Williams (6-1) earned the win Friday over the Phillies, allowing three hits and two walks over five scoreless innings. He struck out five.

Williams was sharp again Friday -- he's now allowed just one run on six hits across 10 innings in two starts following a four-month stint on the IL with an elbow flexor strain. Despite missing significant time this year, the 32-year-old Williams put up excellent numbers. He'll finish with a 2.03 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 59:18 K:BB across 66.2 innings.

Suarez (12-8) took the loss Friday against Washington, allowing six runs on seven hits and two walks over two innings. He struck out two.

It was a rough night for Suarez, who allowed four runs in the opening inning, with a pair coming on a Stone Garrett homer, before the Nats tacked on two more in the second. The 29-year-old Suarez struggled in the second half of the season, posting a 5.65 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break. Overall, the left-hander will finish the season with a 3.46 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 145:41 K:BB across 27 outings (150.2 innings). The Phillies will look for Suarez to get back on track as they begin their postseason run.

Lopez (shoulder) will start Saturday's game against the Royals, Buster Olney of ESPN reports.

Manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Lopez felt great after his latest bullpen session and is ready to return to Atlanta's rotation when needed, and the 30-year-old righty has now officially been penciled in to start Saturday. He hasn't pitched in a game since exiting his start Sept. 10 after one inning due to shoulder inflammation, but he's been one of the most effective pitchers in all of baseball in 2024 with a 2.03 ERA through 128.2 frames. He isn't expected to be under any sort of restrictions in his first start back.

Taillon (12-8) earned the win Friday over Cincinnati, allowing four hits and two walks over seven scoreless innings. He struck out two.

It was an excellent finish to the year for Taillon, who delivered 13 scoreless innings while allowing just six hits over his final two starts. The right-hander posted a stellar 0.84 ERA in his last five outings (32 innings). It was a strong season overall for the 32-year-old Taillon -- he posted a 3.27 ERA, his lowest mark since 2018, with a 1.13 WHIP and 125:33 K:BB across 165.1 innings.

The Giants optioned Black to Triple-A Sacramento on Friday, Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com reports.

Black was saddled with his fifth loss of the season Wednesday versus Arizona, allowing four earned runs on five hits and five walks across just 2.2 innings. Now that his spot in the rotation won't be needed for the rest of the season, the Giants will send him back to the minors and insert Randy Rodriguez (elbow) back into their bullpen.

Washington optioned Herz to the Florida Complex League Nationals on Friday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

With Herz not scheduled to start during the weekend series against the Phillies, the Nationals will switch out the 23-year-old southpaw for long reliever Jackson Rutledge. Herz started 19 games for the Nationals this season, posting a 4-9 record with a 4.16 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and 106:36 K:BB across 88.2 innings. He was briefly sent down to Triple-A Rochester in early July, but he returned to the big club after the All-Star break. Since his recall, his numbers slightly improved to a 3.61 ERA and 1.19 WHIP over 57.1 frames.

The Nationals recalled Rutledge on Friday, Bobby Blanco of MASNSports.com reports.

The move gives the Nationals a long-relief option out of the bullpen for the final series of the season against the Phillies. Rutledge last pitched for the Nats on July 12, when he allowed two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six over 4.2 innings. He's spent most of the season with Triple-A Rochester, where he's posted a 4-9 record over 27 starts with a 6.40 ERA, 1.68 WHIP and 128:77 K:BB across 122.1 innings. To make room on the 28-man roster for Rutledge, Washington optioned DJ Herz to the Florida Complex League.

Lopez (shoulder) threw a bullpen session Thursday and manager Brian Snitker said Friday that Lopez felt great and is ready to go when needed, Grant McAuley of 92.9 The Game Atlanta reports.

Atlanta's starters for Saturday and Sunday have yet to be determined, but Lopez appears to be firmly in the mix to take the mound on either day, or perhaps during Monday's doubleheader against the Mets. Per McAuley, Snitker also mentioned that Lopez wouldn't be under any major pitch count limitations if he were to start. Atlanta is one of three teams competing for the final two National League wild-card slots.

Burrows has been added to the Pirates' taxi squad prior to Friday's game against the Yankees, Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

While he is not on the active roster yet, it seems likely that could happen sometime this weekend. Burrows, 24, holds a 4.06 ERA and 45:15 K:BB over 37.2 innings this season at Triple-A Indianapolis and would be making his major-league debut should he get into a game.

Buehler did not factor into the decision in a win over the Padres on Thursday, allowing one run on five hits and one walk over five innings. He struck out one.

Buehler avoided much damage despite allowing at least one hit in four of his five innings of work. It marked the fifth consecutive start in which he was able to get through at least five innings, and he's allowed one run or fewer in two of his last three outings. Buehler did, however, post just one strikeout in Thursday's no-decision after fanning a season-high nine batters in his previous trip to the mound.