MLB Player News

Weathers (3-6) took the loss against the Dodgers on Wednesday, allowing six runs (five earned) on eight hits and no walks while striking out five batters over 4.1 innings.

Weathers made his first major-league start since June 7 following a stint on the injured list due to a finger injury. All of Los Angeles' runs against the left-hander came via the long ball, and the majority of the damage came in a five-run fourth inning that included a two-run blast by Tommy Edman and a three-run shot off the bat of Enrique Hernandez. The barrage of homers hasn't been typical for Weathers this season -- prior to Wednesday, he hadn't given up multiple home runs in any of his 13 outings and had surrendered a tolerable eight long balls over 71 frames overall.

Knack (3-4) earned the win over Miami on Wednesday, allowing two hits and issuing two walks while striking out seven batters over five scoreless innings.

Knack struggled mightily in his previous start, surrendering five runs in just two innings against Atlanta. He bounced back with an excellent performance Wednesday, racking up seven punchouts while limiting the Marlins to just two hits (both singles). Knack's strong outing may have implications beyond this contest, as he's in consideration for a spot in Los Angeles' initial postseason rotation given the likely unavailability of Clayton Kershaw (toe), Tyler Glasnow (elbow) and Gavin Stone (shoulder).

Pepiot allowed one run on two hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over six innings in a no-decision against Boston on Wednesday.

Pepiot lasted just two frames in his previous start, but he had a longer leash -- and pitched much better -- Wednesday. The right-hander needed just 76 pitches to notch a quality start and record a career-high 12 punchouts, though he had to settle for a no-decision in a game during which the Rays' offense managed just one run. Pepiot may be held to less than a full workload moving forward, though he showed Wednesday that he can still be effective even when not accumulating a typical starter's pitch count.

Nola allowed a run on three hits and a walk while striking out nine over seven innings in a no-decision versus the Brewers on Wednesday.

Nola's lone mistake was a Rhys Hoskins solo home run in the fifth inning. This was Nola's best of four starts so far in September, though he's given up six homers over 21 innings this month. The veteran right-hander is now at a 3.54 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 183:48 K:BB through 188.1 innings over 31 starts. His next start is projected to be at home versus the Cubs.

Peralta allowed one run on two hits and two walks while striking out nine over five innings in a no-decision versus the Phillies on Wednesday.

Peralta limited the Phillies to an Alec Bohm solo home run in the second inning. While he hasn't been pitching particularly deep into games -- Peralta has gone six innings just twice over his last seven starts -- he's allowed just nine runs with a 34:17 K:BB over 37 innings in that span. For the season, he's at a 3.69 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 193:66 K:BB through a career-high 168.1 innings over 31 starts. The Brewers clinched the NL Central on Wednesday but are currently behind the Phillies and Dodgers as division leaders, so they'll still have something to play for while trying to line up their postseason rotation. Peralta is projected to make his next start at Pittsburgh.

Houck allowed one run on four hits and no walks while striking out four batters over four innings in a no-decision against Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

Houck was cleared to start for the first time in two weeks following a bout of right shoulder fatigue, but the Red Sox elected to treat him with caution and pull him after 60 pitches despite an effective performance. The right-hander had good control in throwing 70 percent of his pitches for strikes, and he yielded just a second-inning run. If he came out of the outing without any setbacks, Houck could have a longer leash in his next start, which lines up to come in Toronto next week.

Cease (14-11) picked up the win Wednesday against the Astros, allowing two hits and no walks with five strikeouts across 8.1 scoreless innings.

Cease couldn't quite go the distance Wednesday, falling two outs short of a shutout as he was pulled after 103 pitches. Still, it was a masterful performance from the 28-year-old, especially considering he had allowed three or more runs in three of his previous four starts. Through 184.1 innings, Cease has a 3.42 ERA and 1.05 WHIP. His 220 strikeouts rank second in baseball. He's tentatively scheduled for a road start against the Dodgers next week.

Valdez (14-7) took the loss Wednesday against San Diego, allowing one run on five hits and two walks across seven innings. He struck out six.

Valdez's seven innings of one-run ball weren't enough to keep him from the loss column, as Dylan Cease fired 8.1 scoreless innings for the Padres. Valdez has been excellent since the start of August, tallying a 1.33 ERA and 57:15 K:BB across 54.1 innings. He's tentatively scheduled to face the Mariners his next time out.

Ober allowed two runs on four hits and no walks while striking out 12 batters over seven innings in a no-decision against Cleveland on Wednesday.

Ober tallied 17 whiffs while demonstrating excellent command by throwing 70 of 101 pitches for strikes. The only negative aspect of his performance is that two of the four hits against him left the park, which played a part in preventing him from emerging with a victory. Nonetheless, Ober picked up his third quality start across his past five outings, and in those trio of quality starts he's surrendered just six hits while allowing only three runs and posting a 27:3 K:BB across 20 frames. It should be mentioned, though, that in the two other starts during that five-game span, Ober has struggled, yielding 14 runs with an 8:4 K:BB over 8.2 frames.

Marsh (8-9) took the loss versus the Tigers on Wednesday, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks while striking out five over 2.2 innings.

Marsh needed 73 pitches (39 strikes) to get eight outs in a poor start. It's a step back after his one-run, 11-strikeout effort versus the Pirates last Friday, and it's the poorest of his five outings since he rejoined the big-league rotation in late August. Marsh is now at a 4.65 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 121:39 K:BB over 124 innings across 25 appearances (24 starts) this year. Michael Lorenzen (hamstring) lasted 3.1 innings in a rehab start last Friday with Triple-A Omaha, but he also experienced more than the usual soreness after that outing. The last spot in the Royals' rotation is due up again on the road versus the Nationals, and it's unclear if Marsh is in contention for that start, which would likely be his last of the regular season if he gets it.