MLB Player News

Lopez (4-2) allowed four runs on five hits and a walk while striking out three over five innings to take the loss versus St. Louis on Saturday.

Lopez fell behind early after giving up a three-run home run to Lars Nootbaar in the first inning. Atlanta's offense never mounted much of a threat, leaving Lopez to take his first loss since April 21, which was the start that sent him to the bullpen for two months. He's allowed seven runs over 18 innings with a 15:4 K:BB over four starts since rejoining the rotation. Overall, Lopez has a 3.50 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 54:25 K:BB across 61.2 innings through 22 appearances (nine starts) this season.

Brubaker secured the save Saturday against Colorado, allowing a solo home run and no walks in two innings. He struck out two.

Caleb Kilian blew the save in Friday's 4-3 loss to the Rockies and also worked each of the past two days for the Giants, so the club called upon Brubaker for his first save chance of the year Saturday. San Francisco has struggled for stability at closer largely due to Ryan Walker's season-long ineffectiveness, leaving the door open for Brubaker to see more high-leverage work. He's taken advantage of those chances with a 2.87 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 33:20 K:BB with three holds over 47 innings.

O'Brien walked one, hit a batter and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-1 win over Atlanta.

O'Brien wasn't quite at his best while pitching for the third time in four days, but he got the job done. He's on a seven-inning scoreless streak and has earned six saves with a 6:2 K:BB in that span. The All-Star reliever has converted 24 of 28 save chances this season while pitching to a 3.43 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 39:13 K:BB through 39.1 innings. O'Brien presumably won't be available if a save opportunity surfaces Sunday -- JoJo Romero or Ryne Stanek would be top options to step in for a save chance since George Soriano has also pitched consecutive days.

Rivera took a no-decision Saturday against the Mets, allowing no runs on one hit and two walks in 3.2 innings. He struck out three.

Making his second major-league appearance of 2026, Rivera fared well Saturday while giving up one single across 3.2 scoreless frames. The 23-year-old southpaw has impressed for the Red Sox in limited action this season, delivering seven shutout innings while yielding only two hits. Rivera was likely just making a spot start for Boston's banged-up rotation, as Connelly Early (elbow) and Ranger Suarez (groin) could both be back shortly following the All-Star break.

Major League Baseball announced that Mikolas will begin serving his five-game suspension Sunday, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports.

The suspension stemmed from his role during a bench-clearing brawl with the Red Sox on July 2. Mikolas initially appealed his suspension, but after teammate Cade Cavalli completed a five-game ban of his own, the veteran right-hander is now required to begin serving his time. Mikolas will be available to return to action July 21 against the Rockies, the Nationals' fifth game out of the All-Star break. Mikolas heads into the break with a 5.78 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 50:19 K:BB across 90.1 innings.

Duran earned the save against the Tigers on Saturday after tossing a perfect ninth inning with no strikeouts.

Duran needed just eight pitches (seven strikes) to protect the Phillies' two-run lead in Saturday's win. It was his 24th save of the season, which is third most in the majors behind Cade Smith (28) and Bryan Baker (25). Duran has a 1.38 ERA, 0.92 WHIP and 50:6 K:BB across 32.2 innings this season and has converted his past eight save chances.

Holderman earned the save in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Marlins, tossing a scoreless ninth inning.

Cade Smith was dispatched in each of the Guardians' three games prior to Saturday, so Holderman was called on to protect Cleveland's 4-1 lead. Holderman needed only 11 pitches (eight strikes) to get the job done for his first save of the season and fourth save of his major-league career. He has a 1.78 ERA and 0.85 WHIP over 35.1 innings this season.

Phillips will start Sunday's series finale against the Guardians, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

Phillips last pitched Wednesday against the Mariners, but the Marlins are expected to heavily rely on their bullpen for Sunday's contest, so the veteran right-hander will take the hill on three days' rest and presumably operate with a limited pitch count. Phillips has recorded a 3.28 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 55:34 K:BB across 74 innings this season.

Blanco (elbow) will make another rehab start at Triple-A Sugar Land on Sunday, Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle reports.

Blanco had been a candidate to return from the 60-day injured list to start Sunday's first-half finale against the Rangers, but the Astros will look to get him one more tune-up outing in the minors before bringing him back after the All-Star break. His most recent start at Triple-A on Tuesday was cut short after two innings due to inclement weather, though he had built up to 60 pitches (4.1 innings) during his previous appearance.

Helsley was diagnosed Saturday with inflammation around the UCL in his right elbow, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.

Helsley landed on the injured list July 3 due to elbow discomfort, and although he's dealing with inflammation that will keep him sidelined for an extended period of time, manager Craig Albernaz confirmed that the 31-year-old reliever hasn't suffered any structural damage to his UCL. A timeline for his recovery could begin to come into focus once he begins a throwing program, but the team is optimistic that Helsley will be back before the end of the season. In the meantime, Tyler Wells and Andrew Kittredge will likely factor into the mix for saves in Baltimore.