MLB Player News

Francis (8-3) picked up the win over the Red Sox on Thursday, allowing one hit and zero walks over seven shutout innings while striking out five.

Francis had a no-hitter going into the sixth inning when he gave up a single to Nick Sogard with one out in the frame. The right-hander would then retire the final five batters he faced in the contest before being relieved by Genesis Cabrera to open the eighth. Francis took a no-hitter into the ninth in his previous start, and he's now hurled at least seven innings of one-run ball in each of his last four outings, recording the win in all of them with a robust 32:3 K:BB.

Blalock (1-1) took the loss Thursday against the Marlins, allowing seven runs (six earned) on nine hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out three.

It was a tough day for Blalock, who allowed a pair of runs in his first three innings before giving up a five-spot in the fourth. The 23-year-old right-hander had gotten off to a nice start before Thursday, pitching to a 3.06 ERA across his first 17.2 big-league innings. Blalock now sports a 4.98 ERA on the season with a 1.62 WHIP and 14:8 K:BB. Should the Rockies elect to keep him in the rotation, Blalock would line up for a road start in Atlanta next week.

Hoffman struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the save in Thursday's 5-4 win over Atlanta.

Both Hoffman and Carlos Estevez had gone two days without pitching, so it's unclear why Hoffman got the save chance in this outing. This was his fourth scoreless outing in a row, and he's allowed three runs over 9.1 innings across his last 11 appearances since a four-run meltdown at Seattle on Aug. 3. Hoffman hadn't logged a save since July 10, and it's unclear if this signals a changing in the bullpen hierarchy or not, though manager Rob Thomson is known to prefer a committee for closing duties. For the year, Hoffman has a 1.92 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 74:15 K:BB through 56.1 innings while adding 10 saves and 17 holds.

Erceg exited Thursday's game against Houston after fielding a comebacker with his bare hand, Joel Goldberg of Bally Sports Kansas City reports.

Erceg was attempting to field a groundball for a potential double play, but he was unable to catch the ball cleanly and injured his hand. The nature and severity of the issue are unclear, though his potential absence would reopen the closer role in Kansas City.

Zulueta was recalled by the Reds on Thursday, Francys Romero of BeisbolFR.com reports.

Zulueta has spent the majority of his season at Triple-A Louisville but will be back to provide depth in the Reds' bullpen. He will be serving as the 27th man in Friday's doubleheader against the Brewers, so it's possible he's sent back down immediately after the twin bill. Across 11.2 innings in the majors, he's maintained a 3.09 ERA and 1.20 WHIP with an 11:5 K:BB.

Wentz tossed two scoreless innings of relief in Thursday's 3-0 loss to the Angels. He allowed one hit and struck out three.

Wentz has struggled lately, as he entered Thursday's contest with a 7.07 ERA over his previous 10 appearances, making this a welcome positive performance. The southpaw had a solid April, posting a 0.87 ERA across 10.1 innings that suggested he might emerge as an effective reliever, but it's been mostly downhill since then. Wentz didn't fare much better as a starter in 2023, so he may not factor into Detroit's plans beyond this year.

Coulombe (elbow) resumed throwing off the mound Thursday, Andy Kostka of TheBaltimoreBanner.comreports.

Manager Brandon Hyde didn't offer many specifics but did say that Coulombe still has work left to do before returning from the injured list. He is expected back in the second half of September.

Ginn allowed four runs on four hits and a walk while striking out four over five innings in a no-decision versus the Reds on Thursday.

Given that his first major-league start came in hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park, this was an acceptable performance for Ginn. He yielded a pair of home runs, which were solo shots by Will Benson and Tyler Stephenson, and the Reds were able to scrape together another pair of runs in the fifth. Ginn allowed one run over 3.2 frames in his first two appearances out of the bullpen, but it looks like he has a chance to be a part of the Athletics' rotation over the final month of the season. He's tentatively projected to make his next appearance at home versus light-hitting Seattle.

Diaz earned the save in Thursday's 3-2 win over the Diamondbacks, striking out two in a perfect ninth inning.

It was a much-needed outing for Diaz, who allowed four runs on a pair of home runs in his last two appearances, both losses. After surrendering a go-ahead grand slam to Corbin Carroll on Wednesday, Diaz made quick work of the Diamondbacks on Thursday, striking out Lourdes Gurriel and Josh Bell before coaxing a game-ending pop-out from Jake McCarthy. Diaz is now 15-for-21 in save chances with a 4.19 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 56:15 K:BB across 38.2 innings this season.

Diaz allowed three runs on three hits and a walk while failing to record an out, taking a blown save in Thursday's 10-9 win over the Athletics.

Diaz has blown his last two save chances and hasn't converted one since Aug. 13. He served up a solo home run to Lawrence Butler and a two-run single to Seth Brown before he was pulled from the contest, and Emilio Pagan was able to prevent any further damage. The Reds then rallied for three runs in their half of the frame to spare Diaz from the loss. Diaz is now 24-for-28 in save chances this year while pitching to a poor 4.86 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 46:28 K:BB across 46.1 innings. The homer he allowed Thursday was the career-high sixth he's given up this year, which is more concerning given this is also Diaz's smallest workload in his three-year career.