MLB Player News

Santana struck out one over two-thirds of a scoreless inning to earn the save in Monday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Royals.

Santana inherited a precarious situation, entering after the Royals had already scored four runs in the bottom of the 10th inning to whittle Arizona's five-run lead to one. However, the right-hander retired Michael Massey on a flyout before striking out Nick Loftin to end the game. It was Santana's first appearance in eight days, and it extended his streak of scoreless outings to four. Since being called up to the Diamondbacks' big-league roster Aug. 16, Santana owns a 1.50 ERA and a 6:1 K:BB across six innings in seven relief outings.

Cortes went 2-for-2 with an RBI in Monday's 6-5 win over Toronto.

Cortes picked up a pair of singles, including an RBI knock in the fourth inning, before being subbed out for Denzel Clarke when lefty Brendon Little took the mound in the sixth frame. Since the All-Star break, Cortes has struggled to a .224/.271/.327 slash line with two homers, 16 RBI, seven runs and a stolen base across 36 contests. Overall, the 29-year-old is hitting .262/.329/.397 with eight homers, 39 RBI, 27 runs and two stolen bases in 109 games.

Martinez (2-0) earned the win after striking out one and walking one in a scoreless ninth inning Monday against the Royals.

Martinez was the fifth Arizona pitcher used in a scoreless game and kept the deadlock intact despite issuing a walk. His clean frame completed nine shutout innings from the Diamondbacks' bullpen committee before the offense erupted for five runs in the top of the 10th. That rally put Martinez in line for his second win of the season, and he has yet to allow an earned run this year in seven appearances while posting an 8:5 K:BB across 6.2 frames.

Law allowed one hit over two scoreless innings in Monday's 5-4 extra-inning win over the Royals.

Law served as Arizona's opener in a bullpen game and set the tone by keeping Kansas City off the board for the first two frames. He faced the minimum in the second thanks to Ildemaro Vargas' diving stop and double play, then handed the game to Jose Cabrera. Law threw 19 pitches, 10 for strikes, as the Diamondbacks' pitching staff combined to blank Kansas City through nine innings. Law made his season debut Aug. 29 and has allowed one run on five hits and a walk while striking out three across 6.2 innings through five appearances.

The Pirates outrighted Bethancourt to Triple-A Indianapolis on Monday.

Bethancourt did not appear in a game during his brief time on the Pirates' 40-man roster, but he's slated to remain in the organization as experienced catching depth. The 35-year-old is a career .229/.259/.362 hitter over parts of eight big-league seasons.

Lowe entered Monday's game as a pinch hitter and hit a three-run home run in a 6-4 loss to the Orioles.

Lowe, who opened the game on the bench against a left-handed starter, reached for an Andrew Kittredge slider down in the zone in the ninth inning and sent it over the fence in right field. It was his fourth home run, along with 19 RBI, over 28 games since joining the Guardians at the trade deadline. Lowe has become Cleveland's primary starter against right-handed pitching and will continue in that role as the team competes for a berth in the postseason.

Rutschman went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run in Monday's 5-2 win over the Angels.

Rutschman supplied the biggest swing of Boston's four-run second inning, turning on a 97.8 mph fastball from former Orioles teammate Grayson Rodriguez and sending it off the Pesky Pole for a three-run homer. The blast was Rutschman's 12th of the season and fourth since joining Boston. He's hit safely in four of his last six games, so he could be gearing up for a strong finish over the last few weeks of the regular season.

Ballesteros went 3-for-4 with a solo home run and a double in Monday's 5-2 loss to the Red Sox.

Ballesteros accounted for three of the Angels' six hits in this game while recording the first three-hit performance of his major-league career. He broke up Boston's shutout with his eighth homer of the season off Wyatt Olds in the sixth and finished just a triple shy of the cycle. The rookie slugger, a deadline addition via trade with the Cubs, is hitting .246 with a .675 OPS in his last 15 games.

Rodriguez (4-7) took the loss Monday against the Red Sox after allowing five runs on six hits and four walks while striking out three over four innings.

Rodriguez escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first but couldn't repeat the feat in the second. Jarren Duran opened the inning with a solo homer before Rodriguez surrendered a three-run shot to former Orioles teammate Adley Rutschman, putting the Angels in a 4-0 hole they'd never escape from. Rodriguez's ERA climbed to 6.28 after this outing, and he's given up at least three earned runs in four of his last six starts. The 26-year-old should remain a risky fantasy option and is slated to make his next start on the road against the Nationals this weekend.

Whitlock struck out two in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Monday's 5-2 win over the Angels.

Whitlock was called upon with Boston holding a three-run lead in the top of the ninth and made quick work of the bottom of the Angels' lineup. He tossed nine of his 15 pitches for strikes and retired all three batters he faced en route to earning his third save of the season. Despite the save, Whitlock should continue as the Red Sox's preferred setup option behind star closer Aroldis Chapman, who wasn't available Monday after pitching three times in the previous four days. Whitlock lowered his ERA to 1.88 with Monday's excellent outing and has held the opposition scoreless in eight of his last nine relief appearances dating back to Aug. 15.