MLB Player News

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman is dealing with "general stiffness" in his arm, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Chapman was checked out by a trainer during Thursday's appearance, but managed to stay in the game. His velocity was down a bit, which is about 97 mph for Chapman. He was able to nail down the save despite the issue. 

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman had no trouble shutting down the visiting Brewers on Thursday in earning his 35th save of the season.

Chapman entered with a 5-3 lead and mowed down Milwaukee in order. He fanned Rickie Weeks and retired the next two batters on groundouts.

Marlins pitcher Brad Hand turned in a strong start Wednesday against the Phillies. 

Hand allowed one run on six hits over seven innings. He struck out two and walked three during the outing. Hand gave up his only run in his final inning of work. After giving up a leadoff walk, Hand managed to record outs against the next two batters. Pitcher Kyle Kendrick stepped to the plate and knocked an RBI double, bringing the run home. The Marlins would go on to score in the bottom of the inning, giving Hand a no-decision. 

The Nationals announced the team's rotation plans after Wednesday's game was rained out.

Blake Treinen will pitch the first game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Mets followed by Gio Gonzalez, who was scheduled to pitch Wednesday. On Friday, Doug Fister and Taylor Hill, who will be called up before the game, will pitch during the Nationals' second doubleheader in two days. Stephen Strasburg remains the probable starter for Saturday, while Jordan Zimmermann is scheduled to pitch the season finale Sunday after having his previously scheduled start pushed back due to a shoulder issue.

Cardinals second-year starter Shelby Miller took a step back after several steps forward Tuesday against the Cubs - and Mike Matheny took notice of the reasons why.

Miller had recently stopped overthrowing his four-seam fastball and began to rely more on curves and sinkers, according to Fox Sports. The result was six straight quality starts and a 1.62 ERA during that stretch. He yielded neither a home run nor a walk in three of those outings. But he tossed plenty of four-seamers against the Cubs despite his inability to keep it down. He gave up three runs in 4 1/3 innings and displeased Matheny in the process.

"He was OK," Matheny said. "It was working at the beginning, striking out three of the first four guys he saw with fastballs at the top of the zone. Seemed like he had that late life. That's also a dangerous way to pitch, as we saw."

Miller, who fanned a season-high eight despite his short time on the mound, is 10-9 with a 3.74 ERA on the year.

Dodgers closer Kenley Jansen recorded his 44th save Tuesday, giving up one hit in a scoreless ninth inning to finish off his team's 4-2 victory over the Giants.

Jansen had turned in four straight two-strikeout performances before failing to record a strikeout Tuesday, but he needed only 11 pitches to get through the inning despite giving up a hit. He owns a 2.80 ERA, 1.15 WHIP and 99:19 K:BB ratio in 64 1/3 innings.

Cardinals pitcher Shelby Miller didn't factor into the decision Tuesday, giving up three earned runs on five hits and two walks in just 4 1/3 innings while striking out eight in his team's 4-3 loss to the Cubs.

Miller served up a two-run home run in the second inning and a solo shot in the fifth to fall behind 3-0, but the Cardinals offense was able to pull even in the sixth inning and prevent the starter from taking a loss. He owns a 3.74 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 127:73 K:BB ratio in 183 innings. Miller's not scheduled for another start.

Diamondbacks pitcher Andrew Chafin took a loss Tuesday, allowing four earned runs on seven hits and two walks in three-plus innings while striking out five in his team's 6-3 defeat against the Twins.

Chafin (0-1) did well in his first two starts before struggling Tuesday, giving up three runs in a second inning that was only ended by a hitter trying to stretch a single into a double. He then opened the fourth with a double and a single before being removed. Chafin owns a 3.86 ERA and 10:8 K:BB ratio in 14 innings. He isn't scheduled for another start.

Reds closer Aroldis Chapman earned his 34th save Tuesday, striking out three and walking one in a scoreless ninth inning to slam the door on his team's 3-1 win over the Brewers.

Chapman hasn't allowed a hit in more than two weeks, and he hasn't given up a run since his Aug. 17 meltdown. He owns a 2.12 ERA, 0.86 WHIP and 100:24 K:BB ratio in 51 innings.

Pirates closer Mark Melancon struck out two and needed 20 pitches to complete a 1-2-3 ninth inning to secure a 1-0 victory over Atlanta on Monday. He has converted 32 of 36 save chances, with a 1.93 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP over 70 innings of relief.