MLB Player News

Beede is listed as the Pirates' starting pitcher for Monday's game in Arizona.

Though Beede will be making his second straight turn through the rotation, the Pirates may be treating his start as another glorified bullpen day. The Pirates will likely allow Beede to progressively stretch out over his subsequent starts, but he probably can't be counted on to cover much more than three frames Monday after he threw 42 pitches and lasted just 1.1 innings (while giving up four earned runs) in his first start of the season last week versus the Brewers.

Winder (shoulder) will begin a bullpen progression Tuesday in Fort Myers, Fla. in hopes of a September return, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

Winder looked as though he might have been a candidate to get shut down for the season after he landed on Triple-A St. Paul's 7-day injured list July 23 with right shoulder impingement syndrome, but he's apparently recovering more quickly than expected. He'll still need about three weeks to get fully ramped back up, so he won't be a realistic candidate to return from the Triple-A IL and rejoin the Twins until the roster expands in September.

Soto (2-6) allowed five runs on two hits and three walks against the Rays on Sunday. He recorded two outs and took the loss.

Soto entered a scoreless contest in the ninth inning and quickly lost control of things. He coughed up two runs and was charged with all three runners he left on base. He had gone eight straight appearances without allowing an earned run, and he saw his ERA jump to 3.26 after his worst outing of the season. Soto is still riding a streak of seven straight converted saves.

Helsley picked up the save Sunday against the Yankees. He allowed one run on one hit and zero walks while striking out one over 1.1 innings.

Helsley entered the game with two outs in the eighth inning and had little trouble recording the out. DJ LeMahieu tagged him for a solo home run in the top of the ninth inning, but Helsley set down the other three batters he faced to record the four-out save, his 11th on the season. The 28-year-old reliever now sports an incredible 0.79 ERA to go with a 0.64 WHIP, and he hasn't blown a save since June 29.

Abbott (0-1) allowed seven runs on seven hits and five walks over 3.2 innings Sunday, striking out two and taking a loss against the Phillies.

Abbott never really found a groove Sunday as he gave up four homers in the short start, including three in the fourth frame. It was his second MLB start of the season, and he'd allowed just one run in nine frames with the big-league club before the rough outing. The 26-year-old righty saw his ERA climb to 5.68 with an 11:8 K:BB on the year. Assuming he stays in the rotation, Abbott is projected to face the Padres at home next week.

Romano (4-3) blew the save but picked up the win in Sunday's 3-2 victory over the Twins. He allowed one run on two hits and zero walks while striking out one over two innings.

The Blue Jays' closer entered the game with a one-run lead in the ninth inning and allowed a run on a hit-by-pitch, a pair of singles and a fielder's choice. Toronto went on to score a run in the top of the 10th to give Romano the lead, which he sealed for the win with a clean frame. As the Blue Jays are in the heat of the AL playoff race, interim skipper John Schneider opted to let Romano pitch two innings for the first time this season. If that trend continues, Romano could sneak more counting stats and a couple of additional wins this season.

Wilson (2-6) allowed a run on four hits and no walks while striking out five in five innings to earn the win over the Orioles on Sunday.

Wilson had one of his best performances of the season Sunday and was rewarded with his first win since July 2. The right-hander has picked up just two wins over 15 appearances (12 starts) this year, but he's been relatively effective since the start of July, posting a 3.34 ERA in 32.1 innings over his last six outings. He projects to make his next start on the road against San Francisco on Friday.

Clase struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save during Sunday's win over the Astros.

Clase's last two appearances came in non-save situations, but he preserved the Guardians' one-run lead during Sunday's low-scoring matchup to pick up his 24th save of the season. The right-hander gave up a run Saturday against Houston but has still been dominant following the All-Star break, posting a 1.13 ERA in eight innings over his last eight outings.

Melancon allowed a hit and two walks while striking out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Sunday's 6-4 win over the Rockies.

Melancon was removed from the full-time closer gig after a blown save versus the Guardians last Monday. With Ian Kennedy unavailable after pitching the two previous days and Joe Mantiply having pitching earlier in the game, manager Torey Lovullo asked Melancon to close. He loaded the bases with two outs but got a fielder's choice to end the contest without surrendering a run for the first time in his last three appearances. Neither his recent work nor his season-long numbers -- a 4.54 ERA, 1.62 WHIP and 27:15 K:BB -- should inspire much confidence in the 37-year-old's ability to lock things down. This was his 15th save in 18 chances, but expect Kennedy and Mantiply to get their chances in the ninth inning over the last two months of the season. Kennedy picked up the first two saves since the move to a committee approach, while Mantiply was deployed in the sixth inning Sunday.

Merryweather (oblique) began a rehab assignment Saturday with the Blue Jays' rookie-level Florida Complex League affiliate, striking out two over a scoreless inning in his first appearance.

Merryweather is on the comeback trail after he had been sidelined since June 13 with a left oblique strain. After being moved to the 60-day injured list, Merryweather won't be eligible for activation until the middle of August, so he'll likely make at least a few more appearances in the minors before slotting back into the Toronto bullpen.