MLB Player News

Rasmussen (11-7) gave up two earned runs on five hits and no walks while striking out three over seven innings to earn the win in a 7-3 victory over the Astros on Friday.

Rasmussen continued his superb 2022 campaign with a win over the best team in the American League to clinch the Rays a postseason berth. Rasmussen did not walk a batter and lasted seven strong innings despite throwing only 73 pitches. The 27-year-old right-hander has shown excellent control by walking only 31 batters in 146 innings pitched this season. He is tentatively expected to make his final regular season start of the year at Boston next week, although that could change depending on how the Rays plan to use him in the playoffs.

Valdez (16-6) gave up six earned runs on nine hits and three walks while striking out two over 5.1 innings to take the loss in a 7-3 defeat against the Rays on Friday.

Valdez struggled for his second start in a row after putting together an MLB-record 25 consecutive quality starts earlier in the season. The Rays made plenty of contact and Valdez gave up six earned runs in a game for only the second time this year. Nevertheless, 2022 has been a breakout campaign for Valdez who significantly upped his workload by pitching 196.1 innings to date with an ERA of 2.89. Depending on how the Astros decide to structure their rotation in the playoffs, the left-hander could be in line to make one last regular season start against the Phillies.

Kelly (13-8) allowed eight runs on nine hits and two walks while striking out two over 4.2 innings, taking the loss Friday versus the Giants.

Evan Longoria took Kelly deep twice and Mike Yastrzemski added a home run and an RBI double, accounting for seven of the eight runs Kelly yielded. The eight runs allowed matched Kelly's season high from May 17 versus the Dodgers. Outings like this have been rare for the right-hander, who still has a 3.43 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and 170:59 K:BB through 194.1 innings across 32 starts. He's projected for one more start in 2022, which would be in Milwaukee next week.

Cobb (7-7) allowed four runs on nine hits and a walk while striking out five over five innings to earn the win over the Diamondbacks on Friday.

Cobb wasn't at his sharpest Friday, but he made it through five frames with enough run support to earn his first win in three starts. He's given up 11 runs over his last 15.1 innings. The right-hander now has a 3.79 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 144:43 K:BB through 144.2 innings across 27 starts this season. Cobb is projected for one more start in 2022, a road outing in San Diego next week.

Kershaw (11-3) earned the win Friday over the Rockies. He threw six scoreless innings, striking out four and walking two while scattering five hits.

Kershaw has now won four straight starts, allowing just three runs over 25 innings in that span. He's picked up quality starts in his last five outings and didn't allow more than two runs in any of his six September starts. The southpaw lowered his ERA to 2.30 with a 0.96 WHIP and 128:22 K:BB through 121.1 innings across 21 starts. Kershaw is projected for one more start in the regular season, a rematch with the Rockies next week that would put him in line to start Game 1 of the NLDS.

Darvish (16-8) allowed three runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out six over six innings, taking the loss Friday versus the White Sox.

Darvish threw 70 of 104 pitches for strikes in a solid outing, but he was responsible for all three of the White Sox's runs. The right-hander had won six straight starts entering Friday, though he managed to extend his streak of quality starts to eight. For the year, he has a 3.10 ERA, 0.95 WHIP and 197:37 K:BB through 194.2 innings across 30 starts. Darvish is tentatively lined up for a home start versus San Francisco next week, though it's unclear if he'll ultimately pitch again in the regular season or be saved until the playoffs should the Padres secure their spot.

Martin (3-5) allowed a run on six hits and a hit batter while striking out eight over 5.2 innings to earn the win over the Padres on Friday.

Martin limited the damage to a Josh Bell RBI single in the second inning. This was the second time in three starts since returning to the majors that Martin allowed just one run, and his eight strikeouts marked a season high. The right-hander now has a 3.65 ERA, 1.18 WHIP and 47:17 K:BB through 61.2 innings across 13 appearances (eight starts). He's tentatively projected for one more start, which would be against Minnesota next week.

Waldichuk allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out eight over five innings in a no-decision versus the Mariners.

Waldichuk had some trouble in the first inning, with the lone run against him scoring on a Ty France RBI double. After that, Waldichuk didn't allow more than one baserunner in any of the next four innings before turning things over to the Athletics' bullpen. The rookie southpaw's strong effort lowered his ERA to 6.18 and his WHIP to 1.37 through 27.2 innings across six starts. He's added a 29:9 K:BB while going 1-2 in his first taste of big-league action. Waldichuk is tentatively lined up for one more start, which would be a home date against the Angels.

Gilbert allowed a run on three hits and two walks while striking out four over eight innings in a no-decision versus the Athletics on Friday.

Gilbert pitched well enough to win, but he didn't get the necessary run support. He allowed more than one run just once in six starts in September, yielding eight runs across 36 innings in that span for an ERA of 2.00. His gem Friday lowered his season ERA to 3.20 with a 1.18 WHIP and 174:49 K:BB through 185.2 innings across 32 starts. He is tentatively lined up for one more regular-season start during next week's series versus the Tigers, though the Mariners may opt to hold him in reserve if he figures into their playoff rotation.

Ashcraft (5-5) allowed six runs (five earned) on six hits and two walks over 2.2 innings Friday, striking out one and taking a loss against the Cubs.

Ashcraft was charged with three runs in each of the second and third innings during Friday's brutal outing. It was his shortest start since June 30 when he coughed up seven runs in just 2.1 frames. Over his last four starts, Ashcraft has posted an unsightly 6.86 ERA, raising his season number to 4.52 across 18 starts. The 24-year-old righty is expected to face the Cubs at home next week to finish off his rookie campaign.