MLB Player News

Anderson remains on track to start Sunday's game against the Rockies in Cincinnati, despite being used in relief Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Cincinnati added Anderson to the roster Monday and had him start that day's series opener with the Cardinals, but he was chased midway through the second inning after allowing five earned runs while recording just five outs. The Reds likely didn't plan on having Anderson work out of the bullpen Wednesday, but with the game going into the 13th inning and the only other available reliever (Joel Kuhnel) having worked each of the previous two days, manager David Bell turned to the veteran right-hander. Anderson ended up surrendering three runs (two earned) to take his second loss in three days, but since he tossed only 36 pitches Monday and 19 on Wednesday, he shouldn't face any significant workload restrictions when he returns to the mound Sunday.

Houser struck out two and allowed one hit and no walks over two scoreless relief innings in Wednesday's 6-1 win over the Pirates.

In his return from the injured list Aug. 24, Houser started and was blasted by the Dodgers for five runs on five hits and four walks en route to his ninth loss of the season. After that outing, manager Craig Counsell didn't specify what Houser's role would be moving forward, but the right-hander's usage out of the bullpen Wednesday would seemingly imply that he no longer has a hold on a rotation spot. Jason Alexander stepped in as the Brewers' new No. 5 starter Tuesday and will be rewarded with a second turn through the rotation Sunday in Arizona after he limited the Pirates to one run while allowing five baserunners over five frames in a no-decision.

Woodruff (9-4) took the loss against Arizona on Thursday, allowing five runs on eight hits and two walks while striking out four batters over 5.2 innings.

Woodruff fell behind early, allowing two runs on a Christian Walker homer in the first inning. He yielded another run in the second and two more in the sixth to finish with his worst outing since early May. Woodruff has been stuck on nine wins since the end of July, though this was his first loss following five straight no-decisions. His numbers are down overall compared to last season, but he's still pitched relatively well with a 3.54 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 136:34 K:BB over 114.1 innings.

Kelly (12-5) earned the win over Milwaukee on Thursday, pitching seven scoreless innings during which he allowed four hits and no walks while striking out seven batters.

Kelly received some early run support and capitalized with a dominant start. He didn't allow any extra-base hits and racked up 14 swinging strikes among his 91 pitches. Kelly extended his streak of appearances without a loss to 12, dating back to the start of July. Over that stretch, he's posted a 2.01 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 71:18 K:BB over 80.2 innings while picking up six wins. Though the Diamondbacks are likely out of playoff contention, this season has at least seen the emergence of two potential rotation anchors in Kelly and Zac Gallen.

Strider (9-4) earned the win over Colorado on Thursday, allowing two hits and no walks while striking out 16 batters over eight scoreless innings.

Strider overpowered the Rockies in his most impressive performance as a big leaguer, racking up 22 swinging strikes among his 106 pitches. The strikeout total established a new franchise record in a nine-inning game, surpassing the 15 K's recorded by John Smoltz in both 1992 and 2005 and Warren Spahn in 1960. Strider has posted five double-digit strikeout performances across 17 starts this season and ranks ninth in the league with 176 punchouts despite hurling only 114.2 innings. As icing on the cake, he appears to be getting stronger as the season winds down -- over his past four starts, the rookie right-hander has gone 3-0 while registering a 1.08 ERA, 0.72 WHIP and 36:4 K:BB over 25 frames.

Kershaw did not factor into the decision Thursday, allowing one run on one hit and three walks over five innings against the Mets. He struck out six.

Kershaw did not allow an extra-base hit and surrendered his only blemish by walking in a run in the first. After a shaky initial inning following his return from the 15-day injured list (back), the lefty returned to his usual formidable self, turning in four perfect innings before exiting the game. In the five starts prior to his injury, the 34-year-old veteran delivered a spectacular 29:3 K:BB in 29.1 innings.

Bassitt (12-7) earned the win Thursday, allowing two runs on six hits and three walks over six innings against the Dodgers. He struck out four.

Bassitt surrendered both runs on a single from second baseman Chris Taylor in the second to give the Dodgers a 2-1 lead. The righty is 5-0 in his last seven starts with a 2.38 ERA in 45.1 innings. The 33-year-old has now pitched six innings or more in 12 of his last 13 starts.

Carrasco (oblique) will return from the 15-day injured list to start Sunday against the Nationals, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Carrasco will return without making a rehab start, though he will have gone only roughly three weeks without pitching in games. He did manage a bullpen session and simulated game within the last week but could still face a pitch limit Sunday. David Peterson is likely to get bumped from the rotation, and Tylor Megill (shoulder) appears destined for a relief role once activated.

Megill (shoulder) struck out the side after entering in relief during a rehab outing with Double-A Binghamton on Thursday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

The Mets are set to have a fully healthy rotation shortly, as Carlos Carrasco (oblique) is likely to return during the team's weekend series against the Nationals. That leaves Megill without a spot in the starting five, though he could pitch in high-leverage situations out of the big-league bullpen once activated.

Ashby (shoulder) is expected to begin playing catch in the coming days, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

Ashby has been shut down since landing on the injured list, retroactive to Aug. 20. While he'll have more work to do prior to his return, it's a positive step that he'll be able to engage in his first activity since being sidelined.