MLB Player News

Duran (6-7) took the loss Sunday, allowing two runs (zero earned) on three hits over one inning against the Cardinals. He struck out two.

Duran appeared in his second consecutive game after having not previously pitched since last Sunday. He should have gotten out of the inning unscathed with his 19th save in tow, but a one-out ground ball that could have resulted in a game-ending double play was thrown into left field by Edouard Julien, extending the inning. Two batters later, Lars Nootbaar connected on a two-out single that drove in two and saddled Duran with the tough-luck loss. On the positive side for Duran, while his K/9 is at a career-low 10.13, he's struck out multiple batters five times in his last seven outings, allowing just one earned run with a K/9 of 18.47 during that stretch.

Sammons (1-1) yielded one run on three hits and two walks over 4.1 innings in relief Sunday, striking out three and earning a win over the White Sox.

Sammons entered the game in the second inning after Beau Brieske threw one frame as the opener. The only run the White Sox scored during Sammons' outing came via Andrew Vaughn's solo shot in the third frame. Sammons has found success as a long reliever since being promoted to Detroit; he's thrown at least four innings in five of his six career MLB appearances (zero starts) while registering a 3.62 ERA over 27.1 frames. He should continue being used as a bulk-relief option down the stretch.

Merryweather allowed four runs on five hits and a walk across an inning of relief in Sunday's 7-2 loss to the Marlins.

While starter Javier Assad took the loss as he allowed three runs across seven innings, Merryweather didn't do the Cubs any favors in an effort to keep the team in the game. The righty reliever saw his ERA climb from 4.50 to 6.60 in the process. Merryweather has overpowering stuff when he's on, as evidenced by his 98 strikeouts across 72 innings last season, but he's yet to find consistent success from year to year at the MLB level. His fantasy appeal is limited at the moment due to his up-and-down play and lack of save opportunities behind Jorge Lopez and Porter Hodge in Chicago's bullpen.

Clase struck out all three batters he faced to record a save against Texas on Sunday.

Clase fired nine of his 12 pitches for strikes to easily mow through the Rangers' 4-5-6 hitters. It was his first save chance since converting a save on four straight days from Aug. 10 to Aug. 13. He's delivered 18 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run, lowering his ERA to 0.60 through 60.1 innings. Clase has converted 38 of his 41 save chances and is nearing his third straight 40-save campaign.

Triple-A Iowa reinstated Englert (elbow) from its 7-day injured list Thursday.

Englert made his first appearance for Toledo since July 4 later that day, striking out one over a scoreless inning in the club's 5-3 loss to Iowa. The right-hander possesses a spot on the Tigers' 40-man roster, but he may not be in the mix for a call-up anytime soon after posting a 5.95 ERA in 19.2 innings with the big club before getting optioned to the minors June 25 and then getting hurt shortly thereafter.

Ramirez is expected to have his contract selected from Triple-A Durham on Monday, Ari Alexander of KPRC 2 Houston reports.

Ramirez was sent down in late May, but he'll return to the big leagues after producing a 3.20 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 44 strikeouts over 39.1 innings in 27 appearances with Durham following his demotion. The right-hander will provide Tampa Bay with another veteran option out of the bullpen ahead of their three-game series in Seattle.

Oller (1-1) allowed one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Cubs on Sunday.

Oller limited the damage to an RBI single by Christian Bethancourt in the second inning. This was a much better start for Oller compared to his major-league season debut Monday versus Arizona, in which he yielded five runs over 4.2 innings. He's now at a 5.23 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 8:6 K:BB through 10.1 innings. Oller is likely safe to pencil in for at least one more start, as the Marlins aren't expected to get any of their injured starters back before the end of the month. He's lined up for a road outing at San Francisco.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Sunday that Graterol is expected to begin a rehab assignment next weekend, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

The right-hander threw a bullpen session Saturday and is likely to throw another before reporting to a minor-league affiliate. Graterol landed on the shelf in early August due to a hamstring strain, which he suffered while making his season debut.

Ortiz didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Cincinnati, allowing four hits and one walk with five strikeouts across six scoreless innings.

Ortiz struggled greatly in his first four appearances of August, tallying a 6.45 ERA and an 0-2 record across 22.1 innings while allowing eight home runs. He righted the ship Sunday against the Reds, though he didn't get the win to show for it. Ortiz has a 3.36 ERA and an 83:32 K:BB through 32 appearances (10 starts) spanning 107 innings. His next start is tentatively scheduled to come against the Guardians in Cleveland.

Diaz blew a save Sunday against Pittsburgh, allowing two runs on one hit and a hit-by-pitch over one-third of an inning.

The Reds took a 3-2 lead into the bottom of the ninth, but Diaz couldn't get the job done. After getting Rowdy Tellez to ground out to start the frame, Diaz hit Bryan De La Cruz with a pitch then surrendered a walk-off two-run home run to Yasmani Grandal. The 27-year-old closer is now 24-for-27 in save opportunities this season, and the outing pushed his ERA from 4.00 to 4.37.