MLB Player News

Harvey gave up a hit and struck out one in a scoreless eighth inning Thursday to record his 12th hold of the season in a win over the Red Sox.

Making his second appearance since being activated from the injured list earlier in the week, Harvey handled setup duties while Kyle Finnegan continues to close for the Nationals. With Finnegan having converted eight straight save chances over the last month or so, Harvey may not work back into the ninth-inning mix down the stretch, but his 2.98 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 47:12 K:BB through 42.1 innings on the season still give him fantasy value in deeper formats.

Castillo was optioned to Triple-A Omaha on Friday.

Castillo allowed two runs over 3.1 innings during his most recent stint in the majors. The Royals will announce a corresponding move prior to their series opener Friday against the Cubs.

Ginkel was unavailable to pitch Thursday when Justin Martinez picked up the save in a 3-1 win over the Padres.

Ginkel and closer Paul Sewald each were unavailable after pitching four times in the last five days. Ginkel has been scored upon in only one of seven appearances in August, collecting two holds and a win with a 1.17 ERA, 0.65 WHIP and 9:3 K:BB through 7.2 innings.

Sewald was not available to pitch Thursday when Justin Martinez notched the save in a 3-1 win over San Diego.

Neither Sewald nor Kevin Ginkel were available to close things out for the Diamondbacks, so manager Torey Lovullo had Martinez get the final four outs. Sewald and Ginkel had each pitched four times in the prior five days.

Finnegan picked up the save Thursday against Boston, allowing two hits while striking out one over a scoreless inning.

Finnegan found himself in trouble after entering the game with a three-run lead in the ninth, surrendering a single and a double in the first two at-bats. However, the veteran reliever was able to work his way out of the jam, retiring the next three batters in order on just seven pitches to record his 19th save. Finnegan has not allowed a run since July 14 against the Cardinals, converting all eight of his save opportunities since then.

Brash picked up the save Thursday against the Royals, striking out one over a perfect inning.

Brash entered the contest with a two-run lead in the bottom of the ninth and needed just eight pitches to retire the side in order and notch his fourth save of the season. It was a nice rebound effort after he surrendered four hits over his last two outings. The right-hander has now converted three of his last four save attempts and has not issued a walk in three straight appearances.

Zerpa did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and two walks over four innings against the Mariners. He struck out six.

It wasn't an ideal start to the night for Zerpa, as the right-hander allowed three hits and two walks over the first two innings while also beaning two batters. He still managed to come away with just one run allowed but was replaced by Max Castillo to open the fifth after reaching a season-high 84 pitches. Zerpa has now allowed five runs over his last two appearances, recording an 8:3 K:BB over that span. His six strikeouts Thursday also marked a season high.

Phillips earned a save over the Brewers on Thursday, walking one batter and striking out two in a scoreless inning.

The two teams went head-to-head in a scoreless duel until Austin Barnes knocked a solo homer in the bottom of the eighth frame. Phillips was then brought in to protect that tenuous lead and retired the first two batters he faced before walking Sal Frelick. Frelick made it to second on a stolen base, but Phillips ended the threat by striking out Willy Adames. Phillips shared ninth-inning duties with Brusdar Graterol earlier in the campaign, but he's since emerged as Los Angeles' no-doubt closer, notching a save in each of his past six appearances and converting 18 of 20 chances on the campaign.

Martinez earned a save against San Diego on Thursday, walking two batters and striking out three over 1.1 scoreless innings.

Closer Paul Sewald had pitched four times in five days coming into Thursday, as had top setup man Kevin Ginkel, so Arizona manager Torey Lovullo opted to go to Martinez -- who was called up from Triple-A Reno earlier in the day -- to protect a two-run lead in the eighth inning. Martinez struck out Ha-Seong Kim looking to end that frame, then returned for the ninth to try to close things out. He got himself into a bit of trouble by walking Fernando Tatis Jr. and Xander Bogaerts but escaped with the save after striking out Jake Cronenworth to end the contest. Though this was certainly an impressive performance by the 22-year-old right-hander, it's unlikely that he'll see many (if any) more save chances this season as long as Sewald and Ginkel are healthy and available.

Arizona recalled Martinez from Triple-A Reno on Thursday.

Martinez has allowed seven earned runs in 3.1 innings (four appearances) this season in the majors, but the Diamondbacks need a fresh bullpen arm leading into their four-game series at San Diego. He'll operate in a low-leverage role.