MLB Player News

Sanchez (16-5) took the loss against Atlanta on Friday, allowing three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out five across six innings.

Sanchez put the Phillies on the back foot early by allowing three runs in the second inning. He kept Atlanta off the board the rest of the way and secured a second straight quality start, but he didn't get quite enough run support from his Phillies teammates to avoid the loss, and his five punchouts were his fewest since July 6 against the Royals (one). Sanchez will take a 2.58 ERA and 1.20 WHIP over 181.1 innings into his next start, which lines up for next week at home against the Astros.

Sale (14-9) earned the win against the Phillies on Friday, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk while striking out seven across six innings.

Both of the runs Sale gave up were to Alec Bohm, who hit an RBI double and a solo home run in the second and fourth innings, respectively. Those were the only blemishes to Sale's line Friday, with the veteran southpaw recording an eighth consecutive quality start -- recording at least six strikeouts in each of those outings -- and his 18 quality starts this season are tied for fifth most in the majors. Sale is showing no signs of slowing down in his age-37 season, as he ranks second in the National League in ERA (2.10), third in both wins (14) and WHIP (1.01) and fourth in strikeouts (184) across 150 innings. He's lined up to face the Rays at home next week.

Jones (3-6) earned the win against the Angels on Friday, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out nine across six scoreless innings.

It was Jones' best start since July 8 against Atlanta, when he struck out eight batters while not allowing a run, hit or walk across six frames. He struck out four consecutive batters both from the second to third innings and between the fifth and sixth frames, en route to tying a season high in punchouts. His Pirates teammates put up only one run, but that turned out to be enough for Jones to come away with his first win since July 18 against the Guardians. He'll take a 4.46 ERA and 1.23 WHIP over 78.2 innings into his next start, lined up for next week on the road against the White Sox.

Junk (6-9) took the loss against the Cubs on Friday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk with four strikeouts over five innings.

Junk allowed just one run in the second inning but was outdueled by Shota Imanaga. While he's exceeded five frames only once in 10 outings (one relief appearance) since the All-Star break, the 30-year-old Junk has limited opponents to two earned runs or fewer in nine of those contests. He'll carry a 4.00 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 74:29 K:BB across 108 innings this season into a home matchup with the Mets next week.

Imanaga (9-10) earned the win against the Marlins on Friday, allowing one run on three hits and no walks with four strikeouts over six innings.

Imanaga cruised through six scoreless innings and was charged with a run in the seventh after departing following a leadoff single. He filled the zone with 64 strikes on 94 pitches while generating a whopping 22 whiffs, including 17 with his splitter. It's been an up-and-down campaign for the 33-year-old, but he's posted a 3.35 ERA with five quality starts in nine outings since the All-Star break. He'll take a 3.91 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and 152:35 K:BB across 156.1 innings this season into a road matchup with the Brewers next week.

McLean (11-8) earned the win against the Giants on Friday, allowing two runs on six hits and four walks with seven strikeouts over six innings.

McLean was given an early lead and ran with it despite issuing four walks and generating only seven swinging strikes on 105 pitches. The end result was the 25-year-old's fifth straight quality start, and he's now yielded two earned runs or fewer in 11 of his past 12 outings. He owns a 3.06 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 179:65 K:BB across 161.2 innings this season and lines up for a road matchup with the Marlins next week.

Wilkinson (0-3) took the loss against the Mets on Friday, allowing seven runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks with two strikeouts over three innings.

Six of the seven runs off Wilkinson came via the long ball, and he threw just 36 of 62 pitches for strikes with only three whiffs. The southpaw logged a quality start Saturday but has managed just 8.2 innings over his other three major-league outings since debuting Aug. 19. He'll take a 6.14 ERA, 1.36 WHIP and 8:4 K:BB across 14.2 innings with the Giants into a home matchup with the Cardinals next week.

Gray (elbow) would like to pitch in the majors this season, even if it's out of the bullpen, Mark Zuckerman of NatsJournal.com reports. "I think that's the goal for this year, to get innings up here, help the team win some games," the right-hander said Monday from the big-league clubhouse.

It's been a long time since Gray was able to make a contribution for the Nationals, as his last major-league action came April 4, 2024. Since then, he's undergone Tommy John surgery in July of that year, endured a lengthy rehab that only began to ramp up last September, and then dealt with a right flexor strain that cropped up this spring. Gray was able to begin a new rehab assignment at Single-A Fredericksburg in mid-August but has been limited to short outings, working his way up to Double-A Harrisburg on Wednesday and tossing a shutout inning. It's still not clear if the Nationals have any plans to take him off the 60-day IL and find a spot for him on the 40-man roster before the end of the season, but at the very least Gray seems to be on his way to wrapping up the campaign in good health.

Quintana (elbow) is in line to begin a rehab assignment next week, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Quintana has been steadily building up his pitch count in bullpen sessions since early August as he progresses in his recovery from a left elbow sprain that landed him on the injured list in late May. It's been a lengthy recovery for the veteran southpaw, so even if he's cleared to embark on a rehab assignment, it's unclear whether he'll see major-league action before the conclusion of the regular season.

Freeland (neck) is scheduled to throw an up-and-down bullpen session Saturday, Kevin Henry of The Denver Gazette reports.

Since landing on the injured list Aug. 24 due to cervical radiculopaty, Freeland threw what he called a "fairly aggressive" 20-pitch bullpen session Wednesday, per MLB.com reports. He'll be throwing more of a simulated bullpen session Saturday, and if all goes well, Freeland could be cleared to head out on a brief rehab assignment. Freeland appears to be tracking toward a return from the injured list around the middle of September.