MLB Player News

Wesneski (3-1) earned the win against the Phillies on Wednesday, allowing one run on six hits with two walks over five innings. He struck out three.

Wesneski ran into trouble in the third inning after hitting Kyle Schwarber with a pitch and giving up a single to Rhys Hoskins in the following at-bat. Schwarber would then come in to score on a sacrifice fly from Bryce Harper. Wesneski also gave up back-to-back singles to lead off the fourth and eventually loaded the bases, but he was able to pitch his way out of the jam. The 24-year-old right-hander now has a 3-1 mark in September and has allowed two runs or fewer in each of his last three starts.

Manager Buck Showalter said deGrom's next start will come Friday in the series opener against Atlanta, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

DeGrom was originally projected to start Saturday, but he will be moved up a day and go toe-to-toe with Atlanta's ace, Max Fried. DeGrom has faced Atlanta twice this season, allowing a combined five earned runs with 21 strikeouts over 12.1 innings.

Gray did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and two walks over six innings against Atlanta. He struck out two.

Gray got back on track Wednesday with his first quality start since Aug. 15. The only damage came via a solo homer off the bat of Matt Olson in the second inning, as he only allowed three other batters to reach base on the night. The start comes as he had allowed a miserable 18 earned runs in 19.1 innings over his previous four outings. He will take a 5.02 ERA into his next start.

Odorizzi did not factor into the decision Wednesday, allowing two runs on four hits and three walks over 3.2 innings in a 3-2 loss against the Nationals.

For the fourth start in a row, Odorizzi failed to complete five innings. Wednesday's struggles were highlighted by a 0:3 K:BB on the night, as manager Brian Snitker opted to turn to the bullpen in the fourth inning with Atlanta fighting for the division title. In nine starts since being traded to Atlanta, Odorizzi owns a 5.69 ERA with one win compared to three losses. He is tentatively scheduled to face Miami next week.

Manager David Ross said Wednesday that he expects Smyly (shoulder) to make another start prior to the end of the regular season, Jordan Bastian of MLB.com reports.

Smyly was scratched from last Wednesday's start due to shoulder fatigue but threw a bullpen session Tuesday. While Ross didn't indicate which day Smyly will return to game action, the southpaw should have another chance to take the mound for the Cubs over the final week of the regular season.

Manager David Ross said Wednesday that Steele (back) isn't expected to be reinstated from the injured list prior to the end of the regular season, Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune reports.

Steele threw a successful bullpen session Tuesday and is expected to throw another high-intensity session soon. While the left-hander might have been in the mix for a late-season return if the Cubs were in playoff contention, the team will elect not to rush him back for a short appearance prior to the end of the regular season. Steele had a career-best season in 2022, posting a 3.18 ERA and 1.35 WHIP in 119 innings over 24 starts, and he should be able to have a fairly normal offseason program now that he's ramping up his workload.

The Brewers placed Houser (groin) on the 15-day injured list Wednesday.

As expected, the right groin strain that Houser suffered in his start Tuesday will result in him missing the rest of the regular season. Unless the Brewers are able to poach a wild-card spot from either the Phillies or Padres and then advance to the divisional round, Houser is unlikely to pitch again in 2022. He's made 21 starts for Milwaukee, pitching to a 6-10 record, 4.73 ERA and 1.46 WHIP over 102.2 innings.

Burrows (shoulder) was reinstated from the 7-day injured list at Triple-A Indianapolis on Wednesday, Justice delos Santos of MLB.com reports.

Burrows hasn't pitched in a game in a month, and it's not yet clear whether he'll pitch in Wednesday's regular-season finale at Indianapolis. Regardless of whether he takes the mound Wednesday, it appears as though he's moved past his shoulder injury ahead of the offseason.

Carrasco (15-7) took the loss Tuesday as the Mets fell 6-4 to the Marlins, giving up four runs on six hits and a walk over three innings. He struck out two.

The veteran right-hander didn't have his best stuff, and with the Mets now in a dogfight for the NL East title with Atlanta, manager Buck Showalter gave Carrasco the hook after 67 pitches (41 strikes). He's now failed to go past four innings in either of his last two starts, and fatigue could well be a factor for the 35-year-old -- he hadn't thrown more than 85 innings across all levels in a season since 2018, but Carrasco's now up to 148 IP in 2022. He's scheduled to make one more start in the final series of the season next week against the Nationals.

Lopez (10-10) picked up the win Tuesday, giving up three runs on five hits over six innings in a 6-4 victory over the Mets. He struck out five without walking a batter.

The right-hander extended his quality start streak to three while reaching double-digit wins for the first time in his major-league career. It was a much better performance from Lopez than the last time he faced the Mets (eight runs in 3.2 innings Sept, 10). Even factoring that outing in, he's having a solid finish to the season, posting a 4.15 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 36:10 K:BB through 39 innings over his last seven starts.