MLB Player News
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Aroldis Chapman RP | BOS
Pirates' Aroldis Chapman: Struggling to get outs
Chapman (0-2) allowed two earned runs on two hits and no walks while striking out one to take the loss Thursday against the Brewers.
Chapman entered the game in the eighth inning to protect a one-run lead. He initially ran into some bad luck when a runner reached base on weak contact that didn't leave the infield, but the veteran lefty then threw a wild pitch and served up a home run to Gary Sanchez. Chapman began the season with 5.1 scoreless innings, but he's since allowed six earned runs across his last 2.2 frames and four appearances.
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Huascar Brazoban RP | NYM
Marlins' Huascar Brazoban: Activated from restricted list
The Marlins reinstated Brazoban (personal) from the restricted list Thursday.
Brazoban landed on the restricted list prior to Opening Day due to visa issues, which have evidently been resolved. Though he's now back on the Marlins' 40-man roster, it's unclear when the reliever might be ready to join the 26-man active roster. Since he missed all of spring training, Brazoban will presumably need to make several appearances in the minors before being an option for the big-league bullpen.
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Joel Payamps RP | ATL
Brewers' Joel Payamps: Pitches eighth inning Thursday
Payamps pitched a scoreless eighth inning of Thursday's 7-5 win over the Pirates, giving up one hit and one walk en route to claiming his third hold of the season.
Just one day after notching his fourth save of the season, Payamps moved to a setup role Thursday, with Trevor Megill coming on in the ninth inning to nab his first save. Brewers manager Pat Murphy hasn't clarified that Megill will be the team's top option for save chances moving forward, so Payamps could end finding himself as part of a committee at closer with Megill and perhaps Abner Uribe.
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Trevor Megill RP | MIL
Brewers' Trevor Megill: Nabs first save
Megill pitched a perfect ninth inning Thursday to notch his first save of the season in the Brewers' 7-5 win over the Pirates.
Megill and Joel Payamps flipped roles from Wednesday's 3-2 win, when Megill pitched a clean eighth inning before Payamps pitched the ninth and collected the save. It's uncertain whom the Brewers will turn to for the next save opportunity, which tracks with manager Pat Murphy's comments from earlier in the season indicating that intended to "pass the Fireman's hat around" with the save chances once Devin Williams (back) got injured.
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Evan Phillips RP | LAD
Dodgers' Evan Phillips: Keeps rolling with seventh save
Phillips earned a save against the Nationals on Thursday, striking out two batters in a perfect inning of work.
Phillips didn't have any trouble protecting Los Angeles' one-run, ninth-inning lead, striking out the first two batters he faced before inducing a game-ending groundout. The right-hander has yielded just one earned run over 10.2 innings on the season, giving him a minuscule 0.84 ERA. Phillips has converted all seven of his save chances as he continues to build his case as one of the league's most reliable closers.
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Justin Lawrence RP | PIT
Rockies' Justin Lawrence: Collects save No. 2
Lawrence earned a save against the Padres on Thursday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.
Lawrence notched his first save of the season Tuesday in his ninth appearance of the campaign, and it didn't take him long to build upon that with another save two days later. After giving up five runs (four earned) in his second outing of the season April 5, the right-hander has yielded just two earned runs over eight outings covering 8.1 frames since. Given that he's logged back-to-back saves for Colorado and has two of the three saves overall on the campaign for the club, Lawrence appears to be strengthening his hold on the team's primary closer role.
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Hector Neris RP | HOU
Cubs' Hector Neris: Claims another save
Neris picked up the save Thursday against Houston, allowing two walks and no hits over a scoreless inning. He didn't log a strikeout.
Neris converted on his third save of the last five days and appears to have a decent hold on the Cubs' closing job, replacing Adbert Alzolay. However, Neris's walk issues persisted Thursday, handing out two free passes to bring his season total to nine in nine innings. His lack of control has been uncharacteristic, as Neris combined for just 48 walks in 141 appearances during his previous two seasons with the Astros.
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Ryder Ryan RP | LAD
Pirates' Ryder Ryan: Shuttled back to Indy
Ryan was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis on Thursday, Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
Ryan has had success in the majors this season, maintaining a 3.00 ERA with a 13:5 K:BB across 12 innings. He threw 1.2 scoreless frames Thursday against the Brewers, so this move is likely just a roster shuffle to get a fresh arm in the Pirates' bullpen in the short term. No corresponding move was announced.
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Sean Hjelle RP | SF
Giants' Sean Hjelle: Takes loss Wednesday
Hjelle (0-1) took the loss versus the Mets on Wednesday, allowing three runs on two hits and a walk while striking out two over 2.2 innings.
Blake Snell (thigh) was placed on the injured list Wednesday, forcing the Giants to go with a bullpen game. Hjelle ended up with the most innings of the seven pitchers used, but he was unable to match his success from his season debut Sunday versus the Diamondbacks, when he pitched two innings of one-hit ball. The right-hander was on the shelf with an elbow injury to begin the season, and he'll likely serve as a long reliever for the majority of 2024.
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Bryan Hudson RP | CHW
Brewers' Bryan Hudson: Earns second win
Hudson (2-0) earned the win Wednesday over the Pirates, allowing one hit over 1.2 scoreless innings. He struck out one.
Hudson has now earned wins in his last two appearances as he continues to impress early in the year. The left-hander has allowed just one run over 13.1 innings while posting an impressive 0.60 WHIP and 13:2 K:BB. Hudson made six appearances with the Dodgers last season, working to a 7.27 ERA over 8.2 innings.