MLB Player News

Helsley gave up a hit and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 37th save of the season in an 8-5 win over the Royals.

It didn't look like Helsley's services would be needed headed into the late innings, but the Cardinals scored twice in the eighth and ninth frames to erase a 5-4 deficit. The St. Louis closer then made things interesting by bring the tying run to the plate with one out, but he coaxed a double play grounder out of Vinnie Pasquantino to end the night. Helsley has worked three of the last four days, likely making him unavailable Saturday, but he racked up saves in each appearance to extend his major-league lead in saves over Cleveland's Emmanuel Clase (33).

Neris gave up two hits and a walk in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 16th save of the season in a 7-6 win over the White Sox.

The veteran right-hander gave up back-to-back singles to lead off the ninth before walking Andrew Benintendi with two outs, but Neris got Andrew Vaughn to fly out to escape the jam. Neris hasn't blown a save since June 16, posting a 1.26 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 17:6 K:BB over 14.1 innings since then to build up some job security as the Cubs' closer.

Rasmussen is slated to serve as the Rays' opening pitcher for Saturday's game against the Orioles.

After returning from the 60-day injured list Wednesday upon completing his recovery from the internal brace procedure he underwent last July, Rasmussen was summoned from the bullpen later that evening and was electric in his 2024 MLB debut, striking out three Cardinals batters over two perfect innings. Though the Rays intend to have Rasmussen slot back into the rotation in 2025, he's expected to be limited mostly to 1-to-2-inning appearances coming out of the bullpen for the rest of the current season. Though he's technically starting Saturday, Rasmussen is unlikely to work more than once through the batting order before turning the game over to lefty Tyler Alexander, who is expected to operate as a bulk reliever.

Martinez (5-2) earned the win over the Phillies on Friday, allowing one run and striking out one over a scoreless ninth inning.

Martinez's ascension to the back end of the Diamondbacks' bullpen continued. He was prepping for a save opportunity, but setup reliever A.J. Puk allowed an inherited runner to score, negating the chance. For Martinez, it was a sixth straight scoreless outing, during which he's struck out 12 batters in six innings.

Brieske allowed one walk and struck out five over three scoreless and hitless innings while taking a no-decision Friday in the Tigers' 3-2 loss to the Giants.

Brieske made his third start of the season and matched his longest outing. He threw 31 of 49 pitches for strikes in the impressive turn as an opener, though it doesn't appear he has a path to the rotation at this time. He last functioned primarily as a starter in 2022 and has worked out of the bullpen for 24 of his 27 appearances in 2024. For the season, Brieske has a 4.57 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 45:15 K:BB over 41.1 innings.

Rogers (2-4) struck out one in a perfect inning to earn the win Friday over the Tigers.

The Giants' bullpen is in flux following the team's shock decision Friday to option Camilo Doval to the minors. Rogers wasn't asked to handle a save situation Friday, but he pitched the ninth inning in a tied game, which is another common situation for closers to handle. That may have been a product of Ryan Walker pitching on four of the previous five days, as it's likely to be Walker who sees the bulk of the ninth-inning duties while Rogers -- who has often struggled in save situations in his career -- remains in a setup role. For the season, Rogers has a 3.04 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 38:3 K:BB with 25 holds and one save in two chances. Jordan Hicks and Taylor Rogers are also in the high-leverage mix, and the former's prior closing experience could make him a dark-horse candidate for saves.

Vodnik picked up the save in Friday's 6-5 victory over Atlanta, working around a leadoff single to pitch a scoreless inning. He struck out one.

After allowing a leadoff single to Jarred Kelenic to open the ninth inning, Vodnik promptly retired the next three batters in a 17-pitch appearance. This outing was a welcome sight after the 24-year-old suffered a loss while coughing up three runs Wednesday against the Mets. He has now collected five of the last six Colorado saves since the All-Star break and appears to be in the driver's seat for the closer role over Tyler Kinley. Vodnik has pitched to 3.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 17:7 K:BB across 18 innings since July 1.

Thielbar threw two perfect innings while striking out two in Friday's 6-3 win over the Guardians.

Thielbar struggled to start the season with a 8.04 ERA and 5.2 BB/9 in his first 15.2 innings. However, he's turned his season around since June 12 with a 2.81 ERA and 19:5 K:BB over his last 16 innings. He had seemingly lost the ability to control his looping curveball early in the season, but has gotten back to peak form. He could play a key role in high-leverage spots for the Twins as the top southpaw in the bullpen, and he's picked up two of his eight holds on the year in his last three appearances.

Holmes did not factor into the decision in Friday's 6-5 loss to Colorado, allowing five runs on six hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out eight.

Despite generating an impressive 21 whiffs, the 28-year-old rookie couldn't contain the Rockies in his first appearance at Coors Field. After this performance, Holmes' ERA since joining the rotation July 29 has ballooned to 5.52 in 14.2 innings across three starts. However, he has been a solid contributor in the strikeout department, generating 20 Ks against four walks over that span. Holmes is currently scheduled to make his next outing in San Francisco next week.

Manager Matt Quatraro said Friday that Harvey has been dealing with back tightness, Anne Rogers of MLB.com reports.

Harvey picked up his first save of the season Sunday against the Tigers, but his back issues have prevented him from pitching since then. The Royals skipper didn't give any indication that the 29-year-old reliever will need to spend time on the injured list, but there is also no telling when he'll be available out of the bullpen again.