MLB Player News

Rasmussen (4-1) earned the win over Houston on Wednesday, hurling five scoreless innings during which he allowed one hit and no walks while striking out two.

In perhaps the most impressive outing of his young career, Rasmussen held the Astros without a baserunner for 4.1 frames before Yuli Gurriel broke through with a single. Rasmussen completed the inning without surrendering any damage on the scoreboard, allowing him to notch his third win in his past four starts. Each of those victories has come in five-inning efforts, and the Rays were unwilling to let the right-hander go any deeper Wednesday despite his dominance and the fact that he threw only 54 pitches. The 26-year-old may have worked his way into Tampa Bay's playoff rotation with his strong campaign. He finishes 2021 with a 2.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 73:25 K:BB across 76 innings.

Contreras allowed three hits and a walk with four strikeouts in three innings, taking a no-decision versus the Cubs on Wednesday.

Contreras made a strong first impression in his first major-league start, although the Cubs' offense isn't a huge threat. The right-hander had a solid year in the minors with a 2.64 ERA and 0.93 WHIP in 58 innings across 13 starts between Double-A Altoona and Triple-A Indianapolis. The 21-year-old only made one Triple-A appearance, so he may begin the 2022 season there; however, a strong start to the season could see him quickly rise to the big leagues again.

Junk allowed two runs on seven hits and no walks with five strikeouts through 4.1 innings, taking a no-decision in Wednesday's 7-2 win over the Rangers.

Junk entered play with as many strikeouts as home runs allowed (five of each) on the season. He flipped that ratio in his favor Wednesday night, striking out a career-high five batters while keeping the ball in the ballpark for all 4.1 of his innings. While he has had trouble with the homer in his three previous starts, his K:BB of 10:2 is pretty solid for a young pitcher. He'll take what he can from this cup of coffee in the majors and vie for a roster spot next season.

Eovaldi (11-9) pitched six shutout innings, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out seven to earn the win Wednesday over Baltimore.

The right-hander bounced back from a nightmarish start against the Yankees last Friday, keeping runs off the board for the fifth time in 32 starts this year. Eovaldi's strong performance bolsters Boston's hopes of a wild-card spot. He's pitched to a 3.75 ERA, 1.19 WHIP and 195:35 K:BB in 182.1 innings overall. Eovaldi is not expected to make another start in the regular season, but he could be a starting option if Boston is forced to play a tiebreaking Game 163.

Flaherty allowed one hit and one walk with one strikeout through a scoreless inning of work in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Brewers.

For just the second time in his career, Flaherty made an appearance out of the bullpen Wednesday. The right-hander gave up a double to Lorenzo Cain and a walk to Jackie Bradley but did not allow a run. The Cardinals would love to have the 2019 version of Flaherty available to start a playoff game or two, but the oblique and shoulder injuries that the 25-year-old has suffered this season leave his role undetermined as St. Louis eyes up an October run.

Hendricks allowed two runs on five hits across five innings but did not factor into the decision Wednesday against the Pirates. He walked one and struck out five.

Hendricks may have been able to earn his 15th and final win of the season if he was allowed to work later into the game, but the 68-90 Cubs capped the righty at 78 pitches with little to play for. It was at least good to see Hendricks pitch better, as he had allowed 11 runs (10 earned) across 9.1 innings in his previous two starts. The 31-year-old will finish the year with a 14-7 record, 4.77 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 131 strikeouts across 181 innings. That's a down campaign by Hendricks' standards, as he had registered an ERA below 3.50 in each of the last five seasons. His track record suggests that he's a good candidate to bounce back in 2022.

Mikolas (2-3) allowed three runs on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts through 5.2 innings, taking the loss in Wednesday's 4-0 defeat to the Brewers.

Well, all good things must come to an end. One night after clinching a playoff berth with a franchise-record 17th consecutive win, the Cardinals suffered their first loss since Sept. 10. Mikolas was beyond solid for the majority of the night, allowing a run in the first before holding the Brewers scoreless through his next five innings pitched. But, with two outs in the sixth, Daniel Vogelbach took the right-hander yard for a two-run shot. After Lorenzo Cain followed that up with a base hit, manager Mike Shildt made a call to the bullpen. Even though it will be Mikolas' name affixed with an "L" in the box score of the game that ended the Redbirds' historic streak, he recorded season highs in strikeouts (seven) and pitches thrown (96). As the Cardinals look to make a run into October, look for Mikolas to pick up some work. He is the proud owner of a 1.50 ERA over 12 postseason innings.

Mize (7-9) took the loss Wednesday against Minnesota, giving up three runs on five hits with four strikeouts over four innings.

Things got off to a rough start for Mize, who gave up singles to Luis Arraez and Byron Buxton, a three-run homer to Jorge Polanco, and another single to Josh Donaldson before registering an out. Mize allowed just one hit over the rest of his outing but was lifted after completing four frames. The 24-year-old right-hander finished his first MLB season with a 3.71 ERA and 118:41 K:BB across 150.1 innings.

Houser (10-6) allowed three hits and two walks with one strikeout over five shutout innings, picking up the win in Wednesday's 4-0 victory over the Cardinals.

If anybody were to end the Cardinals' joyous 17-game winning streak, it would be Houser. Though he did have to wriggle out of a couple jams, he allowed just a trio of hits en route to his 10th win of the season. Through four starts against St. Louis this year, the right-hander is 3-0 with a microscopic 0.36 ERA over 25 innings. If the Brewers are to renew hostilities with the Redbirds in the postseason, they have a Cardinal killer in Houser at their disposal.

Fried (14-7) went seven innings and picked up the win Wednesday against the Phillies, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out six.

Fried captured his third consecutive win after limiting the Phillies to a Ronald Torreyes RBI single in the second inning, a play that resulted in an additional unearned run after Ozzie Albies' throwing error. They're the only two runs Fried has given up over 23 innings during his three-game winning streak, and the 27-year-old hasn't lost a decision since July 28. He finished the regular season with a 3.04 ERA in 28 starts, posting a 158:41 K:BB over 165.2 innings.