team's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks.

Axford replaced Boone Logan, who allowed two runs and didn't record an out in the ninth inning, and shut down the Diamondbacks' hope of a rally. Axford threw 25 pitches, allowed a hit and struck out a batter before closing out the game and earning his 13th save of the year.

Axford (1-1) has a 2.42 ERA with 21 strikeouts and 10 walks in 22 1/3 innings this year.

Reds pitcher Aroldis Chapman has been reinstated from the paternity list Thursday, the team announced.

Chapman did not appear in the last two games while on leave. Meanwhile, the team optioned infielder Kris Negron to Triple-A. Negron is hitting .141 in 92-at bats this season.

Dodgers relief pitcher Kenley Jansen needed just 10 pitches to record his 10th save of the season on Wednesday against the Cubs.

Jansen closed out the ninth inning with relative ease, though he did allow a hit.

Jansen (2-0) has a .66 ERA with 23 strikeouts in 13 2/3 innings this season.

Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson allowed one earned run in Wednesday night's 4-1 victory over the Mets. 

Nelson went eight innings, marking the third time he's done so this year. He allowed two hits, one walk and struck out five batters. The two hits allowed was a stark contrast from the 21 he allowed over his previous two starts. 

"He was just good all night," Brewers manager Craig Counsell said, via MLB.com. "That's what gets you excited about him. He's been a little uneven this year, but he's still a young pitcher, and it was a great night for him to build on and to know what's in there."

Nelson now has a 4.34 ERA this season. 

Braves pitcher Shelby Miller allowed one earned run in a no-decision during Wednesday night's 2-1 loss to the Nationals. 

Miller went seven innings, gave up three hits, walked one batter and struck out five. Miller has been impressive over his last four starts, giving up a total of six earned runs and posting a 2.08 ERA in the process. 

Then again, Miller has been impressive all year as he now boasts a 1.94 ERA. 

Reds relief pitcher J.J. Hoover recorded his first save of the season in Wednesday's win over the Pirates.

Hoover needed just 14 pitches to close out the ninth inning in the 5-2 win. He struck out two of the three batters he faced and didn't allow a hit.

Hoover (5-0) has a 1.39 ERA with 24 strikeouts and 13 walks in 32 1/3 innings this season. He's the only Reds player other than closer Aroldis Chapman, who hasn't pitched since returning from paternity leave earlier this week, to record a save this season.

Padres closer Craig Kimbrel picked up his 18th save of the season, working a scoreless 11th inning in the 3-2 extra-innings win over the Giants on Tuesday. 

Kimbrel worked around a walk by striking out the side to close out the game. The hard-throwing right-hander is now 18-for-19 in save chances this season.