MLB Player News

Nix (elbow) tossed five innings for Double-A Amarillo on Thursday, taking the loss despite allowing only two runs on six hits and two walks. He struck out six.

Nix looked strong in the loss, throwing 90 pitches (56 for strikes) and whiffing six batters. He has now made seven rehab starts across four minor-league levels, compiling a 2.15 ERA and 35:8 K:BB in 29.1 innings. With Amarillo on the brink of playoff elimination, Nix's next outing is likely to be with the Padres, perhaps as early as next week.

Anderson did not factor into the decision during Thursday's loss to the Cubs, allowing two runs on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out four.

The right-hander threw just 59 pitches but gave up a solo home run to Wilson Contreras in the fourth inning, tying the game up, 2-2. The long ball was nothing new for Anderson, who has allowed 21 this season while battling through some consistency issues. The 31-year-old will take a 4.58 ERA and 1.31 WHIP into a more favorable matchup at Miami on Wednesday.

Walker (elbow, shoulder) will throw a bullpen session Friday, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports.

This will be the first time he throws off a mound since suffering a shoulder capsule injury in May. That injury came during the last stages of his recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery. The 27-year-old starter is hoping to return from the injured list this season and log at least an inning of relief.

Fried (16-4) earned the win against Washington on Thursday, tossing seven scoreless innings and allowing one hit while striking out nine.

Fried absolutely dominated Washington in the victory, allowing only a first-inning infield single while whiffing nine. He retired the final 19 batters he faced and induced sixteen swinging strikes in winning his seventh straight decision. The southpaw is now tied for the National League lead with Stephen Strasburg -- his adversary in Thursday's matchup -- with 16 victories, nine of which he has earned in his last 13 starts. Fried will carry a 3.86 ERA, 1.32 WHIP and 159:42 K:BB over 149.1 innings into his next scheduled start in Philadelphia on Tuesday.

Quintana (13-8) picked up the win Thursday against the Brewers, allowing four runs on five hits and a pair of walks while striking out five across five innings.

The long ball proved to haunt Quintana on Thursday, although his offense was able to offset any threat by providing ample run support. After giving up a two-run home run to Hernan Perez in the second inning, Quintana got into some trouble in the third when he loaded up the bases, but the right-hander narrowly escaped without damage. Quintana then allowed a two-run homer to Yasmani Grandal in the fifth, which would be his final blemish of the night. The 30-year-old was coming off 5.2 shutout innings against the Brewers last Friday at Wrigley Field. Over his last seven starts, Quintana is 5-1 with 47 strikeouts across 45.1 innings pitched. He'll look to defend a 4.00 ERA and 1.28 WHIP against the Padres in San Diego on Tuesday.

Webb (1-1) allowed eight runs (seven earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out two across 2.2 innings to take the loss Thursday against the Cardinals.

Webb was hit hard from start to finish in his brief start, surrendering three earned runs in the first inning prior to allowing four more in the third frame. He allowed only one long ball, but let six of the last eight batters he faced to reach base. Webb had pitched respectably through the first three starts of his career, as he entered Thursday's contest with a 3.52 ERA and a 16:4 K:BB. He'll look to get back to that form in his next start, currently scheduled for Tuesday against the Pirates.

Strasburg (16-6) was charged with the loss against Atlanta on Thursday, pitching six innings and giving up three runs on four hits and four walks while striking out seven.

Strasburg gave up a pair of runs in the first inning but settled down to allow only a single tally on a Ronald Acuna homer over his final five frames. The effort was not enough to prevent his sixth loss, however, as Max Fried outdueled Strasburg by allowing only one baserunner in seven innings of work. Despite the outcome, Strasburg hurled his fourth straight quality start while tossing a season-high 115 pitches, 71 of which were strikes. The 31-year-old will try to get back into the win column when he heads to Minnesota to face the Twins on Wednesday in his next scheduled start.

Gray allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts and zero walks across six innings during a no-decision against the Phillies on Thursday.

The 29-year-old was outstanding, and the Reds finally gave him a lead in the sixth, which he departed with, but the Cincinnati bullpen was unable to hold it. Still, the performance extends Gray's streak of allowing two or fewer runs in his last seven outings. Since July 22, he is 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA in nine starts. Overall, Gray, who is scheduled to make his next start Wednesday at the Mariners, is 10-6 with a 2.75 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 181 strikeouts in 157.1 innings this season.

Darvish remains on track to start Saturday against the Brewers, but the Cubs may be conservative with his workload, Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune reports. "You never want to go out and push him to eight innings after skipping a start, not to say he couldn't do it," pitching coach Tommy Hottovy said Thursday. "Just be smart about where he's at and the workload."

Darvish threw a 29-pitch bullpen session without any discomfort Thursday, clearing the way for his return after he was scratched last weekend with right forearm tightness. The Cubs are well aware that the innings are adding up for Darvish; he's already up more than 100 additional innings from 2018. "If there's an opportunity to get him out of there sooner in a situation, it would be great," Hottovy added. "To buy some extra innings down the stretch if we're going to need it."

Keller (wrist) will try to throw a bullpen session Thursday, Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic reports.

The swelling in his wrist reportedly subsided Wednesday, but it sounds like he's not out of the woods just yet. If he is able to throw a bullpen Thursday and it goes well, he could make his scheduled start Sunday. However, if things don't progress as the Pirates hope, James Marvel is on hand to make Sunday's start if necessary.