MLB Player News

Sommers (1-4) allowed a walk-off home run to take the loss in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians.

Sommers breezed through the eighth inning, sitting Cleveland down in order with a strikeout mixed in. However, the lefty didn't have the same luck when he came back out for the ninth, as Brayan Rocchio took a first-pitch fastball deep to give the Guardians a 7-6 victory. Sommers had been on scintillating stretch from mid-July through late-August, allowing just one earned run and striking out 24 batters across 14 innings in 11 appearances out of Detroit's bullpen, but it's been a different story lately. He's now allowed five earned runs over his last three appearances, and his season ERA has climbed from 2.93 to 4.01 in the process.

Smith (4-1) collected the win in the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Tigers, allowing one hit and striking out two in a scoreless ninth inning.

The Cleveland closer kept the score tied at 6-6 in the top of the final frame, and Smith got rewarded when Brayan Rocchio launched a walk-off solo shot in the bottom half of the inning. Smith hasn't been needed much lately, making only two appearances since Aug. 25, and that rest could pay off down the stretch as the Guardians try to catch the White Sox for the AL Central crown. Since the beginning of August, Smith has delivered a 1.50 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 18:7 K:BB over 12 innings while converting five of six save chances.

Basso (1-2) earned the win in Friday's 7-6 victory over Seattle. He allowed three hits and a walk with no strikeouts over three scoreless innings of relief.

After starter Kade Morris struggled across 2.2 innings, Basso stepped up and twirled three scoreless frames to pick up his first win of the campaign. The southpaw has shuttled between Triple-A Las Vegas and the big leagues throughout 2026, posting a 4.32 ERA, 1.41 WHIP and 24:5 K:BB across 33.1 innings with the Athletics.

Jansen (4-6) took the loss in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians, allowing one unearned run on one hit over 1.2 innings. He struck out two.

With the Tigers having lost the matinee and desperate for a split in the twin bill, Jansen was called in to protect a 3-3 tie in the ninth inning and got the job done. He wasn't as successful in the 10th, however -- after Brayan Rocchio reached on a fielder's choice that erased the phantom runner, the Cleveland shortstop stole second and third base and came home on a walk-off single by Travis Bazzana. Jansen has been struggling to close the door of late, blowing two of his last three save chances in addition to Friday's loss, and since the beginning of August he's posted a 4.00 ERA, 1.11 WHIP and 12:3 K:BB through nine innings.

Civale tossed three scoreless innings to earn the save in Friday's 6-1 win over the Marlins. He allowed a hit and two walks while striking out three.

After six innings from starter Shota Imanaga, Civale picked up the baton and carried it to the finish line for his second save of the season. The long-relief outing gave Chicago's bullpen a much-needed break after a tough series with Milwaukee, particularly with closer Jacob Webb (forearm) a bit banged up. Civale now has a new career high in saves, as he came into the year with just one save to his name across seven MLB seasons.

Sears didn't factor into the decision in the second game of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings. He struck out four.

The rookie southpaw came up just short of a quality start in his first MLB start, tossing 54 of 93 pitches for strikes and exiting the mound in line for his first victory, only to see the Detroit bullpen stumble in a 10-inning loss. Sears got tagged for five runs in four innings during his first appearance in late August, but over his last two outings he's delivered a 1.08 ERA and 5:2 K:BB in 8.1 frames. With the Tigers' playoff hopes looking very dim after the team was swept in the twin bill, Sears could get additional looks in the rotation once the team shifts its focus to 2027.

Hader struck out all three batters he faced in a perfect ninth inning to earn the save in Friday's 3-1 victory over the Diamondbacks.

Hader was dominant after being handed a two-run lead in the ninth inning, striking out all three batters he faced to close out the game on 16 pitches (11 strikes). It was his 23rd save of the season and this outing lowered his ERA to 0.70. More notably, it was the 250th save of Hader's career, making him the sixth active pitcher and 41st in MLB history to reach the milestone. This also extended his run of scoreless outings to 20, and he's posted a 24:3 K:BB across 21 innings over that stretch.

Assad will be recalled from Triple-A Iowa to start Saturday's game against the Marlins, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Assad will toe the rubber opposite Ryan Gusto as he returns for his 23rd appearance and 11th start for the big-league club this season. The 29-year-old Assad has put up an impressive 3.46 ERA and 1.10 WHIP in his 83.1 innings in the majors this season and threw 5.1 innings of one-run ball in his most recent start for Iowa on Aug. 30. With a strong showing Saturday, Assad could end up sticking in the Chicago rotation as the fifth starter over David Peterson.

Harris walked one and struck out one in a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Friday's 7-6 win over the Mariners.

Harris picked up his second save in as many days, perhaps signaling a shift in momentum back in his favor after Elvis Alvarado saw more save chances in late August. Harris is on a 6.2-inning scoreless streak with a 10:3 K:BB in that span. For the year, he's posted a 3.38 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 82:38 K:BB through 61.1 innings while adding 15 saves, 12 holds and six blown saves. Whether he's closing or setting up, Harris looks to be a lock for late-inning work.

Morris allowed five runs on five hits, a walk and a hit batsman while striking out none over 2.2 innings in a no-decision Friday versus the Mariners.

After a decent first inning, Morris gave up five runs over the next two frames before Brady Basso was brought in to clean up the mess. In his two starts this season, Morris has given up a total of 14 runs over 6.2 innings, though he hasn't been all that effective in a multi-inning relief role either. The Athletics are well out of the playoff race, so Morris may still get a few more opportunities down the stretch, but with a 10.90 ERA across 17.1 innings, he's unlikely to do much to help in fantasy.