MLB Player News

Lopez tossed a scoreless inning of relief in Friday's 6-0 loss to the Royals, lowering his ERA to 2.92.

Lopez has turned the page on a poor 2023 campaign in which he recorded a 5.95 ERA for the Orioles, Marlins and Twins. The veteran righty has been much better this year, particularly since joining the Cubs in June. Over 10.2 innings with his new team, Lopez has allowed just one run and struck out seven.

Martinez (4-5) allowed one hit over two scoreless innings to earn the victory Friday against the Rays. He struck out two.

Martinez entered a tie game in the eighth inning and shut down the Rays until the Reds took the lead in the top of the 10th. He has two wins in his last four appearances, and all four of his wins this season have come in relief after he began the year in the rotation. The 33-year-old has a 3.77 ERA in 74 innings in a swingman role for the Reds this season.

Diaz picked up the save Friday against the Rays, striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning.

Diaz got his first save situation since July 3 and worked around an inherited runner to convert it successfully. He became the 12th reliever with 20 saves this season, and he has now converted 13 straight opportunities. The 27-year-old has pitched to a 4.34 ERA through 37.1 innings this season.

Holmes was stuck with a blown save in Friday's loss to the Red Sox, allowing one run on two hits while striking out one over two-thirds of an inning.

Holmes replaced Luke Weaver with one out and runners on first and second in the eighth inning. The right-hander promptly allowed a game-tying double to Wilyer Abreu before the Red Sox took a two-run lead on a Masataka Yoshida single. The 31-year-old Holmes has now blown back-to-back save chances and three of his last five opportunities while struggling to a 7.29 ERA in his last 11.1 innings. Overall, he's 21-for-28 in save chances this year with a 2.88 ERA, 1.30. WHIP and 43:10 K:BB across 40.2 innings.

Jansen earned the save in Friday's 9-7 win over the Yankees, working around a pair of hits while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.

The Yankees made things interesting in the ninth with a pair of one-out singles. However, Jansen would strike out DJ LeMahieu before coaxing a game-ending groundout from Anthony Volpe to secure his 20th save. Jansen hadn't pitched since Sunday, as he didn't travel with the Red Sox for their series in Colorado earlier this week due to a pre-existing heart condition. Prior to his absence, Jansen had allowed five runs over his previous three appearances (four innings) The veteran closer now sports a 3.06 ERA this season with a 1.19 WHIP and 40:14 K:BB across 35.1 innings.

Clase earned a save against the Phillies on Friday, allowing one hit and striking out one in a scoreless inning.

Clase entered the contest in the bottom of the ninth inning and retired the first two batters he faced before giving up a hit to Bryson Stott. The veteran closer would then strike out Weston Wilson to end the contest. The save was Clase's third in the last four days and his 19th consecutive conversion since his last blown save May 19. The 26-year-old has 32 saves on the campaign and ranks second in the majors behind Ryan Helsley (33).

Suarez (5-1) blew a save but was credited with the win Friday over Baltimore, allowing one hit while striking out a pair over 1.2 scoreless innings.

San Diego turned to Suarez in the eighth inning after Baltimore got the tying run to third base with one out. The 33-year-old right-hander allowed the run to score on a sacrifice fly, sticking him with his third blown save of the year. However, the Padres would rally to re-take the lead in the top of the ninth before Suarez finished things out to seal the victory. He hasn't allowed an earned run in 11 of his last 12 outings, lowering his ERA to a stellar 1.51 with a 0.86 WHIP and 40:8 K:BB while converting 23 saves over 41.2 innings this year.

The Mets acquired Stanek from the Mariners on Friday in exchange for outfielder Rhylan Thomas, Will Sammon of The Athletic reports.

Stanek has struggled in his eight outings in July, allowing five runs on five hits and six walks and striking out eight over 5.2 innings while registering two blown saves and a loss. However, he's been a solid performer on the while this season while occupying a key late-inning role for Seattle, turning in a 4.38 ERA, 1.33 WHIP, 15 holds and seven saves across 39 innings. The 33-year-old right-hander will likely work in a setup or middle-relief role in front of closer Edwin Diaz.

Walston (elbow) threw live batting practice Friday, Jesse Friedman of GoPHNX.com reports.

Walston touched 94 mph during the session, an encouraging sign considering he hovered between 91 and 92 mph during his three appearances this season. The 23-year-old southpaw is expected to be activated from the injured list sometime in August, but manager Torey Lovullo indicated Friday that the team was still determining whether he'll be an option for the big-league rotation down the stretch.

Mariners manager Scott Servais said Friday that the results of an MRI on Santos' right knee "came back OK," Daniel Kramer of MLB.com reports.

It's not as promising as hearing that the MRI revealed nothing, but it appears Santos will avoid a stint on the IL and could be available as soon as Saturday. The right-hander was removed in the eighth inning of Wednesday's game against the Angels after being called for a balk. Before exiting, he had allowed two runs on two hits while striking out one over 0.2 innings.