MLB Player News

Fairbanks gave up two hits and struck out two in a scoreless ninth inning Friday to record his 23rd save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Nationals.

After blowing his fifth save of the season Wednesday, Fairbanks shook it off and fired 15 of 22 pitches for strikes in Friday's successful conversion. The right-hander has a 2.70 ERA in 10 August innings thanks to three home runs allowed, but he's otherwise been dominant with a 0.80 WHIP and 17:0 K:BB.

Slaten allowed two hits and one walk while striking out one over a scoreless inning in Friday's 4-2 loss to the Pirates.

This was Slaten's first appearance since he was activated off the injured list Thursday, and understandably, it was shaky. He allowed a leadoff single to Oneil Cruz, who was then erased on a double play, but Slaten then issued a two-out walk and allowed a single before wriggling out of the threat. Slaten's previous appearance in the majors was May 28.

Atlanta optioned Wiles to Triple-A Gwinnett on Saturday.

Wiles didn't appear in Friday's game after being recalled from Triple-A earlier in the day, and he'll now return to Gwinnett to make room for Chris Sale's (ribs) return from the injured list. Wiles surrendered three earned runs during his MLB debut in April but has turned in a 3.24 ERA and 1.26 WHIP through 105.2 innings in the minors.

Fernandez walked one and struck out two in a scoreless 10th inning Friday to record his first save of the season in a 7-5 win over the Reds.

JoJo Romero struggled to find the plate in the eighth inning, throwing only four of 12 pitches for strikes, and Riley O'Brien wasn't used at all after having thrown 13 pitches the night before, so the Cardinals' closer picture got a little murkier after Fernandez got the job done in the 10th. Fernandez has an 11.9 K/9 through 11.1 innings since being called up at the beginning of August, but that comes with a 4.76 ERA and 5.6 BB/9. Romero and O'Brien remain the top options for saves in St. Louis, but Fernandez may be working his way into higher-leverage usage.

Hendriks (hip) has progressed out to 105 feet in his throwing program and expects to increase his distance to 120 feet Saturday, MLB.com reports.

Hendriks is hoping to throw off a mound next week and is aiming to return before the end of the regular season or for the postseason.

Finnegan (4-4) tossed 1.2 scoreless innings of relief to earn the win Friday against the Royals. He walked one and struck out three.

Detroit starter Chris Paddack only lasted 3.2 innings, which led the Tigers to use four relievers. Finnegan was the second-to-last one used, picking up his fourth win of the season when Will Vest closed things out behind him in a 5-3 victory. Finnegan has been a strong addition to Detroit's bullpen, as he's yet to be scored on in 13.1 innings since joining the team at the trade deadline. He and Vest should continue to see save opportunities, giving both pitchers fantasy value moving forward.

Woodford walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-0 win over the Dodgers.

Both Jalen Beeks and Kyle Backhus were deployed earlier in the game, with Backhus getting arguably the toughest assignment against the top of the Dodgers' order in the eighth inning. Woodford didn't have a cakewalk, facing the heart of the order, but he was able to get the job done to earn his second save of the season. He's added a hold and two blown saves while posting a 5.34 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 15:8 K:BB through 28.2 innings this season. Woodford has multi-inning potential, which may keep him out of high-leverage situations, but late-inning opportunities remain up for grabs with Arizona utilizing a closing committee to protect leads.

Armstrong walked one over 1.2 scoreless and hitless innings to earn the save in Friday's 5-2 win over the Athletics.

Armstrong's steady pitching in August looks to have vaulted him to the top of the Rangers' closing hierarchy. He's earned the team's last two saves, though chances haven't been plentiful in recent weeks. Phil Maton has blown three saves in his last five appearances, which has opened the door for Armstrong to get more closing opportunities. After Friday's outing, Armstrong is on an 11.2-inning scoreless streak with a 13:3 K:BB in that span. He's at a 2.43 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and 61:18 K:BB through 59.1 innings this season while adding five saves, 10 holds and three blown saves.

Ort earned the save against the Angels on Friday, striking out two and retiring all four batters he faced.

With Bryan Abreu unavailable after pitching on back-to-back days, Ort was called in with the bases loaded in the eighth and escaped the jam before tossing a perfect ninth. It was just the second save of the 33-year-old's career, and he now owns a 4.36 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and 46:25 K:BB across 43.1 innings this season.

Funderburk notched the save in a 7-4 win over the Padres on Friday, allowing no hits and two walks with one strikeout in a scoreless ninth inning.

It was the first save of the season for Funderburk, whose usage was certainly interesting Friday. Justin Topa appeared to be first in line for save opportunities from the Minnesota bullpen, but he worked the seventh inning against San Diego. It's likely too early to gauge if Funderburk has definitively made his way into the closer picture -- the southpaw owns a dicey 4.40 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 23:15 K:BB for the year -- but he hasn't yielded an earned run over his last 11.2 innings.