MLB Player News

The Nationals acquired Early (elbow) from the Red Sox on Saturday in exchange for infielder Curtis Mead, Jeff Passan of ESPN.com reports.

Early is currently on the 15-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation, but he's been throwing for the past week and is expected to head out on a rehab assignment in the near future. Boston had a surplus of starting pitchers and chose to ship out Early to address the team's need for added thump to the lineup. In the 24-year-old Early, the Nationals get a young arm who can occupy a spot in the rotation for years to come. Across 21 career MLB regular-season starts, Early has a 3.24 ERA, 1.23 WHIP and 122:38 K:BB spanning 111 innings.

Bleday went 1-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base in Saturday's 7-0 loss to the Cardinals.

Bleday has gone 12 games without a multi-hit effort, but he's hit safely in 10 of them. The outfielder has also swiped three bags in that span, accounting for half of his six steals this season. Bleday is batting .238 with an .821 OPS, 17 home runs, 44 RBI, 39 runs scored, 11 doubles and one triple over 75 contests. He's done enough to function as the Reds' starter in left field since he earned a call-up in late April.

Greene (2-2) allowed seven runs (six earned) on eight hits and two walks while striking out three over 5.1 innings to take the loss versus the Cardinals on Saturday.

Greene has had a pair of quality starts and a pair of not-so-quality starts over his four outings since he returned from elbow surgery. The right-hander set a season low for strikeouts Saturday, and while he didn't give up a home run, the Cardinals had no trouble taking advantage of his mistakes. Greene is now at a 7.06 ERA, 1.34 WHIP and 29:7 K:BB through 21.2 innings this season. He is projected to make his next start at home versus the Pirates.

Burleson went 3-for-4 with one RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 7-0 win over the Reds.

Burleson alone matched the Reds' hit total in the contest. He has alternated three-hit efforts and hitless performances over his last seven games, going 12-for-29 (.414) with three RBI in that span. For the season, the 27-year-old is batting .285 with an .813 OPS, 15 home runs, 70 RBI, 55 runs scored, 25 doubles, one triple and three stolen bases across 103 games.

Pallante (11-6) allowed two hits and one walk while striking out eight over seven shutout innings to earn the win over the Reds on Saturday.

Pallante put together the best outing of his season, matching his previous highs for strikeouts and innings pitched in a game this year. He threw 57 of 90 pitches for strikes in the dominant performance and has now held the Reds to one run on four hits and two walks over 13 innings across two starts this season. Overall, Pallante sports a 3.77 ERA, 1.21 WHIP and 83:32 K:BB through 112.1 innings over 20 starts. He is lined up to make his next start on the road in Toronto.

Skenes (9-9) took the loss against the Cubs on Saturday, allowing five runs on six hits and two walks with 11 strikeouts over 5.1 innings.

Skenes was locked in a pitcher's duel with Shota Imanaga before allowing three runs in the fifth inning and being charged with two more after departing with one out in the sixth. It snapped a three-start winning streak during which Skenes yielded three earned runs or fewer, though he did generate 22 whiffs on 105 pitches while posting a season-high 11 punchouts Saturday. The 24-year-old owns a 3.65 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 149:28 K:BB across 120.2 innings this season and will aim to rebound in a road matchup with the Reds next week.

Imanaga (7-8) earned the win against the Pirates on Saturday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out four over six scoreless innings.

Imanaga outdueled Paul Skenes, keeping the Pirates off the board despite generating only six swinging strikes on 84 pitches. Per John Perrotto of MLB.com, Imanaga has allowed just one run over 38 career innings against the Pirates. The southpaw has now thrown back-to-back scoreless outings and has limited opponents to two earned runs or fewer in seven of his past eight starts dating back to June 10. He'll carry a 3.72 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 113:29 K:BB across 121 innings this season into a road matchup with the Cardinals next week.

Elder did not factor into the decision in Saturday's 3-2 loss to the Orioles, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four walks with eight strikeouts over five innings.

Elder allowed single runs in the third and fifth innings, recording eight strikeouts -- his best mark since May 10 -- while also tying a season high with four walks. After limping into the All-Star break having allowed 22 earned runs over four starts, the 27-year-old has now yielded just three earned runs through two outings to open the second half. He'll take a 3.96 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and 98:37 K:BB across 113.2 innings into a home matchup with the Nationals next week.

Abrams went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI and a stolen base in Saturday's 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks.

The star shortstop drove in two with a two-bagger in the third inning before wrapping up the scoring for the Nationals with a solo shot off Mitch Bratt in the fifth. Abrams has gone yard five times in the last six games, and on the year he's up to 25 homers and 17 steals, one of just two players in the majors this season to have already reached the 25-15 plateau -- with the other being his teammate James Wood (28 HR, 15 SB).

Beeter worked a perfect ninth inning Saturday to record his ninth save of the season in a 5-3 win over the Diamondbacks. He didn't strike out a batter.

The right-hander needed just nine pitches (six strikes) to take care of the middle of Arizona's order. Beeter had been tagged for at least one run in three straight appearances prior to Saturday, and while he's the best closing option the Nationals have at the moment, his 3.82 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 33:19 K:BB over 30.2 innings on the season are far from elite ratios.