MLB Player News

Jansen struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Tuesday to record his 13th save of the season in a 5-4 win over the Guardians.

After working both ends of Saturday's doubleheader, Jansen was able to get a couple days off before his next appearance and looked refreshed, topping out at 96.7 mph with his cutter while firing nine of 13 pitches for strikes. The veteran closer has been scored upon only once in his last seven games, but his 25.8 percent strikeout rate and 13.5 percent walk rate on the season would be the worst marks of his career if they don't improve.

Munoz (shoulder) struck out two in a perfect inning, earning a hold in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Padres.

Munoz missed the better part of two months with a shoulder strain. He looked great in his return with a fastball that touched just over 100 mph and four whiffs on 16 pitches. Munoz has given up four hits and a walk while striking out five over 4.1 innings this season, and his usage Tuesday suggests he could immediately resume a high-leverage role. For now, Paul Sewald is the Mariners' preferred closer, but Munoz certainly has the stuff to potentially eke out his fair share of save chances.

Sewald allowed a hit and a walk while striking out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Padres.

Sewald has walked a batter in three straight outings, but he hasn't been charged with a run over his last 5.2 innings. Tuesday's outing was far from efficient, but he was able to convert his 12th save in 13 tries this season. The 33-year-old now has a 2.84 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 35:8 K:BB through 25.1 innings. With Andres Munoz back from a shoulder injury, Sewald will need to continue pitching well to maintain his place as the Mariners' primary closer. Even then, it's possible this could become a two-man committee over the summer.

Estevez allowed two hits and struck out two in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Tuesday's 7-4 win over the Cubs.

Estevez worked around some traffic on the basepaths to pick up his 15th save in as many chances this year. He's now tied for second in the majors in saves after essentially being a question mark for the closer role entering the year. The 30-year-old has an excellent 1.37 ERA with a 1.14 WHIP and 34:11 K:BB through 26.1 innings, strong work that's allowed him to solidify his place in the Angels' bullpen hierarchy. Estevez has been scored on just twice in 13 appearances since the start of May.

Lamet (1-3) allowed three runs on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts over three innings, taking the loss versus the Giants on Tuesday.

Lamet again failed to pitch very deep into the game, and it was a laborious effort that saw him throw just 46 of 83 pitches for strikes. He's lost both of his starts this season, allowing eight runs over six innings, but the Rockies are lacking for better options in the rotation at this time. Over 14 appearances this season, he's logged an awful 12.42 ERA with a 2.46 WHIP and 21:14 K:BB through 16.2 innings. If Lamet gets another start, it would likely be over the weekend at home versus his former team, the Padres.

Walker (2-0) struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the win Tuesday over the Rockies.

Walker pitched the second inning ahead of Sean Manaea's bulk-relief outing after John Brebbia opened the game. This was Walker's sixth scoreless appearance in seven outings, and he's allowed zero baserunners four times. The right-hander has a 1.04 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 10:1 K:BB through his first 8.2 big-league innings. The Giants currently have a rather crowded bullpen while only three starters are healthy, but Walker's pitching well enough to keep his low-leverage spot for a while.

Manaea allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out five over 4.2 innings Tuesday versus the Rockies. He did not factor in the decision but picked up a hold.

Manaea started to get into some trouble in the seventh inning, but the Giants had built up enough of a lead to cruise to the win. Over his previous four appearances, he'd yielded just two runs (one earned) across 10.2 innings, but this was a modestly successful outing in Colorado for the struggling southpaw. He's at a 6.10 ERA, 1.52 WHIP and 52:20 K:BB through 41.1 innings over 13 appearances (six starts) this season. Manaea's likely to continue in this bulk-relief role for his next projected appearance over the weekend versus the Cubs.

Hendriks picked up the save Tuesday against the Yankees. He allowed one run on one hit over one inning. He did not record a strikeout.

Hendriks got off to a rough start Tuesday, giving up a solo homer to Josh Donaldson on his first pitch of the ninth inning but bounced back to force three straight groundouts to snare his first save of the season. After missing the early portions of the season, Hendriks has already received several late-inning looks and has racked up a save and a win across his last two appearances. He appears to be well on his way to reclaiming sole ownership of the closing role, as his primary competitors -- Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman-- were called upon in the seventh and the eighth innings before Hendriks entered for the final frame.

Kimbrel picked up the save in Tuesday's 1-0 win over Detroit, striking out three in a perfect ninth inning.

Kimbrel improved to 9-for-9 in save chances, striking out the side to close out Philadelphia's shutout win. The 35-year-old Kimbrel has been excellent of late, allowing just two runs over his last 11 innings while striking out 19 in that span. After a few rough outings early in the year, his ERA is down to 5.09 with a 1.13 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB over 23 innings.

Alexander (1-1) allowed one run on one hit across three innings to take the loss Tuesday against the Phillies. He struck out three.

Kyle Schwarber led off the game with a home run and it ended up being the only run either team would score. That left Alexander with a tough-luck loss, as this was one of his better outings of the season and his longest since going 3.1 innings on Opening Day. The lefty still has a rough 6.00 ERA overall and will likely continue to serve as a long reliever or occasional opener for the Tigers, giving him limited fantasy value.