MLB Player News

Finnegan allowed a hit and struck out one in a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 4-1 win over the Dodgers.

Finnegan was called on for five outs to close out Sunday's game versus Arizona, and he was back on the mound again Monday. He gave up a leadoff single to Gavin Lux but retired the next three batters to secure his third save of the year. Finnegan's covered 3.2 scoreless innings in his last three appearances and now owns a 3.66 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 44:13 K:BB through 39.1 innings. He's the Nationals' closer after Tanner Rainey (elbow) suffered a season-ending injury, but Finnegan's heavy workload in the last two days may leave him unavailable should a save chance arise Tuesday.

Otto (4-7) allowed three runs on seven hits, one walk and a hit batter while striking out five over 5.1 innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Mariners.

Otto got through the Mariners' order without much trouble once, but they accumulated two runs on four hits in the fourth inning. Ty France added a solo shot in the fifth, and the Rangers' offense couldn't get Otto off the hook. The 26-year-old right-hander has given up at least three runs in five of his last six starts, going 0-5 in that span, a noticeable struggle since he returned from the COVID-19 injured list in late June. He now has a 5.37 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 52:35 K:BB across 67 innings in 14 starts. He's projected to make his next start this weekend on the road against the Angels.

Swanson retired both batters he faced to earn the save in Monday's 4-3 win over the Rangers.

Regular closer Paul Sewald was deployed in the eighth inning, and Diego Castillo put together a shaky start of the ninth. Swanson entered with a one-run lead and two runners aboard, but he escaped by retiring Josh Smith and Marcus Semien. In July, Swanson has allowed one run over 7.1 innings, which included one outing as an opener. The 28-year-old right-hander continues to step up when called upon -- he has a 0.98 ERA, 0.80 WHIP and 36:5 K:BB through 27.2 innings while adding two saves, six holds and a blown save this year.

Junis (4-2) allowed a run on three hits, a walk and a hit batter with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings, taking the loss Monday versus the Diamondbacks.

Junis allowed more baserunners than the Giants contributed in the entire contest, and he received no run support in his first start since June 10. The right-hander wasn't bad, but he was limited to 62 pitches (38 strikes) as he continues to build back up after missing over a month with a hamstring strain. He's been generally effective with a 2.98 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 44:11 K:BB through 54.1 innings in 11 appearances (eight starts) this season. He's projected for a home start versus the Cubs this weekend, though it's likely Junis will still have a workload restriction for at least a couple more outings.

Effross worked around a hit to pitch a scoreless ninth inning and record the save in Monday's 3-2 win over the Pirates. He struck out one.

Regular closer David Robertson pitched the last two days, so the Cubs gave him the day off and turned to Effross instead. The 28-year-old responded with his first save at the MLB level in four career chances. Effross has been pretty solid this year with a 2.72 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 50 strikeouts across 43 innings, and he might end up seeing more save chances if the veteran Robertson ends up getting traded before the upcoming deadline.

Pivetta allowed one run on seven hits and three walks over 5.2 innings during Monday's win over Cleveland. He struck out six and did not factor in the decision.

Pivetta tossed four shutout frames before giving up an RBI single to Jose Ramirez in the fifth. While he failed to get back in the win column, it was a strong outing for the 29-year-old after he'd been tagged with 20 runs over his previous three starts. Pivetta lowered his season ERA to 4.35 alongside a 110:42 K:BB through 20 appearances. He's projected to face the Brewers at home this weekend.

Manaea (5-5) allowed nine runs (four earned) on eight hits and a walk over 3.1 frames Monday, striking out four and taking a loss against the Tigers.

Manaea turned in a pair of scoreless frames before coughing up five runs in the third inning, including a grand slam by Eric Haase. The 30-year-old lefty was tagged with four more runs in the fourth, including a leadoff shot by Jeimer Candelario. It was the fourth time this year that Manaea's given up two homers in a start and the first time since June 14. His ERA is up to 4.33 with a 104:39 through 18 appearances. Manaea is lined up to face the Twins at home this weekend.

Pop left Monday's game against the Reds with an undisclosed injury, Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald reports.

The nature of Pop's injury is unclear at this time, and he'll be labeled day-to-day until more information comes to light.

Coulombe (hip) was transferred to the 60-day injured list Monday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Coulombe has already been on the injured list since the end of May, so it won't impact his return date. Miguel Sano (knee) was reinstated from the 60-day injured list and will take Coulombe's spot on the 40-man roster.

Cousins (elbow) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

An elbow injury has kept Cousins out of action since the final day in April, but he has seemingly reached the final stage of his recovery. He will pitch Tuesday in the Arizona Complex League, and if all goes well will then advance to Triple-A Nashville.