MLB Player News

Vesia (0-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Saturday, allowing three runs (two earned) on two hits and one walk over 1.1 relief innings.

Vesia entered with two outs in the ninth to face Matt Olson, retiring the lefty hitter on a fly out. When the game went into an extra frame, Vesia remained in the contest and initially looked like he would hold Atlanta at bay, retiring the first two batters he faced in the 10th. However, the southpaw issued a two-out walk to Sean Murphy, then served up a long three-run homer to Orlando Arcia, creating a deficit the Dodgers couldn't come back from. It was the second time since the All-Star break Vesia has allowed multiple runs in an outing, but he's been pretty effective overall during that period, posting a 3.38 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 19:5 K:BB over 18.2 innings while notching four holds.

Pivetta gave up a run on two hits over three innings Saturday to record his first save of the season in a 9-5 win over the Royals. He struck out five without walking a batter.

A solo shot by MJ Melendez in the ninth inning was the only blemish on Pivetta's performance. The right-hander hasn't had the same success lately in long relief that he did right after the All-Star break, and over 24 innings since the beginning of August he carries a 6.00 ERA and 1.46 WHIP despite a 35:11 K:BB. Unless the Red Sox get desperate in their attempt to claw back into the playoff picture, Pivetta seems unlikely to return to the rotation in 2023.

Littell did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing four runs on nine hits over 4.2 innings in a 7-6 loss to Cleveland. He struck out one.

Littell allowed hits to four of the first eight batters he faced, leading to two early runs coming across for Cleveland. He would go on to surrender four earned runs for the third consecutive start while recording just one strikeout. The right-hander also gave up a season-high nine hits in the contest and failed to make it through at least five innings for the first time in his last seven outings.

Phillips is a candidate to start a game during the upcoming week while the Reds deal with multiple absences in the starting rotation, Gordon Wittenmyer of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Cincinnati added Graham Ashcraft (toe) to the injured list Saturday, and he's now sidelined along with fellow starters Hunter Greene, Brandon Williamson and Ben Lively, all of whom are on the COVID-19 injured list. The absences leave openings in the starting rotation over the next four days. Carson Spiers will make his MLB debut Sunday, and Phillips could follow soon after. The 22-year-old right-hander last started for Triple-A Louisville on Thursday, when he pitched six scoreless innings with six strikeouts. If the Reds give him a spot start, his five-day schedule comes due Tuesday at home against the Mariners.

Holmes gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless ninth inning Saturday to record his 17th save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Astros.

Despite a rough stretch in August that saw Holmes get tagged for nine earned runs in 5.1 innings over six appearances, the right-hander hasn't actually blown a save chance since July 16, converting six straight -- although Saturday's save was his first in nearly a month. On the season, he sports a 3.29 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 61:19 K:BB through 52 frames, adding four wins and five holds to his save total.

May picked up the save Saturday against the Angels, allowing two walks over a scoreless inning.

May entered the game with a 2-1 lead in the ninth and proceeded to walk the first batter he faced on five pitches. However, the right-handed reliever was able to retire the next two batters before intentionally walking Shohei Ohtani and eventually getting out of the jam to record his 16th save of the season. May has converted each of his last six save opportunities and has not allowed an earned run since Aug. 13, lowering his season ERA to 4.03.

Assad did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing seven hits and one walk over eight scoreless innings in a 2-1 loss to the Reds. He struck out seven.

Assad was masterful Saturday, racking up seven strikeouts to match the career high that he set last time out against Pittsburgh. The 26-year-old righty was removed after eight innings with a 1-0 lead that Chicago's bullpen was unable to protect, sticking him with a tough-luck no-decision. Assad now has five consecutive outings going five-plus innings while allowing two or fewer earned runs, posting a 1.62 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and 24:8 K:BB across 33.1 innings during that stretch. He'll look to continue his impressive string of starts next time out, which is projected to come at home against the Diamondbacks next week.

VerHagen (4-1) allowed two runs on one hit over one-third of an inning to take the loss and a blown save Saturday versus the Pirates.

Verhagen plunked Andrew McCutchen and gave up a two-run home run to Josh Palacios in the ninth inning. Prior to Saturday, VerHagen had been in good form with just one run allowed over 10 innings since the start of August. The right-hander has a 4.38 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 52:21 K:BB, 12 holds and a blown save through 52 innings this season.

Bednar tossed a scoreless inning to earn a save against St. Louis on Saturday, allowing one hit and striking out one batter.

Bednar came on in the ninth frame with the Pirates up one run and gave up a leadoff single to Tommy Edman before hitting Jordan Walker with a pitch. The All-Star closer then saw the tying and winning runs move into scoring position on a Masyn Winn sacrifice but was able to notch a huge strikeout of Lars Nootbaar before getting Paul Goldschmidt to ground out to end the game. Bednar has collected three saves over the past four days, allowing just an unearned run and two hits over three innings during that span. He's tied for sixth in the majors with 31 saves on the season.

Lawrence allowed two earned runs on three walks and a hit while striking out one across two-thirds of an inning Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Lawrence entered the game to start the ninth inning with a three-run lead but failed to convert the save. He allowed six batters to reach base, four of which came via either walk or a hit-by-pitch, and he was pulled with the bases loaded and a one-run lead still intact. Tyler Kinley ultimately came on to convert the save, and Lawrence's grip on the closer role could be in danger given he's allowed 14 earned runs across 18.1 frames and 18 appearances since the All-Star break.