MLB Player News

Diamondbacks pitcher Rubby De La Rosa (13-8) outdueled Madison Bumgarner on Friday, as he allowed one hit and four walks while striking out five across 5 2/3 scoreless innings in a 2-0 win over the Giants.

De La Rosa has been struggling as of late, as he allowed 17 runs over his four previous starts. It's been a strange season for De La Rosa, as he mixes gems with duds seemingly week by week.

His 56 walks and 31 homers allowed are likely the main contributors to his struggles and if he cleans that up, de La Rosa could be a nice fantasy asset going forward. He'll look to continue this form against Zack Greinke and the Dodgers on Wednesday in his next scheduled start.

Cubs pitcher Pedro Strop pitched a scoreless inning against the Cardinals on Friday. While Strop has struggled with walks a bit this year, Friday was his fifth consecutive appearance without issuing a free pass. On the other hand, he has just one hold in his last nine appearances.

Considering that he had 12 holds in 15 appearances immediately before this run, it looks like Strop's situational usage has changed a bit.

Rockies relief pitcher John Axford allowed a walk in a scoreless ninth inning to pick up his 24th save in a 7-4 win over the Padres on Friday.

Axford blew a save in his last outing, but that can be chalked up to bad luck, as an infield and bloop hit did him in. Aside from that, Axford has been sparkling since regaining the closer's role. Since August 13, Axford has allowed just two runs, while striking out 20 batters in 14.2 innings. The velocity is what's most impressive, as he's been hitting upper-90's regularly since his insertion back into the closer's role.

Mets reliever Dario Alvarez (groin) will begin a rehab stint with High-A Port St. Lucie and could be out for the remainder of the regular season, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Alvarez left Tuesday's game with a groin injury, and it appears the ailment will keep him out for at least the next two weeks. He could be available in the postseason depending on how far the Mets advance, but it's possible the lefty may not pitch again in the majors until 2016.

Mets reliever Carlos Torres (calf) could throw off a mound Friday, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

The Mets have yet to allow Torres to throw off a mound since he suffered a strained left calf over a week ago, but he's been able to do some mound work at about 50 percent. Assuming he's able to progress with his rehab in the coming days, Torres should be able to return before the end of the season.

Brewers pitcher Jimmy Nelson (head) will spend another night in the hospital Friday, Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

Nelson went to the hospital Thursday after taking a line drive to the head, but the official diagnosis with just a head bruise. There's no clear timetable just yet, but it appears the 25-year-old will be out a least a few days as he recovers.

Brewers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson's CT scan revealed just a bruise on his head, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Nelson will remain in the hospital overnight, but considering the alternatives, a head bruise is about the best the Brewers could hope for. It's unclear how much time the young hurler will miss because of the issue, but a timetable should be revealed in the coming days.

Brewers starting pitcher Jimmy Nelson exited Thursday's game in the third inning after after being struck in the head by a line drive.

It's an unfortunate break for Nelson, who had a good season going for the Brewers. Fortunately, he was able to walk off the field on his own, so it's possible there was no major damage. The team will likely provide an update at some point as to the severity of the issue.

Braves starting pitcher Shelby Miller (5-15) lasted only 3 2/3 innings Wednesday in a loss to the Blue Jays, giving up five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a pair of walks.

With 21 consecutive starts without a win under his belt and a matchup against the high-powered Toronto offense, few could have bet on Miller ending his ignominious streak. Indeed, he took the loss for the sixth consecutive start, and it seems all these defeats are starting to get to the young hurler, who now owns an 8.36 ERA and 2.00 WHIP in three September starts.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen struck out two batters and allowed one hit en route to his 32nd save in a 2-0 win over the Rockies on Wednesday.

Jansen had allowed three runs in his previous outing in a non-save situation and a bounce-back seemed inevitable for the elite closer. What's really impressive about Jansen is that he has 77 strikeouts in 46 2/3 innings this season, while walking just eight batters. His 0.77 WHIP and absurd strikeout total make him one of the most valuable closers in Fantasy.