MLB Player News

Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson picked up his ninth win of the season during Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Padres.

Nelson allowed one unearned run on three hits over 6 2/3 innings of work. He also struck out four and walked one. He is now 9-9 with a 3.57 ERA.

Nelson has received a win in three of his last four starts and earned a quality start in his last five outings.

Phillies relief pitcher Ken Giles had a nearly perfect outing on Tuesday, getting the final four outs of Philadelphia's 6-2 win over the Dodgers, earning his third save of the year.

Giles came on in the eighth with runners on second and third and managed to get Jimmy Rollins to strikeout. Then in the ninth, Giles allowed a leadoff walk before getting two of the final three batters to strikeout to end the game. Giles lowered his ERA to 1.72 in 47 innings of work.

Braves pitcher Shelby Miller posted the third quality start in his past six outings, but was left with a no-decision in Tuesday's 8-3 loss to the Giants. Miller allowed two runs on four hits over seven innings. He walked three and struck out three, throwing 65 of 106 pitches for strikes on the evening.

Miller left the game in line for the win, with the Braves leading 3-2 after seven innings. But the Braves' bullpen gave up six runs over the final two innings, en route to the five-run loss.

Miller has now gone more than two months since his last win, with May 17 being the last time he won a start, despite posting a 3.14 ERA over that stretch. 

Making his first start since June 8, Marlins left-hander Brad Hand pitched well against the Mets on Tuesday. Hand, who threw two innings of relief on Friday, tossed four scoreless innings on Tuesday. He allowed five hits and a walk while striking out three, but he did not factor in the decision in the 5-1 loss.

Hand left the game with his team leading 1-0, but the Mets tied the game in the sixth and tacked on four more in the eighth.

With the recent trades the Marlins made, dealing away Mat Latos and Dan Haren, it remains to be seen if Hand becomes a permanent member of the rotation, or if he will head back to the bullpen.

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.