MLB Player News

Nix (2-5) allowed four runs on five hits and three walks while striking out none across four innings to take the loss Saturday against the Diamondbacks.

The big blow against Nix came in the fourth inning, when he allowed a two-run homer to Ildemaro Vargas. He pitched fairly well otherwise, generating eight groundball outs and allowing only one other extra-base hit. However, the 22-year-old failed to show that he could pitch effectively at the major-league level this season, posting a 7.02 ERA and 1.54 WHIP across 42.1 innings.

Kershaw struck out four and allowed five runs and eight hits and zero walks over five innings in a no-decision against the Giants on Saturday.

Kershaw was unable to hold 2-0 and 5-3 leads as the Dodgers attempted to secure a playoff berth, but thankfully the offense exploded for four runs in the ninth inning to earn a 10-6 win. It's the first time in 2018 Kershaw allowed more than four runs in a start. The veteran left-hander finishes the regular season with a 2.73 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 155:29 K:BB over 161.1 innings.

Taillon (14-10) struck out seven but took the loss to the Reds on Saturday despite giving up three runs in six innings. He worked around seven hits and did not walk a batter.

The right-hander peppered the zone with 64 strikes in 89 pitches but allowed a run-scoring sacrifice fly in the third before a homer by Eugenio Suarez and an RBI single from opposing pitcher Michael Lorenzen in the fourth. All in all, Taillon was effective, but his offense failed to plate a run, which left him empty-handed in a quality start packed with strikeouts and sans a walk. He'll wrap up the 2018 season with a sparkling 3.20 ERA, 2.2 BB/9, and a solid 8.4 K/9 in 191 innings. Taillon already enters 2019 in top-25 territory among mixed-league starting pitchers, and given his impressive 10.5 percent swinging-strike rate from this year, he might reach another level in punchouts with more experience and a few tweaks to his approach.

Lorenzen (4-2) threw 5.2 scoreless innings Saturday to register the victory over Pittsburgh, working around five hits and two walks while striking out two. He also notched an RBI single.

The two-way player helped his cause by driving in Dilson Herrera in the fourth inning. Lorenzen has sandwiched a Sept. 23 loss with a combined 9.2 scoreless innings in two positive outings, finishing the 2018 season with a 3.11 ERA in 81 innings, but he probably overachieved, considering his 6.0 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 overall. He pitched well in relief (3.21 ERA in 67.1 innings) but might get a chance to compete for a rotation gig in 2019, making him an arm to watch for NL-only fantasy players.

Martinez threw a perfect inning and earned his fifth save of the season in Saturday's 2-1 victory over the Cubs.

Martinez picked up his first save since Sept. 21 to keep the Cardinals' playoff hopes alive and has now converted all five of his save opportunities this season. His ERA sits at 3.11 with a 117:60 K:BB over 118.2 innings this season.

Mikolas (18-4) won his fifth straight decision by pitching eight innings Saturday against the Cubs, allowing just one run (zero earned) on five hits with six strikeouts and no walks.

Mikolas kept the Cardinals' playoff hopes alive and was nicked for the Cubs' only run in the first inning on an error by Yairo Munoz. Over his last four starts, the 30-year-old has allowed only four earned runs, 16 hits and two walks while striking out 27 batters over 27 innings. Mikolas has a sterling 2.83 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP this season.

Hamels (9-12) took the loss Saturday against the Cardinals despite allowing just two runs (one earned) over seven innings. He gave up three hits and two walks while striking out eight.

Hamels was locked in but got outdueled by St. Louis starter Miles Mikolas in a 2-1 Cubs loss. The veteran lefty has lost his last two starts despite allowing just three earned runs over 13 innings, and he has a stellar 2.36 ERA overall since coming over to Chicago in early August. Hamels will now turn his attention to the postseason, as the 2008 World Series MVP figures to play a big role in his team's playoff run.

Davies didn't factor into the decision in Friday's 6-5 win over the Tigers, allowing three runs on five hits over four innings while striking out three.

Detroit jumped on him for all three runs in the first inning, but Davies settled down after that and would have been in line for his third win of the year had he been allowed to come back out and complete one more frame. The right-hander will wrap up the regular season with a 4.77 ERA and 49:21 K:BB over 66 innings, and his role on the Brewers' postseason roster -- whether rounding out the back of the rotation or moving into long relief -- has yet to be determined.

Freeland (17-7) picked up the win Friday, allowing two runs on 11 hits and a walk over six innings while striking out four in a 5-2 victory over the Nationals.

While the southpaw faced the usual barrage of hits at Coors Field, Freeland was able to limit the damage to mostly singles, giving up only two extra-base hits. He wraps up the regular season with a stellar 2.85 ERA and a 173:70 K:BB in 202.1 innings, and Friday's win assures the NL West-leading Rockies of at least a spot in the NL Wild Card game.

Corbin threw five innings in a no-decision against the Padres on Friday, giving up three hits in Arizona's 3-2 extra-innings defeat. He struck out four and walked one.

Corbin wrapped up his fantastic 2018 campaign with another solid showing, breezing through the Padres lineup through five innings before he departed after throwing just 58 pitches. The left-hander posted a career-best season this year with a 3.15 ERA, a terrific 1.05 WHIP and 246 strikeouts over exactly 200 innings, finally delivering on his lofty potential that had been inhibited by injuries in past seasons.