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Jose Quintana SP | COL
Cubs' Jose Quintana: Lit up by White Sox
Quintana (13-11) allowed five runs on nine hits while striking out eight over five innings, taking the loss Friday against the White Sox.
Quintana was spotted an early 1-0 lead, but that would quickly evaporate after surrendering three runs in the second, one in the fourth and another in the sixth. He was yanked from the ballgame with 88 pitches (56 strikes). Friday's outing was uncharacteristic of how Quintana has pitched this season, owning 3.95 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with a 150:68 K:BB through 164.1 innings prior to his disappointing performance. He'll have a chance to redeem himself in his next start Wednesday against Pittsburgh.
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Rich Hill SP | KC
Dodgers' Rich Hill: Start pushed back to Saturday
Hill had his next start moved back to Saturday as manager Dave Roberts elected to switch him with Ross Stripling, who will pitch Friday's series opener versus San Diego.
Roberts likely decided to make this swap in order to give Stripling as much time as possible to build his arm back up to speed after missing a month of work due to a back injury. Following Saturday's start, this tentatively lines Hill up to start Sept. 28 in San Francisco for his last outing of the regular season.
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Ross Stripling SP | KC
Dodgers' Ross Stripling: To start Friday
Stripling will take the mound against the Padres on Friday.
Rich Hill was initially listed as the probable starter but manager Dave Roberts has elected to get Stripling back on the rubber after he re-joined the rotation last weekend. Stripling only pitched 3.1 innings against the Cardinals on Sunday, which marked his first start since early August due to a back injury. It appears as though Roberts wants to give Stripling as much time on the mound as possible to get stretched out as the club closes in on a spot in the postseason. Hill will start Saturday's contest.
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Kevin Gausman SP | CHC
Braves' Kevin Gausman: Tosses quality start Thursday
Gausman earned a quality start but had to settle for a no-decision in Thursday's game against the Phillies. He allowed three earned runs, five hits and two walks while striking out seven over 6.1 innings.
Gausman ran into some trouble early after allowing three runs in the first three frames, but he settled down and retired the final 11 batters he faced to earn the quality start. He began his stint with the Braves on a roll, but Gausman has now allowed 10 earned runs over his past three starts spanning 16.2 innings. He owns a 3.93 ERA with a 142:47 K:BB ratio over 178.2 innings in 2018, and he'll look build off his quality outing in his next start, which is currently scheduled for Thursday against the Mets.
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Vince Velasquez RP | KC
Phillies' Vince Velasquez: Exits early Thursday
Velasquez didn't factor into the decision in Thursday's contest against the Braves. He allowed three earned runs, five hits and one walk over three innings while striking out three.
Velasquez was provided the lead on two separate occasions Thursday, but he ended up blowing those leads and was pulled after only three innings of work. He has now lasted less than five innings in three consecutive starts, and he's allowed multiple earned runs in seven of his last eight outings. The strikeout numbers are encouraging (10.0 K/9 in 2018), but Velasquez now owns a 4.59 ERA over 143 innings this season. He'll look to improve on his recent performances in his next start, which is currently scheduled for Tuesday against the Rockies.
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Freddy Peralta SP | TB
Brewers' Freddy Peralta: Pitches for first time this month
Peralta tossed a scoreless ninth inning in Wednesday's victory over the Reds. He struck out two batters and walked one.
It was hardly a save situation for Peralta with the Brewers up 7-0 when he entered the game, but he looked particularly sharp making his first big-league appearance since Aug. 29, hitting 96 on the radar gun and commanding his off-speed stuff. The Brewers have taken measures to limit his innings as the season has wound down, but he should still garner consideration for a spot on the Brewers' playoff roster should they reach the postseason.
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Robbie Ray SP | SD
Diamondbacks' Robbie Ray: Allows just one hit in win
Ray (6-2) got the win Wednesday, firing six scoreless innings with eight strikeouts against one hit and four walks versus the Cubs.
Ray struggled some with command with the four walks, but he was otherwise sharp in shutting down a potent Cubs lineup. The lefty seems to be finally rounding into form, allowing two or fewer hits in four straight outings, and carrying a 1.59 ERA and 12.2 K/9 over 34 innings in his last six starts. His ERA now sits at a season-low 3.92 heading into Tuesday's tilt with the Dodgers.
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Cole Hamels SP | SD
Cubs' Cole Hamels: Lit up for seven runs in loss
Hamels (4-1) took the loss Wednesday, allowing seven runs on nine hits while striking out four over six innings against the Diamondbacks.
Hamels was in trouble from the start, allowing a three-run home run in the first inning, and he'd later yield another long ball. This was by far the southpaw's worst start since joining the Cubs, as he previously had a shiny 1.57 ERA with his new club. It's tempting to write this one off as a blip on the radar, but the long balls are part of a developing trend with the 34-year-old, who has given up five home runs over his last three starts. He'll look to bounce back Tuesday against the Pirates.
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Walker Buehler SP | SD
Dodgers' Walker Buehler: Strikes out 12
Buehler allowed two unearned runs on three hits and a walk while striking out 12 over six innings in a no-decision Wednesday against the Rockies.
Buehler allowed a pair of unearned runs to come around in the first inning after two hits, a walk and an error but he settled down from that point to toss a gem the rest of the way. The 12 punchouts were easily a personal best -- topping the nine he threw last time out -- but the Dodgers didn't take the lead until he'd already departed, so he had to settle for a no-decision. The 24-year-old boasts an impressive 2.74 ERA and 10.3 K/9 heading into Tuesday's start at Arizona, which could serve as his final start of the regular season.
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Tyler Anderson SP | LAA
Rockies' Tyler Anderson: Quality start against Dodgers
Anderson didn't factor into the decision in Wednesday's loss to the Dodgers, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks while striking out four over six innings.
Anderson was taken deep for a solo home run in the second inning and then later allowed another run to come around on a single followed by a double, but those would be the only hits he allowed all night. The southpaw has fired consecutive quality starts for the first time since July, lowering his ERA to 4.76. He'll line up to take on the Phillies at home Tuesday in his next start.