MLB Player News

Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol indicated Friday that Graceffo is under consideration to make a start during next week's series in San Francisco, Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports.

The qualifier is that the Cardinals will have to first get through a weekend series at Coors Field without needing to use Graceffo out of the bullpen, which is easier said than done. A midseason pitch mix change has unlocked Graceffo, who has logged a 2.22 ERA, 0.99 WHIP and 31:11 K:BB over 28.1 innings since ditching his curveball for a new slider. He threw three perfect innings with four strikeouts while starting a bullpen game last week versus the Orioles, and the righty has since added an additional five scoreless frames with a 9:1 K:BB over two subsequent outings. Graceffo threw a season-high 48 pitches his last time out, so he should be capable of around 50-to-60 pitches next week if he does wind up making a spot start.

Sasaki (finger) indicated that he felt good following a bullpen session Friday, MLB.com reports.

The Dodgers placed Sasaki on the injured list Aug. 27, one day after he developed a blister on his right middle finger during a start in Atlanta. He'll be eligible for activation Sept. 11, and Sasaki looks like he could be on pace to return that day. Sasaki will still likely need to complete at least one throwing session against live hitters before the Dodgers reinstate him.

Stone (shoulder) hasn't made a rehab appearance for Triple-A Oklahoma City since Aug. 26 due to a minor biceps injury, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.

Stone skipped out on a rehab start this week to recover from the injury, but the Dodgers are hopeful that he'll be able to make another appearance or two at Triple-A before returning from the 60-day injured list. Prior to the biceps issue cropping up, Stone had been magnificent through his first four rehab starts, posting a 1.54 ERA, 0.43 WHIP and 18:1 K:BB in 11.2 innings. Stone's stellar form at Triple-A looked to have put him in the mix to potentially enter the Dodgers' six-man rotation once activated, but the biceps injury makes it more likely that he works in relief if he's activated before the end of the regular season.

Marte struck out two and allowed three earned runs on four hits and two walks across five innings of relief in Friday's 10-6 loss to the Mets.

After tossing 4.2 innings of one-run ball as a starter in his MLB debut last Saturday in the second game of a doubleheader versus the Diamondbacks, Marte was deployed as part of a piggyback tandem with Wilkinson. Both hurlers tossed exactly 62 pitches, but Marte worked longer and more effectively than Wilkinson, who yielded seven runs (four earned) on five hits and two walks over three innings. Wilkinson has started in all four of his appearances with the Giants, but the Giants have limited him to less than four innings on three occasions. The Giants could continue to have Wilkinson and Marte work in piggyback arrangement when the fifth spot in the rotation comes up as the team looks to limit the workloads for both young pitchers down the stretch.

Stock allowed one hit and retired the other batter he faced while working out of the bullpen in Friday's 10-6 win over the Giants.

Following his promotion from Triple-A Syracuse on Aug. 2, Stock started in his first six appearances and submitted a 5.88 ERA and 1.73 WHIP across 26 innings. The Mets' decision to make him available out of the bullpen Friday suggests that he's been dropped from the rotation in favor of Jonah Tong, who will be called up from Triple-A to start Monday in Miami.

Lowder (6-9) took the loss Friday, coughing up seven runs (six earned) on six hits and four walks over four-plus innings as the Reds fell 10-7 to the Brewers. He struck out two.

The right-hander wobbled early but still headed into the fifth inning with Cincinnati holding a 6-4 lead, but Lowder got the hook after the first three batters in the frame reached base, and he had to watch all three come around to score. While he didn't serve up any homers for the first time since July 24, Lowder still got hit hard as half the hits off him went for extra bases. Over nine outings since the All-Star break, he's stumbled to a 6.22 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 31:12 K:BB in 46.1 innings, but the Reds seem content to let him continue taking a regular turn to close out the campaign. Lowder is scheduled to make his next start on the road next week against the Dodgers.

Turang went 3-for-4 with a double, two runs scored and three RBI in Friday's 10-7 win over the Reds.

Dropped down to sixth in the order due to a prolonged slump that had seen Turang sag to a .174/.262/.239 slash line since the beginning of August, the second baseman seemed to relish being in a run-producing spot rather than setting the table, as he ripped a two-run double off the right-field wall in the third inning that just missed leaving the yard. A 10-run eruption from the Milwaukee offense will likely ensure manager Pat Murphy avoids any further tinkering for now, so Turang should get a chance to settle into his new spot. Despite his late-season slump, his 82 RBI are a new career high, and he's one homer shy of tying the career-best 18 he launched last year over 156 regular-season games.

Megill struck out the side in a perfect ninth inning Friday, recording his 26th save of the season in a 10-7 win over the Reds.

The right-hander got Dane Myers and Elly De La Cruz to chase knuckle curves after Juan Brito couldn't catch up to a 98.3-mph fastball at the top of the zone to begin the frame. Megill fired 20 pitches (15 strikes) in all as he converted his 18th straight save chance, with his last blown save coming back on June 5 at Coors Field. Since that stumble, he's produced a dazzling 0.29 ERA, 0.61 WHIP and 33:7 K:BB over his last 31.1 innings.

Romano (0-3) took the loss and was charged with his fourth blown save of the season Friday against the Cardinals. He allowed three runs (two earned) on one hit and a walk over one inning in Friday's 7-6 loss to the Cardinals.

Romano entered the ninth tasked with protecting a 6-4 lead but couldn't finish the job. He walked Thomas Saggese to open the inning before Jose Fermin reached on a throwing error with one out, setting the stage for Ivan Herrera's go-ahead three-run homer. Romano has gone 14-for-18 in save chances this season, and this was just his second blown save since the All-Star break. He owns a 2.84 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 18:9 K:BB over 19 innings since joining the Rockies.

Herrera went 2-for-5 with a three-run home run in Friday's 7-6 victory over the Rockies.

Herrera delivered the game's decisive swing with St. Louis trailing 6-4 in the ninth with a 430-foot blast to center field to give the Cardinals a one-run lead in the top of the ninth. The homer was his 15th of the season and completed a comeback after the Cardinals had squandered an early three-run advantage. Herrera has had four multi-hit performances in his last five games, and this homer snapped a 15-game stretch without a long ball.