MLB Player News

Ray took a no-decision Monday in the Diamondbacks' 7-4 loss to the Dodgers, working five innings and giving up two runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out seven in the outing.

Ray hasn't taken a loss in any of his last 13 starts, but his tendency to rack up high pitch counts has regularly prevented him from factoring into the decision. That was again the case Monday, as he required 100 pitches to record 15 outs before getting pulled from the contest with a one-run lead, which was eventually blown by the bullpen. On a more positive note, Ray has turned in a 3.15 ERA to accompany a 10.6 K/9 in the second half, so he's at least doing a better job in run prevention after logging a 5.03 ERA prior to the All-Star break. He'll likely take the hill one final time Sunday in San Diego to wrap up what's been an up-and-down campaign for the lefty.

Burnes pitched 0.2 innings out of the bullpen in Monday's victory over the Cardinals and ran his record to 7-0 in the process.

Burnes has been a win machine of late, notching four marks in the W column since Sept. 9. He has posted a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP this month, so he has provided some sneaky fantasy value of late despite working in middle relief for the Brewers.

Peralta allowed one earned run over 3.2 innings of relief in Monday's victory over the Cardinals. He struck out three batters and did not walk any and was not involved in the decision.

Left-hander Dan Jennings started Monday's game in order to face lefty Matt Carpenter, and after Jennings retired Carpenter, Peralta was immediately summoned from the bullpen. Peralta did allow Carpenter to rap an RBI single in his next at-bat, but he was able to get through the fourth inning without allowing any other damage. It remains to be seen if Peralta will pitch again before the regular season comes to a close, but regardless, he has already had a successful rookie year, recording 96 strikeouts over 78.1 innings while posting a 4.25 ERA -- a mark that could be even better given his 3.71 FIP.

Flaherty did not factor into the decision against the Brewers on Monday, allowing three earned runs on four hits, two walks and a hit batsman over 5.1 innings. He struck out five.

Flaherty could only get 57 of his 93 pitches into the strike zone, but he did manage to keep the Cardinals in the game. The rookie bounced back to an extent from one of his rougher outings of the season against the Braves his last time out, when he allowed five earned runs over 4.2 innings. As the Cardinals' rotation currently lines up, Flaherty is slated to take the hill Sunday against the Cubs in the final game of the regular season, one that could be key to St. Louis' postseason hopes.

Kershaw (9-5) picked up the victory after giving up three runs on six hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings Monday against the Diamondbacks.

Kershaw was on the hook for a loss when he was removed for a pinch hitter in the seventh inning, but the Dodgers' offensive rally reversed his fortunes. The dominant southpaw did surrender a home run for the sixth consecutive outing, but he was still able to turn in his 15th straight quality start. Kershaw is lined up to start the final game of the regular season against the Giants on Sunday, but he would likely be skipped if the club is able to lock up the division before that point.

Taillon (14-9) tossed seven innings of one-run ball to earn the win Monday against the Cubs, allowing five hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

Taillon was impressive in the face of a tough matchup, inviting an abundance of weak contact while recording 10 groundball outs to help quiet the home team. His only real blemish on the night came on a solo home run from opposing pitcher Cole Hamels, but that was the only run he'd allow en route to his 14th victory. Taillon is enjoying an outstanding run of form and has now gone at least six innings while allowing three earned runs or fewer in 21 straight starts. He'll take a shiny 3.16 ERA into his final regular-season start this weekend against the Reds.

Eflin will travel back to Philadelphia to have his left side examined, Matt Gelb of The Athletic reports.

This issue has reportedly been bothering Eflin for the past two weeks, so he'll seek further evaluation. With one week remaining in the regular season, Eflin's 2018 campaign will likely come to an end.

Strasburg allowed one run on three hits and four walks while striking out five over four innings Monday against the Marlins. He didn't factor into the decision.

Strasburg gave up just one run in the fifth inning, but the Nationals decided to pull him after he reached 100 pitches (59 strikes). The 30-year-old has looked sharp down the stretch of the regular season, surrendering two or fewer runs in each of his previous six outings (34.2 frames). Although the Nationals have been eliminated from the postseason, he'll look to finish his year on a high note Sunday in Colorado.

Alcantara (2-2) surrendered six runs on seven hits and five walks while striking out three over four innings, taking the loss Monday against Washington.

Alcantara gave up a home run in the first inning and fell apart in the fourth when the Nationals erupted for five runs. He'd exit the game having thrown 51 of 84 pitches for strikes. After being called up at the beginning of September, the 23-year-old has made four starts, allowing 11 runs on 18 hits and 16 walks while fanning 18 over 22 frames. Alcantara figures to make his final start of the 2018 season Sunday on the road against the Mets.

Hamels (9-11) allowed three runs (two earned) over six innings to take the loss Monday against the Pirates. He gave up five hits and two walks, while striking out seven. He also chipped in a solo home run at the plate.

While it was the second straight loss for Hamels, this was a much better outing than his last start, when he allowed seven earned runs in six innings. The big blow against the veteran lefty was a two-run home run by Francisco Cervelli in the first inning, but he settled in nicely after that. Hamels now has seven quality starts in 11 appearances with the Cubs along with a stellar 2.47 ERA. He's slated to make his final start of the regular season Saturday against the rival Cardinals.