MLB Player News

Mayers (shoulder) will pitch for Triple-A Memphis on Friday, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

Mayers and Michael Wacha (oblique) are both expected to make appearances during the Redbirds' postseason matchup Friday. The right-hander has been on the shelf since Aug. 26 with shoulder inflammation, but he could return to the big-league bullpen soon if everything goes as planned over the weekend.

Ottavino pitched a clean ninth inning with a strikeout to secure a save in Wednesday's win over the Giants.

With regular closer Wade Davis unavailable after pitching two days in a row, Ottavino got the call and he had little trouble sending San Francisco down in order in the ninth inning to secure his sixth save and first since early August. Davis has struggled some this year, and Ottavino now owns a sparkling 1.96 ERA to go along with 100 strikeouts in 69 innings, but he figures to continue seeing only sporadic save opportunities.

Suarez (6-10) took the loss Wednesday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings against the Rockies.

Suarez was beaten by Trevor Story for three solo homers, and the trio of homers accounted for the bulk of the damage on Suarez's ledger. The lefty has been boom-or-bust of late, allowing zero runs in three of his last five outings and five earned in each of the other two. He'll take a 4.33 ERA into Tuesday's matchup versus the Braves.

Pivetta (7-11) took the loss Wednesday, giving up two runs on three hits and two walks over four innings while striking out four as the Phillies fell 2-1 to the Marlins.

Despite the early exit Pivetta didn't pitch badly in this one, throwing 45 of 69 pitches for strikes, but he was saddled with the loss as the Phillies weren't able to muster any offense against Sandy Alcantara. Pivetta will carry a 4.66 ERA into his next start Tuesday at home against the Nationals.

Strop allowed a hit and a walk but kept the Brewers off the scoreboard to secure the save in Wednesday's 6-4 win.

Strop got into trouble right away, as he started off the bottom of the ninth by walking Travis Shaw and giving up a single to the red-hot Christian Yelich. However, the righty closer buckled down from there, getting Eric Thames to fly out, Lorenzo Cain to ground into a fielder's choice and Curtis Granderson to strike out to end the game. Strop now has 12 saves this season to go along with a strong 2.41 ERA, and with Cubs manager Joe Maddon noting that Brandon Morrow (biceps) might not have time to return from the DL before the regular season ends, the 33-year-old should continue to receive save opportunities.

Minter (4-3) took the loss Wednesday against the Red Sox, allowing two runs on two hits and a walk across 1.1 innings. He struck out three.

After entering with two outs in the eighth inning and the game tied 7-7, Minter proceeded to walk the first batter he faced to load up the bases before striking out Mookie Betts to escape the frame. The next inning didn't go as well for Minter, as he allowed a single to Andrew Benintendi before serving up a go-ahead two-run homer to Brandon Phillips with two outs. The southpaw still owns a 3.31 ERA and 63:18 K:BB through 54.1 innings this season and figures to remain in the ninth inning for the time being, at least until Arodys Vizcaino (shoulder) returns later in the month.

Santana (shoulder) will make a rehab start Friday for High-A Rancho Cucamonga, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.

Santana has been out since early June with a right rotator cuff strain. The timing of his rehab assignment leaves him the chance to return to action before the end of the season if all goes well, though he's made just one career major-league appearance, so there's no guarantee he ends up pitching even if healthy.

Jansen will not travel with the Dodgers for their weekend series in Colorado, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Jansen will follow his cardiologist's advice and not go to Denver, the place where the symptoms of his irregular heartbeat first popped up. He's expected to rejoin the team Monday in Cincinnati. The Dodgers don't have a clear secondary option in Jansen's absence, but Kenta Maeda and Ryan Madson seem the most likely candidates to pick up a save this weekend.

Rodriguez allowed one run on six hits in a no-decision against the Rockies on Tuesday, striking out six and walking one in six innings.

Rodriguez's only major blemish was a solo home run by David Dahl in the second inning, and he was in line for the win as the Giants took the lead in the top of the seventh but the bullpen couldn't hold. The 26-year-old rookie has now thrown 12 quality starts in 15 games started this year, sporting a 2.41 ERA and 1.05 WHIP while holding opponents to a .211 batting average. Rodriguez will take on the Braves in his next start at home.

Hicks needed only one out to secure his sixth save of the season in Tuesday's 11-8 win over the Nationals.

The Cardinals began the bottom of the ninth inning with a six-run lead, yet Hicks had to be called upon with two outs and the tying run at the plate. The 21-year-old needed six pitches to retire Matt Wieters on a groundout to preserve the win. With Bud Norris struggling of late, Hicks may find his way into more regular save chances.