MLB Player News

The Mets confirmed that Steven Matz's next start has been pushed to Thursday in Philadelphia, ESPN New York's Adam Rubin reports.

This was anticipated, but manager Terry Collins confirmed the change Tuesday. Logan Verrett will start Wednesday in Philadelphia as a result.

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton will start Game 2 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cardinals, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

As expected, Morton will just move back to Wednesday after Tuesday's game was postponed due to rain. However, Morton is now slated to oppose Tyler Lyons rather than Michael Wacha, with the Pirates opting to flip Morton and Gerrit Cole.

Cardinals starter Michael Wacha will start Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Pirates, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

With Tuesday's game postponed due to weather, Wacha will simply move back to start the opener of what amounts to a critical doubleheader against the division rival Pirates. Instead of facing off against Charlie Morton as initially scheduled Tuesday, Wacha instead will take the mound against Gerrit Cole.

Pirates pitcher Charlie Morton will not make his scheduled start Tuesday against the Cardinals, as the game has been postponed due to rain, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

Pittsburgh and St. Louis will play two Wednesday to make up for the rainout, and while nothing's been officially announced, it seems likely both Morton and Michael Wacha will simply move back a day. Morton held the Cardinals to one earned run over six innings in his lone start against them this season back on Sept. 5.

Cardinals pitcher Michael Wacha will not make his scheduled start Tuesday against the Pirates, as the game has been postponed due to rain, Jenifer Langosch of MLB.com reports.

The game has been rescheduled as part of a doubleheader Wednesday. Look for Wacha to simply move back to start one game of the twin bill, as he attempts to go 3-0 against the Pirates during the regular season. He's allowed just four earned runs in 18.2 innings against Pittsburgh so far this year.

Mets pitcher Steven Matz will likely have his next start pushed back to Thursday due to right side stiffness, Adam Rubin of ESPN New York reports.

Details are still relatively scarce, but general manager Sandy Alderson suggested Tuesday that the issue may be related to how Matz slept overnight. Manager Terry Collins was cryptic when talking about Matz's status Tuesday, saying Bartolo Colon may be a postseason starter "by default," but the team clarified that it still expects Matz to be on the NLDS roster. The injury is not believed to be at all related to the left lat issue Matz dealt with earlier this year.

Dodgers pitcher Zack Greinke took a no-decision Monday against the Giants, as he allowed two runs on four hits and three walks over seven innings. He also struck out seven. 

The calf injury that cost Greinke a start didn't seem to be bothering him Monday night. In his return, Greinke extended his quality start streak to nine despite tying a season high with his three walks.

His K:BB sits at 192:39 as his ERA actually went up to 1.68 after Monday's outing. Greinke hasn't thrown over 100 pitches since Sept. 1 and should be fresh for the playoffs.

Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks took a no-decision despite throwing six shutout innings Monday against Kansas City. He gave up just two hits and two walks and struck out nine. 

This was one of Hendricks's best starts of the season. It had been a rough go in the second half for Hendricks to this point, as he now has quality starts in consecutive outings for the first time since July 5 and July 10. His ERA is down to 4.09.

Cardinals starter Lance Lynn went five scoreless innings en route to a no-decision Monday, allowing four hits while walking four and striking out six in a 3-0 victory over the Pirates.

Lynn has quelled concerns of late-season fatigue by tossing 11 scoreless innings in his last two outings. The right-hander pitched out of trouble in the third inning, stranding the bases loaded with one out by retiring Starling Marte and Neil Walker. Lynn's four walks contributed to a high pitch count given his five-inning performance; the 28-year-old has not exceeded six innings in the month of September. On his final start of the regular season, Lynn will take on the Braves at Turner Field on Sunday.

Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright (Achilles) will be available out of the Cardinals' bullpen starting Wednesday, MLB.com's Jenifer Langosch reports.

Assuming Wainwright feels good after throwing his third simulated inning in a week Monday afternoon, he could get an inning or two of regular-season action in before the Cardinals embark on their playoff run. It seems hard to believe that Wainwright will have time to get stretched out as a starter for the postseason, but he's played the role of an elite reliever in the playoffs before.