MLB Player News

Kopech (1-4) blew the save and took the loss Saturday, giving up three runs on three hits in two-thirds of an inning as the White Sox fell 5-3 to the Orioles. He struck out one.

Chicago rolled into the eighth inning with a 3-0 lead, but after Jordan Leasure served up a two-run homer to Ryan O'Hearn, Kopech got the call and threw more gas on the fire, getting taken deep himself by Anthony Santander and Jordan Westburg. Kopech has been tagged for five home runs in 23.2 innings this season, fueling a 4.18 ERA, and his issues keeping the ball in the park have followed him to the bullpen. He'll continue to get the majority of the save chances for the White Sox, but his reliability as a high-leverage reliever is still in question.

Perez struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 5-3 win over the White Sox.

Craig Kimbrel, Danny Coulombe and Yennier Cano had all pitched both Thursday and Friday, leaving manager Brandon Hyde without any of his usual late-inning options when Baltimore took the lead in the eighth. Perez stepped up with a strong performance, needing only 10 pitches (six strikes) to retire the bottom of Chicago's order. The 28-year-old southpaw has an unsightly 5.06 ERA on the season, but he has yet to serve up a homer in 10.2 innings and has blanked the opposition in eight of his 11 appearances while picking up four holds.

Thompson allowed two hits and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn a hold in Saturday's 3-2 win over Miami.

Thompson earned his seventh hold of the season, retiring four batters before letting Joe Mantiply shepherd the one-run lead to closer Paul Sewald. This was fourth time in the last six outings that Thompson worked more than one frame, and the right-hander hasn't allowed an earned run over the last 13 innings.

Suarez came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 5-3 win over the White Sox, allowing two hits and two walks over four scoreless innings. He struck out three.

The 34-year-old right-hander hadn't pitched more than an inning in any of his last three appearances, including an 11-pitch outing Wednesday, but Suarez slid right back into the O's rotation without any issues. He tossed 50 of 80 pitches for strikes before exiting the mound, and with John Means (forearm) and Dean Kremer (triceps) on the shelf, Suarez figures to plug a hole in the rotation for at least a couple weeks. He'll take a 1.53 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 24:8 K:BB through 29.1 innings into his next turn, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Rays.

Diaz gave up a run on two hits and struck out one in the ninth inning Saturday, blowing his fourth save of the season in a 7-2 extra-inning loss to the Giants.

After the right-hander tossed a scoreless inning and recorded a hold Friday, Mets manager Carlos Mendoza gave Diaz another shot at closing with the team clinging to a 2-1 lead. He couldn't get the job done, giving up two singles with a stolen base in between to tie the game before Sean Reid-Foley and Josh Walker combined for a disastrous 10th inning. Diaz has blown three straight save chances and four of five since May 5, stumbling to an 11.05 ERA in 7.1 innings over that stretch despite an 11:3 K:BB. Diaz last had struggles like this in 2019 and was eventually able to find his form again, but the Mets will be hard-pressed to use him in high-leverage spots until he shows some consistency.

Diaz threw a perfect ninth inning against the Dodgers on Saturday to secure his ninth save of the season.

Diaz sat down Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Teoscar Hernandez on a total of seven pitches to nail down the win for starter Hunter Greene. While Diaz still has an ugly 5.95 ERA this season, his job as the Reds' closer is not in jeopardy. He's squandered just one save in his last 10 chances, and with only two hits and two walks allowed in his last four appearances, Diaz seems to have turned the page after a rough stretch in mid-May.

Finnegan struck out one batter in a perfect ninth inning against the Mariners on Saturday to earn his 14th save of the season.

Finnegan dotted the inside corner to strike out Cal Raleigh before getting both Mitch Garver and Julio Rodriguez to ground out. With that, Finnegan is now up to 14 saves, two behind Emmanuel Clase and Ryan Helsley for the MLB lead. His last save prior to Saturday was May 14, as he went a while without being used and squandered a save chance, but Finnegan has only strengthened his grasp on the closer job in Washington with his performance this season. In turn he's also given the organization leverage in trade talks that will inevitably take place this summer.

Duran threw a perfect ninth inning with one strikeout against the Rangers on Saturday to earn his sixth save of the season.

The Twins grabbed the lead in the bottom of the eighth on an Alex Kirilloff three-run homer, and Duran was there the next half inning to close the door. He retired the side in order on just eight pitches and is now the team leader in saves with six to Griffin Jax's five, even though Duran missed the first month of the season due to an oblique injury. Duran has been used occasionally in the eighth since making his return, but he's still clearly the preferred closing option in Minnesota when manager Rocco Baldelli has the luxury of holding him back for the ninth.

Sands (2-0) earned the win in Saturday's 5-3 win over Texas. He allowed no hits or walks while striking out two over two perfect innings.

It was a nice bounce-back outing from Sands after he allowed five earned runs on five hits and two walks over 2.1 innings over his prior three appearances. He was used in some high-leverage spots while Jhoan Duran was out for a month with a back injury, but Sands may be used earlier in games with Duran healthy.

Romero (2-0) allowed three hits and struck out one over 1.1 scoreless innings to earn the win Saturday over the Cubs.

Romero became the pitcher of record after the Cardinals rallied for the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning. While this was a bit of a shaky performance, Romero was able to post his ninth scoreless appearance over 11 outings in May. The southpaw is at a 1.35 ERA, 0.79 WHIP and 26:4 K:BB while adding 17 holds and one blown save through 26.2 innings. He's the Cardinals' top lefty reliever and continues to feature in a setup role.