MLB Player News

Perez didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Houston, striking out two while allowing one run on six hits and two walks in 4.1 innings.

Perez had a hard time finding the zone Sunday, landing only 45 of his 79 pitches for strikes, but he kept Houston in check with eight groundouts. The veteran southpaw has been a serviceable member of the Atlanta rotation, giving up two earned runs or fewer in eight of his last 10 outings. Perez, who has a quality 3.04 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 102:62 K:BB over 142 innings, is scheduled to finish his regular season in Miami.

Smith earned the save in Sunday's 1-0 win over the Athletics, allowing one hit and no walks with three strikeouts over 1.1 innings.

Smith was tasked with preserving a team shutout with two outs in the eighth inning and was able to complete the four-out save on 20 pitches. The 27-year-old has now held opponents scoreless in 10 straight contests, and he's yielded just two earned runs overall in 24 second-half appearances. He trails Bryan Baker's major-league-leading 40 saves by just one and owns a 2.02 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 103:22 K:BB across 71.1 innings in his first full season as the Guardians' closer.

Brown took a no-decision Sunday against Atlanta, striking out 10 while allowing three hits and two walks in five scoreless innings.

Brown had Atlanta out of sorts, generating 18 whiffs en route to fanning double-digit hitters for a second consecutive start. The right-hander has now worked at least five innings while conceding fewer than three runs in six of his last nine outings since the beginning of August. He's set to wrap up his regular season against the division-rival Athletics in hitter-friendly Sacramento, where he'll bring a steady 3.26 ERA, 1.27 WHIP and 120:51 K:BB over 102 innings.

Story went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Sunday's 5-1 loss to the Rays.

Story provided the club's only offense with a solo home run in the ninth inning. The veteran shortstop has now hit safely in 11 straight games, and he's batting .338 overall in 19 games since returning from the injured list Aug. 30. On the year, he's slashing .247/.278/.368 with five homers, 29 RBI, 24 runs scored and five steals across 252 plate appearances.

Simpson went 1-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base in Sunday's 5-1 win over the Red Sox.

Simpson drove in two runs on a single and then stole second in the first inning. The 25-year-old has hit safely in seven of his past eight games, tallying seven RBI and five steals in that span. He is now tied with Nasim Nunez for the major-league lead with 46 stolen bases and ranks second in the American League with a .309 batting average while recording 38 RBI and 65 runs scored across 597 plate appearances this season.

Herrera went 2-for-4 with two solo home runs Sunday in a 5-3 win over Washington.

It was Herrera's third career multi-homer game and second of the season. The catcher had gone hitless in five straight starts prior to his current three-game hitting streak, picking up six knocks during that latter stretch. Through 692 plate appearances, he's slashing .247/.358/.388 with 18 homers, 68 RBI, eight stolen bases and 95 runs scored.

O'Brien threw a clean ninth inning to earn the save Sunday against the Nationals.

The All-Star closer made quick work of Washington, retiring the side on just six pitches (all strikes). O'Brien has had a shaky month of September, converting only four of his last seven save chances, but Sunday's performance was a step in the right direction as he looks to end the campaign on a positive note. He has a 4.08 ERA, 1.28 WHIP and 64:29 K:BB over 64 innings, piling up 38 saves in 46 opportunities.

Irvin took a no-decision Sunday against the Cardinals, striking out eight while allowing two runs on three hits and no walks in 5.1 innings.

Irvin gave up only three knocks on the afternoon, though two of those went for extra bases. The eight punchouts were his most since April 25 against the White Sox, which was also the last time the right-hander didn't issue a walk prior to Sunday. He's lined up to take the ball in the regular-season finale against the division-rival Mets, and he currently holds a 5.40 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 104:46 K:BB across 101.2 innings.

Mathews didn't factor into the decision Sunday against Washington, striking out three while allowing three runs on seven hits and two walks in seven innings.

CJ Abrams popped a two-run shot off Mathews in the sixth inning, but the hurler was still able to hang in Sunday for a quality start. The rookie southpaw is potentially working his way into the Cardinals' pitching plans for 2027, as he's either posted a quality start or tossed at least five innings while yielding two runs or fewer in five consecutive outings. His final appearance of the year is slated to come in Milwaukee, where he'll bring a decent 3.65 ERA, 1.38 WHIP and 39:18 K:BB over 44.1 innings.

Conforto went 1-for-5 with a solo home run in Sunday's 9-1 win over the Reds.

Getting a chance to serve as the DH Sunday, Conforto took Cincinnati reliever Carson Spiers deep in the fifth inning for his 15th home run of the season. That's an impressive total for the veteran outfielder, who has largely served as a reserve for the Cubs this year and has has seen 253 at-bats across 108 games, down from 418 at-bats in 138 games for the Dodgers last regular season. Conforto should be a key bench option for Chicago in the postseason as an experienced hitter who's capable of delivering in big spots.