MLB Player News

Mahle allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out six over six innings against St. Louis on Friday. He did not factor in the decision.

Mahle's performance was a tangible improvement over his last start, when he gave up four runs in five innings against Detroit. However, the right-hander picked up a win in that contest while walking away with a no-decision Friday. The two runs against him came as the result of a Yadier Molina long ball in the fourth inning, which was the only extra-base hit Mahle yielded in the outing. He has been a solid performer throughout the campaign, posting a 3.73 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 188:56 K:BB and 11-5 record through 159.1 innings. Mahle's next start is likely to be a favorable matchup at Pittsburgh next week.

Falter (2-1) took the loss Friday versus Colorado, allowing three runs on two hits and two walks while recording just one out via strikeout.

After a perfect inning from opening pitcher Sam Coonrod, Falter was unable to keep things in order on the mound. He threw just 16 of 30 pitches for strikes in a brutal appearance. Falter has a 5.86 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 33:4 K:BB across 27.2 innings in 17 games this year. He's added three holds, but with poor ratios, he's best suited to low-leverage work for now.

Marquez (12-10) allowed just six hits and a walk while striking out six over six shutout innings to earn the win Friday over Philadelphia.

After posting a 6.23 ERA in 30.1 innings across his last six starts, Marquez's performance Friday echoed the success he had found in late June and early July. Only one of the six hits he allowed went for extra bases. Marquez has posted a 3.93 ERA, 1.20 WHIP and 167:56 K:BB across 167 innings this season. The right-hander will look to build some positive momentum in a tough road start versus Atlanta next week.

Rogers (7-7) allowed four runs on three hits and a walk over 4.1 innings Friday, striking out six and taking the loss against Atlanta.

Rogers looked great through four shutout inning before Atlanta got hot in the fifth. He gave up just one run before leaving the game but was charged with three more runs after all three runners he left on base came in to score. He's last 4.1 innings in each of his last two outings, giving up six runs and recording nine strikeouts in the process. Rogers will carry a 2.73 ERA into his projected start in Washington next week.

Houser (9-6) earned the win Friday over Cleveland. He allowed two unearned runs on a hit and five walks with five strikeouts in six innings.

This is the second time in his last five starts he's allowed more walks than hits, but he's been fairly effective in that stretch. Houser had to contend with a couple of errors by Luis Urias in the first inning, but it was otherwise smooth sailing from there for the right-hander. With no earned runs on his ledger, Houser's ERA dipped to 3.25 with a 1.26 WHIP and 98:58 K:BB across 127.1 innings this year. The 28-year-old lines up for a favorable home start versus the Cubs during next weekend's three-game series.

Anderson (7-5) allowed two runs on five hits and two walks over five innings Friday, striking out nine and earning a win over Miami.

Aside from a two-run shot by Jesus Sanchez in the first inning, Anderson turned in a fairly clean outing Friday. It was an encouraging performance after he'd produced a 10:16 K:BB over his previous five appearances. The 23-year-old righty maintained his 3.61 ERA and improved his season K:BB to 107:47 through 109.2 innings. Anderson is projected to face the Rockies at home next week.

Megill (3-4) allowed two runs on four hits and a walk over seven innings Friday, striking out 10 and earning a win over the Yankees.

It was a career night for the 6-foot-7 rookie, setting new career bests with seven innings and 10 punchouts. Megill gave up a run on an RBI groundout in the first inning followed by a Joey Gallo solo shot in the second. He settled in and kept the Yankees scoreless for the next five frames and lowered his season ERA to 4.06 through 77.2 innings. He's produced a 23:5 K:BB over his last three outings. Megill is lined up to face the Cardinals at home next week.

Flaherty (shoulder) is not expected to have time to get stretched out and return as a starter this season but could serve in a bullpen role, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports.

Flaherty has been out for over two weeks with a strained right shoulder. He resumed playing catch Sunday and is expected to return to mound work next Thursday, but that's unlikely to leave him with enough time to build up to a starter's workload. How much the Cardinals elect to push Flaherty could depend in part on their playoff prospects. They currently sit three games behind the Padres for the second wild-card spot.

Syndergaard (elbow) has already thrown one bullpen session since his COVID-19 quarantine ended and will throw another Friday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.

Syndergaard has spent the season working his way back from Tommy John surgery. He was originally expected to return sometime in midseason but suffered a setback with his elbow in a rehab start in late May. The plan for some time has been that he'll return as a reliever late in the season, and he still appears to have time to do so even after the COVID setback.

Wood (illness) played catch Thursday, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area reports.

Wood is starting to ramp up again after testing positive for COVID-19 in late August. He's expected to resume mound work over the weekend, but previous reports suggested that he'd been dealing with a fairly significant case of the virus, so it may take him some time before he's ready to return to the active roster.