MLB Player News

Pirates closer Mark Melancon gave up a pair of hits Sunday but pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his seventh save.

Melancon opened the ninth by allowing a single then surrendered a one-out infield single to put the winning run on base. He followed it up with a strikeout and groundout to end the game. Melancon owns a 3.77 ERA and 9:4 K:BB ratio in 14 1/3 innings. He hasn't given up an earned run in eight straight appearances.

"It was good to see [Melancon] finish things off," manager Clint Hurdle said to MLB.com. "It's a vote of confidence for the team. They believe in him, and when he goes out there to get things done, he's got to feel better about how things finish.

"He's incrementally getting a little bit better every time out."

Diamondbacks pitcher Daniel Hudson will start Sunday's game against the Padres.

The Diamondbacks rotation was thrown out of schedule after a postponement Tuesday led to a doubleheader Wednesday, and the team had yet to name a starter for Sunday's game.

Hudson will be making his first start since going 3-2 with a 7.35 ERA in nine starts during the 2012 season. He owns a 6.17 ERA and 7:3 K:BB ratio in 11 2/3 innings out of the bullpen this season.

The Diamondbacks are home underdogs (+116) against the Padres Sunday.

Dodgers pitcher Kenley Jansen worked a 1-2-3 inning during his rehab appearance on Saturday for Rancho Cucamonga. Jansen, who is currently on the 15-day DL with a foot injury, recorded one strikeout in the appearance.

He is scheduled to make another appearance in Sunday's game, according to the Orange County Register.

Padres closer Craig Kimbrel blew his second save opportunity of the season on Saturday in San Diego's 6-4 win over the Diamondbacks in 12 innings.

Kimbrel got the first two batters of the inning out with ease. But then, after a walk to Jordan Pacheco, he moved up on a throwing error. Aaron Hill then singled to right field, putting runners on first and third. 

Then, pinch hitter Danny Dorn came up with a 0-2 double to right to score both runners and send the game to extra innings. Kimbrel moved his ERA to 5.68 in 12 2/3 innings of work with 16 strikeouts.

Much-maligned Mark Melancon, whose job appeared to be in jeopardy early this season, has rebounded with a fine run. He posted his sixth save of the year for the Pirates by retiring the Cardinals in order Saturday night in front of a sellout crowd at PNC Park.

Melancon, whose ERA was 8.53 after blowing a save with a three-run ninth on April 21 as some were complaining about decreased velocity, has responded with seven straight shutout innings. He has allowed just three hits and one walk during that stretch.

Cubs pitcher Pedro Strop has struggled over the last week, giving up six earned runs on seven hits and four walks in just 2 1/3 innings over his last four appearances, and he feels like his fastball isn't up to its normal standards, ESPN.com reports.

"I feel like my fastball doesn’t have that life that I need," Strop said.

Strop has appeared in 16 of his team's first 28 games, but he stopped short of blaming his recent struggles on overuse.

"I don’t want to say that," Strop said. "I’m kind of used to that. It’s early in the season. I don’t want to use that as a complaint."

Strop was able to get out of a jam Friday and help preserve a lead in his team's 7-6 win over the Brewers. He owns a 4.26 ERA and 15:6 K:BB ratio in 12 2/3 innings.

Padres pitcher Craig Kimbrel entered the ninth inning with a one-run lead and Kimbrel pitched a perfect inning to record his ninth save of the season during Friday's 6-5 win over the Diamondbacks.

Kimbrel is now a perfect 9 for 9 in save opportunities this season and his ERA stands at 4.63.

The long ball was not kind to Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson during Friday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs.

Nelson allowed three home runs and five hits, which resulted in four runs over seven innings of work. Nelson surrendered solo home runs to Dexter Fowler in the first inning as well as to Anthony Rizzo and Jorge Soler in the fourth inning.

Nelson's main highlight during the outing were his 11 strikeouts with only one walk. He received his third loss of the season for his effort. Nelson (1-3) has not received a win since his first start of season.

His next expected start is scheduled for Wednesday against the White Sox.

100 Miles Giles hasn't been hitting 100 mph on the radar gun. 

Phillies reliever Ken Giles, who earned this nickname for his ability to throw a fastball in triple-digits, has seen his velocity dip through the first month of the season. That said, his fastball is still clocking in the mid-90s. 

"100 miles per hour is just a luxury thing," Giles said, via the Philadelphia Inquirer. "I'm still 95-96. Who cares? I'm going to be more effective if I learn how to pitch. That's how I get out. Not blowing guys away. It's learning how to pitch."

Giles has been heavily effective this year, posting a 0.73 ERA in 12.1 innings of relief work. 

Diamondbacks pitcher Rubby De La Rosa got more than enough run support during Thursday's 11-0 win over the Padres.

De La Rosa (3-2) pitched seven innings and did not surrender a run on three hits. He struck out seven batters and walked two. He was able to lower his ERA from 5.40 to 4.38 and he earned a win for his effort.

De La Rosa has now pitched seven innings and surrendered one run or less in two of his last three starts. His next expected start is scheduled for Wednesday against the Nationals.