MLB Player News

Martinez pitched one-third of an inning to record his 20th save in a 4-2 win over the Nationals on Monday.

The Cardinals called upon Martinez with two outs in the ninth inning, and he quickly forced a line-out to nail down his 20th save of the season. This was his first outing after Martinez was hospitalized with asthma. Martinez has a 4-2 record with a 3.00 ERA and 47 strikeouts through 41 appearances this season.

Strasburg gave up two runs on three hits and four walks while striking out six through five innings in a no-decision against the Cardinals on Monday.

The two runs came in a 38-pitch first inning, but Strasburg recovered to deliver four scoreless frames before being removed from the game after five innings. Strasburg has been on a nice run recently, posting a 1.91 ERA with five consecutive quality starts coming into this start. The 31-year-old has a 3.49 ERA with 235 strikeouts through 31 starts this season. Strasburg is scheduled to make his next start Saturday at Marlins Park.

Davies (10-7) gave up one run on two hits and two walks while striking out four through five innings to earn the win over the Padres on Monday.

Davies delivered five innings with only four baserunners and did enough to earn his 10th win of the season. Five innings seems to be the current expectation for Davies, as he hasn't pitched more than five frames since mid-July. The 26-year-old has a 3.70 ERA with 98 strikeouts through 29 starts this season. Davies is scheduled to make his next start Saturday against the Pirates at Miller Park.

Martinez (illness) will be available Monday, Mark Saxon of The Athletic reports.

Martinez revealed Monday that the illness which sidelined him over the weekend and sent him to the hospital Saturday night was asthma, the first time he's dealt with such a problem. The closer should be called on if a save situation arises Monday against Nationals.

Woodruff (oblique) will start Tuesday against the Padres, Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.

An oblique injury has kept Woodruff out of action since late July. He recorded strong numbers prior to suffering the injury, recording a 3.75 ERA and a 28.3 percent strikeout rate over 20 starts. It's not clear how long he'll be able to pitch Tuesday, as he's only been throwing bullpen sessions, not rehab games. Gio Gonzalez will follow him out of the bullpen.

Lorenzen will start in center field for the third straight game Monday against the Cubs.

Lorenzen has received sporadic opportunities on the offensive side of the ball over the last two seasons, but he's finally receiving opportunities as a proper outfielder this September, starting four times in center field. He's gone 0-for-11 at the plate in his three starts so far, but he does have a respectable .246/.289/.474 slash line (good for a 97 wRC+) in 126 career plate appearances, suggesting at least some potential as a semi-regular option in the outfield.

Hill (knee) is planning to throw off a mound Tuesday, Jorge Castillo of the Los Angeles Times reports.

Hill is in a race against time to return to game action before the playoffs, though he suffered a similar knee injury in spring training and was sidelined for multiple weeks. For what it's worth, Hill suggested that he may be able to continue pitching immediately with a brace and a modified delivery, though the Dodgers are certain to quell any such discussion until reviewing the results of his MRI set for Monday.

Maeda pitched two-thirds of an inning against the Mets on Sunday, allowing a walk but no hits or runs to record the save. He struck out one batter.

Usual closer Kenley Jansen was deployed in the eighth inning, so Maeda was called upon to wrap up the win. He issued a two-out walk to Robinson Cano but subsequently struck out Joe Panik to record his second save. The 31-year-old doesn't figure to get many more opportunities to close moving forward, but he is a vital piece on the Dodgers' staff as a multi-faceted veteran capable of filling many roles. Maeda has been a starter most of the season, but he figures to stick in the bullpen through September as the team prepares him for high-leverage relief situations in the playoffs.

Castillo is scheduled to make his next start Friday against the Mets, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Castillo initially lined up to take the hill in Wednesday's series finale with the Cubs on his normal four days' rest, but manager David Bell has elected to add a sixth starter to the mix Monday in Kevin Gausman. As a result of Gausman's addition, Castillo will now move back two days in the schedule and should benefit from the change, as he'll be taking on the Mets at home rather than having to pitch at Wrigley Field. After Friday's outing, Castillo tentatively lines up for his last start of the season the following weekend in Pittsburgh.

Gausman is slated to start Monday's game against the Cubs, Bobby Nightengale of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

The Reds have already been running out a five-man rotation lately, but manager David Bell may have wanted to build in an extra day of rest for the team's other starters while the season winds down. Enter Gausman, who has made all 11 of his appearances with the Reds out of the bullpen since being scooped up off waivers in early August. Gausman hasn't covered more than two innings in any of his outings with Cincinnati, so even if he performs well Monday, he may struggle to work deep enough into the contest to factor into the decision.