MLB Player News

Alvarez is scheduled to start Sunday's game against the Cubs at Wrigley Field.

As anticipated, Alvarez will stick around in the Washington rotation after delivering a sterling performance in his MLB debut this past Monday against the Marlins. The 26-year-old lefty had a no-hitter going through the first four innings and ultimately allowed just three baserunners while striking out four batters across five frames, earning the win and helping the Nationals halt an eight-game losing streak. Alvarez will get a stiffer test for his second MLB start as he matches up against a Cubs offense that ranks fifth in baseball with a 109 wRC+ on the season, though Chicago could be without two of its key batters in Kyle Tucker (calf) and Pete Crow-Armstrong (knee).

Smith (hand) could be available off the bench for Sunday's game against the Orioles, MLB.com reports.

Smith has been left out of the lineup for each of the last three games while he's dealt with a right hand contusion, but the Dodgers have chosen not to place him on the injured list after an X-ray and CT scan came back clean. The injury may be something that Smith has to manage for the rest of the season, though he seems to have made at least a little progress. Ben Rortvedt will draw the start behind the plate in Sunday's series finale, but Smith could be called upon to make a pinch-hit appearance at some point during the contest.

Manaea is scheduled to start Tuesday's game against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park.

Though manager Carlos Mendoza had previously said that Manaea would make his 10th start of the season in Monday's series opener, rookie Nolan McLean will instead get the ball for that game. Manaea will be pushed back an additional day as a result, with the change taking the left-hander out of the running for a two-start week, assuming the Mets keep their six-man rotation in place. Manaea owns an excellent 37:5 K:BB in 27.2 innings over his last six starts, but since he's allowed six home runs and a .390 BABIP over that stretch, he's inflicted heavy damage on his fantasy managers' ratios with a 7.81 ERA and 1.48 WHIP.

Walker (5-5) took the loss and was charged with a blown save against the Cardinals on Saturday, failing to record an out while allowing three runs on four hits and a hit batter.

Called on to protect a two-run lead in the ninth, the right-hander quickly found himself in trouble, surrendering back-to-back singles before plunking Jimmy Crooks to load the bases. Thomas Saggese tied the game with an RBI single, and Jordan Walker followed with a two-run double to left, sealing Walker's fifth blown save of the season in 19 chances. The meltdown also snapped a 10-appearance scoreless streak for the Giants' reliever, who sports a 3.93 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 55:14 K:BB across 55 innings of work.

Pallante didn't factor into the decision against the Giants on Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out three over six innings.

Pallante turned in his first quality start since July 28, keeping San Francisco in check outside of a pair of runs in the fourth inning. The right-hander has struggled with consistency in the second half, including a 9.82 ERA and 2.14 WHIP over five starts in August, but he showed improved command and efficiency Saturday by completing six innings for just the second time in his last eight outings. Pallante will take a 5.28 ERA, 1.43 WHIP and 104:53 K:BB over 150 innings into Milwaukee for his next scheduled start.

Verlander didn't factor into the decision against the Cardinals on Saturday, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing three hits and striking out six.

Verlander was far more efficient than his prior outing, when he needed 121 pitches to get through five frames. He required just 88 pitches to complete six shutout innings this time around, marking the second consecutive start in which the veteran righty allowed only three hits while blanking his opponent. Verlander's second half has been uneven -- 15 of his 18 earned runs have come in three of his 10 outings since the All-Star break -- but when he's on, he's been nearly untouchable. The 42-year-old will take a 4.09 ERA, 1.39 WHIP and a 120:43 K:BB into his next scheduled start against the star-studded Dodgers, perhaps ready to build on his recent dominance.

Keller (6-14) took the loss Saturday, allowing two runs on five hits over 6.1 innings as the Pirates were downed 4-1 by the Brewers. He struck out four without walking a batter.

It was arguably Keller's best performance since the All-Star break, with a two-run homer by Jake Bauers in the fourth inning being the only blemish on his line, but the right-hander had no margin for error with Brandon Woodruff firing goose eggs over six innings for Milwaukee. The quality start was Keller's 17th of the season, one off his career high, but only two of them have come in seven outings since the beginning of August -- a stretch in which he's stumbled to a 5.86 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and 36:11 K:BB through 35.1 innings. He'll try to build on this effort in his next trip to the mound, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the Nationals.

Chourio went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Pirates.

The center fielder took Evan Sisk deep in the eighth inning for some insurance runs. Chourio had been battling hamstring cramping this week, leading to an 0-for-14 skid to begin September, but Saturday's long ball is a good sign he's back to 100 percent. The 21-year-old is one homer and two steals away from a second straight 20-20 campaign to begin his career, but Chourio has yet to even attempt to steal a base in seven games since recovering from a hamstring strain and coming off the IL in late August.

Ashby gave up a run on a hit and a walk over 1.2 innings Saturday to record his third save of the season in a 4-1 win over the Pirates. He struck out two.

With Trevor Megill (elbow) on the shelf and Abner Uribe having worked three of the first five days in September, Ashby was leaned on to close things out after entering the game with the tying run on deck and one out in the eighth inning. The save was Ashby's first since July 29, but he's been a fairly reliable high-leverage arm for the Brewers since the beginning of August, posting a 2.62 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 29:9 K:BB over his last 24 innings. Uribe should continue to be the primary ninth-inning option while Megill is on the IL, and even in situations that might call for a left-hander to get the save, Jared Koenig -- who got the final outs Wednesday and also pitched Friday -- seems to be ahead of Ashby in the pecking order.

Woodruff (6-2) picked up the win in Saturday's 4-1 victory over the Pirates, scattering two hits over six scoreless innings. He struck out eight without walking a batter.

The right-hander didn't let a Pittsburgh baserunner get into scoring position in a dominant performance that saw Woodruff fire 61 of 85 pitches for strikes en route to his sixth quality start in 11 outings this season. It was an impressive return to form after he'd been tagged for 16 runs (13 earned) in his last 14.1 innings to close out August. Woodruff will take a 3.32 ERA, 0.96 WHIP and 74:14 K:BB through 59.2 frames into his next start, which lines up to come at home next weekend against the Cardinals.