MLB Player News

Mets starting pitcher Steven Matz allowed just one run on seven hits, walking one and striking out four over six innings of a 5-1 win against the Yankees on Friday night.

Matz (4-0, 1.80 ERA) turned in another gem, albeit he still wasn't as efficient as you would like to see. He needed 102 pitches (67 for strikes) to cover the six innings, but he issued just one walk and kept the ball in the park - the two areas he has struggled with a bit in his young big league career. The Mets feeling it, and their young starting pitchers, including Matz, are front and center in their push to the playoffs.

Braves starting pitcher Williams Perez (6-6) yielded a single run on six hits and a walk while striking out six over 5.2 innings in Friday's win over Philadelphia.

After being knocked around for much of the summer, Perez has strung together three consecutive solid outings. In those starts, Perez is 2-0 with a 2.89 ERA and a 7.71 K/9 rate. Perez allows too many base runners, posting a 1.57 WHIP for the season and a 1.29 WHIP over his last three starts, to warrant being picked up this season, but a few more starts like this could set a promising foundation for 2016 for the young righty.

Cardinals starting pitcher Lance Lynn allowed three runs on four hits, walking six and striking out two over 3.1 innings, but came away with a no-decision in the Cardinals 8-3 loss to the Cubs on Friday afternoon.

Another poor performance from Lynn who has struggled as the season winds down. He has now walked 27 in 43 innings since the beginning of August and may simply be out of gas. He has a history of wearing down later in the year, and it wouldn't be surprising if we see the Cardinals try to limit his workload over the final days prior to the playoffs.

Interim general manager Scott Proefrock indicated the Phillies may let rookie Aaron Nola pitch through the end of the regular season, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.

It was originally reported that Nola could be shut down after his next start, but the Phillies are reconsidering that stance. Proefrock said the team will decide when to shut down Nola based on how he feels going forward. Nola said his arm is feeling good, so there is a good chance he will keep pitching beyond his next scheduled start. He has thrown 175 innings between the majors and minors this year after throwing 171.2 innings last season.

Pirates starter Charlie Morton allowed nine hits, six runs (five earned) and two walks in five-plus innings in a 9-6 loss to the Cubs on Thursday. He struck out five.

Morton broke his string of three consecutive quality starts and also surrendered a homer for the second straight outing after a stretch in which he'd prevented a long ball in seven of eight trips to the mound.

The veteran right-hander wasn't missing many bats Thursday, as evidenced by the paltry four swings-and-misses he induced over 76 pitches.

Morton has now dropped four out of his last five decisions despite not pitching poorly in each instance. It remains to be seen how he will fit into the team's postseason plans.

Cubs starter Kyle Hendricks received plenty of run support Thursday in Pittsburgh, but did not perform well enough to earn a second straight win. In fact, he did not perform well enough to win the rest of the year.

Hendricks went only three innings, surrendering six hits and four earned runs. He fanned five and hit a batter in the no-decision.

Phillies starting pitcher Alec Asher allowed four runs on seven hits over five innings in Wednesday's loss to the Nationals. He struck out four and walked one.

Asher has lost all four of his starts since his promotion from Triple-A. He has a 9.78 ERA and an 11:7 K:BB ratio in 19 1/3 innings. He will likely stay in the rotation for the remainder of the year despite the poor results because the Phillies lack other options.

Dodgers starting pitcher Alex Wood (11-10) was brilliant Wednesday, as he allowed one hit and no walks across eight innings, while striking out five in a 2-0 win over the Rockies.

The Rockies were clearly tired after their 16-inning marathon Tuesday, and Wood took advantage big time. Wood also did his club a big favor by going so deep into this game after the bullpen had to use so many arms the night before.

It was a surprise that he didn't complete the game, as he had just 78 pitches through his eight innings. In any case, it's his best start of the season and a great sign going forward. The lefty is lined up for two starts next week beginning with the Diamondbacks on Monday.

Reds pitcher Keyvius Sampson is no longer scheduled to start for the Reds on Saturday in Milwaukee.

He'll be replaced by Josh Smith in the rotation. The Reds haven't announced a plan to shut Sampson down thus far, but he's struggled as a starter at Triple-A and in the big leagues this season while pushing his workload to 122 innings over three levels this season after tossing 91 2/3 innings at Triple-A El Paso for the Padres in 2014.

Reds pitcher Brandon Finnegan will start Friday's game in Milwaukee in place of Raisel Igleias.

He made eight starts at Triple-A Louisville before getting the call to Cincinnati in September, posting a 6.23 ERA and 1.60 WHIP over 30 1/3 innings.

Finnegan went just two innings on Sept. 11 against the Cards and 2/3 of an inning on Sept. 13, so he'll likely be under a tight pitch count Friday night against the Brewers.