Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Evan Phillips earned his second save of the season Friday, setting down all three batters he faced in a 2-1 victory over the Miami Marlins. Phillips has been a revelation all season, with a 1.31 ERA, 0.75 WHIP and 56 strikeouts in 48 innings. Manager Dave Roberts has shown patience through closer Craig Kimbrel's struggles, but if a change were to be made, Phillips would be the primary candidate to be used in save situations, making him a strong speculative value in most formats.

Los Angeles Dodgers relief pitcher Evan Phillips closed out the team's 7-6 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday to earn his first save of the year. It was a come-from-behind victory for the Dodgers, who trailed 6-0 going into the seventh inning of the game. The team's primary closer Craig Kimbrel pitched in the eighth inning while the team was still trailing and he wound up earning the win for the game. Phillips has been one of the team's top relievers this year, compiling 11 holds and pitching to a 1.54 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP while maintaining a 5.0 K/BB ratio across 35 innings. Despite his success this year, he had failed to convert his previous two save opportunities before this one.

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonathan Villar hit a first-pitch leadoff homer to spark a robust offensive performance by the Miami Marlins, who beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Thursday night to complete a startling four-game sweep and make Don Mattingly the winningest manager in franchise history.Villar had three hits and Brian Anderson drove in three runs for the upstart Marlins, who emerged from a team-wide coronavirus outbreak to dominate the Orioles and forge the best winning percentage in the big leagues.Miami is 6-1 and in first place in the NL East despite putting 18 players on the injured list before the series opener Tuesday.The Marlins were the “home” team because this was a makeup of a July 28 game that was to be held in Miami but postponed in the wake of the Marlins’ COVID-19 outbreak.Batting in the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins broke a 6-6 tie with a sacrifice fly by Jesús Aguilar off Evan Phillips (1-1) and an RBI triple by Anderson.Mike Morin (1-0) pitched two shutout innings and... [More]

BALTIMORE (AP) — Jonathan Villar hit a first-pitch leadoff homer to spark a robust offensive performance by the Miami Marlins, who beat the Baltimore Orioles 8-7 Thursday night to complete a startling four-game sweep and make Don Mattingly the winningest manager in franchise history.Villar had three hits and Brian Anderson drove in three runs for the upstart Marlins, who emerged from a team-wide coronavirus outbreak to dominate the Orioles and forge the best winning percentage in the big leagues.Miami is 6-1 and in first place in the NL East despite putting 18 players on the injured list before the series opener Tuesday.The Marlins were the “home” team because this was a makeup of a July 28 game that was to be held in Miami but postponed in the wake of the Marlins’ COVID-19 outbreak.Batting in the bottom of the seventh, the Marlins broke a 6-6 tie with a sacrifice fly by Jesús Aguilar off Evan Phillips (1-1) and an RBI triple by Anderson.Mike Morin (1-0) pitched two shutout innings and... [More]

NEW YORK (AP) — Aaron Judge homered twice and drove in five runs, connecting for the fifth straight game and breaking an eighth-inning tie with a tape-measure shot that powered the New York Yankees past the Boston Red Sox 9-7 on Sunday night for their sixth consecutive victory. Luke Voit also went deep in a back-and forth slugfest to help the Yankees (7-1) finish a three-game sweep in the first series this season between the longtime rivals. New York has won six in a row and 11 of 12 against Boston since last July.DJ LeMahieu tied it 7 in the eighth with a two-out RBI single off Matt Barnes (0-1) past diving second baseman José Peraza. The clutch hit came after Mike Tauchman, who entered on defense in the seventh, walked and stole second.Judge then launched a no-doubt drive that landed several rows up in the raised bleachers beyond the left-center bullpen for his sixth home run already this year. The big slugger socked a three-run shot in the second, making him the first Yankees player... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Wright and the Atlanta bullpen combined on a 10-hit shutout and the Braves won their fifth in a row, beating the Mets 4-0 Sunday and blanking a New York lineup that found out late that slugger Yoenis Céspedes had opted out of playing any more this season.The Mets released a statement from general manager Brodie Van Wagenen in the early innings that Céspedes wasn’t at the ballpark and the team hadn’t been able to contact him.After the game, Van Wagenen said: “He’s decided to opt out of the remainder of the season for COVID-related reasons.”A two-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Céspedes returned to the lineup this season for the first time since July 20, 2018, after a series of injuries.The Braves sent New York to its fifth straight loss.Wright worked around five hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. Relievers Tyler Matzek (1-0), A.J. Minter, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings.New York's David Peterson (1-1) went six innings, striking out... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Wright and the Atlanta bullpen combined on a 10-hit shutout and the Braves won their fifth in a row, beating the Mets 4-0 Sunday and blanking a New York lineup that found out late that slugger Yoenis Céspedes had opted out of playing any more this season.The Mets released a statement from general manager Brodie Van Wagenen in the early innings that Céspedes wasn’t at the ballpark and the team hadn’t been able to contact him.After the game, Van Wagenen said: “He’s decided to opt out of the remainder of the season for COVID-related reasons.”A two-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Céspedes returned to the lineup this season for the first time since July 20, 2018, after a series of injuries.The Braves sent New York to its fifth straight loss.Wright worked around five hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. Relievers Tyler Matzek (1-0), A.J. Minter, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings.New York's David Peterson (1-1) went six innings, striking out... [More]

ATLANTA (AP) — Kyle Wright and the Atlanta bullpen combined on a 10-hit shutout and the Braves won their fifth in a row, beating the Mets 4-0 Sunday and blanking a New York lineup that found out late that slugger Yoenis Céspedes had opted out of playing any more this season.The Mets released a statement from general manager Brodie Van Wagenen in the early innings that Céspedes wasn’t at the ballpark and the team hadn’t been able to contact him.After the game, Van Wagenen said: “He’s decided to opt out of the remainder of the season for COVID-related reasons.”A two-time All-Star, the 34-year-old Céspedes returned to the lineup this season for the first time since July 20, 2018, after a series of injuries.The Braves sent New York to its fifth straight loss.Wright worked around five hits and four walks in 3 1/3 innings. Relievers Tyler Matzek (1-0), A.J. Minter, Shane Greene and Mark Melancon combined for 5 2/3 scoreless innings.New York's David Peterson (1-1) went six innings, striking out... [More]

SARASOTA, Fla. (AP) — The Baltimore Orioles claimed right-handed pitcher Hector Velazquez on waivers from the Boston Red Sox on Sunday. The 31-year-old was 11-7 with a 3.90 ERA in 89 games in the last three seasons with Boston, including 19 starts.Velazquez will compete for a spot on the Orioles' staff. One candidate, right-hander Evan Phillips, will begin the season on the injured list due to right elbow soreness.___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports___More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports