MLB Player News

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.

Waldrep didn't factor into the decision against the Mariners on Saturday, allowing two runs on two hits and five walks while striking out five over five innings.

The right-hander battled command issues throughout the outing, issuing a season-high five free passes, but he managed to limit the damage to a Julio Rodriguez homer in the first inning. It marked the first time in seven MLB starts this season that Waldrep allowed more than one run, as he had previously been nearly untouchable since his call-up. While he has shown swing-and-miss stuff, the walks continue to be a concern and have capped his ability to work deeper into games. The 23-year-old will carry a 1.33 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 38:16 K:BB across 40.2 innings into his next scheduled start against the Astros.

Stewart went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Saturday's 6-3 win over the Mets.

In the second inning of his fourth career big-league game, Stewart got hold of a 96 mph fastball from fellow rookie Jonah Tong and drove it over the center-field fence for his first career long ball. Stewart has started three of five games since being called up Sept. 1, two at first base and one at third, and the Reds will likely continue to find ways to get the 21-year-old's bat into the lineup down the stretch after he posted a combined .309/.383/.524 slash line across 118 games this season between Double-A and Triple-A.

Singer (13-9) picked up the win Saturday, allowing one run on four hits and four walks over six innings in a 6-3 victory over the Mets. He struck out five.

While the right-hander's control was a little shaky and he threw just 58 of 99 pitches for strikes, Singer kept the damage to a minimum and got backed by three homers from the Cincinnati offense, including Sal Stewart's first career long ball. Singer has won four straight decisions while delivering five straight quality starts, a stretch in which he's posted a stellar 1.80 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 32:8 K:BB over 30 innings. He'll look to keep rolling in his next outing, which is scheduled to come on the road next weekend against the A's.

Tong (1-1) took the loss Saturday as the Mets fell 6-3 to the Reds, giving up four runs on three hits -- all home runs -- and four walks over six innings. He struck out six.

Making his second big-league start, Tong fought his control and command, tossing 57 of 96 pitches for strikes and finding it difficult to keep the ball in cozy Great American Ball Park. The right-hander was still able to give New York six innings, however, and the team seems committed to its youth movement in the rotation with Brandon Sproat set to make his MLB debut Sunday. Tong lines up to make his next trip to the mound at home next weekend against the Rangers.

Harper went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run Saturday in a 4-2 win against Miami.

Harper helped the Phillies get off to a fast start with his two-run shot to center field in the first inning. The long ball was his second through five games in September after he finished August with just one homer across his final 12 contests. Harper is at 24 home runs through 113 games on the campaign, so he'll need to go on a moderate power surge in order to reach 30 homers for the second straight regular season.

Alcantara (8-12) took the loss against Philadelphia on Saturday, allowing four runs on seven hits and one walk while striking out four batters over six innings.

Alcantara gave up a two-run homer to Bryce Harper in the first inning and yielded two more runs in the fourth. That was more than enough to send him to his 12th loss of the campaign. Alcantara did, however, manage to finish six frames for the fifth consecutive outing, his longest such stretch of the season. While his 5.67 ERA is on pace to easily be the worst of his career, the veteran right-hander has at least shown positive signs late in the campaign -- during the aforementioned five-game span, he's posted a 2.45 ERA with a 33:6 K:BB over 33 innings.

Bernabel went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 10-8 loss to the Padres.

Bernabel had gone just 1-for-32 over his previous 10 games before breaking out of the slump with a big performance Saturday. The young infielder still needs to work on his consistency at the plate, but he's getting plenty of opportunities to do so as the primary first baseman for the Rockies down the stretch. Overall, he's posted a .254/.288/.429 slash line with four home runs, 14 RBI, 15 runs scored, eight doubles and one steal over 35 games.