MLB Player News

Perkins is slated to start Tuesday's game against the Blue Jays in Sacramento.

Perkins was headed out of the big-league rotation after being optioned to Triple-A Las Vegas on Friday, but the Athletics recalled him one day later after starter J.T. Ginn (elbow) was moved to the 15-day injured list in a corresponding move. He'll end up sliding into Ginn's spot in the rotation, but given his recent form along with the fact that he'll be pitching at hitter-friendly Sutter Health Park, Perkins won't make for a comfortable streaming option in the majority of fantasy leagues. Prior to his brief demotion, Perkins went 1-8 with a 6.91 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 83:40 K:BB in 70.1 innings over 13 starts and three bulk-relief appearances upon moving into the Athletics rotation in early June.

Kimbrel (1-4) took the loss Monday against the Diamondbacks, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits and a walk while striking out one over one inning.

Kimbrel entered a scoreless game in the 10th and couldn't contain Arizona after beginning the inning with the automatic runner at second. Lars Nootbaar's sacrifice fly broke the tie, and the Diamondbacks eventually pushed across five runs in the frame. Kimbrel finished the inning, but the Royals couldn't respond in the bottom of the frame, so the veteran reliever was tagged with his fourth loss of the season while seeing his ERA climb to 4.53. Despite the subpar outing, it wouldn't be surprising if Kimbrel gets more ninth-inning opportunities -- the Royals are employing a committee-based approach in the absence of Carlos Estevez (shoulder), and Kimbrel is one of the options to close out games alongside Steven Cruz and Nate Pearson.

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.

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.

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.

Bello (6-7) earned the win Monday against the Angels after allowing four hits and two walks while striking out seven over five scoreless innings.

Bello returned to the rotation for his first start since June 4 and delivered five shutout frames. His biggest test came in the third when Los Angeles loaded the bases with two outs, but Bello retired Moises Ballesteros to escape without damage. The right-hander recorded his seventh career scoreless start, but it remains to be seen whether he'll stay in the rotation since he'd been thriving out of the bullpen as well. Bello owns a 2.03 ERA and 1.03 WHIP over 62 innings as a reliever, yet he's stretched out enough to mix between both roles down the stretch if the Red Sox need him to do so.

Harris (4-2) allowed one run on one hit and one walk while striking out one over 1.1 innings, taking a blown save but earning the win over the Blue Jays on Monday.

Harris served up a game-tying solo shot to Andres Gimenez in the ninth inning, but he was able to get the win when the Athletics answered back in their half of the frame. This outing ended a 6.2-inning scoreless streak for Harris, who earned three saves and two holds in that span. He's at a 3.45 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 83:39 K:BB with 15 saves in 22 chances and 12 holds over 62.2 innings this season. Harris and Elvis Alvarado have shared the closing duties for the Athletics recently.

Phillips struck out two in a perfect inning to earn the save in Monday's 6-3 win over the Reds.

This was Phillips' first save of the season. Tanner Scott didn't pitch Sunday, so it's at least somewhat notable that Phillips got the call, even though this was in a fairly low-pressure situation with a three-run lead. Phillips is on a seven-inning scoreless streak that began Aug. 21, while Scott has given up four runs over six innings in that same span. On the year, Phillips has pitched to a 3.48 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB while adding six holds and three blown saves over 20.2 innings. The Dodgers' bullpen has been a little unstable over the last month-plus, so there's a chance Phillips will factor into more save chances down the stretch.

O'Brien allowed an unearned run on a hit and two intentional walks while failing to log a strikeout over one inning, taking a blown save in Monday's 5-4 extra-innings loss to the Giants.

O'Brien has blown two of his four save chances in September. It's part of a longer stretch of shaky pitching in which he's allowed 11 runs (nine earned) over his last six innings. The closer now has a 4.03 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 57:26 K:BB through 58 innings while converting 36 of 43 save chances on the year.