MLB Player News

Ottavino picked up the save against Atlanta on Wednesday, tossing one inning and giving up one run on two hits while striking out one.

Usual closer Matt Barnes was unavailable Wednesday after pitching each of the previous two days, so Ottavino was called upon to close with Boston holding a three-run ninth-inning lead. It was hardly a smooth performance by the veteran reliever -- he allowed a run on a single and a double -- but Ottavino struck out Freddie Freeman to end the game. The right-hander has converted four saves and 13 holds on the season and is the clear top choice for ninth-inning duties when Barnes is unavailable.

Shaw gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and struck out three in one inning to earn a hold in Wednesday's 8-7 win over Baltimore.

Shaw allowed just three runs over 20.2 innings in the first two months of the season. He's already given up five runs (four earned) across 7.1 innings in June. The right-hander nearly gave up the lead in the seventh inning Wednesday, but he was able to strike out Pedro Severino and Anthony Santander (ankle) for the final two outs with two runners aboard. For the year, Shaw has a 2.25 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 35:21 K:BB across 28 innings, but his performance is trending in the wrong direction. He'll need to work on trimming down his walk rate of 6.8 BB/9 to have more effective performances.

Akin (0-2) allowed eight earned runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out seven across 5.2 innings to take the loss Wednesday against Cleveland.

Akin suffered through a five-run third inning, when he allowed six baserunners -- five of which reached on hits. He managed to minimize the damage from there, though Matt Harvey allowed two inherited runners to score, further bloating Akin's line. More positively, Akin did strike out seven, a performance backed by 16 swinging strikes on 96 total pitches. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Akin has now taken four consecutive turns through the rotation and allowed 12 earned runs across 19.1 innings while also racking up 17 strikeouts.

Clase didn't allow a baserunner and struck out one to earn the save Wednesday against the Orioles.

James Karinchak worked in the eighth inning with a one-run lead, leaving the save chance for Clase. Despite the high-leverage spot, Clase needed only 12 pitches to retire the side without allowing a baserunner to record his 11th save of the season. Since May 21, Clase has earned four saves while Karinchak has recorded two. The former has also maintained an excellent 0.94 ERA with 32 strikeouts across 28.2 frames on the campaign.

Diaz retired the only batter he faced to earn the save Wednesday against the Cubs.

Diaz came on with two outs in the ninth inning and a runner on first base. He retired Willson Contreras on four pitches to record his 14th save of the season. Though this was a fairly straightforward outing, Diaz has performed well throughout the season by maintaining a 2.67 ERA and 37 strikeouts across 27 innings on the campaign.

Adams (2-1) allowed a run on a hit and a walk while failing to record an out, taking the loss Wednesday versus Colorado.

The right-hander walked Trevor Story on five pitches, and Story stole second base. Charlie Blackmon then hit a walkoff single that left Adams with his first loss of the season. He entered Wednesday with no runs allowed in his last five innings. Adams has a 2.25 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 36:12 K:BB across 24 innings this year. He's added five holds and a blown save across 30 appearances as a part of the bridge to closer Mark Melancon.

Hand gave up two hits over 1.2 scoreless innings while striking out one to record his 13th save of the season in Wednesday's 3-1 win over the Pirates.

It was Hand's longest save of the season, and only the third time in 26 appearances he's recorded more than three outs. The veteran lefty has converted 10 straight saves, with his last blown save coming May 12. He sports a 2.96 ERA and 27:12 K:BB through 27.1 innings.

Hall was placed on the 7-day injured list at Double-A Bowie with soreness in his left elbow, Jon Meoli of The Baltimore Sun reports.

The young southpaw had an MRI come back clean, but he'll still miss some time after experiencing soreness following his last start Saturday. Hall is expected to be sidelined for at least a couple weeks.

Estevez (2-0) allowed an unearned run and walked two in one inning, but he earned the win Wednesday versus San Diego.

The 28-year-old yielded the game-tying run on a Trent Grisham sacrifice fly after Wil Myers reached on an error in the ninth inning. While the right-hander took the blown save, Charlie Blackmon's walkoff single in the bottom of the ninth gave Estevez the win. Estevez had a streak of 11.1 innings without walking a batter, but he's now yielded four free passes in his last three innings. He has a 3.86 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, 19:8 K:BB, two saves and three holds across 18.2 innings.

Hernandez allowed two hits and struck out four over three scoreless innings in Wednesday's 6-5 loss to Detroit.

Starter Brady Singer left Wednesday's game with a shoulder injury after three innings, but Hernandez was able to deliver solid work in a bulk-relief outing. The 24-year-old hasn't been great at the major-league level in 2021, posting a 6.00 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 17:8 K:BB across 12 innings. He'll likely remain in a low-leverage role unless he can put together more successful outings like he did Wednesday.