MLB Player News

Fujinami (5-7) got the extra-inning win over the Tigers on Tuesday, striking out the side in a perfect ninth frame.

Fujinami threw arguably his sharpest inning of the season, firing nine of his 12 pitches for strikes while recording swinging punchouts of Jake Rogers, Zach McKinstry and Miguel Cabrera. The right-hander now has four consecutive scoreless appearances -- including three straight hitless efforts -- and hasn't walked a batter across the seven innings spanning his last six outings, his longest stretch by far without issuing a free pass. With a recent body of work that includes a 3-1 record, 2.19 ERA and 10.2 K/9 across his last 11 appearances, Fujinami appears to be increasingly earning the trust of manager Mark Kotsay in higher-leverage scenarios.

Red Sox manager Alex Cora said they are building up Pivetta's pitch count ahead of a potential start Sunday, Chris Cotillo of The Springfield Republican reports.

With Garrett Whitlock (elbow) joining Chris Sale (scapula) and Tanner Houck (facial fracture) on the injured list this week, the Red Sox are limited in the rotation. Pivetta has been a revelation since moving from the rotation to the bullpen in May, and Cora has been reluctant to use him as a starter, feeling his pitch mix plays better in relief. At this point, however, the Red Sox need bulk innings, and keeping Pivetta in the bullpen is a luxury.

Robertson gave up a hit and a walk before recording the final out of Tuesday's 8-5 win over the Diamondbacks and collecting his 12th save of the season.

Drew Smith began the ninth inning with the Mets leading by four runs, but after he put two runners aboard with two outs, Robertson got the call and allowed an inherited runner to score before getting Lourdes Gurriel to ground out with the bases loaded. The 38-year-old righty has issued a free pass in four of his last five appearances, and while his 1.93 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 44:11 K:BB through 37.1 innings on the season remain sharp, he could likely use some rest over the All-Star break -- he's on pace to top 70 innings for the first time in his career.

Moore (oblique) threw a bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to be ready to return to the Angels following the All-Star break, Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com reports.

Moore was temporarily shut down from throwing after experiencing some soreness following a simulated game June 24. However, the southpaw was able to get back on the mound Tuesday and is slated to throw another bullpen this weekend. If he does so without any setbacks, Moore appears in line to be activated for the Angels' first game back from the All-Star break July 14.

Joyce (elbow) will continue his rehab in Arizona but isn't expected to be able to pitch off a mound for at least three weeks, Sam Blum of The Athletic reports.

Joyce recently resumed throwing on flat ground after going on the injured list June 10 due to right ulnar neuritis. Though the rookie reliever appears to be making progress, he won't be rushed in his rehab and isn't slated to see mound work until the final week of July at the earliest. With that timeframe in mind, Joyce is unlikely to be ready to return to the big-league staff until sometime in August or September.

Smith recorded the final out Tuesday to collect his 15th save of the season in a 6-2 win over the Red Sox.

Josh Sborz began the ninth inning on the mound for the Rangers, but a single and a catcher's interference call on Mitch Garver put two runners aboard with two outs, and Smith got the call to retire Alex Verdugo and end the threat. The veteran lefty reliever had just blown his second save of the season Monday, but since the beginning of June, Smith has a 2.92 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 10:2 K:BB through 12.1 innings. His spot as the closer doesn't appear to be in any jeopardy from the newly acquired Aroldis Chapman.

Phillips (1-3) allowed three runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two over one inning, taking the loss and a blown save in Tuesday's 9-7 loss to the Pirates.

Phillips' 10.1-inning scoreless streak came to a sudden halt when he failed to protect a one-run lead. He gave up all of three runs over 11 appearances in June, and this was just the third time in 36 outings he's surrendered multiple runs. The poor performance puts him at 12-for-14 in save chances while pitching to a 2.57 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 41:9 K:BB through 35 innings. This was his third consecutive day on the mound, which may have played a part in his struggles, and he'll likely be unavailable if a save chance arises Wednesday.

Bednar (3-0) allowed a hit and a walk and struck out two over 1.2 scoreless innings to earn the win over the Dodgers on Tuesday.

Bednar entered the contest with the Pirates down a run, but they rallied ahead for a 9-7 lead in the ninth inning. The closer stayed in to protect the lead, ending with 26 pitches (18 strikes). He's exceeded one inning in each of his last three appearances, though they've been spaced out well. Bednar has a 1.36 ERA, 0.91 WHIP and 39:5 K:BB while adding 16 saves through 33 innings this season.

Winn (0-2) took the loss Tuesday, allowing three runs on six hits and one walk over four innings in a 6-0 loss to the Mariners. He struck out two.

After posting a quality start on 67 pitches in his first MLB start last week, Winn made his second appearance in the rotation Tuesday and threw 67 pitches once again but only lasted four frames. He was constantly under pressure by a Mariners offense that scored in each of the first three innings and surrendered a solo homer to Mike Ford in the third. Though Winn could stick around at the tail end of the Giants' rotation for another start or two with Anthony DeSclafani (shoulder fatigue) on the 15-day injured list, he remains an untrustworthy streaming option given his apparent workload limitations.

Kimbrel picked up the save in Tuesday's 3-1 victory over the Rays. He struck out two over a perfect inning.

Kimbrel improved to a perfect 13-for-13 in save opportunities this season, striking out the first two batters he faced before forcing Christian Bethancourt to pop out to end the game and secure the save. The outing extended what was already an impressive stretch for Kimbrel, pushing his scoreless inning streak to 11 frames in as many appearances while also marking his seventh perfect inning in that sample.