MLB Player News

Wheeler (8-6) allowed three earned runs on seven hits and two walks while striking out five across seven innings to take the loss in Game 1 of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals.

Wheeler dueled with Max Scherzer throughout the contest, and he held the Nationals to one run through six innings. However, he allowed a leadoff double and then a two-run home run to begin the seventh inning -- ending his outing on a sour note. Even so, Wheeler continues to show the ability to work deep into games, as he's completed seven or more innings in four of his last six starts. For the season, he has a 2.45 ERA with 165 strikeouts across 139.2 innings.

Peralta (8-3) picked up the win Thursday after blanking the Pirates across six innings. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out five.

Peralta continued his nearly unhittable season by allowing two or fewer hits for the 13th time. The 25-year-old displayed strong command to get the job done while needing only 68 pitches to complete six innings during the blowout victory. Peralta will bring a stellar 2.17 ERA and 0.87 WHIP into a projected rematch against Pittsburgh on Wednesday.

Gray will be traded from the Dodgers to the Nationals on Thursday along with Keibert Ruiz, Gerardo Carrillo and Donovan Casey in exchange for Max Scherzer and Trea Turner (COVID-19), Jesse Dougherty of The Washington Post reports.

Gray was widely considered the top prospect in the Dodgers' system and recently made his major-league debut. He should slot right into the Nationals rotation, which is now missing both Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg (neck). Prior to getting the call to the majors, Gray posted a 2.87 ERA and 0.66 WHIP across 15.2 frames with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Cueto (7-5) picked up the win Thursday after holding the Dodgers scoreless across 5.2 innings. He allowed four hits and a pair of walks while striking out five.

Cueto turned in one of his best starts of the year against a volatile Dodgers lineup. After coughing up 11 home runs in his last eight starts, the right-hander turned things around by blanking his opponent for just the third time this year while running his fastball up to 95 mph. With the successful outing, Cueto improves to a 3.84 ERA and 1.25 WHIP on the season. He's tentatively slated to take the mound again in a favorable matchup on the road at Arizona on Tuesday.

Strasburg's thoracic outlet surgery went well Wednesday, Matt Weyrich of NBC Sports Washington reports.

Persistent health problems have limited Strasburg to just seven starts over the last two seasons. The latest issue, neurogenic thoracic outlet syndrome, is one of the more worrisome issues a pitcher can go through. It's good news that the procedure went well, and the Nationals remain hopeful that the righty will be ready for the start of spring training, but his health history makes it tough to be optimistic about his outlook.

Lorenzen (hamstring) could return to the active roster during the Reds' weekend series against the Mets, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Lorenzen has made just a single big-league appearance this season, as he returned from a shoulder injury in mid-July only to exit his first appearance with a hamstring injury. The hamstring issue doesn't appear to be a significant one, however, as it looks set to cost him approximately two weeks.

Velasquez will start Friday against the Pirates, Kevin Gorman of TribLive.com reports.

Velasquez was originally expected to start the second half of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals. While he was removed from that assignment, he hasn't been removed from the rotation entirely but will simply start one day later than previously scheduled.

Sanchez was recalled to start the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports.

The start will be the first of Sanchez's big-league career. He owns a 3.68 ERA and an 8:4 K:BB in 7.1 innings of relief at the highest level this season. The Phillies didn't play Wednesday and got a complete game from Zack Wheeler in the first game of the day, however, so their bullpen should be well-rested, meaning Sanchez may not be asked to pitch deep into the contest.

Velasquez is no longer listed as the scheduled starter for the second game of Thursday's doubleheader against the Nationals, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Velasquez owns a 10.91 ERA and 2.04 WHIP over his last four starts, so it's hard to make the case that he deserves to remain in the rotation. It's unclear if his removal as the scheduled starter means he's being dropped from the rotation entirely or if the Phillies are merely keeping the option available to use him as a reliever during the first game of the day.

Keller allowed six runs (four earned) on seven hits and one walk in five innings for Triple-A Indianapolis on Saturday. He walked three while striking out nine batters.

Since being demoted to the minors, Keller has compiled a 3.21 ERA in 28 innings for Indy but is still struggling with his command. While the 25-year-old has struck out 39 batters he's walked 13 (including nine in his last three starts). Keller will likely get another shot with Pittsburgh prior to season's end, but he hasn't dominated Triple-A the way the organization had hoped.