MLB Player News

Anderson (back) said Tuesday that he's "absolutely" confident that he'll be ready to return from the 10-day injured list when the Rays begin postseason play Oct. 7, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports.

Anderson landed on the IL on Monday with a lower-back strain, an injury he said he potentially developed due to a mechanical change in his delivery during a relief appearance a day earlier. Though he won't throw for at least a few more days, Anderson believes that the time to rest will be enough to resolve the back injury while also helping him get more consistency with his velocity and command. Anderson had been sidelined all season with a torn elbow ligament before coming off the 60-day IL on Sept. 12. He proceeded to give up three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out only one hitter in six innings before returning to the shelf.

Lambert is scheduled to start Wednesday's game against the Nationals in Colorado.

After missing the entire 2020 season while recovering from Tommy John surgery, Lambert made his first appearance with the Rockies since September 2019 last weekend against the Giants at Coors Field. He covered 3.2 innings in the start, giving up two runs on four hits and a walk while striking out two. The Rockies may loosen the reins a bit on Lambert in his final outing of 2021 on Wednesday, but an afternoon game in Colorado is hardly an ideal setup for the right-hander, even against a 93-loss Nationals squad.

Padres manager Jayce Tingler said Weathers will start Wednesday's game against the Dodgers in Los Angeles, 97.3 The Fan San Diego reports.

After a run of rough starts following the All-Star break, Weathers was dropped from the rotation in late August and has spent the past month in the bullpen. He's achieved better results while working in a low-leverage role (one earned run allowed, 8:1 K:BB in 8.1 innings), but Weathers will be moved back to the rotation out of necessity for the final week of the season with Chris Paddack (elbow) and Blake Snell (groin) on the shelf and Jake Arrieta no longer with the organization. Weathers will be pitching on three days' rest after covering two innings in relief Saturday versus Atlanta, so he likely won't be asked to work especially deep into Wednesday's start.

Maton (5-0) allowed one run on two hits while striking out two over 1.1 innings to earn the win over Tampa Bay on Tuesday.

Maton pitched the ninth inning of a tie game and ceded a solo home run to Randy Arozarena but was bailed out by Houston's offense. The Astros silently walked off the Rays with two bases-loaded walks in the bottom half of the inning to make a winner of Maton. Since being acquired from the Indians at the trade deadline, the right-handed reliever is 3-0 with a 5.25 ERA and 1.58 WHIP over 24 innings for Houston.

Lopez (4-3) allowed one run on two hits while striking out four over six innings as he got the win over the Reds on Tuesday.

Outside of a fifth-inning home run from Eugenio Suarez, Lopez held the Reds in check after allowing just one other hit and not walking a batter. Tuesday was his first win since Aug. 27 and his first time going more than five innings all year. Despite making nine starts this year, Lopez will likely be used out of the bullpen in the postseason unless it's an emergency situation. The 27-year-old has had a fantastic bounceback season with a 2.98 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 55:12 K:BB over 57.1 innings.

Barlow allowed one hit but pitched a scoreless ninth inning to earn his 10th save of the year in a 5-2 win over the Angels on Tuesday.

Barlow pitched around an infield single to protect a three-run lead and convert the save. The 26-year-old had one blowup outing against the Rockies at the very beginning of the month but has otherwise converted seven saves and owns a 0.93 ERA and 0.83 WHIP in his 11 other appearances in September. He's been fantastic since taking over the closer role and could still add another save or two to his resume over the final five games of the year.

Alexy (3-1) got the win Tuesday over the Angels after allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings.

Alexy's lone blemish on the evening was surrendering a two-run home run to Max Stassi in the second inning. He allowed just two more hits over the next couple of frames before his day was over after throwing 91 pitches. The 23-year-old had been hit hard his last two times out before Tuesday's start, allowing 10 runs in just seven innings. Therefore, the resurgence was a welcome sight. Alexy isn't currently lined up to make another start this season and will finish the year with a 4.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 17:17 K:BB over 23 innings.

Naughton (0-4) allowed four runs on four hits and three walks over two innings as he took the loss against the Rangers on Tuesday.

Naughton managed to pitch out of a jam in the opening frame but was tagged for four runs on three hits and a pair of walks in the second and the Angels were never able to recover. Naughton had a 2.57 ERA over his first four outings for the big-league club but has now allowed exactly four runs in each of his last three starts while going just a total of 10.2 innings. The 25-year-old now owns a 6.35 ERA, 1.81 WHIP and 12:14 K:BB over 22.2 innings. He has a shot to pitch again this weekend against Seattle but does not warrant any consideration in lineups.

Colome allowed two earned runs on three hits and no walks while striking out two across one inning to earn the save Tuesday against the Tigers.

Colome failed to maintain the shutout, though he did manage to escape his outing with his 17th save of the season. He surrendered a leadoff single, and after recording consecutive outs, Colome followed that up by allowing two singles, forcing him to strike out Robbie Grossman with the tying run on first base. Despite the shaky outing, Colome has only allowed five earned runs across his last 12.1 frames while also compiling a 17:2 K:BB in that span.

Diplan (2-0) earned the win Tuesday versus the Red Sox, allowing a run on one hit while striking out three in two innings.

The right-hander allowed a solo home run to Hunter Renfroe in the sixth inning that put Boston ahead 2-0. Baltimore then rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth to put Diplan in line for his second win this year. The 25-year-old has given up just one run in his last eight innings. For the year, he owns a 4.23 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 23:14 K:BB across 27.2 innings.