MLB Player News

Sale will make his next start Wednesday against the Mets, David O'Brien of The Athletic reports.

The veteran lefty was originally in line to pitch Tuesday, which would have set him up for a two-start week to close out the schedule, but Sale's average fastball velocity was down over two miles per hour in his last outing Thursday against the Reds. As a result, Atlanta elected to be cautious with its ace and bump him back a day. Rookie Spencer Schwellenbach now gets the chance for a two-step with potential starts Tuesday and Sunday, while Sale would be available to pitch the first game of the wild-card series, should the team make the postseason. He also has a possible NL Cy Young Award, and even a triple crown, hanging in the balance -- Sale leads the Senior Circuit with 18 wins, a 2.38 ERA and 225 strikeouts.

Stripling (back) emerged from Saturday's bullpen session healthy and is slated to face live hitters Tuesday, MLB.com reports.

The right-hander completed two bullpen sessions over a four-day span without any apparent setbacks, paving the way for the live batting practice Tuesday. If that step is similarly successful, Stripling is expected to be activated at some point before the beginning of the final series of the season Friday against the Mariners in Seattle.

Baz allowed one earned run on four hits and one walk while striking out six across six innings Sunday against the Blue Jays. He did not factor into the decision.

Baz dominated early and held the Blue Jays without a hit through three innings. His only true trouble came in the fourth when he escaped a bases-loaded jam by allowing only one earned run. There were other positives from the performance, as Baz didn't allow a home run for the first time in his last four starts. He has also allowed only one walk in each of his last three outings and has complied a 16:3 K:BB across 18.1 innings during that span.

Megill did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 2-1 win over the Phillies, allowing one run on four hits and two walks while striking out six over four innings.

Megill gave up a first-inning run while needing 28 pitches to get through the frame. He made quick work of the Phillies hitters in the second and third but needed another 25 pitches to make it through the fourth and saw his day end there after throwing 83 pitches. The Mets would hope to get a bit more length out of Megill in his penultimate start of the season but won't take any risks while in a tight race for the final wild-card spot in the National League. Megill has a 3.98 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 83:30 K:BB in 72.1 innings and lines up for a start against the Brewers over the weekend.

Wheeler (16-7) took the loss Sunday against the Mets, allowing two runs on seven hits and a walk while striking out eight over seven innings.

Wheeler gave up an early run in the second inning and kept the Phillies in it until Brandon Nimmo led off the sixth with a solo home run to put the Mets ahead 2-1, which wound up being the final score. Sunday was only Wheeler's second loss since the beginning of August, and he's now reeled off 10 straight quality starts. Wheeler sits third in baseball in wins, ERA (2.56) and WHIP (0.96), and he's fourth in innings pitched (193.2) and fifth in strikeouts (213). He lines up for a matchup with the Nationals in his final start of the regular season.

Williams allowed a run on four hits and two walks over 5.2 innings in a no-decision Sunday. He struck out three during the loss to St. Louis.

Williams fired five scoreless innings before the Cardinals finally pushed a run home in the sixth. He broke a three-start losing streak but has now failed to complete six innings in seven of his last eight appearances. During that span, he's produced a 5.35 ERA with a 37:19 K:BB. Williams needed 86 pitches Sunday and generated only four swinging strikes. His season ERA sits at 4.86 with a 79:32 K:BB through 76 innings. Williams' final start of the regular season is projected to be at home against Houston.

Pallante (8-8) yielded one run on a hit and two walks over seven innings Sunday, striking out four and earning a win against Cleveland.

Pallante kept the Guardians off the board through five innings before finally coughing up a run in the sixth. It was his second straight seven-inning performance after failing to complete six frames in each of his previous three outings. He registered a 13:3 K:BB while allowing only one run and earning a pair of wins in his last two starts. Pallante lowered his season ERA to 3.71 with a 90:48 K:BB through 116.1 innings. He's scheduled to wrap up his 2024 season with a start in San Francisco this weekend.

Darvish did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 4-2 win over the White Sox, allowing two runs on three hits while striking out nine over 6.1 innings.

Outside of a pair of solo home runs from Korey Lee and Miguel Vargas, Darvish made the White Sox hitters look silly and tied his season high with nine strikeouts. He threw 87 pitches, which is the most he's thrown in four starts since returning from the injured list. Darvish also became the first Japanese-born pitcher to reach 2,000 career strikeouts in MLB. Darvish has now allowed two runs or fewer while reaching at least five innings in each of his last three starts and lines up for a start against the Diamondbacks before the end of the regular season.

Burke did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Padres, allowing one run on two hits and a walk while striking out eight over six innings.

Burke held his own against a tough Padres lineup with his only mistake being a solo home run by Jurickson Profar in the third inning. Burke generated 15 whiffs on the afternoon and has 16 strikeouts through his first 14 MLB innings. The right-hander should have one more start before the season concludes, which tentatively lines up to come over the weekend against the Tigers.

Senzatela did not factor into the decision in Sunday's 6-5 loss to the Dodgers, allowing one run on five hits and two walks while striking out two over five innings.

The Rockies gave Senzatela a quick 3-0 lead in the first and he departed after five innings with a 4-1 lead with his only mistake being a fourth-inning solo homer by Teoscar Hernandez. Senzatela is in search of his first win since the 2022 season and was let down by his bullpen after they gave up three in the seventh and two more in the ninth. He'll have one more chance to get in the win column before the end of the campaign, and it will be a rematch with the Dodgers in Colorado this weekend.