MLB Player News

Howard is expected to serve as the Giants' primary pitcher out of the bullpen in Monday's game against the Cubs, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Left-hander Erik Miller will serve as the Giants' opening pitcher but isn't likely to work more than an inning or two before turning the game over to Howard, who is expected to eat up the bulk of the innings. Howard covered just one frame in his last appearance, but prior to that, he averaged nearly four innings and more than 60 pitches in his first four outings for the Giants following his May 28 call-up from Triple-A Sacramento.

Miller will serve as the Giants' opening pitcher for Monday's game against the Cubs, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Miller has taken to the opener role quite well, allowing two runs (one earned) with an 8:4 K:BB over 6.2 innings covering his first six opener assignments. Spencer Howard is in line to follow Miller as the Giants' primary pitcher.

Garrett gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning Sunday to record his seventh hold of the season in a win over the Cubs.

Edwin Diaz came on the ninth but got ejected for a foreign substance, and Jake Diekman wound up getting a one-out save as Mets manager Carlos Mendoza scrambled to fill in for his closer. Diaz is facing a 10-game suspension, and based on Mendoza's bullpen usage while the right-hander was out injured, Garrett should be viewed as the favorite to handle any save chances during that time. Diekman, Adam Ottavino, Drew Smith and even potentially Dedniel Nunez could all be factors in the ninth as well, however.

Puk (1-8) was credited with the win Sunday over the Mariners, striking out two batters in two perfect innings of relief.

The left-hander took over from Kyle Tyler to begin the fifth inning with the Marlins ahead 6-2, and Puk needed only 20 pitches (14 strikes) to rack up six outs and become the pitcher of record. He appears to be regaining his prior form now that he's no longer in the rotation -- through 10.2 innings in June, Puk sports a 3.38 ERA, 0.94 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB. Should closer Tanner Scott be dealt by the trade deadline, Puk would be a candidate for saves given his experience in the role last year.

Nardi picked up his seventh hold of the season Sunday, giving up a hit and striking out a batter to record the final out of the seventh inning.

The southpaw has overcome some early season struggles and hasn't walked a batter in 12 straight appearances, posting a 3.72 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 10:0 K:BB through 9.2 innings over that stretch. Nardi's seven holds ties him with Anthony Bender for the team lead, and if closer Tanner Scott gets dealt before the trade deadline, the duo would still represent the top options to step into ninth-inning duty for the Marlins.

Johnson gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless seventh inning Sunday to record his eighth hold of the season in a win over the Yankees.

The right-hander has been sharp in June, getting scored upon only once in eight appearances with a 3.12 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB in 8.2 innings. Johnson is quickly closing in on the career-high 12 holds he collected in 2023 as part of Atlanta's high-leverage bridge to closer Raisel Iglesias.

Holderman (1-3) allowed two earned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out one across one inning to take the loss Sunday against the Rays.

Holderman entered the game in the eighth inning with the score knotted at 1-1 and allowed four of the first five batters he faced to reach base to account for the damage. This was the first time he has allowed an earned run in 10 appearances for the month, and he still has a 1.30 ERA and 1.05 WHIP across 27.2 innings on the season. Aroldis Chapman figures to be the primary closer while David Bednar (oblique) is sidelined, but Holderman could also pick up some save chances as arguably Pittsburgh's best remaining high-leverage reliever.

Helsley picked up the save Sunday against San Francisco, striking out two batters during a perfect ninth inning.

Helsley has two more saves than any other closer and is now 26-for-27 on save chances this season. While he's been able to dodge blown saves, Helsley has had to work through plenty of trouble lately, allowing multiple baserunners in seven of his last 12 appearances. Still, the 29-year-old holds a 2.38 ERA and a 40:13 K:BB across 34.0 innings this season.

Beeks (4-4) blew the save and took the loss Sunday against the Nationals, allowing two runs on three hits with a strikeout across one inning.

Beeks was given his first save opportunity since June 5 but couldn't come through for his seventh save of the campaign. Colorado led 1-0 heading into the ninth inning, but Beeks yielded an RBI double to Lane Thomas that plated CJ Abrams -- who advanced to second on a wild pitch -- before allowing Thomas to steal third and score on a two-out single by Joey Meneses. Although Beeks is 6-for-11 on save chances, he owns a 3.76 ERA and should still be in the mix with Tyler Kinley for saves as part of a shaky Rockies bullpen.

Finnegan picked up the save Sunday against Colorado, allowing two hits with two strikeouts across a scoreless ninth inning.

After blowing the save Saturday night on a pitch clock violation with the bases loaded -- the first time that's happened since MLB introduced the pitch clock -- Finnegan was able to convert for his 22nd save of the campaign Sunday. However, he flirted with danger as Ryan McMahon and Brendan Rodgers hit back-to-back singles to start the final half-inning. Finnegan kept the game-tying run at second and retired three straight to close out the contest. The 32-year-old trails only Ryan Helsley and Emmanuel Clase for the most saves in baseball.