MLB Player News

Davies allowed three runs on three hits and two walks while striking out two in five innings versus the Rockies on Friday. He did not factor in the decision.

Davies still hasn't stretched out much -- Friday was his third start since returning from a shoulder injury, and he threw just 49 of 82 pitches for strikes in this contest. The right-hander allowed a two-run double to Elehuris Montero in the fourth inning and a solo home run to Brian Serven in the fifth, taking himself out of contention for the win when he left with the game tied. Davies has a 4.11 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 68:32 K:BB through 92 innings across 18 starts. He's allowed seven runs across 12 frames in his last three outings, and he'll look to be more efficient in a projected road start versus the Giants next week.

Lauer (8-4) took the loss Friday versus the Cardinals, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out five in six innings.

Lauer didn't give up a lot, but he was tagged for home runs by Paul Goldschmidt in the first inning and Nolan Arenado in the sixth to account for all of the runs on his line. This marked the first time Lauer's logged consecutive quality starts since a four-start streak from April 18 to May 6. The southpaw owns a 3.64 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 116:42 K:BB through 118.2 innings across 21 outings this season. He's projected for a difficult home start versus the Dodgers next week.

Montgomery (5-3) allowed four hits and two walks while striking out eight over six scoreless innings to earn the win Friday over the Brewers.

Montgomery left his Cardinals debut last week with leg cramps, but he was fine to start on regular rest Friday. He threw 108 pitches (66 strikes) in the win, and he's still yet to allow a run across 11 innings through his first two starts for St. Louis. The southpaw has improved to a 3.37 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 106:26 K:BB through 125.2 innings including his time with the Yankees. He's lined up for a decent home start versus the Rockies next week.

Muller will be recalled from Triple-A Gwinnett to start the first half of Saturday's doubleheader against the Marlins.

Muller has a 5.49 ERA in 39.1 career major-league innings, but the 24-year-old lefty has looked quite good in 17 starts for Gwinnett this season. He's struck out 31 percent of batters while walking just 6.9 percent, leading to a 3.27 ERA. It's unclear whether or not he'll have a chance to push for a starting role down the stretch or if he'll return to the minors immediately after Saturday's game.

Kershaw (back) is feeling much better thanks to his epidural injection, Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic reports.

Kershaw hit the injured list with lower-back pain in early August. The injury isn't thought to be particularly serious, and he was able to resume throwing earlier this week, but the Dodgers have a very comfortable lead atop the NL West, so they can focus on getting him ready for the postseason rather than maximizing his number of regular-season starts.

Rogers (back) will make his second rehab start Sunday with a yet to be determined minor-league affiliate, Christina De Nicola of MLB.com reports.

The 24-year-old lefty made his first rehab start Tuesday with Double-A Pensacola, and he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits with five strikeouts and zero walks over 3.1 innings. Rogers will continue building up his workload Sunday, and it's unclear if he'll require any additional rehab outings before being cleared to rejoin Miami's starting rotation. If not, he could make a start for the Marlins late next week.

Lodolo (3-4) took the loss against the Cubs on Thursday, giving up four runs on seven hits and four walks while striking out six batters over 4.2 innings.

Lodolo threw a first-pitch strike to 19 of the 24 batters he faced, yet he issued four free passes and hit one batter. The rookie gave up three runs in the first inning, struck out the side in the second and allowed three baserunners in each of the third and fourth frames in the uneven performance. Lodolo has walked multiple batters in each of his past five starts, and he's added five hit batsmen over that stretch. He's registered a strong 12.1 K/9 over 47.2 innings on the season, but his control issues have led to an unsavory 4.72 ERA and 1.66 WHIP.

Smyly (5-6) earned the win over Cincinnati in the Field of Dreams game Thursday, allowing four hits and two walks while striking out nine batters over five scoreless innings.

Smyly's nine punchouts came out of nowhere -- he hadn't fanned more than five batters in any of his 14 appearances coming into Thursday. The veteran racked up 18 swinging strikes and didn't allow any extra-base hits in the dominant outing. This was Smyly's second consecutive scoreless appearance, and he's allowed one run or fewer in four of his past five starts. Over that stretch, the southpaw has posted a 2.42 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 26:6 K:BB over 26 innings while picking up three victories.

Brubaker did not factor in the decision against Arizona on Thursday, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out six batters over five innings.

Brubaker allowed a pair of runs in the fourth inning but was otherwise impressive, allowing only one hit and one walk over his other four frames. The right-hander racked up 13 swinging strikes and finished with six punchouts for the second straight game, but he lost his chance at a victory when the Pirates' bullpen gave up seven runs in the seventh inning. Brubaker has had some poor outings this season, but he's given up three or fewer earned runs while pitching at least five frames in 14 of his 22 starts.

Kelly completed five innings against Pittsburgh on Thursday, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks while striking out six batters. He did not factor in the decision.

This appeared to be a great opportunity for Kelly to extend his streak of seven consecutive quality starts, but he needed 99 pitches to get through five innings and wasn't allowed to go out for the sixth. The right-hander gave up three runs in the fourth frame and departed in line for the loss before a big Arizona seventh inning took him off the hook. Kelly hasn't taken a loss since late June, and he's posted a 1.86 ERA, 0.88 WHIP and 44:12 K:BB over 53.1 innings across his past eight starts.