MLB Player News

Cubs starter Jason Hammel lasted just four innings Saturday, giving up three runs on seven hits while striking out two.

Hammel has just one quality start in five September outings, and Hammel's 6.46 ERA on the month could cost him a spot in the postseason rotation, should the Cubs make it past the wild card game. He'll get one more chance to turn things around Thursday in Cincinnati.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez (shoulder) will be shut down for the remainder of the season with a shoulder strain.

Martinez will miss one start in the regular season, but he will also sit out the playoffs because of it as well. It's unclear how exactly the Cardinals will adjust the rotation for the loss, but the injury will likely impact the team's postseason rotation plans.

Phillies starter Jerad Eickhoff allowed two runs on five hits, walking one and striking out 10 over seven innings of an 8-2 win against the Nationals on Friday night.

Eickhoff (2-3, 3.07 ERA) has really impressed during his 2015 audition. He has notched quality starts in six of seven outings, and has been particularly sharp in his last three, striking out 23 in 21 innings. Playing for a poor team, he doesn't have the wins you would like to see, but he is solidifying his spot in the rotation for 2016.

Mets rookie starter Noah Syndergaard (9-7) held Cincinnati to two runs on five hits while striking out 11 over 7 2/3 innings in Friday's win.

Syndergaard was back to his dominating ways on Friday, registering his fourth double-digit strikeout performance of the season and his first since July 10. Syndergaard's recent struggles haven't been about strikeouts, however, or hits or control for that matter. They have been about the long ball.

Syndergaard has surrendered homers in eight of his past nine starts including Friday and multiple homers in four of those outings. As the season winds to a close, Syndergaard can be counted on to bring the strikeouts and limit the walks, but he'll remain just a pitch or two away from disappointment.

Cardinals young hurler Carlos Martinez left Friday's game after seven pitches with right shoulder tightness.

His removal is being labeled as precautionary, but the team will have Martinez looked over by the medical staff Saturday before determining his availability for his final regular-season start. Martinez faced just two batters, giving up a double and recording one out, before being replaced by Tyler Lyons.

Cardinals starter Carlos Martinez left Friday's game against the Brewers after throwing just seven pitches, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com reports.

It wasn't obvious what was ailing Martinez, but the right-hander was replaced in the top of the first after giving up a ground rule double to Scooter Gennett and getting Logan Schafer to fly out. Martinez's success has been one of the better stories of the season, and it would be a significant blow to the Cardinals if this turned out to be anything serious.

Pirates starter Gerrit Cole won his 18th game Friday afternoon, allowing one run on four hits, walking two and striking out eight over seven innings of 3-2 win against the Cubs.

Cole (18-8, 2.60 ERA) continues his spectacular season. His WHIP dropped a bit (now 1.09) and he hit the 200 strikeout mark (in 201 innings) with his eighth punchout. The Pirates have good pitching, with more talent on the way, but Cole is clearly the ace they were looking for when they drafted him first overall in 2011.

Cardinals right-hander Adam Wainwright (Achilles) will throw another simulated game this weekend after completing a 25-pitch session on Wednesday. If all goes well he could be used in relief some time next week, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

It's possible Wainwright, who has been out since making four starts in April, could get one in the postseason, but at this point it seems highly unlikely. Considering the Cardinals pitching depth it would be somewhat surprising to even see him on the postseason roster, at least in the divisional series.

Dodgers stud southpaw Clayton Kershaw appeared on his way to defeat Thursday after a pinch-hitter replaced him in the bottom of the fifth inning against the Diamondbacks. But his offense picked him up by turning a 3-0 deficit into a 6-3 lead.

Still, it was a subpar effort by Kershaw, who has likely lost any chance for another Cy Young Award considering the performances of Jake Arrieta and Zack Greinke. He allowed three runs on six hits and a walk across five innings while fanning nine.

This was a strange line for Kershaw, as he threw a season-low 80 pitches and drew 19 swinging strikes. It marked his second three-run outing in a row after not allowing more than a single run in 13 of his previous 14 starts.

He still leads all of baseball with 281 strikeouts and holds an elite 2.25 ERA and 0.91 WHIP in 31 starts this season.

Diamondbacks starter Patrick Corbin (6-5) lasted just 4 1/3 innings on Thursday, as he allowed four runs on five hits and three walks in a 6-3 loss to the Dodgers. He struck out three.

Corbin was in the midst of a fantastic stretch, but he couldn't quite keep that going here against Clayton Kershaw. All of his five previous outings were quality starts and aside from this dud, it appears Corbin is fully back from a Tommy John surgery early last season.

His value is up in the air for next season and he might be worth taking a chance on deep in drafts to see if he can continue his 2013-14 form after a full recovery.