MLB Player News

Hader struck out two in a perfect ninth inning Friday to record his 33rd save of the season in a 9-7 win over the Angels.

The Houston closer has been dominant to close out the regular season, striking out multiple batters in eight of his last 15 appearances while posting a 1.69 ERA, 0.56 WHIP and 22:4 K:BB through 16 innings over that stretch. Hader has reached triple-digit strikeouts on the season for the fourth time in his career, and he's produced at least 33 saves in four straight campaigns.

Jax yielded an unearned run and struck out one batter in one inning Friday. He earned a save in the extra-innings win over Boston.

Jax allowed the automatic runner to score after a pair of groundouts in the 12th inning but had no trouble finishing off the 4-2 victory. It was his second save over his last three appearances after not converting one since Aug. 5. Jhoan Duran threw a scoreless eighth inning while the game was tied 1-1. Jax has racked up 10 saves while posting an impressive 91:15 K:BB and 2.10 ERA through 68.2 innings this season.

Bigge earned the save in Friday's 1-0 win over Toronto, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

Bigge put the finishing touches on the Rays' shutout victory, retiring the side in order to lock down his first save in the majors. The 26-year-old Bigge has allowed just two earned runs in 11.2 innings with Tampa Bay this season. Overall, he's posted a 1.80 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 19:4 K:BB across 15 innings between the Rays and Cubs this year.

Fitts allowed five hits and a walk over five shutout innings in a no-decision Friday. He struck out three during the extra-innings loss to Minnesota.

Fitts worked around a few tight spots to keep the Twins off the board and was in line for the win when he exited the game. The 24-year-old rookie has delivered 15.2 scoreless innings in his first three career MLB starts. However, that comes with a lackluster 7:5 K:BB. On the bright side, he generated eight whiffs Friday after totaling just seven in his first two starts. Fitts is currently lined up for a start in Toronto next week.

Holton (7-2) allowed two runs on two hits over an inning of work to take the loss Friday against the Orioles. He struck out one.

Holton served as the opener and quickly ran into some trouble, as he allowed a leadoff double to Gunnar Henderson. The lefty retired the next two batters but then gave up a two-run home run to slugger Anthony Santander. Holton has been mostly excellent lately, as this was the first time he allowed an earned run in his last 10 appearances and he owns a 2.30 ERA overall, so he should bounce back from this subpar effort.

Jansen (shoulder) threw a perfect ninth inning in Friday's extra-innings loss to the Twins. He did not record a strikeout.

Jansen was said to be dealing with a shoulder issue earlier in the week, but he was available in his normal spot Friday and ended up retiring the side on 11 pitches (nine strikes). While the veteran's command and velocity have both been affected by the shoulder recently, there has been nothing to suggest the team will need to shut him down early, though that's not completely out of the question with Boston's playoff chances dwindling. Jansen is a free agent this winter.

Suarez allowed two runs on a hit and a walk while striking out one over one inning Friday, taking a blown save in a 3-2 extra-inning win over the White Sox.

Suarez walked Gavin Sheets and allowed a two-run home run to Lenyn Sosa with two outs in the ninth inning. September hasn't been kind to Suarez -- he's blown three of his seven save chances this month while allowing seven runs over nine innings. For the season, he's 33-for-39 in save chances with a 2.76 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB through 62 innings. Should Suarez continue to falter, the Padres are not lacking in closing options, with Tanner Scott and Jason Adam among their most effective setup men.

Kopech allowed one run on one hit and struck out one over one inning to earn the save in Friday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.

Kopech allowed a solo home run to Michael Toglia in the ninth inning, the first long ball he's given up since July 7. The Rockies couldn't build off it though, allowing Kopech to secure his fifth save as a Dodger, all of which he's earned since Aug. 16. The right-hander is at a 3.62 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 84:33 K:BB over 64.2 innings with 14 saves between the Dodgers and the White Sox, but he's been dominant with a 1.29 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 25:9 K:BB across 21 innings since he was dealt to Los Angeles.

Weaver allowed an unearned run on one hit and struck out three over one inning to earn the save in Friday's 4-2 extra-inning win over the Athletics.

Weaver was able to protect a three-run lead despite yielding a run on JJ Bleday's RBI single. This was just the third time in 19 outings since the start of August that Weaver has been scored on, and he gave up multiple runs in each of the other two instances. He's up to three saves and 23 holds this year while maintaining a 2.99 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 98:26 K:BB over 81.1 innings. Weaver has thrived in his second stint as a reliever, and while he's not the official closer for the Yankees just yet, he appears to be the team's top high-leverage arm.

Tinoco threw a perfect inning and picked up a save against Atlanta on Friday.

Tinoco needed just eight pitches (six strikes) to retire Atlanta's 9-1-2 hitters and close out a 4-3 win. It was his second save of the season and both have come during his last three appearances. Tinoco dropped his season ERA to 3.47 with a 39:11 K:BB through 36.1 innings.