MLB Player News

Miller gave up a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning Tuesday to record his 11th save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Rays.

The flamethrowing righty continues to dominate. Miller has yet to blow a save in 2024, and his 52.8 percent strikeout rate is the highest in the majors among pitchers who have worked at least 20 innings. Trade rumors are swirling around him, not surprising given the state of the Oakland franchise, but Miller would likely be the best closing option for any team that acquired him. Through 24 innings this season, he sports a 1.88 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 47:7 K:BB.

Spence (4-2) picked up the win Tuesday, allowing only one hit and one walk over 5.1 scoreless innings in a 3-0 victory over the Rays. He struck out four.

A Rule 5 pick out of the Yankees' system this offseason, Spence has been impressive since moving into the rotation for the A's, delivering a 2.08 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 12:5 K:BB through 13 innings over three starts. The 26-year-old right-hander got stretched out to 98 pitches (61 strikes) Tuesday, and even once Oakland's staff gets healthier, Spence figures to remain in the rotation as long as he's producing strong results. He's set for a tough test in his next outing, a road start in Atlanta this weekend.

Ottavino blew his second save of the season in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Dodgers, giving up a run on three hits in the ninth inning while striking out one.

Called upon to protect a 2-1 lead, Ottavino instead gave up three straight singles to begin the frame, although the third one came on a safety squeeze by Chris Taylor that the right-hander couldn't field cleanly. Ottavino hasn't been able to take advantage of Edwin Diaz's recent struggles, and he's stumbled to a 6.75 ERA and 1.93 WHIP over his last 10 appearances. The back of the Mets' bullpen is a mess right now, and it's not clear who manager Carlos Mendoza might turn to the next time the team has a late lead.

Hjelle (2-1) earned the win over Philadelphia on Tuesday night after tossing two scoreless innings and intentionally walking a batter.

The Giants were without Camilo Doval and Ryan Walker Tuesday night because of their recent workloads, so Hjelle was called upon to work the ninth and 10th innings with the game at 0-0. He executed perfectly, getting through two frames by generating weak contact and coming out with a win after Luis Matos knocked in the winning run on a sacrifice fly. It was a huge result for Hjelle after allowing runs in back-to-back outings coming into the game. The 27-year-old now owns a 2.95 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB in 21.1 innings.

Atlanta optioned Herget to Triple-A Gwinnett on Wednesday.

He'll head back to the minors to clear a spot on the 26-man active roster for right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach, who was called up from Double-A Mississippi to start Wednesday's game against the Nationals. Herget's stint with Atlanta lasted just four days, with the right-handed reliever making two appearances and striking out four over three scoreless innings.

Howard didn'tt factor into the decision in Tuesday's 1-0 extra-inning win over the Phillies, striking out four over four scoreless innings while scattering five hits and no walks.

Howard ended up being the third pitcher to enter the game for the Giants after Erik Miller pitched one inning as the Giants' opener before reliever Taylor Rogers completed two more innings after him. Howard, who was called up from Triple-A Sacramento earlier Tuesday, kept his former team scoreless through the seventh but couldn't get a win after the Giants poked the game's only run across in the 10th. Given the current back-end rotation issues, Howard certainly has given himself a good chance to stick around for now, though the Giants have yet to announce any official plans for the 27-year-old moving forward.

Hudson (2-1) gave up two hits and a walk while striking out one in a scoreless ninth inning during the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader against the Mets, recording the win in a 5-2 extra-inning victory.

Entering the game in the bottom of the ninth and the score tied, 2-2, Hudson very nearly handed New York the win, loading the bases with just one out. The veteran right-hander bore down and coaxed popups from Tyrone Taylor and Jeff McNeil to end the threat. Hudson has been sharp in May, collecting two saves, a win and a hold in seven appearances with a 1.29 ERA, 0.71 WHIP and 8:1 K:BB, but with Evan Phillips (hamstring) due back by the end of the week, the former's stint as a fill-in closer is due to end.

Miller threw a scoreless first inning as Tuesday's opener against the Phillies. He did not allow a hit but did walk a batter and struck out two.

Miller worked around a walk to fire a scoreless opening inning before handing the ball over to Taylor Rogers in the second frame. He's now worked as an opener on three occasions this season but has appeared 27 times. The 26-year-old owns a 4.21 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 33:15 K:BB in 25.2 innings.

Vesia recorded his second save of the season in the second game of Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Mets, striking out three and walking one in two scoreless innings.

Daniel Hudson and Blake Treinen both pitched in the matinee, leaving closing duties to Vesia in the nightcap when the Dodgers built a 3-0 lead. The southpaw has a 0.90 ERA, 0.40 WHIP and 14:3 K:BB over 10 innings in May, but with Evan Phillips (hamstring) expected back later this week, Vesia should return to setup duties.

Treinen recorded his first save of the season in the first game of Tuesday's doubleheader sweep of the Mets, striking out two in a perfect 10th inning.

Daniel Hudson pitched the ninth inning and nearly gave the game away, loading the bases with one out before getting two popups to escape the jam. That left Treinen to handle closing duties when the Dodgers scored three runs in the top of the 10th. The oft-injured right-hander has looked very good since coming off the IL in early May, giving up zero runs and only three hits over 7.2 innings with an 11:1 K:BB. Treinen's picked up three holds and a win in eight appearances in addition to Tuesday's save, and even with Evan Phillips (hamstring) set to return later this week, he seems to have locked down a spot in the Dodgers' high-leverage crew.