MLB Player News

Nelson (7-7) earned the win over the Cubs on Thursday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks while striking out three batters over 5.2 innings.

Nelson spent nearly a month in the minors before he was called up to start Thursday. The time away seemed to serve the right-hander well, as he didn't allow a hit until there was one out in the fifth frame and held Chicago to just two knocks overall. As usual, Nelson wasn't overpowering -- he induced just three swinging strikes -- but this was a very positive performance considering his struggles prior to being demoted. Over his previous two starts before being sent to the minors, Nelson had allowed 12 runs on 15 hits over six innings.

Wainwright (3-11) took the loss against Atlanta on Thursday, allowing six runs on eight hits and three walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 innings.

Wainwright was working with extra rest having not pitched since Aug. 28, but that didn't help him against Atlanta's potent offense. The veteran was tagged for three runs in the first inning before settling down for three scoreless frames. However, Matt Olson slugged a solo shot in the fifth, and Atlanta struck for two more homers -- including Ronald Acuna's second of the contest -- in the sixth before Wainwright was pulled. It's been a rough campaign for the veteran right-hander, but until Thursday he hadn't surrendered more than two homers in any contest. Wainwright now holds an ugly 8.19 ERA and 1.98 WHIP through 89 innings on the season.

Fried (7-1) earned the win over St. Louis on Thursday, allowing three runs on six hits and two walks while striking out four batters over six innings.

Fried came into Thursday having allowed just two runs over 13 frames while striking out 18 batters in his previous two starts. He wasn't quite as effective against the Cardinals, but he pitched well enough to notch his third straight quality start and victory. All of the runs Fried gave up came in the second inning, when St. Louis tagged him for half of the six overall hits he allowed. The southpaw has been very effective across his 12 starts this season, posting a 2.70 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 67:15 K:BB over 66.2 frames.

Grove (lat) is set to begin a rehab assignment Thursday with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

It has already been determined that Grove will be returning to the Dodgers as a reliever, so this should be a relatively brief rehab stint even though he's been sidelined for over a month due to lat tightness. The 26-year-old right-hander carries a 6.61 ERA and 67:18 K:BB in 64 major-league innings (12 starts, three relief appearances) this season with Los Angeles.

Nelson was recalled from Triple-A Reno ahead of his scheduled start Thursday versus the Cubs.

Nelson has struggled to a 5.47 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 82:37 K:BB in 125 innings (24 starts) this season at the major-league level. The 25-year-old right-hander makes for an unappealing fantasy streaming option as he matches up against a hard-charging Cubs team.

Stroman (ribs) threw a 29-pitch live batting practice session Thursday in Arizona, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Stroman has now advanced to facing live hitters as he works back from a rib cage cartilage fracture. On the shelf since late July, the 32-year-old right-hander appears to be nearing a minor-league rehab assignment and might be an option again for the Cubs' rotation in a couple of weeks. When healthy this season, Stroman has posted a 3.85 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and 111:50 K:BB in 23 starts covering 128.2 innings.

Cobb (hip) is not listed among the Giants' scheduled starters for their weekend series against the Rockies, Evan Webeck of the San Jose Mercury News reports.

Kyle Harrison will start Friday and it will likely be Logan Webb on Saturday, but there is a TBA listed for Sunday's series finale. Cobb threw a career-high 131 pitches in a complete game Aug. 29 against the Reds before yielding four earned runs over just three innings in his latest turn Sept. 3 at San Diego. He told reporters after that rough outing versus the Padres that he's been battling a left hip impingement since mid-June. It's possible Cobb is simply being pushed back a bit -- maybe even to fill the TBA on Sunday -- but this is a must-win series for the Giants and they're already thin on starters.

Strasburg (shoulder) and the Nationals are still negotiating the terms of his retirement and his scheduled press conference Saturday has been canceled, Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

The Nats were planning to honor Strasburg this Saturday in Washington, according to Britt Ghiroli of The Athletic, and there has been talk within the organization of retiring his number. Those things are expected to happen eventually, per Dougherty, but the two sides may be discussing some sort of deferred-money agreement as Strasburg calls it quits at age 35. He is owed more than $100 million on the seven-year, $245 million contract extension he signed in December of 2019, and all of that money is guaranteed because this is an injury-related retirement.

Feltner (head) will make his second minor-league rehab start Thursday with Triple-A Albuquerque, Patrick Lyons of TheDNVR.com reports.

Feltner tallied three strikeouts over three innings of one-run ball in his rehab debut last Friday with High-A Spokane and will now jump to the Triple-A level as he readies for a late-season return to the Rockies' starting rotation. The 27-year-old right-hander suffered a skull fracture and concussion when he got struck by a Nick Castellanos comebacker in mid-May.

Cabrera (6-6) picked up the win in Wednesday's 11-4 victory over the Dodgers, allowing one hit and two walks over four scoreless relief innings. He struck out eight.

While initial reports suggested the right-hander would be joining the rotation, particularly after Sandy Alcantara (forearm) landed on the IL, Cabrera was instead deployed as a bulk reliever and didn't take the mound until after three other Marlins pitchers had worked a combined four frames. The gambit by manager Skip Schumaker paid off, as Cabrera generated 25 called or swinging strikes on only 72 pitches as he dominated the Dodgers and collected his first first big-league win since early June. It's not clear what his usage will be moving forward, but if he stays on turn, the 25-year-old's next outing would come early next week in Milwaukee.