MLB Player News

Doval struck out two batters in a perfect inning to earn a save over Atlanta on Sunday.

Doval finally snapped out of his funk with a dominant appearance. Prior to picking up his 34th save of the year Sunday, he had blown four straight chances. He coughed up six runs (five earned) while posting an uncharacteristic 4:5 K:BB during that stretch. Doval's season ERA sits at 3.04 with a 77:24 K:BB through 56.1 frames.

Phillips picked up the save Sunday against the Red Sox. He allowed one hit with no walks while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Phillips worked around a one-out single to slam the door on the Red Sox and earn the save. It was the 21st save in 23 opportunities for Phillips, who now holds a 2.34 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 55 strikeouts over 50 innings on the season.

Lawrence (4-6) earned the win in Sunday's 4-3 victory over Baltimore. He struck out two over 1.1 perfect innings.

Lawrence was called upon with two outs in the eighth to preserve a tie game. Once Colorado took the lead, he stayed on in the ninth to close out the victory. Lawrence had allowed eight earned runs in 2.1 innings over his previous three appearances, putting his role as closer on shaky ground. But this strong performance combined with his usage during a crucial juncture of the game suggests that he remains the Rockies' closer for the time being.

Blach did not factor into the decision Sunday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over seven innings against the Orioles. He struck out seven.

Blach wiggled his way out of a based-loaded jam in the fourth to keep the Orioles scoreless, then allowed a solo home run to Cedric Mullins in the fifth, which was the only blemish against him. Otherwise, Blach consistently kept the O's off the basepaths in throwing seven high-quality innings. It was the longest outing of the year for Blach, who needed only 86 pitches and left with a 3-1 lead prior to the bullpen giving up the lead in the eighth. He'll carry a decent 3.94 ERA into a scheduled home start next weekend against Toronto.

Thompson struck out one batter in a perfect inning and earned a save against the Reds on Sunday.

Thompson was promoted from Triple-A Reno on Sunday and was thrown right into a save situation. He posted a 6.11 ERA in 17.2 innings with the Rays this season before being designated for assignment. Scott McGough threw 1.2 innings while Paul Sewald did not appear in Sunday's game.

Kimbrel picked up the save Sunday against the Cardinals. He allowed a hit and a walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

The Cardinals got the tying run to the plate against Kimbrel in the ninth, but he managed to coax a pop out from Nolan Arenado before striking out Willson Contreras to preserve a 3-0 victory. The save was Kimbrel's first since Aug. 5 -- the veteran closer struggled in his prior outing, allowing a pair of earned runs in an extra-innings loss to the Giants. Overall, Kimbrel's now 20-for-22 in save chances with a 3.27 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 74:21 K:BB across 55 innings this season.

Brebbia (lat) faced rehabbing teammate Mike Yastrzemski (hamstring) in a simulated game Sunday, Danny Emerman of KNBR 680 San Francisco reports.

Brebbia hasn't made any rehab appearances since tossing a scoreless inning Tuesday for the Giants' rookie-level Arizona Complex League affiliate, but his ability to complete a simulated game this weekend suggests he hasn't suffered a setback. The Giants haven't yet revealed whether Brebbia will require any additional rehab appearances or simulated games before returning from the 60-day injured list, but in any case, the team may elect to wait until rosters expand to 28 men Sept. 1 before activating the veteran reliever.

Assad improved to 3-2 in Sunday's 10-1 win over the Pirates, striking out seven while allowing one earned run on three hits and two walks over seven innings.

After allowing a run in the first inning, Assad rebounded to blank the Pirates over his next six frames while setting a season high with seven strikeouts. Assad's yet to allow more than two earned runs in five starts since rejoining the Cubs rotation, working to a 2.48 ERA in that span. Overall, the 26-year-old right-hander has a 2.96 ERA with a 1.20 WHIP and 60:32 K:BB across 79 innings this season. Assad will look to keep rolling in his next outing, currently lined up for next week in Cincinnati.

Scott appears to be the most likely candidate to step in as the Marlins' preferred closing option with Miami opting to remove David Robertson from the ninth-inning role, Craig Mish of the Miami Herald reports.

The Marlins haven't confirmed as much, but Robertson looks to be on the outs as Miami's closer after he blew his second save in three chances in Saturday's loss to the Nationals. Robertson has blown three of seven save opportunities overall for the Marlins since he was acquired from the Mets in late July, while Scott has been far more reliable over the past month in his high-leverage spots. He has yet to allow a run in eight appearances in August and has struck out 12 while nabbing two wins and three holds and scattering four hits and two walks over 8.1 innings.

The Dodgers claimed Miller off waivers from the Mets on Sunday, Eric Stephen of SBNation.com reports.

Miller will begin his second stint in the Dodgers organization in this month alone, as Los Angeles had previously lost him to New York in a waiver claim Aug. 4. The Mets eventually booted Miller off their 40-man roster a few weeks later, but the right-hander will get another look in the Los Angeles bullpen while the Dodgers currently have eight relievers on the injured list. Since Miller has already been optioned to the minors five times this season between stops with the Brewers, Mets and Dodgers, he'll need to be added to Los Angeles' 26-man active roster. The Dodgers already cleared a spot for Miller on the 40-man roster by transferring Tony Gonsolin (elbow) from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL.