MLB Player News

Garcia is not listed as a starter for next week's series against the Diamondbacks, Danielle Lerner of the Houston Chronicle reports.

He last pitched Monday, throwing five scoreless frames in Tampa Bay, so Garcia would line up to start either Sunday in Baltimore or in next week's series against the Diamondbacks, so the fact he is not the probable pitcher in any of those three games is a bit of a red flag. It would seem that Garcia is either not 100 percent healthy or that he is just getting a break after totaling 145.1 innings thus far this season. He may also have been moved to the bullpen, and it would not be surprising to see him pitch in relief at some point over the next few days.

Montgomery (8-6) took the loss during Saturday's 6-2 defeat at the hands of the Dodgers, allowing six runs on seven hits and one walk with three strikeouts in four innings.

Montgomery surrendered three home runs in the first two innings to fall behind 4-0 before permitting three baserunners during a two-run fourth in submitting his worst start of the season by game score. The 29-year-old was fantastic with a 5-0 record and a 1.45 ERA across his first seven starts with St. Louis but has come back to earth during his last three -- all losses -- with an 8.16 ERA in 14.1 innings. He still possesses a quality 3.50 ERA and 1.10 WHIP on the season and will look to get back on track next weekend against Pittsburgh.

Kershaw (10-3) earned the win during Saturday's 6-2 victory over St. Louis, allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts in six innings.

Kershaw tossed five scoreless frames before running into trouble during his third time through the lineup in the sixth, permitting both runs on a Nolan Arenado two-run shot. The 34-year-old tossed an efficient 64 of 88 pitches for strikes with an impressive 18 of the swinging variety and has won three straight starts while sporting a 1.80 ERA across 30 innings in five turns since returning from a back injury Sept. 1. Kershaw's 2.42. ERA and 0.95 WHIP would both rank top seven in MLB if he had enough innings to qualify, and those numbers represent his best marks in a full season since 2017.

Peralta (shoulder) was activated from the 15-day injured list prior to his start Sunday against the Reds.

Given that Peralta last threw two innings Sept. 8 and has not gone on a rehab assignment, he may not be able to go deep enough to qualify for the win Sunday. If he stays on turn, Peralta should make one more start this season next weekend at home against the Marlins.

Smyly (shoulder) will not start a game in next week's series against the Phillies, Andy Martinez of Marquee Sports Network reports.

He was scratched from this week's start due to shoulder fatigue and threw a bullpen session Sunday. It's unclear when Smyly will be able to return to game action, but we can rule out a start in the first series of next week.

Manoah (15-7) earned the win Saturday without allowing a run on four hits and two walks over seven innings against the Rays. He struck out eight.

Manoah allowed just two extra-base hits in the form of doubles from Randy Arozarena and Francisco Mejia. The righty has been outstanding in his last seven starts, recording a 1.13 ERA and 0.90 WHIP over 48 innings. In addition, the 24-year-old has not allowed a home run in eight of his last 10 games.

Alcantara (14-8) earned the win Saturday, allowing one run on three hits and one walk over eight innings against the Nationals. He struck out 11.

Alcantara's only blemish came from a solo homer from first baseman Joey Meneses to open the scoring with two outs in the first inning. In his last 11 games, the righty has posted a seemingly uneventful 3.30 ERA over 76.1 innings but allowed four runs or more four times and one run or fewer five times during that stretch. The 27-year-old has been particularly stifling at home, with a 9-4 record and 1.64 ERA over 121 innings compared to a 5-4 record and 3.16 ERA over 99.2 innings on the road.

Valdez did not factor into the decision Saturday, allowing seven runs (four earned) on 11 hits and one walk over 5.1 innings against the Orioles. He struck out six.

Valdez allowed just three hits through the first three innings as the Astros jumped out to a 2-0 lead, but things began to unravel for him in the fourth after giving up back-to-back singles to lead off the inning. Rougned Odor later singled to drive in Adley Rutschman and Ramon Urias before Cedric Mullins topped off the inning with a two-run shot. Though the right-hander was charged with only four of the seven runs that came across while he was on the mound, it was still the first time all season that Valdez allowed more than three runs in a start. It also snapped his MLB single-season record of 25 straight quality starts.

Oviedo (4-2) earned the win Saturday, allowing three hits over seven scoreless innings against the Cubs. He struck out seven.

Oviedo did not allow an extra-base hit in his quality evening against the Cubs. The righty has been given the start in five straight appearances, recording a 3.05 ERA and 1.26 WHIP over 20.2 innings. Even with this contest's seven strikeouts and zero walks, the 24-year-old has posted an unattractive 23:14 K:BB during the five starts.

The Red Sox coaching staff will meet Monday to decide the next step for Eovaldi (shoulder), Christopher Smith of MassLive.com reports.

The Red Sox were expected to decide next steps over the weekend, but Boston manager Alex Cora wants to take an extra day. Eovaldi hurled three innings Friday in a rehab start for Triple-A Worcester, during which the right-hander was mechanically off and gave up three hits, two walks and three runs. Cora said the pitcher was fine health-wise.