MLB Player News

Schlitter (12-6) earned the win against Boston on Friday, allowing two hits and five walks while striking out eight across 5.2 scoreless innings.

Schlittler ended up getting the better of Red Sox southpaw Patrick Sandoval in Friday's 1-0 pitchers' duel. Schlitter set the tone early by striking out two batters in the first inning and was able to keep Boston off the board for his ninth scoreless outing of the season. He got a little bit of help from Cody Bellinger, with the veteran outfielder gunning down Ceddanne Rafaela at the plate in the seventh inning to preserve the shutout. It was Schlittler's 12th start of eight-plus strikeouts and brought him up to 201 punchouts, which is fifth-most in the majors this season. He'll take a 2.09 ERA and 0.97 WHIP over 163.2 innings into his next start, which is lined up for next week on the road against the Rangers.

Bednar earned the save in Friday's 1-0 win over Boston after tossing a scoreless ninth inning.

Friday's series opener was a low-scoring affair, and Bednar was brought in for the ninth inning to protect the Yankees' one-run lead. He needed 12 pitches (eight strikes) to get the job done, though it was the first time since Aug. 7 that he failed to record a strikeout. Bednar's 31 saves are fifth-most in the majors this season, and he's eight saves shy from matching the career high that he set in 2023 as a member of the Pirates.

Sandoval (1-2) took the loss against the Yankees on Friday, allowing one run on three hits and four walks while striking out seven across 5.1 innings.

Sandoval and Cam Schlittler were locked in a pitchers' duel in Friday's series opener, with the latter coming on top after not giving up a run in his outing. Sandoval tied season highs in both walks and strikeouts, and his lone blemish came in the third inning, when he yielded a solo homer to Paul Goldschmidt. That was the only run Sandoval gave up, but unfortunately for the southpaw, he was unable to avoid the loss after his Red Sox teammates failed to generate any offense. He's given up two earned runs or less in seven of nine starts this season and has a 4.20 ERA and 1.71 WHIP over 45 innings. Sandoval is slated to take on the Mariners at home next week.

Canzone went 2-for-4 with a solo home run during the Mariners' 8-1 loss to the Blue Jays on Friday.

Canzone got the Mariners on the board early with a solo homer off Dylan Cease in the first inning, in what turned out to be Seattle's lone run in Friday's loss. It was Canzone's first homer since Aug. 12 and officially gave him the first 20-homer campaign of his major-league career. He has an .818 OPS with two steals, 59 RBI and 42 extra-base hits over 411 plate appearances in 2026.

Hancock (7-8) took the loss against Toronto on Friday, allowing five runs on eight hits while striking out one batter over five innings. He did not issue a walk.

Hancock put the Mariners in an early hole after giving up three runs in the first inning. He appeared to settle in thereafter, getting through the next three frames unscathed before giving up solo home runs to George Springer and Nathan Lukes in the fifth. Hancock has allowed two homers in back-to-back games, and the five earned runs Friday are his most in a start since June 20 against the Red Sox. He'll take a 3.57 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 138.2 innings into his next start, which is lined up for next week against Boston at Fenway Park.

Lukes went 1-for-4 with a walk, a solo home run and an additional run scored during the Blue Jays' 8-1 win over the Mariners on Friday.

Lukes gave Toronto a 4-1 lead after taking Emerson Hancock deep to right field for a solo home run, with the former crossing home plate a second time on a Myles Straw RBI single in the seventh. Lukes has been hot at the plate recently, having gone 8-for-24 with four home runs, nine RBI and five runs scored over his last seven games. For the year, he has a .708 OPS with one steal, 10 homers and 32 RBI over 359 plate appearances.

Springer went 4-for-4 with a solo home run, a double and two additional runs scored during the Blue Jays' 8-1 win over the Mariners on Friday.

Springer set a season high with four hits Friday, and he was a triple shy of a cycle. His most impactful hit was his third, a homer off Emerson Hancock in the fifth inning to extend Toronto's lead to 5-1. Over his last 10 games, Springer has gone 16-for-32 with one steal, two home runs, seven RBI and six runs scored.

Sousa will serve as the opening pitcher during Saturday's game against the Mets, Chandler Rome of The Athletic reports.

Sousa gave up four earned runs while recording just one out during his last appearance Wednesday, but the Astros will trust him to work the first inning of Saturday's contest in what will be the left-hander's first career start. Cristian Javier is expected to work in bulk relief once Sousa comes out of the game.

Okamoto went 2-for-3 with a home run and three RBI during the Blue Jays' 8-1 win over the Mariners on Friday.

Okamoto contributed to the Blue Jays' three-run first inning with a sacrifice fly that brought Vladimir Guerrero home. Okamoto kept his night going with a solo homer in the sixth -- his 27th home run of the season -- while adding an RBI single in the seventh. It was the eighth time this season that he drove in at least three runs in a game, and his 77 RBI is 10th-most in the American League this season.

Cease (9-5) earned the win against Seattle on Friday, allowing one run on four hits and one walk while striking out eight across six innings.

Cease yielded a solo homer to Dominic Canzone in the first inning but was able to settle in after that, striking out the side in the second frame while keeping the Mariners off the board for the rest of his start. Cease has recorded at least seven strikeouts in 19 consecutive starts, which is tied for the second-longest streak in MLB single-season history behind Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling, both of whom did so in 20 consecutive outings. Cease will take a 2.33 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 217:65 K:BB over 150.1 innings into his next start, lined up for next week on the road against the Guardians.