MLB Player News

Hodge pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to record a hold in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays. He walked two and struck out two.

Hodge worked in front of Jorge Lopez, who picked up the save with regular closer Hector Neris unavailable after throwing 33 pitches in a blown save Friday. It remains to be seen if Neris will return to the role moving forward, but if the Cubs decide to make a change, both Hodge and Lopez could see save opportunities. Tyson Miller would likely be in the mix as well based on his strong play this season. For now, Hodge remains a strong setup option with a 2.15 ERA and 34 strikeouts across 29.1 innings this year, to go along with a team-high nine holds.

Sewald allowed one hit and struck out three over a scoreless inning in Saturday's 6-1 loss to the Rays.

Sewald has excelled since being replaced as the Diamondbacks' closer. Since then, he has yet to allow a run in six appearances, striking out eight over six innings. Arizona manager Torey Lovullo talked about Sewald having delivery issues at the time of his demotion; if the right-hander solved those issues, he could get save opportunities down the stretch. Sewald remains the most experienced closer in the bullpen.

Helsley picked up the save over the Dodgers on Saturday, striking out one over a perfect ninth inning.

Helsley made short work of the middle of the Dodgers' lineup, retiring the side in order on just six pitches after entering the contest with a three-run lead in the ninth. It marked the 38th save for the right-hander, which leads the majors, and it was only the second time this month in which he didn't allow any hits or walks. Helsley has now converted each of his last five save opportunities, posting a 4:3 K:BB over that stretch.

Sands earned a save against the Rangers on Saturday, striking out one batter in a perfect inning of work.

Minnesota carried a three-run lead into the ninth inning, and manager Rocco Baldelli elected to call upon Sands with primary closer Jhoan Duran having pitched on three consecutive days. The decision proved to be the right one, as Sands cruised to a save by retiring the side in order on just nine pitches. The right-hander has registered a career-high four saves on the campaign, though his opportunities in that regard are highly unpredictable with Duran having a firm grasp on the closer role and Griffin Jax typically second in line with eight saves on the season.

Lopez earned the save in Saturday's 3-2 win over the Blue Jays, allowing a solo home run and striking out three in the ninth inning.

Primary closer Hector Neris threw 33 pitches in a blown save Friday, so Lopez was summoned to protect a 3-1 lead in the ninth inning Saturday. He allowed a leadoff home run to Addison Barger but responded by striking out the next three batters he faced. On the season, the 31-year-old owns a 2.44 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 42:18 K:B across 48 innings.

Bednar earned the save in Saturday's 7-2 win over the Mariners, striking out two in a perfect inning.

Bednar was called upon with the bases loaded in the ninth frame and retired all three batters he faced on just nine pitches. It was the first time in six August outings the closer didn't yield at least one run, and it was also his first perfect outing since July 12. On the season, the 29-year-old has converted 22 of 27 save chances with a 5.70 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 46:15 K:BB across 42.2 innings.

Otanez allowed a hit and a walk while striking out three over a scoreless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 2-0 win over the Giants.

Mason Miller and Tyler Ferguson were presumably unavailable after heavy workloads in the Athletics' last game Thursday. Otanez was a little fresher, and while it took him 26 pitches (17 strikes) to get the job done, he was able to secure his first major-league save in just his 18th appearance. Otanez has allowed two runs with a 13:1 K:BB over eight innings in August, and he's now at a 3.50 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 29:10 K:BB through 18 innings overall. He's added just one hold this year, so it's unlikely that he'll feature regularly in high-leverage situations.

Bido (4-3) allowed a hit and two walks while striking out six over six shutout innings to earn the win Saturday over the Giants.

Bido has turned in consecutive starts of six scoreless innings. The right-hander has posted a quality start in all three of his outings in August, allowing just three runs (two earned) over 18 innings while adding a 17:6 K:BB. For the season, Bido has a 3.40 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 45:21 K:BB through 45 innings over 12 appearances (six starts). He's emerged as a reliable starter for Oakland, and he's projected to make his next start at home versus the Rays.

Williams pitched a perfect inning to earn the save in Saturday's 2-1 win over the Guardians.

Williams failed to log a strikeout for the first time in his seven appearances this season. It was still a tidy save for the right-hander, who got the heart of Cleveland's order out on three straight groundouts. Williams has allowed one run -- on a solo home run versus Atlanta on Aug. 7 -- while earning four saves and posting an 11:1 K:BB over seven innings. All of his saves have been over his last four appearances, including three over the last four days, so it's safe to say Williams is back to being locked in as Milwaukee's closer.

The Athletics are placing Adams on the injured list Sunday with right elbow tightness, Jason Burke of SI.com reports.

Adams hasn't pitched since Monday when he threw a scoreless inning against the Mets en route to his first win of the season. It appears he picked up an injury during the outing and it's considered severe enough to warrant an IL stint. Grant Holman and Scott Alexander are candidates to see more high-leverage work while Adams is shelved.