MLB Player News

Keller improved to 10-8 after striking out 12 and allowing two earned runs on seven hits and a walk across six innings in Saturday's 7-4 win over the Twins.

Keller had a rough three-start stretch coming out of the All-Star break but seems to have emerged out of the slump. He dominated the Twins to rack up his highest strikeout total in a game since May 14 and backed the effort with 18 swinging strikes. Keller has gotten back on track across his last three outings, maintaining a 3.18 ERA with a 23:4 K:BB across 17 frames.

Sanchez came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 12-3 win over the Nationals, giving up three runs (two earned) on seven hits over six innings. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The southpaw delivered his second straight quality start on an efficient 78 pitches (54 strikes), but Sanchez actually exited the game in line for his fourth loss as the Phillies didn't even get on the board until the top of the seventh inning. With Ranger Suarez (hamstring) on the shelf, Sanchez's spot in the rotation is secure for now, but he was already making a strong case to hang onto the assignment -- since the All-Star break, he's posted a 3.69 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 36:8 K:BB through 39 innings. His next turn is likely to come at home next weekend against the Cardinals.

The Reds reinstated Greene (hip) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Sunday against the Blue Jays.

Greene ended up spending just over the minimum 60 days on the IL, as he'll be returning to the Cincinnati rotation for the first time since June 17 after making a full recovery from right hip discomfort. The young right-hander assuaged any lingering concerns about his health by turning in a dominant four-start rehab assignment between the rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Triple-A Louisville in which he compiled a 2.57 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 15:7 K:BB in 14 innings. Greene tossed 83 pitches and 5.2 innings in his final rehab outing Tuesday, so he's unlikely to face any major workload restrictions in his return from the IL.

Peralta (10-8) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings against the Rangers. He struck out 11.

Peralta was mostly dominant Saturday, striking out four of the first six batters he faced before surrendering two hits and two walks in the third, which led to one run coming home for Texas. He allowed just two singles from that point on while racking up double-digit strikeouts for the third time in his last five starts. The right-hander has won each of his last four starts and now owns a 1.82 ERA in August to go along with a 37:7 K:BB.

Darvish (8-9) took the loss in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, giving up four runs on nine hits and a walk over five innings. He struck out seven.

The veteran right-hander didn't pitch poorly, but San Diego's hitters couldn't get anything going in an eventual 8-1 loss as Arizona used a bullpen day. Darvish remains winless in August, but his 3.60 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 21:4 K:BB through 25 innings on the month have been solid. He'll look for a better result in his next outing, likely to come next weekend in Milwaukee.

Waldron (0-2) took the loss in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, giving up five runs on five hits and three walks over five innings. He struck out five.

Making his second career start in the majors, Waldron had trouble putting Arizona batters away when it mattered and got tagged for runs in the first, third and fifth innings, with the big blow being a two-run shot from Tommy Pham in the right-hander's final frame. Waldron's usage of a knuckleball makes him a bit of a novelty in the modern game, and he has yet to allow a hit on the pitch, but through his first 9.2 big-league innings he's surrendered a .923 SLG on his mediocre low-90s fastball.

Kelly (10-5) picked up the win in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against the Padres, giving up three runs on five hits and four walks over 5.1 innings. He struck out three.

The right-hander was far from sharp, serving up a pair of solo shots in the first inning to Ha-Seong Kim and Manny Machado and tossing only 56 strikes among his 102 pitches before exiting, but Kelly got enough run support to collect his first win since June 19. Ironically, this was his worst outing of the second half -- since returning from a calf injury in late July, he's posted a 2.88 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 36:12 K:BB through 34.1 innings. Kelly will look to keep rolling in his next start, likely to come at home next weekend against the Reds.

Williamson (4-3) took the loss Saturday, allowing four runs on nine hits and one walk over 5.2 innings against Toronto. He struck out six.

Williamson allowed nine hits to Toronto, eight of which were singles, including a string of three consecutive run-scoring base knocks in the fourth inning. The one extra-base hit surrendered by the 25-year-old was a fifth-inning solo homer by Davis Schneider, which gave the Blue Jays a 4-3 lead and proved to be the difference. After a challenging start to his rookie campaign, Williamson has pitched well since the start of July, posting a 3.38 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 47:15 K:BB across 48 innings. He lines up to face Arizona on the road next week.

Freeland (5-13) earned the win over the White Sox on Saturday, allowing four runs on eight hits and one walk while striking out six batters over five innings.

Freeland needed 95 pitches to get through five frames, but he capitalized on a barrage of run support to pick up his first victory since May 14. The veteran struggled over 14 starts between victories, posting a 6.19 ERA, 1.71 WHIP and 39:24 K:BB over 72.2 innings while going 0-9. Despite getting into the win column Saturday, Freeland allowed four runs for the third time in his past four outings.

Garrett (7-4) allowed three runs on five hits and struck out six without walking a batter over six innings, taking the loss in Game 2 of Saturday's doubleheader versus the Dodgers.

Garrett pitched well enough for a quality start, but a pair of solo home runs to Mookie Betts ended up being the difference. Garrett has given up nine runs (eight earned) across 28 innings over his last five starts, though he hasn't struck out more than six in any start in that span. For the season, he's maintained a 3.94 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 132:21 K:BB through 128 innings. He's lined up for a favorable home start versus the Nationals his next time out.