MLB Player News

Junk (2-5) took the loss Wednesday against Atlanta, allowing eight runs on eight hits and no walks in five innings. He struck out three.

Junk poured in 62 of his 88 pitches for strikes Wednesday, but he might have been too aggressive in pounding the zone. The 30-year-old right-hander was tagged for a season-worst eight runs, and he's now served up six home runs over four starts in the month of May after giving up only a pair of homers in his first six outings of the season. Junk will be trying to keep the ball in the park during his next scheduled appearance in Toronto, where he'll bring a 5.07 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 40:13 K:BB over 55 innings.

Mejia was charged with a blown save Wednesday in the 5-4 loss to the Rangers, giving up one hit with one strikeout over two-thirds of an inning.

With the Rockies holding a one-run lead, Mejia was called upon to put out a ninth-inning fire with the bases loaded and one out, but a passed ball and a single resulted in two inherited runners coming across to score, tagging him with his first blown save. The right-hander has recorded three saves this year and should remain in the mix at closer for Colorado given that he has not been charged with a run in his past seven appearances and holds a 3.80 ERA over 19 outings overall.

Sewald struck out one in a hitless and scoreless ninth inning to earn the save in Wednesday's 6-3 win over San Francisco.

Sewald pitched for the first time in the three-game series versus the Giants and got his 11th save in 12 chances this year. The right-hander needed only 13 pitches to earn the save and has now converted two straight after blowing his first save of the season a week ago in Texas. The clean showing lowers his ERA to 4.15 with a 20:6 K:BB.

The Rockies placed Vodnik on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with right ulnar nerve inflammation.

Vodnik still leads the Rockies with four saves this season but has struggled mightily over the last month, allowing 14 runs with an 11:9 K:BB over nine innings. He'll now be sidelined for at least the next two weeks. Antonio Senzatela and Juan Mejia are currently the top options for saves in the Colorado bullpen.

Puk (elbow) threw a 20-pitch live batting practice session Tuesday, Alex D'Agostino of SI.com reports.

Puk faced hitters for the first time since undergoing internal brace surgery on his left elbow last June. Per Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo, Puk's fastball sat in the mid-90s during the throwing session, and the left-hander bounced back well following the workout. The successful live BP session should set Puk up to begin a rehab assignment this weekend in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League.

The Mets optioned Duarte to Triple-A Syracuse on Wednesday.

After being called up from Triple-A on Monday, the 29-year-old made his Mets debut a day later against the Nationals, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings out of the bullpen. The Mets sent him back to Syracuse in order to make room on the active roster for Wednesday's starting pitcher, Zach Thornton.

Scott (1-1) earned the win over San Diego on Tuesday, walking one batter and striking out two over 1.1 scoreless and hitless innings.

Scott has been Los Angeles' primary closer since Edwin Diaz (elbow) landed on the injured list April 20, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts elected to call on Scott in the bottom of the seventh inning Tuesday. The lefty's entrance came at a critical moment, as the Padres had put runners on first and second with two outs in a 4-4 game. Scott got Ramon Laureano to fly out to end the threat and then worked around a two-out walk to retire the side in the eighth. He moved in line for the victory when Los Angeles plated a run in the top of the ninth, and Will Klein got the final three outs in the bottom of that inning for his first career save. Scott's usage Tuesday shouldn't be viewed as an indication that he's not the Dodgers' first choice as closer, though it does suggest that Roberts isn't against using him in earlier high-leverage spots if the situation calls for it.

Pittsburgh optioned Mattson to Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday.

The 30-year-old will be sent back to Triple-A after posting a 4.12 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 19.2 innings for Pittsburgh on the season. The Pirates will replace Mattson in the bullpen with right-hander Wilber Dotel, who was recalled from Indianapolis.

Sanmartin (hip) tossed a scoreless inning in Triple-A Sacramento's 11-6 win over Sugar Land on Tuesday.

Sanmartin threw eight of his 13 pitches for strikes and induced three straight outs after entering in the fifth inning. The 30-year-old recently began his rehab assignment in the rookie-level Arizona Complex League but quickly advanced to Triple-A. The left-hander was placed on the 60-day injured list March 25 due to a right hip flexor strain, and he had been competing for a bullpen spot in San Francisco, so he isn't guaranteed to join the big-league roster once healthy.

Johnson threw a scoreless seventh inning in Tuesday's win over the Phillies to pick up his fourth hold of the season. He struck out two while allowing a walk.

Meanwhile, the Reds turned to Sam Moll to pitch the eighth, and then Tony Santillan pitched a clean ninth inning to get the save. Johnson had given up a homer in his most recent outing Saturday, perhaps taking him out of consideration for this save chance. He now has a 3.72 ERA and 1.34 WHIP over 19.1 innings for the season.