MLB Player News

Stripling (8-6) took the loss Wednesday, allowing three runs on five hits and two walks while striking out two over 1.2 innings against the Diamondbacks.

It was another brief outing for Stripling, who's been unable to work more than 3.1 innings in four straight starts, while taking the loss in three of those. The 28-year-old got through the first inning without much incident, but ran into trouble in the second frame with a home run, a triple, a double, two singles and a walk allowed before being lifted. While he may shift to the bullpen should the Dodgers make the postseason, this figures to be Stripling's final appearance of the regular season.

Lugo struck out one in a perfect ninth inning Wednesday to record his third save of the season in a 3-0 win over the Braves.

While he hasn't been able to claim the Mets' closer job on a full-time basis down the stretch, Lugo has been exceptional in a high-leverage role, posting a 1.35 ERA and 18:1 K:BB through 13.1 innings in September with two saves and three holds in nine appearances. The 28-year-old should be a key part of the team's bullpen in 2019, but whether he'll be a consistent source of saves remains to be seen.

DeGrom (10-9) picked up the win Wednesday, allowing only two hits over eight scoreless innings while striking out 10 in a 3-0 victory over the Braves.

Getting one final chance to state his case for the NL Cy Young, deGrom didn't waste his opportunity, fanning double-digit batters for the seventh time in 13 second-half starts and lowering his MLB-leading ERA to a stunning 1.70. In fact, it's the best ERA by a Met since Dwight Gooden's legendary 1985 campaign, and the third best in franchise history behind Tom Seaver's 1971 season.

Marquez (14-10) got the win Wednesday, shutting out the Phillies over seven innings while striking out 11 and allowing three hits with a walk.

Marquez was brilliant in this one, fanning each of the first eight batters he faced and inducing a whopping 20 swinging strikes in all. Despite pitching his home games at Coors Field, Marquez emerged as a frontline starter over the season's second half, pitching to a 2.14 ERA and 12.0 K/9 over his final 12 starts while notching a quality start in all 12. The 23-year-old is likely done for the regular season, finishing up with a 3.76 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 32 starts.

Manager Gabe Kapler said Wednesday that Eflin has a strained left oblique and will not start against the Braves this weekend, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

Due to this injury, it's highly unlikely that Eflin will be available out of the bullpen for the club's three-game set versus Atlanta this weekend. In 24 starts with the Phillies in 2018, Eflin logged a 4.36 ERA and 1.30 WHIP with a 123:37 K:BB in 128 innings. Jerad Eickhoff will take the mound for Friday's series opener in his absence.

Eickhoff will toe the rubber against the Braves on Friday, Matt Gelb of the The Athletic reports.

Eickhoff will make his first start for the Phillies in 2018 due to Zach Eflin's strained oblique, which will prohibit the latter from pitching during the final series of the year. Across two relief appearances with the big-league club this month, Eickhoff has allowed two earned runs on five hits while striking out three in two innings.

Taillon will take the mound against the Reds on Saturday, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

There was a chance Taillon would be shut down prior to his last projected start of the season due to the fact that he's pitched a career-high 185 innings, but he will toe the rubber one last time in Cincinnati. Through 31 starts, he's logged a 3.16 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 8.4 K/9.

Anderson (shoulder) played catch Wednesday after being scratched from Monday's start, Thomas Harding of MLB.com reports.

Anderson was scratched from his projected start due to left shoulder soreness, though general manager Jeff Bridich confirmed it didn't appear to be "too serious" and that the club was hopeful Anderson would pitch later this week. Per Harding, Anderson was able to increase his distance during Wednesday's session, which is a good sign. It remains to be seen whether Anderson will be able to take the mound for a start this weekend against Washington. We will continue to monitor this situation over the next few days.

Castillo will be shut down for the rest of the 2018 season due to an innings restriction, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Castillo was expected to make his final start of the season Friday, but the Reds have elected to close the book on his year following a superb outing against Miami on Friday. During that performance, he tossed 8.1 scoreless innings with five strikeouts while allowing just five hits and one walk. On the year, he will finish with 169.2 innings pitched -- the exact same total he had in 2017 split between the majors and Triple-A -- with a 4.30 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 8.8 K/9. Anthony DeSclafani will take his place in the rotation Friday while Michael Lorenzen will pitch Saturday.

Buehler allowed two runs on four hits and two walks while striking out five over six innings in Tuesday's loss to the Diamondbacks. He didn't factor into the decision.

The only damage on his ledger came in the fifth inning when Buehler yielded a pair of runs on a single, walk and double. He otherwise allowed just one runner to advance beyond first base the rest of the outing. The rookie has had a strong final push to the season, tossing four quality starts in five tries in the final month while maintaining a 1.95 ERA with 42 strikeouts over 32.1 innings in that span. The 24-year-old lines up to face the Giants in the regular-season finale Sunday, though that could change depending on the Dodgers' playoff standing heading into that game.