MLB Player News

Peters (0-1) took his first loss in the big leagues Wednesday after allowing three runs on six hits over five innings against the Nationals. He struck out six and walked a pair.

Peters' sterling MLB debut may have raised fantasy owners' hopes, especially in the context of his outstanding career stats in the minors -- including a 1.98 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in his 13 games at Double-A -- but it's worth remembering that the 24-year-old lefty has little high-level experience, including having skipped Triple-A entirely. He also isn't a particularly hard thrower or a prolific strikeout artist, so Peters' success will always hinge on him keeping the ball on the ground and getting some help from his fielders.

Pivetta (5-10) got slammed for six runs on 10 hits over five innings in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Mets. He struck out five without a walk.

This game was shortened to less than six full innings by rain, but Pivetta was gone before it ended anyway. The rookie right-hander is averaging more than a strikeout per inning, but he's also averaging a homer per start while walking way too many batters. Pivetta's high velocity and promising minor-league resume provide him with long-term fantasy value, but he's been far too unsteady to trust down the stretch this season.

Gsellman (6-6) gave up three runs -- two earned -- on five hits and a walk with four strikeouts while pitching all six innings of Wednesday's rain-shortened win over the Phillies.

Maybe a little rain was all he needed, as Gsellman -- taking the mound for the first time since Aug. 26 -- bounced back nicely after averaging less than five innings per start over his last six outings. Overly prone to both homers and walks, Gsellman's largely made his own bad luck this year, and his occasional quality outing can't obscure his general ineffectiveness.

Kontos (groin) was able to toss a 20-pitch simulated game prior to Tuesday's contest and should be activated within the next couple days, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

This marked the first time that Kontos threw off the mound since landing on the DL on Aug. 22, and he felt fine following the brief outing. According to head athletic trainer Todd Tomczyk, the right-hander is on the verge of returning to the big-league club, and should be able to slide right back into high-leverage roles for the Pirates' bullpen upon his reinstatement.

Gsellman was confirmed as Wednesday's starter against the Phillies, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Gsellman takes the place of Matt Harvey, who was moved to Thursday due to a weather concern for Wednesday's contest. During his latest major-league outing, Gsellman gave up six runs on nine hits and a pair of walks during a loss against the Nationals on Aug. 26, and struggled during his showing with Triple-A Las Vegas on Thursday. Throughout the course of the 2017 season, the right-hander has made 20 appearances for the Mets, posting a 5.60 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over 91.2 innings.

Rodney gave up one hit in a scoreless 10th inning Tuesday against the Dodgers to pick up his 35th save of the season.

Relief pitching prospect Jimmie Sherfy recently picked up a two-inning save for the Diamondbacks, but that was because Rodney was unavailable after pitching in two straight games. Rodney is tied for fourth (with Roberto Osuna) in the majors with 35 saves, leading the likes of Craig Kimbrel, Corey Knebel, Edwin Diaz, Ken Giles and Wade Davis in that department.

Edwards (3-4) was tagged with his fourth blown save of the season and a loss Tuesday against the Pirates. In 1.1 innings of work, he allowed three hits, two walks and two earned runs.

Edwards was able to record the final out of the seventh inning after coming on in relief of Kyle Hendricks, but he ran into trouble in the eighth. He allowed a leadoff walk followed by a single, which put runners on the corners with no outs. Two more singles and a wild pitch in the inning plated two Pittsburgh runs. Edwards simply didn't have his best stuff in this one, but with a solid 3.49 ERA and elite 12.9 K/9, better days should be ahead for the 26-year-old.

Hernandez faced four Brewers in the eighth inning Tuesday and retired none of them, allowing a two-run homer as well as three walks before being removed.

Fortunately for him, closer Raisel Iglesias cleaned up Hernandez's mess, but there's no doubt that the Dominican rookie has had a tough time of it in the majors, as evidenced by his 6.06 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 16.1 innings. On the bright side, he's struck out 24 batters in that span; however, he's also walked 13 and given up six homers. He'll need to do a lot better to guarantee himself a future in the Reds' bullpen.

Iglesias cruised through the final two innings of Tuesday's win over Milwaukee, striking out a pair en route to his 25th save.

This game ended up as a 9-3 rout, but it was a different story when Iglesias took the mound in the eighth -- the Brewers already had two men in and two men on, having narrowed Cincinnati's lead from 7-1 to 7-3 without recording an out. Iglesias promptly pumped the brakes on that rally and cruised to his first save in almost two weeks; the Reds haven't been giving him many opportunities lately.

Blach (8-12) took the loss Tuesday in Colorado after allowing five runs on five hits with two walks and two strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Blach came in with a 5.57 road ERA and predictably ran in trouble at the league's least pitcher-friendly venue. He trailed only 2-1 after five innings, but fell apart in the sixth before being lifted after only 82 pitches. While Blach is scheduled to come back home for next Tuesday's start, things don't get any easier with the Dodgers in town.