MLB Player News

Leone pitched two perfect innings as the opener in Friday's 6-1 win over Chicago. He struck out two and did not factor in the decision.

Friday was just the second multi-inning appearance of the year for Leone, but he delivered strong work in his second turn as an opener. He's produced excellent ratios this year with a 1.48 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 40:20 K:BB across 42.2 innings. Leone could see additional opening opportunities while Alex Wood (COVID-19) and Johnny Cueto (elbow) remain unavailable, as manager Gabe Kapler has shown little hesitation to use a bullpen game to address an understaffed rotation.

Jax allowed four unearned runs on five hits and one walk while striking out four across six innings in the loss to the Royals on Friday. He did not factor in the decision.

Jax surrendered a three-run home run to Andrew Benintendi in the first inning. He gave up a fourth run in the fourth frame on a Michael Taylor double. The 26-year-old has allowed 23 earned runs in his last four outings. On the season, he has a 6.72 ERA and 1.37 WHIP with 51 strikeouts in 64.1 innings.

Akin will start Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader against the Blue Jays, Steve Melewski of MASNSports.com reports.

He will pitch opposite Ross Stripling in the nightcap while Dean Kremer starts Game 1. Akin has a 4.32 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 21 strikeouts in 25 innings over his last five starts.

Otto (0-1) took the loss against Oakland on Friday, allowing eight runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out five across 3.1 innings.

The rookie had pitched fairly well in his first two big-league starts, but he was hit hard by the Athletics on Friday. Otto gave up six runs in the second inning, though Oakland didn't register any extra-base hits in the frame. He bounced back with a scoreless third inning but was pulled after allowing a double and a triple while retiring only one batter in the fourth. Otto did flash impressive strikeout stuff -- he notched five punchouts and 12 swinging strikes -- so the overall picture isn't as bleak as the outcome of his brief appearance. If Otto remains in the rotation, his opportunity to bounce back will likely come at home against the White Sox next week.

Hendriks allowed one hit in a scoreless ninth inning and earned a save over Boston on Friday.

Hendriks worked around a leadoff single by Christian Vazquez to secure the 4-3 win for the White Sox. Dating back to Aug. 16, he's converted his last eight save chances while allowing just one run through 12 innings during that span. The veteran righty is now 34-for-40 in save chances with a 2.90 ERA on the year.

Coonrod struck out one in a perfect inning during Friday's 11-2 loss to Colorado.

The right-hander was one of two Philadelphia pitchers, along with Cam Bedrosian, to keep runs off the board. Coonrod has been a steady presence this year with a 3.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 42:12 K:BB across 36 innings. He's logged a 2-2 record, two saves, eight holds and three blown saves. Since he returned from forearm tendinitis, he's allowed two runs on five hits, two walks and two hit batters while racking up 12 strikeouts in eight innings.

Hudson (elbow) worked up to four innings and 46 pitches in his most recent rehab start for Double-A Springfield on Tuesday, the team's official site reports.

The right-hander's remarkable road to recovery continued without a hitch in that outing, one in which Hudson was able to scatter four hits and a walk while only allowing a pair of unearned runs. Hudson's velocity, feel and spin rates have all reportedly been solid through his first three rehab appearances, and he'll next take the hill for Springfield on Sunday.

Morgan (2-7) allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts in 4.1 innings, taking the loss versus Milwaukee on Friday.

The right-hander was doing alright through four innings, but he got into a jam in the fifth. He was tagged for five runs in the frame after reliever Sam Hentges entered the game and yielded a grand slam to Lorenzo Cain. Morgan has failed to complete five innings in four of his last six starts, although he's improved from ineffective to inconsistent lately. He has a 6.03 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 70:21 K:BB in 71.2 innings in his rookie season. He projects for a road start versus the Yankees during next weekend's three-game series.

Reyes, who earned his sixth win in his most recent appearance Thursday versus the Dodgers with two scoreless innings, will be utilized as a multi-inning reliever for the remainder of the season with an eye on building him up for a rotation spot in 2022, Zachary Silver of MLB.com reports.

Reyes was essentially bounced from closer duties after a rough patch in August, but the shift to more of a long-relief is part of a longer-term plan anyhow. The team believes it can begin laying the groundwork for Reyes to build back up to a starter's workload through the bullpen before he heads into an offseason regimen tailored to that same goal. Reyes looked comfortable in Thursday's victory after allowing home runs in back-to-back appearances, as he surrendered just one hit and no walks while recording two strikeouts over his pair of frames.

Fairbanks (3-6) allowed three runs on two hits and a walk with one strikeout in one-third of an inning, taking the loss Friday versus Detroit.

The 27-year-old loaded the bases in the seventh inning before Andrew Kittredge allowed a grand slam to Jonathan Schoop. Fairbanks has experienced mixed results since returning from a shoulder injury. He's given up five runs in his last 5.1 innings while taking two losses and a blown save in those six appearances. He now has a 4.21 ERA, 1.43 WHIP, 49:18 K:BB, five saves, 12 holds and two blown saves across 36.1 innings overall.