MLB Player News

Romano (0-1) took the loss and a blown save Wednesday against the Mets, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and a walk over two-thirds of an inning. He struck out one.

The Phillies took a one-run lead in the top of the 10th inning, and Romano was tasked with closing the door in the bottom half. After Pete Alonso tied the game with a one-out double, Romano bounced back to strike out Mark Vientos before giving up a two-out, game-winning single to Starling Marte. Romano's Phillies' tenure has gotten off to a rough start -- his ERA now sits at 13.50 with a 2.25 WHIP and 9:6 K:BB through his first 9.1 innings. For now, Jose Alvarado figures to handle the bulk of save chances in Philly while Romano works in lower-leverage spots.

Hernandez (3-0) picked up the win Wednesday, giving up one hit in 1.1 scoreless innings of relief. He struck out two.

The right-hander was once again in the right place at the right time, taking the mound with two outs in the eighth inning and then watching Eli White launch a game-winning homer in the bottom of the frame. Hernandez has had a strong start to the season aside from his vultured wins, adding two holds in 11 appearances and posting a 2.38 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 7:3 K:BB through 11.1 innings.

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol said Thursday that Matz moving into the rotation on a more permanent basis "should be on the table," Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Matz has made one start and six relief appearances so far this season and excelled in both roles, posting a 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 13:3 K:BB over 19.1 innings. He will be available out of the bullpen for this weekend's series against the Brewers, but if he's not needed, he'll make a start next week in Cincinnati. Miles Mikolas' spot in the Cardinals' rotation would appear to be the most vulnerable, although he tossed six shutout frames his last time out. While Matz is pitching well enough to be considered for a regular place in the St. Louis rotation, it does not seem that move is imminent.

Finnegan gave up two hits and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Wednesday to record his ninth save of the season in a 4-3 win over the Orioles.

The right-hander didn't re-sign with the Nationals until late February, but his late start to camp hasn't impacted his results once the regular season began. Through 10 appearances, Finnegan has a 1.69 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB while converting all nine of his save chances, putting him second in the majors behind Robert Suarez's 10.

Martinez (shoulder) returned to the mound in Wednesday's extra-inning loss to the Rays, striking out one during a clean ninth inning.

While it wasn't a save situation in a 5-5 game, fantasy managers should still be pleased to see the hard-throwing right-hander look sharp in his return to action. It was Martinez's first appearance since last Thursday due to right shoulder fatigue, and he should be ready to solely reclaim the closer's role for the time being in the absence of A.J. Puk (elbow). Through his first eight innings of the season, Martinez has converted both of his save opportunities while allowing just three hits, one walk and no runs en route to producing a pristine 11:1 K:BB.

Santana surrendered one hit and no walks while striking out one batter in a scoreless ninth inning to collect a save in Wednesday's 3-0 win over the Angels.

Santana struck out Jo Adell on four pitches before allowing a double to Jorge Soler, but a groundout from Zach Neto followed by a Mike Trout flyout allowed the 29-year-old to pick up his third save of the year while preserving the shutout. Santana now owns a 1.59 ERA and 0.89 WHIP through 11.1 innings on the year and should continue to see regular save opportunities even though David Bednar is back with the Buccos.

Doval picked up the save in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Brewers after recording two outs in the ninth inning, striking out one.

Ryan Walker was able to log just one out before being pulled from a non-save situation, allowing two runs on three hits to make it a 4-2 game. That created a save situation for Doval, who fired each of his five pitches for strikes to tally his fourth save of the year. Both Walker and Doval have received six save chances apiece to begin the campaign, so this hierarchy atop San Francisco's bullpen has been more of a committee than expected so far. Doval has a 2.45 ERA, 0.82 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB while converting four of his six save chances over 11 innings.

Hodge struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning to collect his first save of the season in Wednesday's 7-6 win over the Dodgers.

With Ryan Pressly unavailable due to knee problems, manager Craig Counsell turned to Hodge to preserve a one-run lead in the ninth inning for his first save of the year. The 24-year-old responded by retiring all three batters he faced on 14 pitches, striking out Shohei Ohtani in the process. Since allowing six earned runs in two-thirds of an inning against Arizona on Friday, Hodge has fired three shutout frames, lowering his ERA from 7.45 to 5.11.

Casparius didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's 7-6 loss to the Cubs after allowing one hit and zero walks while striking out four batters across 2.2 shutout innings.

Casparius looked sharp in his first career major-league start, as a second-inning double from Michael Busch was all the Cubs' offense could muster against him. Casparius turned the game over to the bullpen once Chicago's lineup turned over midway through the third frame, at which point the Cubs' bats began to wake up. The amount of injuries plaguing Los Angeles' pitching staff makes it possible that the 26-year-old righty will get a chance to make another start next week, though there's no guarantee he would pitch deep enough into the game to qualify for a win.

Bednar struck out two without allowing a baserunner in a scoreless seventh inning to earn a hold Wednesday against the Angels.

This marked Bednar's third appearance since being recalled from Triple-A Indianapolis, and he's now allowed just two baserunners across three innings of work while maintaining a 5:0 K:BB. He's worked in the seventh inning with Pittsburgh ahead in each of his last two outings, but he's likely to see save chances at some point if he continues to show strong form.