MLB Player News

Gray (8-8) took the loss Saturday, allowing one run on four hits over six innings against the Angels. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter.

Gray was lights-out for most of the day, outside of a home run he surrendered to Jo Adell to lead off the fourth inning. Unfortunately for the right-hander, he still got stuck with the loss due to the Twins failing to provide any run support. Gray has now allowed one run or fewer in three consecutive starts and in six of his last eight, though he's just 3-3 over that stretch. He also has not walked a batter in each of his last two outings and carries a 1.96 ERA in September following Saturday's performance.

Littell came away with a no-decision Saturday, allowing two unearned runs on five hits and a walk over 5.2 innings in the Rays' 7-6 victory over the Blue Jays. He struck out six.

The right-hander came one out shy of his third quality start in five September outings, and Littell left the mound in line for his fourth win of the season and first since Aug. 27, only for the Tampa Bay bullpen to cough up the lead in the eighth inning. Littell sports a sharp 2.70 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 22:2 K:BB through 30 innings on the month, and with Saturday's win having locked up a playoff spot for the Rays, he may not be asked to handle a full workload in his final start of the regular season, which lines up for a rematch with the Jays in Toronto next weekend.

Ryu came away with a no-decision in Saturday's 7-6 loss to the Rays, coughing up five runs on seven hits -- including three home runs -- and three walks over 4.1 innings. He struck out two.

Two of the long balls came in the first inning, as Ryu served up a solo shot to Yandy Diaz and a three-run blast to Josh Lowe. The veteran southpaw avoided his fourth loss of the season when the Blue Jays took the lead in the top of the eighth inning, only for closer Jordan Romano to blow the save in the ninth. Ryu's failed to complete five innings in two straight starts, and he has a 4.32 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 17:9 K:BB through 25 innings in September. With the Jays in a dogfight for a wild-card spot, he may need to step things up in his final outing of the regular season -- a rematch with the Rays back in Toronto next weekend.

Wheeler (13-6) picked up the win in Saturday's 7-5 victory over the Mets, giving up five runs (three earned) on eight hits and a walk over seven innings. He struck out six.

The right-hander fired an efficient 99 pitches and generated 30 called or swinging strikes, but Wheeler faded late and nearly squandered the Phillies' lead by allowing three runs in the seventh inning. He held on for his fourth straight winning decision, and over that six-outing stretch he's posted a 3.41 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 42:8 K:BB through 37 innings while delivering five quality starts. Wheeler lines up to take the mound once more in the regular season -- a rematch with the Mets in New York next weekend -- but with the Phillies all but locked into the top wild-card spot in the NL, he could make an early exit to get a bit of extra rest ahead of the postseason.

Quintana (3-6) took the loss Saturday, coughing up six runs (five earned) on eight hits as the Mets fell 7-5 to the Phillies. He struck out 10 without walking a batter.

The veteran southpaw generated 33 called or swinging strikes among his 103 pitches as he struck out double-digit batters for the first time since August 2019, but Quintana got hit hard when the Phillies did make contact and also served up multiple homers for the first time this season. In 12 starts since making his belated season debut after the All-Star break, Quintana has a 3.39 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 55:24 K:BB through 71.2 innings, numbers right in line with his 2022 resurgence. He'll take the mound one more time in 2023, at home next weekend in a rematch with the Phillies.

Gilbert (13-7) took the loss against Texas on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and four walks while striking out two batters over 5.2 innings.

Gilbert wasn't exactly impressive in the outing, notching twice as many walks (four) as punchouts (two), though one of the free passes was intentional. Still, the right-hander fell one out shy of a quality start and kept Seattle in the contest despite a listless performance by the team's offense. Gilbert was tagged with his second straight loss after going 8-0 over 13 games between July 4 and Sept. 11. He lines up for one more regular-season start, tentatively slated as a rematch with Texas late next week, this time in Seattle.

Montgomery (10-11) earned the win over Seattle on Saturday, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out six batters over seven scoreless innings.

Montgomery silenced Seattle's bats throughout the contest, as the Mariners didn't manage to collect multiple hits against him in any inning. The southpaw continued a dominant three-start stretch during which he has allowed just one run while posting a 17:3 K:BB over 21 frames, turning things around impressively after yielding 11 earned runs over 9.1 innings during his first two outings in September. Montgomery will likely make one more regular-season start, which tentatively lines up to take place in Seattle on Thursday.

Phillips allowed three runs on five hits and three walks while striking out nine batters over five-plus innings in a no-decision against Pittsburgh on Saturday.

Phillips was staked to a 9-0 lead through three innings, and he looked to be in line for a relatively easy win when he left the game with an eight-run lead after giving up consecutive singles to begin the sixth. However, the Reds' bullpen allowed both of those baserunners to score and surrendered three additional runs in the frame, and the Pirates attacked for seven more runs over the seventh and eighth innings to storm back for the win. Despite that outcome, Phillips made a positive overall impression in the outing, racking up 13 whiffs and a career-high nine punchouts. He's posted a solid 26:10 K:BB over 20.2 innings on the campaign and lines up for one more regular-season start, which is tentatively slated to come in St. Louis next weekend.

Falter allowed eight runs on nine hits and one walk while striking out one batter over two innings in a no-decision against Cincinnati on Saturday.

Falter logged just one inning as an opener in his previous outing, but it's unclear if he was slated to return to more of a traditional starting role Saturday. The lefty hurler didn't earn a chance to go very deep as he was pummeled for eight runs in just two frames. The Reds knocked three homers against Falter, including two in the first inning. Perhaps the only positive part of the pitcher's outing was that Pittsburgh was able to overcome a 9-0 deficit to pick up a victory and protect him from taking the loss. Despite the short outing, Falter tossed 57 pitches, so he presumably will have just one more chance to take the mound before the end of the campaign.

Quantrill (3-7) took the loss against Baltimore on Saturday, allowing one run on five hits and four walks while striking out four batters over four innings.

That Quantrill was able to escape the outing with just one run charged to his ledger is pretty impressive given that he allowed nine baserunners over four frames. Baltimore left eight runners on base while Quantrill was in the contest, including five over his final two innings. The right-hander was lifted after 93 pitches, snapping a streak of four straight outings during which he went at least 5.2 frames. Quantrill figures to have one more regular-season start left, which tentatively lines up to come next weekend in Detroit.